Disclaimer: All respective characters and settings belong to their respective franchises.

Naruto exhaled, standing in line with the rest of his classmates. Previously, their classes usually began with target practice, but the updated curriculum now put greater emphasis on the physical abilities of the students, introducing more demanding drills.

Masa paced in front of the class, his clipboard under one arm and a metal ball in his other hand. "This is a 20 lb lead ball. As you should all know, in Shot Put, you are to throw it as far as you possibly can, the farther, the better. It's deceptively simple, but it requires the employment of several major muscles as you build energy starting from the lower body. Afterwards, we will do some rudimentary drills such as laps, pull-ups, and the weighted long jump. Then, there will be an obstacle course. Finally, we will have a sparring match."

"Won't we be too tired after all of that?" Moriyama pointed out.

"You'll have a 15-minute break period. The central focus of the new curriculum is pushing each student to their limits. All of you will undergo rigorous physical drills to determine if any of you are capable of graduating."

The teacher earned resounding nods and murmurs, though some were anxious at having their fears confirmed. "Your overall performance will count towards your grade. Meaning, with the exception of the sparring match, if you do poorly in any one, no matter the mistake or mishap, it's an automatic fail."

This naturally drew varying noises of protest. "If any of you complain or make a sound other than a grunt of effort, that's an automatic fail," he added.

"Wha-"

"Sensei!"

"Enough!" Masa snapped back at them. "Another word, and you'll be sitting this one out with a failing grade." Cowed into an uncomfortable silence, he added, "You're not here to have fun, you're not here to make memories, you're here because you're cadets training to be fully fledged soldiers. Being on the field is a world of difference from learning theory. A single mistake; no matter how innocuous, can be a death sentence. Time, movement, a mission is nothing but a test for your mind and body where success hinges on everything being efficient and precise. Transporting vital intel or contraband, contributing to a country's military as a reserve, serving as a bodyguard. Think about how much of you is required to be at your absolute best at all times."

"But… sir," Sakura chimed in with a trembling raise of her hand, "even then, wouldn't driving ourselves into exhaustion still be counterproductive?"

"Being efficient means knowing when to take it easy, of course," Masa countered. "We're not machines. Being in top form means being well rested. However, in the event that you're in a tight spot, what options or choices do you have?"

"Pfft, a food pill? Duh!"

Masa marched up to the boy who had spoken out of turn; Machida, whose features paled at his approach. The bandaged man got within a foot in front of the boy, then drew a small container out of his yukata and presented it in front of the now cowed student. "Take these food pills," he said.

Machida blinked, utterly perplexed and shaken, clearly not expecting to be taken to task for his quip. "What?"

"Did I stutter?" Masa asked. "Take them all at once and swallow them down."

Machida paled even more in dread at what he was being ordered to do, not alone as the others were beginning to perceive the oppressiveness of their new teacher. "S-sir-"

"Now!" Masa barked emphatically, causing many of them to flinch.

Machida swallowed a hard lump in his throat as sweat began to appear on his forehead. He knew that he wouldn't survive, let alone experience a tranquil death, if he overdosed on military food pills. He'd have to be insane. Trembling, he took the container from his teacher and stared at it with dread.

"Do it," Masa ordered coldly. "You think I'm bluffing? Do you have any idea what a man like me has left to lose? Nothing. I only took this job to help pass the time. My career as a Jōnin is dead in the water, I have no family to go home to, and I can hardly find or afford good porn. Konoha's prisons are at least humane enough that I'll live comfortably for the rest of my days, so congratulations, Machida, you get to have the privilege of getting a teacher arrested. Too bad you won't be around to brag about it."

Machida bit his lip and held the container tightly in trembling hands.

Watching all of this unfold, Naruto wanted to speak up, but he took in what Masa had said and couldn't deny the man's solid logic. From his previous battles, he understood that any one of his past mistakes (and he had made plenty) would have spelled his unquestionable doom. Still, he hesitated.

"Sensei, isn't this going a bit too far already?"

Masa, along with a number of others, diverted their attention to Naruto, who in turn turned his sights to his cornered classmate.

"Machida, give it to me," he said, his voice sharp as a whip crack. Machida and many others in the class gaped at the blonde. "You heard me. Give it here."

"What the hell are you playing at, Naruto?" Kiba barked from two spaces away.

Naruto ignored the young Inuzuka, holding his hand out. "Machida, do you really want to go through the rush of a lifetime before biting it, or would you rather have it be me?"

