I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 82 Graduation!

The hall of the ninja academy was packed with people.

Today is the day of the graduation exam.

The sixth-grade students lined up neatly in several rows. Some were so nervous that their palms were sweating, some crossed their arms and pretended not to care, and some secretly glanced at the expressions of the people next to them.

Iruka stood in front, holding a list in his hand, reading out one name after another.

The person whose name is called steps forward, faces the examiner, and demonstrates one of the three body techniques—the clone technique.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka murmured.

Sasuke stepped out of the group, expressionless. He walked up to the examiner, formed hand seals, and used the Shadow Clone Technique.

With a bang, a complete clone appeared next to him, exactly the same as him, even the position of the headband was exactly the same.

The examiner nodded and put a checkmark on the score sheet.

Sasuke walked back to the group, put his hands in his pockets, and raised his chin slightly.

Someone whispered, "As expected of the Uchiha," and he heard it but didn't react.

"Haruno Sakura".

Sakura came out, her hair in a ponytail, a headband tied around her forehead—she'd bought it months ago and had been wearing it ever since.

She formed a hand seal, using the clone technique.

A clone appeared beside her. She glanced nervously at the examiner, who nodded. She breathed a sigh of relief, walked back to the line, and quietly cheered while holding the hand of the girl next to her.

"Naruto Uzumaki"

Naruto stepped out of the group, grinning, seemingly not nervous at all.

He walked up to the examiner and formed a hand seal—a technique he had practiced many times, but every time he formed the seal, the Nine-Tails' chakra would surge out and cause trouble.

He gritted his teeth and concentrated his chakra. "Shadow Clone Technique!"

With a bang.

As the white smoke dissipated, a limp, listless clone lay on the ground, its skin wrinkled as if it had been soaking in a bath for a long time, its eyes uneven in size, its mouth crooked to one side, lying there listlessly like a puddle of mud.

There was a moment of silence in the hall. Then someone laughed.

"Hahaha! What is that?!"

"It's not a clone technique, is it? That's clearly a transformation technique!" someone corrected, but the laughter grew even louder.

Naruto's face flushed red. He looked at the pathetic clone on the ground, who was also looking at him, its crooked mouth seemingly trying to say, "Sorry, I tried my best."

Iruka sighed, walked up to Naruto, squatted down, and punctured the clone.

The white smoke dissipated, leaving nothing on the ground.

"Naruto." Iruka's voice wasn't harsh, but it was serious. "Your Shadow Clone Jutsu is subpar. Your chakra control needs improvement."

"How could this be—" Naruto exclaimed anxiously. "I practiced it so many times!"

"I've reviewed your training records." Iruka opened a booklet. "Every time you form hand seals, your chakra fluctuations are abnormal. It's not that you don't have enough chakra, it's that you can't control it. Train for another month, and you'll have a make-up exam next time."

Naruto opened his mouth, as if to say something, but seeing Iruka's gaze, he swallowed his words. He lowered his head and walked back to the group. Someone patted him on the shoulder; it was Kiba, who whispered, "It's alright."

Someone pretended not to see and took a step to the side. Sasuke didn't look at him, Sakura glanced at him, and then moved away.

After the exam, the students walked out of the hall one after another.

Some people are laughing, some are running, and some are waiting at the door for their families to pick them up.

Naruto sat alone on the swing by the playground, head down, swaying back and forth.

The swing's chains were rusty, creaking and rattling as it swung, somewhat like the sound of him swinging his knife by the river. No, they weren't the same. The man by the river was growing stronger; he was just swinging on the swing.

"Naruto."

Mizuki walked out of the school building, wearing a Chunin vest and a gentle smile on his face. He walked to the swing and placed one hand on the chain.

"What's wrong? Still worried about the exam?"

Naruto looked up at Mizuki.

Mizuki was a teacher at the Ninja Academy, teaching ninjutsu theory. He was always very kind to Naruto, even gentler than Iruka. He never raised his voice or scolded him.

"Mitsuki-sensei—" Naruto's voice trailed off. "Am I really that bad?"

"How could that be?" Mizuki crouched down to meet his gaze. "You don't lack the ability to create clones; it's a problem with your chakra control. It's not your fault."

Naruto looked at him, his eyes shining. "Really?"

"Really." Mizuki stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Besides, there's more than one way to graduate. The standards for ninja assessments aren't limited to the ones in school."

Naruto paused, stunned. "What do you mean?"

