Five years have passed since the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Naruto and Sasuke are now twelve years old and in their last year of the academy which is soon coming to a close. Naruto and Sasuke were in class when Iruka and Hiruzen the Hokage suddenly walked inside. Any bit of noise or chatter was immediately silenced once the Hokage entered the room.
"Today we will be performing a clone test to determine who will graduate and who will stay an Academy student, Report to the Hokage's office one by one." Iruka instructed the students and they all obliged. Each of them left the Academy and headed toward the Hokage mansion. One by one they all started to be called into the office.
"I don't know how I'm going to manage this, Clones are my biggest shortcoming." Naruto told Sasuke in a worried voice.
"Just focus and do your best." Sasuke told Naruto as he didn't have any other advice that would help. The line began to get shorter and shorter as more people got called up.
"Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka called out and Sasuke walked into the office only to come out a minute later.
"Naruto Uchiha." Iruka called out and Naruto gulped as he walked inside the office.
"Alright, Naruto let's see what you got." Iruka said and Naruto nodded as he put his hands together as he channeled his chakra. All he managed to produce was a sad attempt at a clone. It immediately fell to the floor upon being summoned and lacked any detail while not being remotely functional.
"Sorry Naruto but this simply isn't good enough, I couldn't pass you on good conscience." Iruka told Naruto with an expression of pity on his face.
"Maybe we can make an exception." Mizuki suggested to Iruka.
"You know we can't do that." Iruka responded and Naruto walked out of the room without his ninja headband. Naruto soon sat alone on a swing as everyone else was celebrating with their friends and family. Sasuke saw him and walked over with his new ninja headband tied around his forehead.
"Hey, you can keep training and try again next year." Sasuke said as he wasn't sure how to comfort Naruto. "I just need to be alone right now." Naruto said as he walked off and Sasuke nodded. Naruto was wandering around the village in the middle of the night by himself. He felt miserable since he couldn't achieve the rank of Genin. Mizuki suddenly body flickered in front of Naruto.
"What do you want Mizuki Sensei?" Naruto asked Mizuki as he looked up at him.
"Well, I want you to know that Iruka is only hard on you because you didn't earn being a Genin but I have another way for you to be promoted to a Genin." Mizuki informed Naruto. Naruto's eyes brightened with joy as he heard about another way to be promoted.
"Woah really? What is it?" Naruto asked with a hint of childlike wonder in his eyes.
"Well if you sneak into the Hokage mansion and successfully steal the scroll of sealings and learn a Jutsu from it then you are automatically promoted to Genin." Mizuki explained to Naruto.
"Well, then I will see ya later I gotta go become a Genin!" Naruto exclaimed as he dashed towards the Hokage mansion. Once he arrived at the mansion he would sneak in through a window and start searching for the scroll. He quickly found it and grabbed it as Hiruzen approached him.
"What on earth are you doi-?!" Hiruzen was caught off guard as a bunch of crows suddenly shout out towards him and surrounded him while flying at high speeds around him as Naruto escaped through the window.
Naruto ran out into the forest and settled himself against a tree as he opened and looked through the scroll. The first Jutsu he saw was labeled
"Shadow clone Jutsu." Naruto looked at the Jutsu as his face formed a frown.
"Aww man, that's my worst Jutsu!" Naruto shouted to himself as he reluctantly began trying to learn the Jutsu. As this happened Hiruzen gathered Chunin to find Naruto immediately at any cost. As all the Chunin searched for Naruto, The first to spot him was Iruka. Iruka approached him enraged.
"Naruto what the hell are you doing with that scroll?!" Iruka questioned Naruto.
"Mizuki told me if I learned one of these Jutsu then I am automatically promoted, Was he wrong?" Naruto asked with a disappointed look on his face. Iruka's eyes widened as he recognized what Mizuki's plan was.
