*Clang!*
A gleaming long knife flew from the distance, intercepting the kunai in Aburame Ryōma's hand. A purple-haired kunoichi wearing a mask then landed breathlessly on a nearby tree trunk.
*Just in time,* Yugao Uzuki thought, relieved, as she took in Ryōma's disheveled state. His clothes were torn, and blood seeped from a wound on his left shoulder. In contrast, Uchiha Ying, whom he had been pursuing relentlessly, appeared completely unscathed.
It was unbelievable.
"Hey, Fox Brat, give me the scroll…"
Mizuki, arriving with Naruto, trailed off mid-sentence, realizing the situation wasn't what he'd expected. Besides Naruto, who carried the forbidden scroll, there were three unexpected guests: a masked kunoichi, likely from Anbu; a ninja surrounded by black insects, probably from Root; and Uchiha Ying, a classmate he could usually disregard. But the first two radiated an intimidating presence.
Mizuki touched the large shuriken on his back. With his mediocre chunin-level skills, taking on elite Anbu and Root ninja was suicidal.
*Damn it… Why are there so many people here? Could my plan to use Naruto to steal the forbidden scroll have been exposed to the Hokage?*
"Anbu…and the Nine-Tails…"
His attack interrupted, Ryōma's mind cleared. Seeing Naruto with the scroll and the Anbu pursuing him, he knew things had gone sideways. But retreating felt like admitting defeat.
"Did the Hokage send reinforcements?"
Iruka, following Mizuki, appeared moments later. Seeing the masked kunoichi, he assumed she was the Hokage's help, sent to intercept Mizuki and Naruto. But neither Ryōma nor Uzuki paid attention to the two newcomers.
Only Uchiha Ying watched the unfolding drama with amusement. While he'd orchestrated this chaos, he was now content to be a spectator.
*The Third Hokage didn't expect anyone else to interfere with his plan for Naruto, did he? Heh, I'd love to see the old man's face right now.*
---
"Has Root sunk so low that they're targeting newly graduated genin?" Uzuki couldn't fathom Root's obsession with Uchiha Ying. It was absurd.
"A mere genin injured me, a jōnin. I suspect he's a spy from another village!" Ryōma, his face darkening, decided to label Ying. "Tell me, what's your real purpose for hiding your strength?"
"I didn't hide anything. You're just incompetent; you fell for my traps." Ying bluntly exposed Ryōma's humiliation. All he needed to do now was provoke him into attacking again. "And *you*, so weak, yet a jōnin? *You're* the one who seems like a spy, sent to lower the standards of Konoha's jōnin!"
"You…you're asking for it!"
Enraged, Ryōma sent his insects swarming toward Ying.
"Don't hurt Ying!"
Naruto, though confused, saw Ying under attack and instinctively shielded him. "Don't worry, I learned a super strong jutsu! I'll definitely beat this creep!"
Naruto formed hand seals, confidently staring down the hooded ninja. *Ying's the only one who's my friend even though I'm the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Well, Sasuke…Sasuke's half-way there.*
"So…I won't let anyone hurt my friends!"
"Naruto…"
Ying watched Naruto's protective stance, his lips twitching. *Oops, I came in a little early. Did I just steal Iruka's moment?*
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto's clones charged Ryōma.
"The Nine-Tails…using a forbidden jutsu…" Ryōma glanced at Mizuki, who was trying to escape, then back at the approaching Naruto clones. He finally realized he'd stumbled into something troublesome.
But he had no time to dwell on it. "This jutsu is useless against me."
*Poof! Poof! Poof!*
Ryōma's insect cloud dispersed Naruto's clones on contact. Naruto himself was soon surrounded, immobilized.
"What are you doing!?"
Seeing Naruto trapped and Ryōma moving towards Ying, Iruka rushed to intercept. "What's going on here!?"
Ignoring the fleeing Mizuki, Iruka faced Ryōma's oppressive presence. "I don't know. He attacked me in the village for no reason, claiming the Uchiha clan should be wiped out." Sensing a certain spectator nearby, Ying embellished Ryōma's accusations.
"Hmph, the Uchiha *are* a cursed clan. You hiding your strength must be for…" Unaware of the true situation, Ryōma didn't bother refuting Ying. He just wanted to capture the Uchiha brat and escape.
"Aburame Ryōma!"
A deep, aged voice boomed, stopping him.
"L-Lord Hokage?"
Ryōma's bravado vanished.
"Stand down!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, arrived with two Anbu and the captured Mizuki.
"Yes, sir."
Ryōma retreated, seething. "But Lord Hokage, this Uchiha brat…"
"Enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? A jōnin bested by a genin's traps and jutsu, now resorting to conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric…!" Hiruzen, having seen the remnants of their battle, understood what had transpired. "The Uchiha are heroes of this village. That is indisputable. If you still recognize me as Hokage, apologize to the Uchiha clan and to Uchiha Ying."
