"Lord Hokage!" a few of Hiruzen's minions burst into his office, interrupting his document transcription. "We have a situation!"
"Let the police handle it," says Hiruzen impatiently. "That is their job."
"The police are too busy laughing sir!"
Hiruzen face palms slowly and groans. "What did Naruto do this time?"
The minion points to the window.
Hiruzen gets up and walks over to the window. Then Hiruzen heads up onto the roof to get a better look at Naruto's handiwork. Hiruzen takes his pipe out of his mouth and stares up at Naruto's handiwork. Naruto is still hanging from the Fourth's hair on a harness that does not look safe. It is easy to see why the police are simply laughing at the prank. All the kage have resplendent mustaches and a monocle each. "NARUTO!" yells Hiruzen angrily, even though he thinks the graffiti is an improvement. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! GET DOWN FROM THERE THIS INSTANT!"
Naruto starts spinning in surprise, the rope swinging wildly because he lost his footing on the great face of his father. Naruto regains his balance and looks down at the assembled group of unhappy shinobi. Then he does what every graffiti artist does when they are caught red handed - he bolts.
As Naruto is running through the Leaf village, avoiding the angry shinobi who are trying to catch him and drag him back to class, he grins smugly to himself. They'll never catch him! He is too fast for them! Too cool, too- thwack. Naruto runs straight into his grandfather.
"Naruto, what have I said about cutting class?" scolds Naruto's Grandpa, grabbing Naruto by the back of his collar.
Naruto grins sheepishly and scratches the back of his head. "Don't do it?" he says nervously.
"Damn right, don't do it!" Grandpa gives Naruto a shake. "And of all the days to skip school, you do it THE DAY BEFORE YOUR GRADUATION TEST!"
"I'm bored!" moans Naruto. "I already know everything I need to to pass. Besides, today is preparation for the exam, and I'm taking the specialist test, remember?"
"Naruto, your sensei hasn't approved that yet," says Naruto's Grandpa, dragging Naruto back to the Academy. "You still need to practice for the normal test just in case."
"But why would Mizuki sensei not let me take the specialist test?" asks Naruto, confused. Mizuki sensei is not as cool as Washi sensei had been, but he is okay. "He knows I won't pass the normal test."
Naruto's Grandpa sighs and shakes his head. After a short while, they arrive at the Academy. In the practice yard, Iruka niisan's class of little kids. After only two years of putting up with Naruto and his gang, Washi sensei and Nezumi sensei decided to retire. Iruka niisan was put in charge of Nezumi sensei's class, while Washi sensei was replaced with Mizuki, a guy that hangs out with Iruka niisan sometimes. Hinata and Choji moved to Naruto's class, switching places with Shin and Sai. Even though the switch was to prevent favoritism, since Choji and Hinata both know Iruka niisan, Naruto is glad to have all his friends in the same class. However, last year most of the Root kids graduated, as did Karin and a couple of others. The classes were cut in half, and so what was left of the classes were combined for their final year at the Academy. Mizuki was put in charge of the combined class and Iruka niisan was given a class of new students to teach. Karin somehow ended up on a team with Shin and Sai, with Shisui as their jounin sensei.
Naruto's Grandpa drags him back to his class and turns him over to Mizuki sensei, saying, "You should keep a closer eye on your students!"
"You're his guardian: shouldn't you have taught him not to skip class?" says Mizuki eloquently.
The class giggles.
"Oh, I tell him every morning 'don't skip class today, Naruto!'" replies Naruto's grandpa. "But he does anyway, because YOU do not do anything to stop him. Honestly, how are you going to handle your next set of students?" Naruto's Grandpa lets him go and leaves.
"Go back to your seat Naruto," says Mizuki sensei. "We are going to have a little practice test."
The whole class groans. Everyone knows it's Naruto's fault for skipping class, but only Shikamaru suspects that it is more because Mizuki was shamed in front of the class by Naruto's grandfather.
"When I call your name, please come forward and demonstrate the clone jutsu," continues Mizuki sensei.
Well, thinks Naruto, Mizuki sensei is definitely mad at me. Everyone's going to laugh at me when my turn comes - I can't do clone jutsu! Glumly, Naruto waits for his turn. When his turn finally comes, Naruto fails miserably and most of the class laughs or jeers at him. His friends do not laugh, and a few other kids look too bored to care.
"What have I said about wagging?" demands Kazama, bopping Naruto on the head.
