Chapter 12: The plot officially begins
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At the same time that Menma was carefully following the path he had set for himself, Iruka, having finished his classes for the day, did not stay at the Academy or return home. Instead, he made his way to the Hokage Building—the very place Menma had been looking at earlier.
Unlike other ordinary teachers who handled regular classes, Iruka's class was special. It was filled with important individuals. Beyond Menma, Naruto, and Sasuke, there were Shikamaru, Ino, Shino, Chōji, and Kiba—members of the next generation of the major ninja clans in the village. Because of this, Iruka's role was more significant than that of other teachers.
Over the past few years, Iruka had made regular visits to the Hokage Building every few days to report on his students' progress, especially regarding Menma and Sasuke. Both of them were of particular interest to the village's leadership. One housed the Nine-Tails, and the other had an older brother with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The Konoha leadership, led by Sarutobi Hiruzen, had to handle these two with caution.
Iruka was fully aware of this responsibility and paid close attention not only to his students' academic performance but also to their mental and emotional well-being. Today's visit was at the request of the Third Hokage, and it was likely the last and most important report before the upcoming graduation.
"Hokage-sama!" Iruka called out as he walked down the corridor.
Arriving at the Hokage's office, he knelt down on one knee before Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was busy with paperwork. "Good afternoon, Hokage-sama," Iruka greeted with respect, lowering his head.
"Ah, Iruka. No need for formalities. Please stand. Give me a moment to finish this document," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, his eyes still on his paperwork.
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama," Iruka responded. He rose to his feet and stood respectfully, his hands at his sides, waiting quietly.
After a short while, Sarutobi Hiruzen finished reading the document. He looked up at Iruka and spoke, "Iruka."
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama. Here is the report," Iruka said as he stepped forward, handing over a document detailing the daily performance of the students in his class, with a particular focus on Menma and the others.
"You've worked hard these past few years, Iruka," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a faint smile as he reviewed the file. He appreciated Iruka's diligence and thoroughness, which had been the reason for selecting him to lead this particular class.
Iruka's role wasn't just a random assignment. Menma and Naruto, being the children of Minato and Kushina, were given special consideration. Menma was the current Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and after much deliberation, Sarutobi Hiruzen had chosen Iruka for his loyalty, ability, and character.
Looking at the progress over the past six years, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt confident in his choice. The entire class was well managed, and though Menma's personality was still somewhat cold, he was growing up normally, which was what mattered most.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, having witnessed the struggles of Jinchūriki in other villages, had always been concerned about whether Menma might develop similarly troubling traits. But everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly. The next step would be to further cultivate Menma's loyalty to the village and strengthen his bonds with others. Only then could Menma become a steadfast pillar of Konoha, much like Uzumaki Mito and Kushina before him.
This was Sarutobi Hiruzen's hope.
"It's my duty, Hokage-sama," Iruka replied humbly, still bowing his head.
"Indeed. I'll carefully consider your suggestions. Be sure to monitor the upcoming graduation exams closely. This is the final step, and it's crucial that everything goes smoothly," Sarutobi Hiruzen advised softly.
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama!" Iruka responded firmly. With a respectful bow, he stepped back, turned, and left the Hokage's office.
'Twelve years have passed so quickly,' Sarutobi Hiruzen thought as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes drifting toward the portraits of past Hokage. His gaze settled on the fourth portrait, that of Namikaze Minato.
'Minato, Kushina—your children have grown up so well. I believe they will inherit your Will of Fire and become Konoha's strongest defenders,' he reflected, a touch of emotion in his aged eyes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen then reached into a drawer, pulling out a dark scroll. He unrolled it, carefully scanning the names listed. His eyes settled on one in particular.
There was no need for hesitation. The Third Hokage had made up his mind.
'He will lead the team!' Sarutobi Hiruzen thought decisively. This person was not only suitable but, in his heart, the only choice.
In the current Konohagakure, there was no one more fit to lead Menma after graduation than him—the son of the White Fang, a direct subordinate of the Fourth Hokage, and one of the strongest inheritors of the Will of Fire: Hatake Kakashi.
"Shin," Sarutobi Hiruzen called softly.
"Hokage-sama," came the immediate, respectful response as a dark figure appeared before him.
"Inform Kakashi to meet me this evening," Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" The figure nodded and vanished as quickly as he had appeared.
With the Anbu gone, Sarutobi Hiruzen took his pipe, walked over to the large window behind him, and gazed out at the darkening village. He took a deep breath and exhaled a ring of smoke.
'Another New Year is approaching,' he mused. Time had flown by so quickly.
December had already passed, and it was now January of the 60th year of Konoha. Menma, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others were about to face their graduation exams. The exams themselves were unchanged from the original—mastery of the three basic jutsu, with the Clone Technique being the most important.
But for Menma, this would be no problem.
"Clone Technique!" Menma stood in the center of a large classroom at the Ninja Academy. With a quick hand seal, he effortlessly performed the jutsu.
"Congratulations, you've passed," Iruka said with a smile as he watched two perfect clones materialize beside Menma.
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The assessment of theoretical knowledge ended yesterday. It was mostly a formality.
