This Naruto is too easily persuaded.

"But what?"

Kiba Inuzuka subconsciously pressed for an answer.

Shui Mu lowered his voice even further, tinged with regret and indignation:

"But some gaps cannot be bridged by hard work and talent alone."

"In this world, sometimes hard work alone is not enough, especially when the competition is unfair from the start."

"Unfair?"

Kiba Inuzuka paused for a moment, "Mitsuki-sensei, you mean...?"

"You've always been hindering Naruto's progress, haven't you?"

Mizuki looked around, and after confirming that no one was there, a strange light shone in his eyes:

"Haven't you noticed? Naruto's rate of progress is just too abnormal."

"A month ago he was at the bottom of the class, but now he can beat you in a second."

Is this level of leap truly achievable through mere "effort"?

"Do you really believe that hard work and a sudden flash of inspiration can turn a loser into a genius?"

Kiba Inuzuka's pupils contracted instantly.

Yes, that's incredibly fast, like a monster.

If he is truly a genius, then why is it only now that his talent has become apparent?

Seeing Kiba Inuzuka deep in thought, Mizuki sneered and uttered a carefully crafted lie:

"That so-called first-place prize was actually predetermined to be given to Naruto."

"No matter how hard ordinary people like us try, we're just there to make up the numbers."

"I heard that the Third Hokage secretly gave Naruto private lessons, teaching him secret training methods and resources."

"Otherwise, how could an orphan be so strong?"

Some of what he said was true, some was false, but most of it was fabricated by Mizuki to deceive Kiba Inuzuka.

As a result, by sheer chance, he stumbled upon some of the truth.

Ya's body began to tremble.

It wasn't fear, it was anger, it was a long-suppressed emotion finding an outlet.

"teacher……"

Ya raised her head, her eyes filled with resentment. "Are you saying that all of this... is unfair?"

"fair?"

Shui Mu smiled, a smile filled with complex emotions:

Where in this world is there any fairness? True power is always in the hands of a privileged few.

"but--"

"There are still ways to make up for it."

Shuimu deliberately dragged out his words.

"How can we make amends?"

Kiba Inuzuka exclaimed excitedly, as if he had grasped at a lifeline.

"Then of course... I'll learn an even more powerful technique."

Shuimu leaned closer, her voice seductive:

"For example, the legendary Book of Seals."

"Any one of the techniques recorded in that book has the power to transform a person and change their destiny."

Kiba Inuzuka's pupils contracted sharply.

However...

Shui Mu straightened up, reverting to his gentle demeanor.

"That's not for ordinary people like us; only chosen geniuses are qualified to touch it—"

"privilege!"

"And if we don't reach out and take it ourselves, we'll only be able to compete with others for scraps."

"Teeth, are you content to be a stepping stone for the rest of your life?"

He patted Ya on the shoulder and said, "Go back early and prepare well for the exam."

Even if we don't get first place, getting second or third place would be great.

"Although you may never catch up with that silhouette."

After saying that, Shui Mu turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

Under the streetlights, Kiba Inuzuka stood there blankly.

After a long while, he clenched his fist.

"The Book of Seals..."

……

Naruto's family.

I closed the heavy book in my hands.

Naruto took off his glasses and rubbed his temples.

Even with the help of black tea, prolonged periods of intense mental work can still lead to fatigue.

He got up and walked to the window, looking at the scattered shadows of Konoha Village outside.

When the third generation announced the awards today, he appeared calm on the surface, but he saw through everything in his heart.

That so-called open competition was essentially a channel tailor-made for him.

The Third Hokage used this method to both give himself a legitimate reason to acquire advanced resources and to motivate all the students in the school, achieving two goals at once.

"That's politics."

Naruto thought to himself.

Moreover, it was said to be a high-level ninjutsu for the first place.

If he is number one, then the advanced ninjutsu is the Book of Sealing; if someone else is lucky enough to get number one, then the advanced ninjutsu might just be a B-rank ninjutsu.

The right to interpret this belongs to the Hokage; it's clever and fits the Hokage's identity perfectly.

Naruto was not averse to this so-called overt strategy.

On the contrary, he admired this method of manipulating and applauding everyone.

However, means are always just means, not ends.

"Now that the stage is set, I'll reluctantly take on the lead role this time."

"The Book of Seals..."

He put on his glasses and began reading again.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

There's one day left until the graduation exam.

The atmosphere in the classroom was so intense it felt like you could wring water out of it.

"Hey, Shikamaru, I heard your family's herbal medicine warehouse was robbed?"

Choji asked indistinctly while stuffing potato chips into his mouth.

"Ah...yes."

Shikamaru lay sprawled on the table, looking half-asleep, but his tone held an unusual sharpness.

"My dad was furious. He said the thief was very professional, not only avoiding all the traps, but even eliminating the smell completely."

What was said unintentionally was taken seriously by the listener.

Kiba Inuzuka, who was sitting not far away, stiffened for a moment.

His hand instinctively pressed down on his ninja tool pouch, inside which lay a bottle of medicine.

That was what Teacher Shuimu gave him last night.

"If we give him the potion, he will temporarily lose control of his chakra and embarrass himself in tomorrow's exam."

"This is for fairness, Teeth."

Shui Mu's words still seemed to echo in his ears.

"Fairness... I'm doing this for fairness..."

Kiba Inuzuka swallowed hard and turned to look at the back row.

Naruto was reading a book there.

Sunlight shone on his profile, making him appear exceptionally composed.

"Why... can you do it so easily...?"

Kiba Inuzuka gritted his teeth, his jealousy and longing suppressing a trace of unease in his heart.

He stood up, as if he had made a decision, and walked straight towards Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto."

The sound of his teeth was somewhat dry.

Naruto slowly raised his head from the book, his gaze calmly fixed on Kiba.

"What is it?"

Kiba felt somewhat calmer under Naruto's calm gaze.

"After school...would you like to go to the training ground together?"

"The exam is tomorrow, and I want to... do some final intensive training."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding classmates cast strange glances at him.

Everyone knows that Kiba Inuzuka has been suffering a lot of setbacks recently. Isn't it just asking for trouble to ask Naruto to train him at this time?

Naruto looked at Kiba Inuzuka.

The one sitting here is just a shadow clone of Naruto, and has no ability to sense emotions.

Even so, just by looking at Kiba Inuzuka's uneasy expression, one could glean some clues.

"Okay, since it's an invitation from a classmate, I have no reason to refuse."

Naruto gave Kiba Inuzuka a gentle smile.