"Naruto you need to go, Mizuki lied to you, and now he's coming to you." Iruka frantically explained as Naruto nodded and ran off. Mizuki was searching for Naruto in the forest when he pondered the idea that Iruka already got to him and realized what was going on so he decided to use the transformation Jutsu and appear as Iruka to trick Naruto. Mizuki soon spotted Naruto and he ran over to him.
"Naruto, it's me Iruka." Mizuki said only for Naruto to turn around and kick Mizuki in the stomach causing him to be sent rocketing into the ground as he bursts into a poof of smoke and turned back into his normal self.
"How did you know?!" Mizuki shouted as he glared at Naruto and jumped back onto his feet.
"Because I'm Iruka." Naruto responded as he bursts into a poof of smoke and turns back into Iruka.
"Mizuki why did you trick Naruto?" Iruka asked Mizuki as it made no sense to him.
"Well I am leaving the village and I wanted the scroll so I figured he should take the blame." Mizuki said as he began to laugh maniacally. Naruto then came out of hiding.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Naruto declared to Mizuki.
"Why? You should be joining me, The whole village hates you and you don't even know why." Mizuki said as he attempted to manipulate Naruto.
"I know I'm the Nine tails jinchuriki but I don't care, no one will care when I become Hokage." Naruto said as Iruka and Mizuki both became shocked that Naruto already knew.
"Die then!" Mizuki shouted as he pulled out a demon wind shuriken and threw it at Naruto. Iruka jumped in front of Naruto and the wind demon shuriken stabbed deep into his chest.
"How dare you!!!" Naruto shouted as he became enraged and he performed a few hand signs.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he created two hundred clones that surrounded Mizuki and began to ruthlessly beat Mizuki down. Naruto blacked out once he finished beating Mizuki to the ground.
When Naruto woke up he immediately saw it was bright and early in the morning. He looked around and saw Iruka standing there.
"What happened to Mizuki?" Naruto asked as he stood up.
"Well I turned him in but it was all thanks to you so I have something for you." Iruka told Naruto with a smile on his face.
"What is it?" Naruto asked confused. Iruka then pulled out a ninja headband and tied it around Naruto's forehead.
"You're graduated now." Iruka told Naruto.
"Woah finally! I got to go tell Sasuke!" Naruto ran off to go find Sasuke as Iruka laughed.
The next day Naruto entered the Hokage's office to get a photo taken of him. Naruto decked himself out in traditional white and red makeup.
"Naruto you look silly in all that, wipe it off!" Iruka shouted at Naruto.
"No way just take the photo!" Naruto shouted back. As Iruka begrudgingly took the photo a child slammed the doors of the office open.
"Today is the day I defeat you old man!" a boy shouted as he threw a shuriken at Hiruzen who quickly batted it away with his hand like it was nothing. Ebisu then ran in after the boy.
"Come on now Konohamaru, You can't do anything like that !" Ebisu scolded Konohamaru.
"What the hell is going on?" Naruto muttered as he scratched the back of his head and stared at the situation with a puzzled look on his face.
"What are you looking at ugly?" Konohamaru said as he turned toward Naruto.
"What the hell did you just call me?!" Naruto shouted as he grabbed Konohamaru by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into the air.
"You better let go of me, I am Konohamaru Sarutobi the grandson of the third Hokage!" Konohamaru shouted at Naruto.
"I don't give a damn who you are, I won't let you talk to me like that!" Naruto shouted back as he threw Konohamaru into the air and punched him in the face. Ebisu and Iruka looked at him shocked and Naruto left.
Naruto walked off towards the Uchiha compound when he saw Konohamaru following behind him.
"What do you want?" Naruto asked Konohamaru confused about why he followed him.
"Well you're the first person to not see me as just a grandson of the third so I want you to train me." Konohamaru explained to Naruto.
"Well I'm not much of a trainer but how about this I will become a rival to you instead deal?" Naruto suggested to Konohamaru as he didn't really mind since the kid wasn't like he initially thought.
"Deal!" Konohamaru responded eagerly as he was excited to have his first official rival.