Mizuki glanced around to make sure no one was watching. He lowered his voice: "Do you know the Scroll of Sealing Techniques? It's the forbidden scroll left behind by the Third Hokage and sealed in the Hokage Building. It records many advanced ninjutsu, far more sophisticated than what's taught in the academy. If you learn the ninjutsu in it, you might not only graduate, but you could even be promoted to genin directly."

"A forbidden technique scroll?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "If I learned that—"

—

"Shh—" Mizuki held up one finger. "This can't be known by anyone else. Only Jonin and above can access the Scroll of Sealing. If you try to steal it and get caught, you'll be punished."

"Steal?" Naruto hesitated.

"I didn't say anything." Mizuki smiled and straightened up. "I'm just an ordinary teacher; I'm not responsible for what I say. Think about it yourself."

He left. Naruto sat on the swing, watching Mizuki's figure disappear around the corner of the school building.

The wind blew from the playground, swirling the fallen leaves around his feet before letting them fall again.

The Hokage's office, late that night.

Minato sat behind the table, a graduation exam summary report spread out in front of him. Anbu knelt before the table, reporting in a low voice.

"Mizuki spoke with Naruto today and mentioned the Scroll of Seals."

Minato's finger paused for a moment. "He sent Naruto to steal the Scroll of Seals?"

"It was an implication, not explicitly stated, but the meaning was clear." The ANBU paused. "Should we stop it?"

Shuimen leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling.

He had noticed Shui Mu long ago.

He is overly enthusiastic towards Naruto, has a subtle attitude towards Iruka, and occasionally appears in ANBU mission reports but is not an ANBU member.

He's investigating the background of SMTH (Shuimu BBS), but he hasn't figured it out yet.

But tonight, Shuimu revealed his true colors.

"No need to stop him," Minato said softly. "Send Naruto. Follow him secretly, don't let him get away with it."

"Yes."

"And—" Minato paused. "If Mizuki has accomplices, follow the trail. If he doesn't, make him reveal himself."

The member of the ANBU nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

Minato walked to the window and looked at the moonlight outside.

Naruto is home alone, probably eating instant noodles again. He should go back and keep him company, but he can't. Naruto needs to learn to walk on his own, and he needs to learn to let go—though it's difficult.

He looked at it for a long time, then turned around and walked back to the table to continue reviewing documents.

In the middle of the night, Naruto got out of bed.

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind filled with Shui Mu's words.

"The Book of Seals — Advanced Ninjutsu — Graduation —" He sat up and looked out the window. The moon was bright, and the outline of the Hokage Building looked like a silent mountain in the moonlight.

He recalled what Shuimu had mentioned about the "forbidden technique scroll".

If you learn the above ninjutsu, you can graduate, get the headband, and become a ninja.

That way, you won't be called a loser by others.

He put on his shoes, opened the window, and climbed out.

The Hokage Building, late at night.

The corridor was dark, with only a few wall lamps lit up, their light spreading across the walls.

Naruto walked with his back bent, close to the wall, keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible.

He had been here a few times—once to bring his father meals.

He knew where the Book of Seals was kept. Mizuki said it was in the Third Hokage's old office, which had been locked since the Third Hokage's death, and the book was sealed inside.

He stopped at the end of the corridor. There was an old, rusty lock on the door. There was no barrier or secret guards.

Naruto put his hand on the lock, pulled hard, and the lock opened.

He pushed the door open and went in.

The office was dark, with the curtains drawn tightly shut.

On the desk in the very center was a huge scroll, bigger than any he had ever seen before, which, when unfolded, could cover half the desk.

The scroll was wrapped in a red cover, with a sealing talisman affixed to the closure.

The Book of Seals.

Naruto walked over, squatted down by the table, and tore off the seal.

The sealing talisman didn't react. He paused for a moment, then picked up the scroll without thinking much of it. It was heavier than he had expected, the paper was rough, and it carried the scent of old ink.

He grabbed the scroll, climbed out the window, and disappeared into the night.

On a rooftop opposite the Hokage Building, two ANBU members crouched in the shadows, watching Naruto climb out of the window with a scroll in his arms.

"The target has taken the item." A member of the operative group whispered. "Follow up."

The two followed silently.

The lights were still on in the Hokage's office.

An ANBU member reported from the doorway: "Naruto has taken the Scroll of Seals. Mizuki hasn't made a move yet. We need to continue monitoring him."

Minato nodded. "Where's Iruka?"

"I'm still in the dorm. I don't know about this."

