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Naruto POV
"YATTA!"
"Come back here, you little brat!" One of the jounin called, running after Naruto. The blonde didn't listen, still holding onto the paint pails with a large grin on his face. He brought chakra down to his feet and leaped between the roofs of Konoha; the two following close behind him like a second shadow. He knew this was illegal. Heck, this was prank had to be one of the shadiest he's ever done to the village he calls home. But, the Uzumaki couldn't help it. It was so funny!
"AHA HAH HA HAHA!" he laughs, "you don't have the guts to paint all the hokage's heads, do ya? You'll never catch a prankster like me! HA HAH HA HAH HA!"
With no choice left, two civilians called for Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Lord hokage! Help! It's an emergency!"
"What is it this time? Don't tell me it's Naruto again..." he says, writing kanji calligraphy on a sign.
"But, it is him, I swear! There's graffiti all over the hokage's stone faces!" the two
The Sarutobi sighs. 'How'd I land myself into this mess? I suppose the only option left is to stop Minato's and Kushina's son once and for all. For the sake of peace.'
He blows a smoke pipe, and lets it clear his senses.
Meanwhile,
Naruto was being chased by the two jounins at the speed of light. There were only flashes of their green vests and of his orange outfit and bright blonde hair. "You won't get away with this!" they call, but Naruto doesn't care. Before they spot him again, he uses a replacement jutsu or a clone to hide himself near the gate while the other runs off. The jounins chase after the clone and he laughs to himself. All according to plan.
"Heh heh. That was easy!" he says, overconfident as ever.
"Oh, no YOU DON'T!" He turns around and sees the angry face of his sensei, Iruka. 'Uh, oh.' he thinks, 'I'm in trouble, big time.'
"AH!" He crashes to the ground, and looks up at the furious Iruka. Naruto can practically feel the fire coming out of that head. It's not...pretty.
"There you are. You're late for class, again. Need I remind you that this was the third time this week? I was worried, Naruto," the jounin says, crossing his arms and glaring at his pupil. Naruto pouts. He hates making his favorite teacher upset over him. It's overwhelming. So, he accepts whatever he has in store for him and shuffles after him.
At school,
"This is the last straw, Naruto. I'm still giving you a second chance, Naruto. Late homework, missed assignments, bad grades," he starts pointing three fingers, "it's time for you to get a tutor."
This is humiliating. It's one thing for Iruka to say this after class with no one around. But, now he's standing in front of the whole class, too. Tied up in a rope, of course. Talk about embarrassing to his ego. "Alright, class, we're going to review the transformation jutsu. Because Naruto needs to learn it all over again."
The whole class groaned.
"But, sensei-" Sasuke begins, but is interrupted by the still snappish Iruka. "Sasuke, you're the smartest in the class. You first. Show Naruto what you've got." (this the scene where Sakura tries first, but roles are reversed in this fanfic. So, Sasuke is first)
"Alright, deadlast."
Iruka holds onto a clipboard, with paper and pen. There's a puff of smoke, and he approves. "Good. Transformed into me. Full credit."
'Looks like I did alright,' Inner Sasuke smirks, 'I'm too smart for this class, anyway.'
"Next, Hinata Hyuuga." Iruka rollcalls. The black haired, pale skinned girl stands shyly at the front of the line. She turns into Iruka.
"Hmm. Good." She puff back into her original form, walking off.
"Alright, your turn, Naruto." Iruka says, staring death at the Uzumaki. He laughs sheepishly, putting a hand on his hip. Shikamaru, the prodigy of the class, scoffs. "Seriously? You can't pull this off. Not after failing it twice already."
"Yeah," Ino agrees, "it's just a waste of time."
"Like I care," he snaps to the two of them.
Hinata looks at Naruto bashfully, fidgeting with her fingers. 'N - Naruto. Do your best,' she silently cheers for him.
Naruto steps in front, performing the seal.
"TRANSFORM!" he shouts, POOF!ing into a form of a woman. He blows kisses at Iruka, in a cloud of steam (a.k.a the very convenient censor bars called beams of light. Anime and manga use it a lot. It's kinda cliche at this point)
Iruka sputters in shock. He nosebleeds. Naruto poofs back into himself, doubling over. "HAHHAHAH! Got you good, sensei! Did I look sexy or what?"
Iruka, mad, yells at Naruto for the umpteeth time time that day. 'Such a drag,' Shikamaru thinks. 'If sensei was a flower, he'd be a snapdragon for sure. Always so snappy!' Ino thinks, eyeing Sasuke at a distance. She wasn't the only one, her best friend, Sakura, was doing that, too. 'Guess I've got myself some competition. That Hyuuga better be in my team. I'm not gonna lose to that Cherry Blossom any given day!'
"NO MORE OF YOUR TRICKS! THIS IS YOUR LAST ONE!"
Later that day,
"Alright. You're going to clean all this paint you left on the hokage's face." Iruka says, sitting at the top of one of the hokage's heads.
"Aw, man. That's so lame. All I wanted to do was have a little fun." Naruto shouts back.
"You're not calling quits until you clear up what you started, Naruto," Iruka scolds, waiting at the top of the hokage's head. Naruto squints at him with narrowed eyes. Iruka, seeing this, offers a deal.
"If you manage to clear up all your paint, I'll treat you to Icharaku's."
Naruto couldn't say no to that.