"I…" Ryōma wanted to protest, but he *had* said some regrettable things. He couldn't argue now.
"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you, and I shouldn't have…slandered the Uchiha clan!" Through gritted teeth, Ryōma bowed his head towards Ying.
"Whatever. There are only two Uchiha left anyway. Even if you killed me, no one would care." Ying continued to goad him. "So feel free to try again next time. Maybe you won't even have to apologize then."
"You…" Ryōma wanted to retort, but seeing Hiruzen's darkening expression, he bowed lower. "I swear on the Aburame name, I will never attack you again!" *Damn brat! Just don't let me get another chance!*
"Fine. I'm *so* relieved." Ying thought that if Ryōma tried again, it wouldn't just be a wounded shoulder next time.
"That's better." Hiruzen nodded approvingly. "Ying, you performed exceptionally well today. And Naruto, though you stole the scroll, you faced a powerful enemy for the sake of friendship and bonds. The future of Konoha rests on new leaves like you…"
After a lengthy speech on the Will of Fire, Hiruzen had Iruka announce Naruto's graduation, then led everyone out of the Forest of Death. The unexpected events had clearly thrown him off; he'd resorted to awkwardly praising Naruto.
---
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"That Danzō! I told him to contact Orochimaru, and he pulls this stunt!" Hiruzen fumed back in his office.
"I apologize, Lord Hokage. It was my negligence that allowed Root…" Uzuki blamed Hayate Gekko for delaying her, anxiously awaiting punishment.
"It's not your fault. You're dismissed." Hiruzen waved her away. He knew Uzuki wouldn't have fared much better against Ryōma.
"Yes, sir." Though spared punishment, Uzuki left with a heavy heart.
"Still, I didn't expect him to injure Ryōma." *Uchiha Ying…though he hasn't awakened his Sharingan, he might be promising material.* After Uzuki left, Hiruzen smoked his pipe, studying the "Future Diary" he'd recently acquired. "If this is true, has the future already changed?" No one, especially someone who'd lived as long as Hiruzen, could be indifferent to a death sentence only months away.
---
"The Uchiha never lack for prodigies. It seems I underestimated him." In Root's headquarters, Danzō listened to Ryōma's report impassively. The Uchiha Ying affair had gone far enough. But…
"What was Hiruzen up to today?" Mobilizing so many Anbu, then dismissing them without doing anything was suspicious. And asking him to contact Orochimaru? *Was he feeling sentimental about his "precious student," wanting him back in the village? But Orochimaru's return would benefit me as well.*
"Ryōma, your performance was abysmal. You deserve punishment, but I'll let it slide for now." Danzō looked at the ninja before him. Ryōma had served under Orochimaru; he was the perfect messenger. It would also silence Hiruzen's potential accusations against Root. "If you fail your next mission, I'll deal with you according to Root's laws."
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
"Hiruzen, what are you planning?" After Ryōma left, Danzō pondered Hiruzen's unusual behavior. He couldn't figure it out. *Was he overthinking it? Was Hiruzen actually up to nothing? No, impossible. Knowing him, he's definitely hiding something!*
---
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"Uchiha Ying…Naruto Uzumaki!" Meanwhile, Sasuke, completely forgotten, stood fuming in the cold, waiting to discuss evening "dream" strategies. Only after dark did he finally head home. That's when he saw Naruto and Ying, walking together, leaving Ichiraku Ramen.
"Yo, Sasuke! You're here too? Too late! Iruka-sensei only treated me and Ying to ramen. None for you!" Naruto clutched his stomach, showing off his new forehead protector. He wanted Sasuke to see he'd graduated too.
But Sasuke just glared at them and walked away without a word.
"What's his problem? So stuck-up!" Naruto was disappointed he couldn't gloat.
"He seems angry." Seeing Sasuke's anger, Ying finally remembered something. *Crap, I forgot about our after-school meeting to discuss the dream.*
"Angry…Wait! Was Sasuke waiting for us the whole time!?" Naruto realized he'd stood someone up.
Later, in the "dream," both realized the gravity of their mistake. Sasuke was furious. Consequently, the Kaguya raid ended in spectacular failure once again. And, in the "dream," Ying further deepened his "bonds" with "NPC Tsunade" and "NPC Hinata," becoming increasingly forward with them… *Tsunade smells amazing, and Hinata is so sweet. If only the real ones were like this…*
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"I wonder which jōnin team I'll be assigned to?" The next morning, same spot, same routine. Ying watched the Byakugan girl beside him, her face flushed crimson, while pondering the upcoming team assignments.