Within the Hokage building, a heavy mood hung in the air.
Four individuals were seated, their faces bearing expressions of profound gloom.
Hiruzen sat in his chair at the head of the table, his gaze lingered upon the three elders seated to his left and right.
Seated on his right was Utatane Koharu. Her silver hair was styled in a practical manner, and she wore formal, understated attire.
Utatane Koharu was an elder who focused on pragmatism and the village's stability.
Beside her sat Mitokado Homura, neatly combed silver hair framing a stern face. He wore traditional robes.
He was a long-standing and influential elder within the village's political structure.
On the left side of Hiruzen sat a middle-aged, squalid-looking man. His single visible eye flickered with a malevolent gleam.
His right arm was tightly wrapped in bandages.
The man who was a symbol of hope for Konoha—the very embodiment of selfless dedication to its future, that's what he thinks.
This man was none other than Danzo Shimura.
Hiruzen broke the silence and asked, "What do you three think about this?"
"What's there to think about? Just reject his request for Early Graduation," Danzo spoke in a firm tone.
"Hiruzen, Danzo's right. We can't let Naruto become a Genin this early."
"He is the Jinchuriki of the village, an invaluable asset. We can't let him go out on dangerous missions," Koharu said, agreeing with Danzo.
"But who gave him the idea of Early Graduation?" Homura asked.
Hiruzen shook his head and spoke in a somber tone.
"I don't know, and we can't reject his request either."
Slam!
Danzo slammed his crutch against the floor and asked in a dry tone, "Why not, Hiruzen?"
"You may not know, but Naruto is the top student among the first-year trainees. We need to provide a proper reason for refusal."
"Hmph!" Danzo scoffed and said.
"Why does the Hokage need to give a reason to refuse an academy student?"
"He's just a kid who knows nothing," Kohara said.
"Just let him take the test and have him fail miserably. Then he won't ask about it again until the graduation exams."
Danzo glanced at Koharu, nodded in agreement, and said.
"That's right. Just because he is the top student of his class doesn't mean he is strong enough to be a Genin."
Homura asked, "Also, make the test more difficult than necessary, so he doesn't get this idea again throughout his academy years."
After considering all their points, he nodded in agreement and said.
"Alright then, I will personally go to the academy to oversee his test."
But before Hiruzen could conclude the meeting, Danzo's sharp gaze bore into Hiruzen as he spoke.
"Hiruzen, my advice remains that you hand Naruto over to Root. The academy will be a waste of his time. I can develop—"
Bang!
Hiruzen's hand crashed down on the table as he shot a glare at Danzo.
"I've told you countless times, Naruto isn't going into Root," Hiruzen emphasized with a firm voice.
Frustrated, Danzo slammed his crutch down and glared at Sarutobi before speaking.
"You will regret it," he hissed before storming out and slamming the door with a loud bang.
With a sigh, Sarutobi muttered, "Danzo is so persistent," then spoke to Koharu and Homura about adjourning the meeting.
——
Meanwhile, at his apartment, Naruto was intensely focused on his training.
"998... 999... 1000"
Huff..huff..huff...
"Sit-ups finished, plus 150 XP," Naruto uttered, his breath coming in ragged gasps due to the exertion.
( Host : Naruto Uzumaki )
( Chakra Capacity : Special Jonin )
( XP : 15,120 )
( Chakra Battery : Tail Beast Level [Yang Half Kurama] )
'Without defeating real opponents, leveling up XP will always be a lengthy process.'
After training, Naruto took a towel to cleanse the sweat from his face.
"Just how much trouble are those old fogeys trying to cause with my early graduation test?" Naruto smirked, letting out a scoff.
With a confident tone, Kurama told Naruto, "What's there to worry about when I am with you?"
With a chuckle, Naruto said, "Heh, yeah yeah, I know that great Kurama is with me."
He thought to himself. 'Spending time with Kurama has made this so difficult.'
'Should I sacrifice him so the Ten-Tails can be resurrected in the future or not?'
He tilted his head, as if physically shaking off a burden, and thought, 'I'll worry about it when the time comes.'
——
The next day at the academy, once class ended, Daikoku approached Naruto and announced to everyone.
"Naruto, the Hokage has decided you'll take your early graduation test in two days' time."
"Early Graduation?!"
The whole class murmured, with some in shock and others clearly envious.
A few mumbled, "Tch! Just because this fox is a little strong, he thinks he's above all of us."
Sasuke directed his attention towards Naruto with a gaze that clearly conveyed curiosity.
Sakura scoffed, saying, "Tch, Sasuke-kun himself didn't think of graduating early."
"Where did Naruto find the confidence to try for early graduation?" she wondered aloud.
When Sakura said this, a couple more girls nodded and mumbled in accord.
Kiba looked at Sakura, a little annoyed by her words.
"Forehead, have you already forgotten that Naruto beat the shit out of your Sasuke-kun every time they sparred?" Kiba said, reminding Sakura.
Sakura then shot him a sharp glare, her teeth clenched.
She knew that Naruto was stronger than Sasuke, but in her heart, she still refused to believe it.
Hinata, who had been listening quietly, blushed slightly at Kiba's words.
Her gaze drifted downwards, and a small, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips.
She subtly fiddled with her fingers, her shyness preventing her from directly acknowledging the comment, but her reaction clearly indicated her agreement and perhaps a touch of pride in Naruto's strength.
Naruto remained oblivious to all of this and was lost in thought.
'Sensei made the announcement in front of everyone... does that mean my test will be conducted in the open with the other students as spectators?'
'So those old geezers think that I'll be humiliated if I fail the test.'
'They've persuaded themselves that I'm incapable of passing the test.' A smirk played on Naruto's lips at this thought.
——
Two Days Later.
On the training field of the Academy, every student from Naruto's class was there.
Naruto stood in front of the table where Hiruzen, Principal Takeshi, and the Academy staff were seated.
The crowd of spectators exchanged murmurs, which Naruto chose to ignore.
Sakura muttered, "I want Naruto to pass."
The other students, puzzled, questioned, "Sakura, weren't you always against Naruto? What's with this sudden kindness?"
Sakura replied with a smirk, "If he succeeds, I won't have to look at him anymore."
"Oh! Now it makes sense."
The others nodded approvingly and gave a mocking laugh directed at Naruto.
One called out, "Oi Naruto, try your best to pass and leave the academy, got it?"
Naruto tried to disregard the taunts, but he couldn't take it anymore. He shot them a dangerous glare, his eyes narrowed with menace.
This caused some to fall silent immediately and turn their eyes away.
Then he approached Sakura, who was giving him a smug grin.
Naruto grabbed her mouth firmly and said in a low, menacing voice, his eyes shifting from blue to red as a little of Kurama's chakra flared,
"Listen, you dishwasher, if you utter so much as a peep until the test is finished, I will kill you. Got it?"
Sakura, taking in his words and his appearance, was utterly terrified and wet herself.
Naruto looked at her with disdain and returned to his previous position.
The other students fell utterly silent, terrified by what Naruto had done.
Nobody dared to mock or even utter a single word after that.
Having observed the scene, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and gave a slow shake of his head.
Then, in a firm tone, he stated, "Naruto, focus. Your test is about to commence."