Machida stared at the blonde in mild confusion and skepticism, believing that Naruto was up to another one of his pranks. In a moment of hesitation, however, his nerves gave out and he tossed the metal canister to the Uzumaki, who caught it easily and in a fluid motion, popped the lid open. Naruto took a small, impertinent whiff and his eyes widened slightly, looking at the canister in curiosity. He shot a small contemplative glance at Masa, who had deferred to quietly watching them squirm.

An impish smile slowly crept onto the Uzumaki's face, surprising those around him. Bringing the container to his lips, he arched his head back and poured the pills into his open mouth in one swift motion, causing several of his classmates to gasp in shock. The smile remained on his face as he chewed the pills like they were candy, making an audible crunch. After swallowing, Naruto breathed out contentedly before throwing the container back to Masa, who caught it effortlessly.

"Huh, that tasted kinda-" The words died in Naruto's throat as he suddenly seized up. Those that were nearest to him, including Kiba, slowly backed away as he began to frantically act out in a frenzy, jerking and lurching wildly, lumbering a few steps forward as some of the girls were beginning to let out cries of panic. His hands reached for his head, eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream until he let out a high-pitched wheeze, followed by hysterical laughter.

"Excellent! Hahaha!"

Naruto shot his bandaged teacher a look of approval. "You really know how to keep us on our toes, sensei."

Confusion circulated among the rest of the students, except for those who had figured out that they were being psyched out on purpose.

Masa was nothing but amused. "What gave me away?"

Naruto shrugged, then pointed to his nose. "The smell."

"Oh? Then please enlighten us as to what they really are, Uzumaki." Masa said with a tilt of his head and a gesture of his hand.

Naruto smiled. "Well, they're not exactly the standard issue food pills, I can tell you that. Oton gave them to you as a snack, didn't he?"

Masa huffed in further amusement. "He had you eat them, too?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. They're high-concentration protein pellets. His own recipe. They're perfectly safe to eat in bulk. Chocolate flavored too, since he adds raw cocoa powder into the mix, and cinnamon to sweeten it."

Upon hearing this, many of the students perked up with interest at the thought of such a treat.

"Wait a minute," Sakura spoke up accusingly. "Was this all some kind of prank?"

"Hardly," Masa refuted. "Had Uzumaki not intervened, I would have stopped Machida. No need to lay that much trauma on him. Yet."

Both Sakura and Machida winced. "Then why go and do that?" she asked. "What's so wrong about taking in food pills to give us a boost?"

"Aftereffects once your body burns through the dosage," Masa explained. "It might be able to sustain you for a day or two, but in a true battle of attrition, you either eke out a win and gain some respite, or have your body give out inopportunely and be at the mercy of any stragglers. A tactical retreat would be preferable. If you end up critically injured, your body might not be able to withstand the accumulated stress, guaranteeing your death unless you receive immediate medical attention. There's a reason why we ninja typically restrict them for emergencies. That's where building your natural stamina and endurance becomes even more crucial as part of the curriculum."

Sakura paused in thought, then nodded uneasily. Masa clapped his hands and announced loudly, "Now then, after that brief intermission, how about we start? Moriyama! You're up."

"Y-Yes!" Moriyama shouted, coming up to Masa to take the lead. Holding his palm out, the man casually dropped the ball into it, causing him to stumble slightly as he caught it. His hand dipped slightly before he mustered more of his strength and brought his other hand up for additional support.

"The standard weight was normally 16 pounds, but as you might imagine, the administrators thought it better to be four pounds heavier. If you're ready, Moriyama, enter the circle to begin."

Moriyama, with the heavy ball in tow, marched to the circle, fanning out of it in a direction facing the fence, which formed a 39.92 degree triangle, divided into sections to measure the distance. Standing by himself and facing the stretch of the field, Moriyama felt a chill of isolation creep up his spine, the pressure and weight of the ball gnawing at him. Moriyama tried to swallow down some saliva, but the inside of his mouth felt drier than sand. "S-sensei... are you-" Masa cut him off with a pointed cough, serving to remind him that any complaint meant a failing grade.

"C-Can I at least ask a question, Masa-sensei?" Moriyama managed to say.

"Go ahead."

"Do we have to throw it like we would with a regular ball, or…?"

"Whatever is fine with you," Masa said, rolling his head back. "Oh, and before I forget, rub some chalk on your hands to help with your grip."

Moriyama's brows furrowed at that. "Eh? Where?"