The real focus is today's practical skills assessment, particularly the Three Basic Techniques (Henge, Kawarimi, and Bunshin no Jutsu). Generally speaking, if candidates can successfully master these techniques, they're considered ready to graduate because it indicates they have the basic skills to become a genin.
To be blunt, even if a ninja is weak, past wars have shown that even the weakest genin can serve as valuable cannon fodder. On the battlefield, even against terrifying Kage-level enemies, they can still exhaust an opponent's chakra or physical strength.
The famous Third Raikage, A, was ultimately defeated by Iwagakure's sheer numbers. Of course, the Third Raikage also inflicted heavy casualties on the Iwa ninja, with the toll exceeding four digits.
From this perspective, even a genin at the lowest level has some worth!
But theory is just theory.
In reality, a ninja's true value is determined by their combat abilities.
Menma has consistently been at the top of the class for the past six years. Whether it was yesterday's theoretical test or today's practical skills assessment, there were no issues. He excelled in both.
Barring any unexpected events, Menma would graduate at the top of his class, possibly even the entire year. Iruka, who had come to view Menma as a little brother, was naturally very proud.
"As expected of Menma, who's been number one for six years straight. This time, he's sure to be the top graduate again, right, Iruka-sensei?" said a young man standing beside Iruka with a gentle smile.
This young man, Mizuki, was also responsible for overseeing the graduation exams and was a staff member of the Academy. In the original series, he's the first mini-boss Naruto encounters.
At a glance, Mizuki appeared to be as kind and mild-mannered as Iruka.
But Menma knew the truth about this guy's dark side.
Over the past few years, Menma had subconsciously mastered the Bunshin no Jutsu, but soon after displaying it effortlessly in front of Iruka, he regretted it.
Menma had overlooked an important plot point—**the theft of the Scroll of Seals**—a pivotal event during the graduation exams.
By demonstrating proficiency in the Bunshin no Jutsu, Menma had inadvertently excluded himself from this event, which could have granted him extra benefits from the Scroll. He couldn't pretend to not know the technique after displaying it so well, and he regretted missing out on that opportunity.
Still, Menma doubted the Scroll of Seals Naruto stole in the original series was truly authentic. Even if it was, he doubted Naruto would have been able to access all its contents without Hiruzen Sarutobi's tacit approval.
In other words, everything was under the Third Hokage's control—including Mizuki. While there may have been some minor surprises, there was no chance of a serious mistake, or it would insult Hiruzen's intelligence.
So, the true value of that Scroll remains a question mark.
However, the Shadow Clone Technique within it is definitely valuable!
Given Menma's enormous chakra reserves—bolstered by the Nine-Tails—Shadow Clones are a perfect fit for him, providing a technique tailor-made for his unique needs.
It's just a matter of time before he gets it!
With mentors like Kakashi and potentially even Jiraiya in the future, Menma had no doubt he would eventually learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Haha, it depends on the other students' performance. Here's your forehead protector, Menma. Don't forget to attend the graduation ceremony tomorrow; there are some important announcements," Iruka said with a smile, handing over a forehead protector.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," Menma replied, bowing slightly before taking the forehead protector and leaving the classroom.
Though curious about Mizuki's future actions, Menma didn't dwell on it. Mizuki was, after all, a small-time player in the grand scheme of things.
In the original series, Naruto needed to rely on the newly learned Shadow Clone Jutsu to overwhelm Mizuki.
Menma wouldn't need to.
His personal strength was more than enough to handle someone like Mizuki.
Not to mention, he had the power of the Nine-Tails on his side!
If Menma didn't care about the consequences, he could potentially cause serious trouble in Konoha right now.
Naturally, someone like Mizuki wasn't worth Menma's attention.
But what Menma didn't notice was the strange look Mizuki gave him as he left.
As Menma exited, other candidates continued to pass their graduation exams, with most performing well and only a few making noticeable mistakes.
In contrast to earlier years, nearly all candidates passed the graduation exams these days, and Menma's class was no exception. Aside from a few unlucky ones, most passed without issues.
However, the real test would come later during the special assessments conducted by jonin and chunin leaders. Those who failed would be sent back to the Academy. The first arc in the original series shows how Kakashi, and some other jonin, would send graduates back to the Academy after failing their team exercises.
Kakashi was the most extreme, sending back every team assigned to him for several consecutive years, with none passing his rigorous standards. It may be that Kakashi's unique status allowed him such autonomy, but it underscores the fact that this was not an exception but a standard practice.
Of course, most of these fresh graduates were blissfully unaware of this. They were still ecstatic to receive their forehead protectors!
As soon as the exams were over, they rushed off to celebrate.
As the undisputed star of this year's graduates, Naruto gathered his classmates to celebrate after the assessment. Thanks to Naruto's status, most people joined, though a few declined.
Menma was one of them.
Naruto and the others didn't mind. After six years together, everyone knew each other's personalities well enough.
Sasuke Uchiha also turned down the invitation. The young Uchiha prodigy wasn't interested in attending such a trivial gathering.
His goals were always singular and unyielding.
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