"So, Naruto...I've been thinking. About everything. And how you shouldn't be pranking everyone so much. Trying to earn the villager's attention is one thing, but getting into trouble is another. You don't want them to….you know….accidentally…." he seems uncomfortable with the topic, and is averting eye contact. Naruto notices and shrugs.
"Yeah. I know," Naruto says, sitting at the edge of his stool in anticipation. "Las' time, they trashed my house. Land lady got real mad at me and almost threw me out for good. I paid extra just to keep up with my expenses. Problem is, I'm sorta broke now." He dumps the contents of his frog wallet onto the table, and unidentifiable things littered the counter of the food stand.
"I see what you mean, now. Not to worry. I'll pay you back, somehow." Iruka says, offering him a bowl of ramen. Naruto smiles, slurping them with his chopsticks.
"N - Naruto," Iruka's eyes softened. "You know. You're still just a child. You don't have to do this. You realize those faces weren't just people, right? They are the hokages of the village once upon a time."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I coulda. But, I didn't wanna. The old man is way too busy these days. 'Sides, they were the best shinobi of all time, right? The best of the best?"
He finishes the bowl, and pushes it aside.
"The Fourth was legendary. He beat the Nine-Tails like it was nothing! He was SO amazing! I wanna be like him someday!"
"So, why did you-?" Iruka say, but...
"-JUST YOU WAIT! BECAUSE I'M GONNA BE HOKAGE SOMEDAY! BELIEVE IT, DATTEBAYO!
Iruka holds his breath.
"Everyone will stop disrespecting me, then! I'll be the greatest one of them all! They'll see me for what I am, a hero!" He winks, holding his chopsticks; striking a pose.
"Hey, can I ask ya somethin', sensei?"
"Let me guess, another bowl?" He asks, pulling out his wallet once again. Naruto shakes his head. "Uh, your headband! I wanna try it on just this once! Pretty please?" he pleads, using his baby doll eyes. Iruka gives in, not having the will to resist that cute face. Even though underneath, is a demon.
"You? Wear this?" He points to his own headband. "Once you graduate the academy, maybe I'll reconsider. Until then, you'll have to earn it, Naruto. Pass the test tomorrow to become a nin."
"That's so uncool, sensei!"
"Heh, so THAT'S why you took off those ridiculous goggles of yours."
"Gimme another bowl!"
"Alright, alright."
The next day,
"We'll now start the final exam," Iruka says to his students. "When your name is called, proceed to the testing room. The first test you'll be tested on..."
"...is the clone jutsu."
'NO!' Naruto thinks wildly, 'Why that one? This is super bad! I'm never gonna pass! And if I don't, then I'll...then I'll never become a ninja! What do I do?'
In front of Iruka, are a plethora of headbands. Naruto steps forward, eagerly.
'I can do it! I hafta win this big time! Just try my best!' He holds up his hands, forming a sign. "CLONE JUTSU!" He shouts, and forms another cameo of himself. Except this one is as good as dead. Naruto sweatdrops nervously; teeth chattering. Iruka's eyes twitch. "You failed, Naruto!"
"Iruka," a man named Mizuki says, "don't you think that's unfair? His moves were swift, and it isn't easy to replicate. He really wants to become a ninja, this is already his third try today."
"Cut him some slack. Give him a break." Naruto jolts awake. 'What's this guy saying? AM I really gonna pass this time?'
"But, Mizuki. All of the other students did exactly three of them perfectly. What difference does it make if Naruto fails? He only did one, and look at it," he points to the lifeless clone. "It's pathetic, so he fails." Naruto clenches his fist, gritting his teeth, and glaring at Iruka.
"Hey, look at this! I passed!" the others students say around the crowd. "Me, too!" They all laugh, and smile, and all Naruto can do is watch in silence.
Naruto sits alone at the swing, watching them sadly at a distance. He wishes he could be like them, too.
"Look at that demon!" one of the girls say, "always trying to earn the spotlight. No one likes him. He doesn't deserve anything, not even friends."
"Yeah. That fox boy failed the exam. What a loser," says the other.
Mizuki is by his side, as Naruto puts the goggles on. It's hopeless. He'll never become a ninja at this rate. They walk away from them.
Iruka and the hokage are at the crowd, watching them leave the swingset.
"We need to talk," he says, "about Naruto."
Mizuki and Naruto are at the rooftops.
"Why me?" Naruto asks, "why can't I just be like the others? Why won't sensei let me pass, for once?"
"It's because Iruka wants you to be strong. With all of his heart. He wants to see you win. One try isn't enough for him. You have to practice. Study the material. Anything. I'll even help you, if you so wish. But, he won't be easy on you, just because you're his favorite student. The shinobi life isn't as easy as you think it is," Mizuki leans back, watching the sunset closely. "Precious people close to you die all of the time. Most ninja go rogue. A child like you can't be oblivious to the world around them. So, you can't mess around. You have to be serious and learn your life well. You need experience." Naruto nods numbly. He already knew this, the knowledge of his new life would be as difficult as they come. He was no longer some helpless, orphan of the village. He wouldn't be ridiculed
"I really wanna graduate," Naruto says, near his breaking point, "it sucks that I hafta try over and over again."
"Hmm. Well," Mizuki smirks, "maybe I'll let you in on a little secret."
Thanks for reading :D
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The original fic is there to see