Chapter 41 - Chapter 41

Somehow, the last two years at the academy flew by unnoticed. A lot happened… For example, Shikamaru finally demonstrated that even geniuses can fail to learn anything. The girls dragged him into the hallway, where they clearly (and loudly) explained the importance of keeping his mouth shut. What can I say? It's his own fault. Because of him, I had to choke down Ino's food twice and go on three dates with the twins. After that, the word "problematic" firmly established itself in his vocabulary, perfectly complementing his previous "troublesome."

Over the past two years, I've crossed paths with Danzo about twenty more times. It feels like too much, honestly, but on the other hand, that's less than once a month. By comparison, Hiruzen showed up even more often… though unlike "Grandpa Danzo," "Old Man Hokage" avoided all my attempts to rope him into training me.

Another significant moment—Kakashi's appearance. He never mustered the courage to visit, though once, I felt his chakra at the door, where he hesitated for a long time. He picked—or more likely, deliberately chose—the perfect time not to "get caught." I was home alone then. But in the end, he didn't have the guts to meet me.

When I answered the knock at the door, all I found was a set of new kunai, a whole bunch of coupons for free meals at every restaurant in Konoha—from Ichiraku to truly elite places—and out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a silver-haired figure walking away.

Yeah, Hatake is a complicated person. On one hand, I want to punch him in the face. On the other, I don't know his circumstances, and honestly, no one can hurt him more than he tortures himself. But one thing is certain—I do not want to be on his team. The man has a horrific track record:

His teammate officially died on a mission.

He had to kill his female teammate.

His father committed suicide.

His team leader and mentor died protecting Konoha.

Honestly, it's easier to list the people close to him who survived. Actually, scratch that—even Guy technically visited the afterlife after using his ultimate technique.

So yeah, maybe he's a decent guy, but I still want to live! If I get assigned to his team, I'll restart the world as many times as it takes to end up under a different sensei. Thankfully, I managed to earn a checkpoint. But now, I'm a bit worried about my own survival—especially after graduating from the academy. Too many factors could interfere with my Taming quest, and the resulting statuses are not to my liking!

And if I don't get chunin like in canon, I won't even wait for Jiraiya to suggest leaving the village—I'll flee right after Orochimaru's attack! After that, I'll either train under him or someone else, but the main goal is to get away from all the dangerous factors that could give me some... unfortunate statuses.

But back to the academy.

The exam period has arrived, and while I had no doubts about the Transformation Jutsu—I trained it well, and my chakra control allowed for some tricks—Substitution Jutsu was an odd case. I suspect I might be producing wooden logs via Mokuton, but I haven't been able to develop it further.

However, the Illusory Clones... were an absolute failure!

I could create a dozen flickering images. Not as bad as canon Naruto's disaster, but still, my chakra output and control ratio made it obvious. I doubt I'll be able to create a single proper illusion anytime soon. This jutsu is not for me! Even the system refuses to give me a skill for it, which clearly shows how "proficient" I am with this technique.

But overall, my stats have grown decently. Here's where I stand:

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Health: 4860

Chakra Pool: 8445

Chakra Control: 203

Level: 21

Experience: 664/2100

Class: Light Warrior v.2

Stats:

Strength: 214

Dexterity: 201

Speed: 166

Endurance: 266

Intelligence: 84

Luck: 115

Free Points: 150

Traits: "Demon," "Jinchuriki v.2," "Uzumaki," "Orphan," "Experienced Savior," "Student of Li Shu Wen," "I'm a Log," "I'm a Ram," "Oh, Idiot!," "Strongman II," "Agile II," "Enduring II," "Lucky I," "Player+," "Ant I," "Control: Below Average," "Sense of Ownership."

Passive Skills:

"Kuroko EX"

"Butler – Lv54"

"Masochist – Lv98"

"Cold Stare – Lv83"

"Iron Fists – Lv99"

"Observation – Lv69"

"Intuition – Lv71"

Skills:

"Divine Voice – Lv12"

"Naruto Therapy – Lv38"

"Persuasion – Lv98"

"Domain of the Sphere"

"No Second Strike – Two Strikes Are Not Needed"

"Forced March into the Mountains of the Ferocious Tiger"

"Secret Technique of the Martian Style: Infinite Slap Series"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu"

"Chakra Burst"

"Substitution Jutsu"

"Transformation Jutsu"

"Wall Walking Technique"

"Water Walking Technique"

Mimicry Techniques Subset:

"Beast Imitation Technique: Four Legs"

"Piercing Fang Technique (Gatsūga)"

"Wolf Fang Over Fang Technique (Garōga)"

Suiton Techniques Subset:

"Water Bullet Jutsu"

"Double Water Bullet Jutsu"

"Water Shuriken Jutsu"

"Heavenly Cry Jutsu"

"Protective Bubble Jutsu"

"Direct Water Manipulation: Drenching the Target"

"Hydration Technique (Unmastered)"

Yeah, yeah, I really did get "Oh, Idiot!" There's nothing I can do about it now, but at least I already made up for the ten Intelligence points it took away. What it cost me to raise my Chakra Control to its current level… I'll just politely keep silent on that.

The only problem is that after acquiring Below Average, my techniques can no longer boost it properly. I need something stronger to develop it further. Right now, all my available clones are struggling with it—without any debuffs, mind you—and still, nothing.

Speaking of which, I must have messed something up with this technique, or maybe canon Naruto was doing something wrong. I just can't create massive numbers of clones. Twelve—that's all my Intelligence allows. Beyond that, I start getting negative statuses. Even with those, I can push out three more clones, but after that, my control just isn't enough.

So yeah, I'm not showing off anything supernatural—except for one Suiton technique, hehe. The scrolls Itachi brought me two years ago gave me an interesting idea. I immediately remembered that bastard he could have taken these techniques from. And his signature trick.

Honestly, I don't remember if it's a clan technique, a kekkei genkai, or something else, but hard work can get you anywhere. Plus, the part of my "Oh, Idiot!" status that says "Rules don't apply to idiots, and with enough persistence, they definitely don't" was quite motivating.

I haven't been able to fully turn my body into a water atronach yet, but I can already partially transform specific areas… well, almost. No worries—wanting to stay alive is a great motivator for progress. My control isn't the worst anymore, and my chakra levels match those of a Tokubetsu Jonin. So, with true Uzumaki stubbornness, I kept grinding away at mastering this technique.

Other than that, I could already take the Chunin Exams. A weakling, sure, but I could. My Endurance has already surpassed Choji's, even with my Uzumaki and Fox multipliers—plus a couple of bonuses from other sources—but whatever.

Strength and Dexterity?

DON'T LOOK AT THAT DAMN CHEATER SASUKE!

DON'T LOOK AT THAT DAMN CHEATER SASUKE!

DON'T LOOK AT THAT DAMN CHEATER SASUKE!

Ahem.

Anyway, those stats aren't bad either. My Speed is among the top five in our class, including me, and the only person who beats me in it is Kiba.

My Intelligence is also decent—not genius level. Thankfully, I have an example of that sitting at my table. But I'm far from the worst, far from the worst. Still, it does hurt my pride a little that Shikamaru already has over 200 Intelligence. And his Chakra Control is at 507?!

Burn in hell, damn Nara!

But at least I'm the only one with an EX-rank skill!

Though… why did Kuroko get that ranking? And how did it suddenly move into my passive skills? I still don't get it, but it happened about six months ago.

On the bright side, now not even a single mature seductress can find me in my own bed at night!

Alright, get a grip, Naruto! Time to take the exam.

Wish me luck!