I never got scolded. Mostly because I never made it to the Academy that day.
Instead, I got visits from just about everyone possible—starting with the twins and their mother, and ending with Tsume and the Hokage. Somewhere in the middle of that list, even Sasuke and Hanabi showed up… I was stunned.
Naturally, old man Hiruzen had a lot of questions. There was no way people wouldn't be curious about what I did. I had to spill the beans—without revealing my sources, of course. I explained what I could do, what I was capable of, and that I lacked practice.
That got me a two-hour lecture on the Will of Fire, a few offers that would be interesting even for an adult shinobi—let alone a child. The best one? If I improved my knowledge of the human body and worked at the hospital for the benefit of Konoha, I could earn the rank of a D-class iryōnin by the time I graduated from the Academy.
Yeah, technically, that was the equivalent of an orderly in my world, but it was still a solid plus in my record. Especially considering that, with my poisonous chakra, I shouldn't have had a chance at medical training at all.
Of course, I also had to fight off Hokage's "trusted personnel," who were oh-so-eager to learn my techniques.
Hiruzen could have easily forced me into it, but surprisingly, both Hitomi and Yūgao backed me up, even giving solid reasons for my refusal.
Meanwhile, I was busy trying to wrangle the Shadow Clone Jutsu out of him.
He resisted.
He kept giving me the side-eye.
The girls played innocent, pretending not to know where I'd even heard of the technique.
And I kept pushing.
I listed all the reasons I needed it.
He argued that it was dangerous.
I countered, pointing out that I had more chakra than a genin—even enough to take on stronger opponents by the time I graduated.
He shot back, "Then just wait until you graduate."
I rattled off my responsibilities and activities.
He looked surprised but still refused.
And then the whole thing looped again. Over and over, shifting arguments, adjusting points, adding and removing details. He'd throw in something new, I'd counter with something else.
It went on for four hours.
"Damn old geezer." — Naruto
"Persistent little bug." — Hiruzen
In the end, the stubborn fossil only promised to think about it. I couldn't push him further than that.
The next day, I showed up at his office before Academy, during lunch, after Academy, before my medical training, after my medical training, before my regular training, after training, and before bed.
Hiruzen held the line.
But I had already decided to follow the original Naruto's playbook—because sometimes, that strategy actually worked.
So, for a week straight, I visited Hiruzen as often as possible. Loudly. Publicly. Wherever I could catch him—even during his meals, his walks, or, yes, even in the bathroom.
The entire Hokage Tower wanted to murder me.
And in the end, it wasn't Hiruzen who broke.
It was Danzo.
It went like this—
After yet another failed attempt, I came flying out of the Hokage's office, hearing his grumbles about how much he suddenly wanted to assign me D-rank missions.
For a brief second, I even felt bad for him.
But clones were more important.
And just as I was storming out, I crashed into someone.
A firm grip steadied me before I could hit the ground.
"So, you've completely worn down the poor Hokage?"
The tone was relaxed. The words were even kind.
But those eyes…
Cold. Sharp. Like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.
But I couldn't let him know I recognized the real him.
So, I played dumb and whined about Grandpa.
Heh. When else would I get the chance to annoy Danzo without consequences?
"Me? He promised to show me Shadow Clones, but he's not! I'm keeping my end of the deal, but he's not keeping his!" I said, "Oh, I almost knocked you over... sorry!" and gave a deep bow, adding more politeness at the end, as if I had just realized.
I managed to catch the skeptical look on Danzo's face. Well, if he had really wanted to avoid bumping into me, I wouldn't have even noticed anyone else in the corridor. When we did bump into each other, it was me who nearly fell... it was like running into a wall! Yeah, what was the point of that?
"Is that so? So, we have a dishonest Hokage, do we? Well then, let's go to the nearest training ground. I'll be your temporary Hokage for a bit," Danzo said, with a strange smile. My intuition didn't ring any alarms. I couldn't come up with a reason to refuse, and after Danzo mentioned we'd be heading to the ANBU training ground, my curiosity got the better of me. Clearly, he'd mentioned it on purpose, to make sure I wouldn't politely refuse. I just hoped I hadn't completely broken character as a child.
And at the training ground, he showed me the technique step by step, explaining all the difficulties in creating it, the pros, cons, and even the dangers. To my surprise... no, it was shocking! He explained it incredibly clearly, almost as well as Mizuki when he loved his job. But while Mizuki would have had to focus on the entire class, Danzo focused entirely on just me. It was a bit unnerving.
Damn, why is the Hokage so grumpy with all these little flaws, while his opposite, Danzo, is friendly, kind, and responsive? If it weren't for Danzo's frightening eyes, I'd be tempted to join Root. Well, maybe not.
While I practiced the technique, Danzo also talked about the history of Konoha, the shinobi, and how their work was far from a fairy tale. He watched my reactions and evaluated my answers. He was a strange person. But somehow, he found a common ground, and after I finally managed to create... two clones, he patted me on the head, led me off the training ground, and sent me home with the advice not to overwork myself with the technique.
"What was that all about?" I muttered quietly, almost home. My brain felt like it had exploded. I needed a break for today. My knees were shaking. I was a bit disappointed with just two clones, but I didn't have enough control for more.
At the same time, in the Hokage's office...
"So where have you been, old friend?" Hiruzen asked, tearing his eyes away from the crystal ball.
"I was keeping your promises," Danzo replied shortly.
"Oh, and what promises would those be?" Hiruzen asked, casting a thoughtful glance at the ball.
"I met with the jinchuriki," Danzo said, enjoying watching Hiruzen finally focus on him instead of the ball.
"If you even..."
"I taught him Shadow Cloning," Danzo continued, cutting off Hiruzen mid-sentence.
"Ugh... You two are going to give me a heart attack, I swear. You with your pauses, and Naruto-kun with his ability to appear out of nowhere. If I hadn't been in the bathroom last time, I would've had to run there." Hiruzen remembered yesterday's events.
"Yes, interesting kid. Curious, loyal, and talented—he learned the clones, even if not perfectly, in less than a day. I think if I ever retire, I know who will take my place. Especially if our trusted people train him well. Though, maybe you'll give him to me? In Root, I could make him a wonderful successor."
"Danzo! You know that will never happen. Even if not me, the clans will never allow it. And I'm against it! I know how you run things in Root! Don't act like you're the innocent one! After your training, the only thing he'll care about is protecting Konoha. Don't ruin the boy's future!" The Third Hokage snapped.
"Someone's getting sentimental in their old age," Danzo snorted and fell silent.
"Is that a threat?" Hiruzen frowned, stuffing his pipe.
"I was talking about myself," Danzo said, looking away, but noticing how Hiruzen dropped his pipe and spilled the tobacco.
"Danzo! What have I told you about your dramatic pauses?!" Hiruzen groaned.
The poor Hokage's day was definitely not going well.