"Ow!" Naruto rubs his head. "I'm sorry Grandma! I just got so bored!"
"Honestly, Naruto," adds Iruka. "Pulling a stunt like that the day before graduation is stupid!"
"Pulling a stunt like that no matter what the day is stupid!" snaps Kazama.
"Exactly!" agrees Iruka, glaring down at Naruto. "But especially stupid now, since it's so close to your graduation! You better spend the rest of the day studying for the graduation exam, and don't you dare try to get out of it!"
"I will tie you to your chair if I have to!" adds Kazama. "But you are going to study, and you are going to study hard!"
"Aw!" Naruto droops in shame. Ever since Kazama and Iruka worked out their differences, the pair became a force to be reckoned with - the only force in the village capable of making Naruto study something other than fuuinjutsu. The only force capable of making him eat vegetables. The only force capable of drilling etiquette and manners into his brain. A terrifying force indeed.
Naruto does as he is told and spends the evening studying and practicing for the test tomorrow.
Naruto stares at Mizuki sensei in horror. "What?" he asks, confused.
"I said 'no'," repeats Mizuki sensei. "You cannot take the specialist test."
"But I-!"
"Do not argue. Go to your seat and wait for the real test with everyone else."
Shocked and feeling sick inside, Naruto walks to a seat, sits down and stares at the desk in front of him. Years of hard work and preparation, training and studying for the Specialist test glares at him mockingly. It was all for nothing!
It can't have been all for nothing!
But if he fails the regular test, he will never be a ninja - but he doesn't know how to be anything else!
Naruto tries his hardest in the written portion of the test, and does his best in the kenjutsu section. But when the ninjutsu section starts, Naruto almost starts crying. The test is the clone jutsu.
Naruto tries his hardest, but only manages to produce one weak clone, unable to even stand up.
"Don't worry Naruto," says Mizuki sensei with false kindness. "I'll make allowances for you, since you tried your hardest. You pass - but just barely."
The other examiner looks at Mizuki in surprise. "Weren't they supposed to make three functioning clones?" she asks.
"Yes," agrees Mizuki sensei. "But he did well enough in the other tests that we can overlook this one." He gives Naruto a ninja headband and sends him out.
Naruto returns to his seat, his face burning in shame. He could have passed with good marks if he had taken the specialist test! He knows he should have failed the test, but Mizuki is apparently intent on humiliating him by giving him the lowest score possible and still having him pass. The other kids are staring at him, wondering why he is so upset. Naruto buries his head in his arms and tries not to cry. He is half tempted to summon Joe, but Naruto is not allowed to summon any shinigami unless it is for his final fuuinjutsu test. When the students are dismissed, Naruto runs away to sit on to of the Fourth Hokage's stone head and cry.
Later, at the graduation ceremony, Naruto can see Mizuki watching him, smiling cruelly at the way people are looking over at Naruto and whispering. Somehow they found out he only passed because Mizuki 'felt sorry for him and let him pass'. After the ceremony, Naruto stands off to one side, waiting miserably for the whole affair to be over.
Iruka niisan, Grandma and Grandpa wade through the crowd to get to him.
"Naruto! What happened?" asks Iruka, looking as confused as Naruto is upset. "Why didn't you take the specialist test?"
"Mizuki sensei didn't let me," replies Naruto, staring at the ground.
"F###." Iruka swears shamelessly.
"My thoughts exactly," agrees Arashi.
"Is there anything we can do?" asks Kazama.
"No," sighs Iruka. "Naruto is now registered as the lowest ranked graduate from his year. The jonin in charge of him will only see a useless try-hard who will never be much of a ninja. If he is put on a team with students that did not do well either, he'll just be sent back to the Academy without being giving much of a chance. Mizuki knew that when he set this whole thing up."
"So what you're saying is Naruto is going back to the Academy?" says Naruto's Grandpa.
Iruka grins cunningly. "No, the Hokage decides on the team arrangements. He will give Naruto a challenge, maybe even throw in a bit of irony with the team arrangement, but he will not set Naruto up to fail. In fact, Naruto, the jounin you are assigned to probably won't know about your prowess with fuuinjutsu, so you can use that to your advantage."
"What do you mean?" asks Naruto, confused. "Shouldn't I tell my jounin sensei what I'm good at?"
"Not right away," grins Iruka conspiritally. "Save it for the jounin's assessment. They do their own assessments of their teams you know."