"Over there on that table," Masa replied, pointing to a table standing at a safe distance from the field, inlaid with a number of items on it. There were plastic cups, a water dispenser, athletic tape, gloves, wrist guards, and a box of powdered chalk.

Kiba's jaw dropped. "What the-? We could have kitted up for this shit?"

Masa scratched the top of his head with a finger, feigning bewilderment. "Hm? Didn't I tell you that already?"

"No!" everyone snapped back at him in frustration for such an oversight.

Most of the students wasted no time in crowding the table, clamoring for some gear or a drink of water. As this was going on, Naruto was standing next to Masa, wondering if he should get a glove or taped, having been kitted by Oton for his more strenuous exercises or when he was recovering respectively, before deciding that he was fine as he was.

"What would you have done if they really had been soldier pills?" Masa said, drawing a glance from the blonde.

Naruto shrugged and replied, "Well, as you said, you would have stopped me."

"...What if I didn't?" Masa asked challengingly, and Naruto bore the man a sidelong glance.

"...Then I would have crushed it in my hand."

Rather than be offended like he expected, Naruto blinked when the man huffed in amusement. "You're an Uzumaki alright."

Naruto turned fully towards him and asked in a low voice, "You know about my clan?"

Masa gave the blond a look of his own, and replied, "Every shinobi worth their headband knows of the Uzumaki, especially those from the older generation since the Senju and Uzumaki were close."

Naruto couldn't suppress a snort, turning his head away from him as he replied with, "You don't say."

Masa cocked a curious brow at that before Moriyama called out that he was ready.

Back in the circle, Moriyama took a deep breath, now armed with some advice from Shigeno, who actually knew how to throw shot put. Assuming a low stance with his back to the field, Moriyama unsteadily brought the ball to his neck with his throwing hand facing outward. Sucking in his lips and stabilizing his breathing and position, he bobbed up and down in preparation on one leg, then kicked them apart for the glide, pushing off from his left, then spinning on his right foot after touching ground. Putting some chakra into his throwing arm, he tossed the lead ball with the accumulated energy and watched with shortness of breath and expectant eyes as it sailed through the air.

Masa eyed the ball as it landed squarely between the lines with an audible thud. "6.7 meters. Not bad, Moriyama," Masa declared.

Moriyama smiled through his heavy breathing at the praise, overjoyed that he had actually managed it despite the difficulty.

"Unfortunately, in order to succeed, you must reach the 10 meter mark. Since your final measurement was less than that, you have failed."

All joy abandoned Moriyama from hearing that, falling to his knees, demoralized.

Shigeno came up next, taking the ball with more enthusiasm and doing a near perfect glide.

"Shigeno, 10.16 meters," Masa declared, nodding in satisfaction.

Shigeno pumped both fists in celebration, smiling from ear-to-ear.

Next was Machida, who was still reeling from the scare Masa had made him experience earlier. He barely managed to pull off the same glide by clumsily copying Shigeno, and dropped the ball no farther than the circle, almost crushing his foot and smudging the line in the process.

"Fail. It doesn't count."

The rest of the students after him fared no better, with little to no practice or trying and failing to perform a glide.

When Kiba's turn came, he bounced the ball in his hand as he walked to the circle, showing that his boast about his training was not unfounded. Taking a better stance, he spun twice more than Shigeno, building up even more energy, before pitching the ball higher than any of the previous throws.

"Inuzuka, 15.8 meters."

Kiba smirked haughtily and wordlessly pointed at his classmates, daring them to beat his record. He then stuck his tongue out, taunting them.

"Aburame, 10.2 meters."

"Hyūga, 4.9 meters."

"Haruno, 3-" Masa blinked through his bandages, checking more closely. "3.9 meters."

Sakura shuffled back to her spot, head hanging low in shame and embarrassment.

Naruto's gaze trailed after her in disbelief. The same girl who had once knocked him back a good number of feet with a single punch was now struggling with the test of strength. Had he really been that light and weak back then?

"Yamanaka, 9.8 meters."

Ino smiled and shrugged her shoulders, deeming it to be good enough for herself. Sakura's jaw fell as she watched her rival return to her place in the line, not even sparing her a glance; she wondered to herself as to how and why the blonde had thrown so far beyond her, or any other girl in their class. They were similar enough in build, and she certainly knew her enough that the Yamanaka heiress wouldn't be caught dead working herself up to a sweat with weight training. Could something have changed?

Reaching for a silver lining, she was reminded that Sasuke wasn't into that kind of girl. She hid a smile, believing that she now had an advantage over the heiress in her pursuit of the young Uchiha's affections.

