The classroom was filled with laughter from those unremarkable students, mocking without restraint. What they didn't know, though, was that most of them would be eliminated by the time graduation season rolled around.
Kakashi wasn't joking when he mentioned the two-thirds failure rate. Out of the dozens of students in the class, only nine would successfully become Genin in the end.
The evidence? During the Chunin exams, Shikamaru said all the rookie graduates from their class were present. But back when they graduated, there were several more teams. This meant that even though many passed the graduation test with the clone technique, only nine were truly acknowledged by their Jonin instructors. The rest were sent back to school for more training.
Many believed that becoming a Genin was as simple as mastering the clone technique. How naive.
"Alright, everyone, get back to your seats. We're starting today's lesson." Iruka's face darkened.
Naruto hadn't responded to him earlier, and Iruka was about to continue scolding him. But hearing the other students mock Naruto so openly shifted his anger toward them instead, allowing Naruto to escape with a lighter reprimand.
Of course, this didn't sit well with the rest of the class.
"Seriously, Iruka-sensei is so biased." "He just scolds him lightly? Isn't he supposed to get punished?" "If all you get for being late is a few harsh words, then I might as well start being late too."
The more the background students complained, the louder they got, as if their numbers gave them courage. Even Iruka began to look frustrated as they showed no respect.
"Tch, so annoying," Sasuke muttered, his impatience clear as he glanced at the disturbance.
"So cool!" Ino and nearly all the other girls looked at Sasuke with starry eyes.
Well, not all the girls. Sakura stood frozen, her expression a mix of emotions—part joy, part frustration, part embarrassment.
"Naru… Naruto…" Hinata nervously fiddled with her fingers, worried for him.
"Haha, Naruto's really in for it this time," Kiba said, petting Akamaru while eagerly watching the drama unfold.
"I think Naruto just got caught up in something. He's clumsy, just like me. Can't handle anything properly," Choji chimed in, stuffing his face with chips.
"Ugh, such a bother…" Shikamaru yawned, completely uninterested in what was happening.
Who else? Oh well, who cares!
Naruto didn't want to engage with them at first, but seeing how they were relentless, he suddenly pulled out 3,000 ryo from his pocket, fanning himself with it.
"Oh, what a dilemma! The Third Hokage just praised me and gave me this 3,000 ryo as a reward. Now I don't even know how to spend it!"
Naruto's attitude was infuriating, but no one focused on that. Instead, they were fixated on his words.
The Third Hokage rewarded him 3,000 ryo? That can't be true!
For a group of kids, 3,000 ryo was a huge amount. If Naruto was late because the Hokage praised him and rewarded him, didn't that make their earlier mockery look like the behavior of clowns?
"Tch, this guy loves showing off," Shikamaru smirked. His brain, which had already started to run through ways to help Naruto out of this, now went back to idle mode as his head dropped onto the desk.
While he wasn't interested in much, he also didn't want to see Naruto get bullied. He had already been thinking of ways to defuse the situation.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, one of the background students slammed his hands on the desk and shouted, "You get 3,000 ryo every month, don't you? What reward? That's just your welfare money! You're an orphan with no parents and no upbringing, after all. Hahaha!"
"Hahahaha!"
More of the students joined in, their mocking laughter directed at Naruto.
"Gobi Wanggorou!" Iruka's voice roared with anger.
At that moment, not only Iruka but the entire group of future rookie ninjas turned serious. Both Naruto and Sasuke's expressions darkened, and a faint killing intent filled the air.
But Gobi Wanggorou didn't notice this. He suddenly felt the room grow cold, making him nervous enough to swallow hard, yet he stubbornly continued, "What? Did I say something wrong? After all, he's just a parentless..."
Swoosh!
In an instant, Naruto appeared beside him, leaning close to his ear and whispering in a low, menacing voice, "Say one more word, and I'll kill you."
Gobi Wanggorou felt a chilling sensation wash over him as if he were staring death in the face.
Thud!
He fell to the ground in a panic, his body trembling, a puddle forming beneath him.
"So fast!" "What a terrifying aura!" "Is this really Naruto?"
Everyone was stunned. They could hardly believe their eyes. Was this the same goofy class clown they knew? He seemed more intimidating than even Sasuke!
"Wahahaha! That worked like a charm!" The tension was broken by Naruto, who suddenly burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
He pointed at Gobi Wanggorou, mocking him loudly, "Your courage is way too small! I was just messing with you, and you peed yourself! Looks like you're no better than me!"
Naruto then waved the money in front of them. "Look, here's my 3,000 ryo. No tricks!"
It was all just a new trick he'd learned to scare people.
Everyone in the classroom secretly sighed in relief. That was more like it. The class clown was still the class clown.
However, a few sharp-minded students gave Naruto a second look, making a mental note of this unexpected side of him.
Meanwhile, the rest of the class turned their ridicule on Gobi Wanggorou, laughing at him instead of Naruto.
Gobi Wanggorou, humiliated and furious, burst into tears and ran out of the classroom.
"Hey, don't run too fast! You'll make a bigger mess!" Naruto shouted after him.
Hahaha!
The entire class erupted in laughter again, while Gobi Wanggorou ran even faster, leaving an unfortunate trail behind him.
"Alright, settle down now!" Iruka sighed, ignoring Gobi Wanggorou and addressing the remaining students. "It's time to begin today's lesson. We're practicing the Shuriken Jutsu."
"Even though it's practice, each of you will only get ten attempts. Your highest score will count toward your graduation exam, so take this seriously."
As soon as Iruka finished speaking, the room was filled with groans.
"No way! I'm not prepared!" "Iruka-sensei, can't we postpone it? I'm not in the best condition today." "Yeah, and some of us are missing. Let's wait until Gobi Wanggorou comes back."
Despite their protests, the decision stood firm.
"A ninja must always be prepared for sudden challenges. The enemy won't give you time to get ready," Iruka said firmly, leading everyone to the training field.