Chapter 22: Chapter no.22 Naruto
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Chapter no.22 Genin Teams
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A graduating class should have been buzzing with excitement—nervous chatter about upcoming assignments, soft laughs as they teased each other about their new teams, and the unrestrained joy of finally passing the Academy. Instead, the classroom felt heavy, as if all that energy had been snuffed out.
The silence was suffocating.
Kiba Inuzuka sat on the edge of a desk, clutching a bloodied rag to his nose as Iruka-sensei wrapped gauze around his knuckles. He winced but didn't complain. The idea of being escorted to the nurse's office felt like a humiliation he wouldn't live down. His pride wouldn't allow it—not after what had happened.
The civilian-born students sat scattered across the classroom, their gazes downcast or staring blankly into space. Naruto's faint, almost unintentional killer intent had been a far cry from what seasoned shinobi might unleash, but for them, it was something they could never have prepared for—or forget. The weight of it lingered in their minds, leaving them with an unsettling question they hadn't dared to ask before: Were they truly ready for the shinobi world?
Meanwhile Shikamaru Nara leaned forward in his chair, his chin resting on his folded arms. He looked bored—at least, that's what anyone glancing at him would think. But his sharp mind was anything but calm.
Troublesome. That was the only word he could find for it.
Naruto… what the hell was that?
His lazy eyes flicked toward the boy in armor. The ridiculous outfit should have made Naruto look silly, like he was trying too hard to play some kind of warrior. But now Shikamaru wasn't so sure.
That armor—it wasn't something you stole from a merchant or patched together from scraps. It looked like it had been made for him, fitted perfectly. That meant Naruto was telling the truth about having a master.
But if he had a master capable of giving him gear like that, then why had Naruto been dead last for so long? Why had he failed basic tests and acted like a fool every day? It didn't add up. Either Naruto had been hiding his true strength all along, or something had changed recently. Either way, it was troublesome.
Even more troublesome was what had happened to the class.
Shikamaru had seen killer intent before—his father was a jonin, after all. He'd felt it during training sessions and clan meetings. But this? What Naruto had unleashed earlier felt different. It wasn't just chakra trying to intimidate them. It had felt… alien. Like it didn't belong in this world.
Shikamaru sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. His mind was spinning, questions piling up with no answers in sight.
This was such a drag.
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Hinata Hyūga sat stiffly at her desk, her hands clutching the fabric of her jacket tightly. She could feel her heart beating in her chest, loud and erratic, like it might break free at any moment.
She hadn't activated her Byakugan, but she didn't need to. She had felt the shift in Naruto's chakra as clearly as if she'd seen it with her own eyes. It wasn't the chakra she had grown used to sensing—the warm, stubborn energy that seemed to radiate determination no matter how much Naruto struggled. This had been colder, heavier, and laced with something dark and unfamiliar.
It had scared her.
That wasn't Naruto-kun.
She repeated the thought to herself like a mantra, trying to push the memory of his rage-filled eyes out of her mind. Naruto wasn't like that. He was kind and bright, always moving forward no matter how many people doubted him. He wasn't cruel or violent. He couldn't be.
Her fingers trembled as she tightened her grip on her jacket, her pale lavender eyes glancing at Naruto from beneath her bangs. He sat quietly at his desk now, seemingly calm, as though nothing had happened.
Hinata wanted to believe that the Naruto she admired was still there. That the boy who inspired her was just… going through something.
But the way his chakra had felt earlier…
She swallowed hard, forcing the thought away.
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Ino Yamanaka crossed her legs, trying to look as calm as possible. She was failing.
Her hands were shaking, so she kept them out of sight, pressing them against her thighs. She hated how her body was reacting—it felt weak, and she hated feeling weak.
Naruto's killer intent… no, that wasn't even the right term for it. It had been raw, overwhelming, like being caught in a wave you couldn't see coming. And it wasn't just fear it evoked. No, it felt like staring into something that wasn't supposed to exist—something wrong.
Her father had always told her that killer intent was a reflection of experience. It wasn't just about anger or hatred; it was a mark left on someone's soul by the weight of their actions. It carried the residue of lives taken, of battles fought.
But Naruto? Naruto was the dead last, the class clown. He hadn't killed anyone. He'd barely even passed his graduation exam. So where had that weight come from?
Her stomach churned as she remembered the pressure—the way it had pressed against her chest and made her feel like she couldn't breathe.
Her father had also said that killer intent always told a story. But whatever story Naruto's was… it wasn't normal. And though she hated to admit it, a part of her couldn't help but be drawn to that story, intrigued by the mystery of who Naruto really was.
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Sakura Haruno sat frozen, her hands gripping her lap tightly, her green eyes darting to Naruto for only a second before looking away again.
Her heart felt heavy. That loud, goofy boy she'd dismissed so many times… that wasn't the boy she'd seen today. The way he'd looked at Kiba, the way he'd unleashed something so terrifying and foreign—it wasn't him. It couldn't be.
She swallowed, her throat dry, and thought back to all the times Naruto had chased after her with that dumb grin, telling her how much he liked her. A small, bitter question crept into her mind: Was that fake too?
If Kiba's insults had been enough to set him off like that, then… what about her? She wasn't exactly kind to him. She had called him names, yelled at him, dismissed him as a loser a hundred times over. If Kiba's words had caused that, what would he have done if it had been her?