Sasuke on his end nodded, impressed that at least one of his annoying fangirls wasn't skimping on her training. Taking his place in the circle, he assumed a stance not unlike Kiba's, but his was more compact and steady. He pushed off with his left foot, then spun three times. Kiba grinned, confident that the Uchiha would not be able to beat his record.

Sasuke, nailing the timing perfectly, gyrated his hips and planted his left foot firmly before releasing the ball with all his might, bearing his entire weight into the swing. With bated breath, everyone watched as the metal sphere soared through the air, sailing past Kiba's previous record by an additional two feet.

"Uchiha, 16.4 meters."

"Kyaaa~! Sasuke-kun!"

The number of girls left in the class let out a cacophony of cheers; all except for the Yamanaka and Hyūga heiresses, while the boys—especially Kiba—could only click their tongues or look away in disappointment and envy. Sasuke, with his hands in his pockets, returned to his place in the line, sporting a grimace of annoyance over the noise.

"Uzumaki," Masa called to Naruto, who marched forward towards the circle. Many in the class began to heckle him, claiming that he would do worse than Machida, the latter himself joining in on the mockery.

Naruto ignored them, eyeing the metal ball curiously after taking it from Masa. He lifted up his gaze to ask the teacher, "As far as I can, right?"

"Correct," Masa replied, and the blonde nodded in agreement.

"Building energy from the lower body, huh," Naruto thought to himself. It didn't sound too different from the principles Oton had taught him about throwing a good punch.

Naruto bounced the ball in his hand as he recalled more of what Oton had said on the subject.

Kinetic energy is generated from the lower body, specifically the legs. Visualize it as a chain as you add to the energy, transmitting it from one muscle group to the next. You must be able to execute all of this nearly instantaneously with precise coordination, before explosively releasing that built-up power.

"He can't do it."

"Look at him, he's freezing up."

"As if there's any doubt."

"Loser."

Naruto sighed and then assumed a stance. Many in the class watched as the Uzumaki shifted sideways rather than fully turning around so that his back was facing the field.

"What the…?"

"Wait, shouldn't he…?"

Some of the class were busy murmuring among themselves in equal parts puzzlement and curiosity, while Sasuke bore deeply into the Uzumaki's form with a sharp glare, intent on determining for himself if what he had witnessed during the warm-up session was legitimate or not.

Naruto took another measured breath before shifting his right ankle forward. His rear foot then stroked around his right and advanced just an inch away from the edge of the circle, careful not to step over the line. Without wasting any movement, he fluidly rotated his hips to bring more power to his shoulder, his throwing arm winding back for the pitch.

Leaning his torso forward, he whipped his arm down, snapping his wrist so fast that those with untrained eyes barely caught the ball disengaging from his hand, the speed and force of his swing thrashing the very air around him. Many eyes were glued to the ball as it flew like it was fired from a cannon, all the way to the far end of the field. The heavy metal ball tore through divots of soil as it bounced not once, not twice, but a total of three times before finally landing on the ground. It rolled along with some leftover energy, then stopped mere inches away from the fence.

A delicate minute passed in silence, no one able to make a sound nor move; not even so much as a twitch.

It took another moment for them to hear the chirping of the cicadas.

Mouths hung open, heavier than the lead ball as the dumbstruck students could only stare at it from afar, barely visible from where it now lay. Slowly, they all turned their heads towards Naruto, who was still standing in the center of the circle, scratching at his head with an uncertain expression.

"Uh, did I overdo it?"

There was a noise that distinctly sounded like bodies falling, the majority of Naruto's class no longer able to withstand the sheer absurdity of what had just occurred, much less the words that had passed through his lips.

Masa, unperturbed, rubbed his chin pensively, saying, "Hm, how about I just pass you, and leave it at that? Deal?"

"Oh, okay," Naruto shrugged, then casually exited the circle and made his way back to the line, or what was left of it, as the students lay about, scattered.

"Now wait just a damn minute!"

Everyone turned to see who had cried out, only to find it was Kiba, sporting an enraged frown on his face alongside Akamaru. Brandishing a fist, he thundered, "No way! There's no fucking way that just happened!"

Naruto blinked twice and replied, not understanding what the problem was. "Uh...it kind of just happened."

"Bullshit!" The now enraged and upstaged Inuzuka heir pointed a finger at Naruto and declared in a rallying cry, "Get him!"

Four of the boys in class rushed forward, having clung to some suspicion since earlier that the Naruto before them was an impostor. They fell into step with each other, lunging at the stunned Uzumaki like wild animals, their hands raised in attack. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Now wait a minute!"

