Warning- a tad bit of rant came out when I did not intend one.

This was originally a Reddit post I put up, but I loved it so much... just enjoy.

Okay, so what I am asking for is simple. I want to read a naruto story where Naruto is smart but not op, or rather we see him tap him into his actual intelligence. Naruto could be smart, we saw that. His pranks required some stealth, cleverness and agility. He mastered big jutsu fast, he has wayyyy more chakra then Sasuke and still got the Tree walking just as fast! The kid mastered the Rasegan quickly. Intelligence is there we just never see it.

I want to see that tapped into and with it a growing maturity. Let us see Naruto opening up to the real world, break out of idealism and see his faults... It has to start , realistically, before the Shadow clone is learned since that jutsu is the def of overpowered... though if he simply never uses the training trick them that is fine too.

Let's see him struggle with morality, let him deal with idealism and actually work past his weaknesses. Show him struggling to study, let him actually learn history and other things... I am not asking him to be op, or a genius, But the kid is not as dull as we are led to belive.

IE, here is how he could end up skill-wise if he graduated without clones... ( By... chunin exams lets say)

Taijutsu focus, the kid could learn from library. Something akin to the Strong fist Gai and Rock Lee use. Naruto is would be... If Sasuke is a 7/10 for a genin then let Naruto be a 4.5 with more strength then Sasuke since Naruto focuses on his body more. Sasuke is faster and more agile and skilled from years of training.

Trap making- Pranks could work here. Doesn't even have to be a big focus, just a focus. We saw what Sakura could do, why not mix in explosive tags, smoke bombs, pepper bombs etc.

One Weapon- He used twin batons in canon when he got the Sage of Six Paths boost, so why not these? A good reference and blunt weapons fit well with his personality. He wouldn't even have to be amazing with them. A 2/10 by that point.

Mid to high academy level understanding- Naruto was very, very ignorant and needed to be bettered there. If he graduates, even barely ( he failed everything, Rock lee couldn't even do jutsu and passed) then works on his knowledge, he could be far better off and at least know who the Hokages were, what Chakra is and maybe even Elemental affinities are.

One jutsu- I am not saying elemental like Sasuke, but something... something more supportive but not a clone jutsu. Maybe just mastering of the replacement? We saw how devastating Kakashi was with it. Could have inspired him...

More maturity and less idealism from studying history- I am not saying make him cold, just... more aware and trying to be a good ninja even if it goes against his personality. Great conflict there...

Overall if Naruto does this... if Sasuke is a 7/10 without a sharingan and Naruto was Originally a 2/10 without his raw stamina... maybe Naruto is a 4.5/10 without his raw stamina? Like if their opness was leveled out. It would show growth, let us see Naruto's potential and show him moving onto being better. By Shippuden, regardless of what you do, Naruto could easily be near Sasuke's level in a realistic way...

Actually, I might just write this... But where to start? Academy Naruto? After Wave? What could actually change Naruto...

Maybe... maybe Mizuki comes early, he never learns the SC Justu but passes due to his stealth and infiltration skills? Maybe the Elders help him pass but give him criticism on where he is failing, or maybe ANBU stops Mizuki instead of Iruka and they are the ones to say his failings and that shifts things for him... I mean if someone is going to appreciate those skills it would be them...

It would allow the Canon teams to start but shift the balance of everything, allowing for real growth and change... It would set up room for the wave mission, I may hate following canon typically but this grown Naruto would make Waves on the Wave mission I can almost taste...

Sorry, this really was not intended to be a rant. It was supposed to be a fic request but it morphed when I got inspired. You can literally watch my brain evolve the idea as it progressed...

Still... not a bad post.

Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas etc are welcome or if you want use it or have a story that fits please share.