"Let him know," Minato said softly. "Don't make it too obvious."

The Anbu understood. They would have Iruka "discover" Naruto stealing the book, give chase, and make it look like an accident. This would lower Mizuki's guard and cause him to reveal more of his true colors.

"Yes."

In the forest, Naruto ran breathlessly, carrying the scroll.

He found an open space, placed the scroll on the ground, and opened it by the moonlight. The first page was about the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. He frowned as he read it, because he wasn't good at creating clones, so he was somewhat resistant to the Shadow Clone Technique.

But Naruto, knowing he had to pass the make-up exam and master the Shadow Clone Technique, patiently continued watching.

He could see that the hand seal diagram was not an ordinary shadow clone, but a clone that split into dozens or even hundreds of physical entities.

His eyes suddenly lit up.

"This is it!"

He began forming hand seals. Chakra surged from his body, much more than usual. The Nine-Tails' chakra churned within the seal, mixing with his chakra, and then surged out together.

Bang!

White smoke exploded, filling the entire open space with smoke.

As the smoke cleared, the open space was filled with Narutos—not just one or two, but dozens, densely packed together, some standing on the ground, some lying on the trees, and some hanging from the branches.

"Wow!" Dozens of Narutos opened their mouths at the same time, their voices overlapping and causing the leaves to fall in a rustling sound.

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. He had succeeded.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" He jumped up, his clones moving in sync with him; dozens of them jumped together, shaking the ground. "Amazing! This technique is incredible!"

He flipped through the scroll; there were other ninjutsu techniques, but he didn't want to look at them anymore. This one was enough. He rolled up the scroll, hugged it to his chest, and prepared to go back.

In the distance, the ANBU members crouched in the bushes, looking at the Naruto clones scattered all over the ground, and exchanged a glance.

"What kind of technique is this?"

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Forbidden Technique."

"Did he learn it?"

"————It seems so."

It was almost dawn when Iruka ran into the forest.

He received an anonymous note in his dorm room: "Naruto went to steal the Scroll of Seals."

He didn't believe it at first, but the note contained the location of the Book of Seals and the time Naruto left, so it didn't seem fake.

He ran to the Hokage Building and confirmed it.

He followed the trail into the forest.

Under the moonlight, Naruto stood in the center of the open space, holding a scroll, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Naruto!" Iruka's voice echoed through the woods. "Do you know what you're doing! The Scroll of Seals is forbidden! Stealing forbidden items is a serious crime!"

Naruto was startled and clutched the scroll tightly. "I—I just—"

"Put the reel down!" Iruka walked over to him.

"No!" Naruto stepped back. "I need this to graduate! I want to become a ninja!"

"Are you insane!" Iruka's hand pressed down on the kunai. "If you don't put it down, I'll take force!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and formed hand seals.

Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

Bang!

Dozens of Narutos burst out of the white smoke, not to run away, but to charge at Iruka. Iruka was knocked to the ground, and dozens of fists and feet rained down on him. He didn't fight back, but simply protected his head.

"Naruto! You—" He struggled to his feet, but another clone pounced on him and knocked him down.

That's enough.

The sound came from deep within the woods. Mizuki emerged, wearing a Chunin vest, a gentle smile on his face.

He walked up to Naruto, looking at the clones with a light in his eyes.

"Mitsuki-sensei!" Naruto's clones shouted in unison.

"You did a great job." Mizuki crouched down to be at Naruto's eye level. "Now, give me the scroll."

Naruto hesitated. "But—"

—

"I'm a teacher," Mizuki said gently. "You believe me, right?"

Naruto looked into his eyes, which held no blame, no anger, only gentleness. He nodded and handed him the scroll.

Mizuki caught the reel and stood up. Iruka got up from the ground, covered in mud and with bruises on his face. He paused for a moment when he saw Mizuki.

"Shuimu? What are you doing here?"

Mizuki didn't answer him. He looked at Iruka, his smile unchanged, but his eyes had changed—no longer gentle, but cold. The kind of coldness a hunter feels when he sees his prey walking into a trap.

"Iruka, you've always protected this child," Mizuki said softly. "Don't you think it's only right that he sacrifices himself for the village?"

Iruka's pupils contracted. "Mizuki, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying—" Mizuki pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and twirled it in the moonlight. "He was a Jinchuriki. The Nine-Tails inside him killed the Third Hokage, and so many other people."

Mizuki glanced coldly at Naruto.

"You think your father being the Hokage will change this? You know perfectly well how the villagers see you."