Her stomach twisted, shame and fear bubbling inside her, though she didn't understand why. She wanted to believe that Naruto—the real Naruto—was still the same loud, annoying idiot who always tried to make her laugh, even if she never appreciated it. But after today…
Sakura clenched her fists in her lap, her gaze fixed on the desk in front of her.
Who are you really, Naruto?
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In the corner, Shino Aburame sat perfectly still. But inside, the boy was anything but calm.
His kikaichū were restless. The insects that lived within him, normally in perfect harmony with his body, were shifting erratically, buzzing in strange patterns that made his skin itch. They weren't agitated exactly—it was something else, something harder to define. They were being drawn to Naruto, pulled toward him like moths to a flame.
Shino adjusted his high collar, but the hum of his kikaichū filled his mind. They seemed to be murmuring, though not in words—more like instinct. Their movements pulsed with a single thought, a feeling Shino could interpret but couldn't fully understand: Fire of life.
On the other side of the room, Sai sat with his back straight, his notepad balanced neatly in his lap. His pale face was as expressionless as ever, his black eyes cool and unreadable.
Sai's mission was clear: spy on Naruto Uzumaki, learn about him, and report back.
But even Sai, trained to suppress his emotions to the point of emptiness, couldn't fully ignore what he'd just witnessed and felt.
That presence. That flare of killer intent.
He hadn't flinched, of course, but his body had felt it, like the faint echo of a blade brushing against his skin.
Sai's brush paused for a moment, his fingers trembling imperceptibly. His eyes flicked up, landing on Naruto as the boy sat still, seemingly unaffected by the storm of unease he'd left in his wake.
Sai's lips twitched, not into a smile, but into something close—a faint, almost clinical curiosity.
The notepad in his lap filled with ink as he drew—an abstract swirl of darkness centered around a single flame. It was imperfect, messy even, but it was the only way Sai could interpret what he had felt from Naruto.
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Iruka glanced at Kiba one last time, making sure the bandages were secure. With a sigh, he turned back to the class, feeling the weight of the silence.
The room looked deader than him during the morning when he hadn't had his coffee.
And Naruto? He didn't look guilty at all. Not even a hint of remorse on his face.
Iruka couldn't help but wonder—was this change in behavior due to Naruto's first kill? Maybe. He had seen it before in other shinobi, but this felt… different. He made a mental note to submit a form so that Naruto could get some psychological help. Something was off, and Iruka didn't want to ignore it.
But for now, he had a job to do. He had to wake these kids up, shake them out of whatever fog Naruto had thrown them into. They needed to be ready for what was coming next.
Iruka straightened up, his voice cutting through the room like a whip. "You're shinobi now!"
A few of the genin jumped in their seats, startled. Good. At least they were paying attention again.
"This headband you gained," Iruka continued, "is merely the first step. Yesterday, you had a rank, a standing, a score that placed you among your peers. Today, you are nothing but genin."
He paused, letting that sink in. They needed to understand—really understand—what that meant.
"Whether you were first or last yesterday has no bearing on who you are today. You are nothing but genin. Yesterday, you were the oldest and the strongest of the Academy. Today, you are the youngest and the weakest. You are nothing but genin."
Iruka looked around the room, scanning their faces. Finally, he could see some life in their eyes again. They were listening.
"You can be proud to have passed the Academy, but remember—there is still much more to learn. Remember that you're stepping out of school into the vast world. Do not doubt the skills you acquired here, but do not become arrogant, for today, you are nothing but genin."
He watched as most of them looked down, as if something had hit them. Reaffirmed something they needed to hear. But something still felt off. Why did they look so... deflated? Did Naruto do something before he came in? Iruka couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than he realized, but he pushed it aside for now. He had teams to announce.
"Team Ten under Asuma Sarutobi: Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara."
The Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi always teamed up. That trio was so famous for their teamwork that even Hashirama Senju himself once said there was nothing like it. It was tradition, one that Iruka didn't expect to change anytime soon.
He cleared his throat, half-expecting Ino to cry out in disappointment over not being with Sasuke. But… nothing. The girl was deep in thought, not a word from her. That was strange.
"Team Eight under Kurenai Yūhi: Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyūga," Iruka called out, a little puzzled himself. It looked like an ideal tracker team, but Kurenai was famous for her genjutsu expertise. So why was she making a tracker team? He shrugged it off—Kurenai knew what she was doing, he hoped.
Then came the big one. "Team Seven under Kakashi Hatake: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno…"
Iruka paused for a moment, fully expecting Sakura to cheer. And right on cue, she did, as if this was the greatest moment of her life. Honestly, it was almost impressive, this infatuation she had with Sasuke. If only it weren't so… foolish. But hey, that kind of passion had its place, Iruka supposed.
He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what came next. "Naruto Uzumaki."
Sakura froze mid-cheer. Naruto? He just looked… bored. Like he couldn't care less. And Sasuke? He was still preoccupied with checking out his new Sharingan in the reflection of the window, but he seemed pleased enough with the teammates he was assigned.
Iruka almost laughed but held it in. Kakashi, you unlucky bastard, he thought. I'll pray for you and this dysfunctional team.
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 12, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!
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