"That fucker can't be Naruto!" Kiba kept barking. "Akamaru, check it out."

His partner eagerly obeyed, leaping out of the cozy confines of his jacket and charging into the fray, intent on sinking his teeth into the fraud.

"S-sensei!" Sakura turned to Masa in a panic, replacing her shock. She would be the first to declare that she had no real fondness for the blonde, who had served as a blemish on her school life ever since the day they first met, but even this was a bit much for her.

Masa, instead of acting, stood calmly in place with his arms crossed over his chest, watching as the scene before them unfolded.

Akamaru kicked off the ground once he was close enough, stretching his maw open, his fangs bared and aimed at Naruto's head. The pup clamped down without hesitation. A yelp of pain followed, which was music to his ears, until his senses caught on to something odd. He clearly recognized Naruto's cries from years of harassment with the habitual bites, scratches, and urinations, and what he heard just now definitely didn't belong to the blonde. The pup blinked in confusion to clear his perception, and got a good look at what he was actually biting into.

Rather than hair and flesh, it was the back of another student's shirt.

Naruto, who had grabbed Moriyama by the collar at the last second, lifted him up as a human shield, accompanied by the sound of cloth tearing. He had pried the latter off even as his arms and legs were wrapped securely around his upper body. Machida had his own arms around his waist, with Yamazaki and another boy, Akaza, on each of his legs. None of them encumbered him in the slightest, the telltale annoyance on his face betraying how pointless this was.

He shifted his right foot forward, dragging a dumbfounded Akaza along with him, followed closely by Yamazaki as he strode towards a haplessly stunned Kiba. The other students around them were unable to believe their eyes. With a flick of his wrist, he pitched a pain-stricken Moriyama at the Inuzuka heir, Akamaru now clinging helplessly onto the boy's shirt, whimpering.

Naruto locked eyes with Kiba and said in an unamused tone, "Your dog."

Stunned, Kiba slowly and wordlessly reached up to wrench Akamaru off of Moriyama, who did little to resist as he fell comfortably back into his partner's arms. Naruto then proceeded to gently place Moriyama back down, who fell on his rear with a grunt, riding out the stinging pain on his back.

Masa stepped forward and knelt down to check on Moriyama. He gently peeled up the boy's shirt and spotted some light scratch marks where Akamaru's teeth had grazed. He patted the student on the back and said, "You reinforced your body with chakra, and with the added protection of your clothes, the bite didn't puncture through. You're fine."

Moriyama grunted, groaning out, "When he tried to get me off, I thought I could overpower him by flaring out my chakra."

As things started to calm down, the other kids that were clinging to Naruto had disengaged, standing back up, but no less shaken. None of them combined could have stopped the blonde, much less slowed him down. Even with their collective strength that was raised by their chakra, Naruto only needed to tense up and drag them along like mere accessories.

Moriyama aimed a duressed look at the Uzumaki, stammering, "Th-There's no way that you're Naruto."

Naruto rolled his eyes, already fed up with this assumption. He stole a quick glance at Masa, hoping that the teacher would vouch for him, but he, like the rest of the class, was standing by to let things play out. Guess I'm on my own. "If I really were someone under a henge, then don't you think it would have been dispelled by now?"

Machida, having recovered his bearings, retorted, "Oh no, you're not worming your way out of this! Where the hell is the real Naruto?

"I am the real Naruto," Naruto shot back.

"No, you're not! The real Naruto's a chump! The weakest shitstain to ever walk the halls of the Academy!"

"The biggest loser!"

"A fucking disgrace!"

"How much did he pay you, huh?! I'll double it if you tell us where the fucker is!"

"SHUT UP!"

Many were startled and cringed at the booming howl, covering their ears as some nearby birds flew away. Several windows facing the field opened, revealing students and instructors from other classes who had been drawn to the commotion by the noise. Bokomon, the new homeroom advisor in Konohamaru's class, popped his head out along with the rest of his students.

A furious Chōji was breathing heavily as he proclaimed in a loud voice, "Are you morons deaf?! He already said he's Naruto! He's not using a henge, hiding, or any of the crap you're accusing him of! If I hear one more idiotic word out of your fucking mouths, I'll tear your tongues out so that you all choke to death!" A surge of raw chakra erupted from the heir, fluttering his clothes and scattering the dirt beneath his feet. Those who had been deriding Naruto recoiled from the energies and pressure emanating from the rotund boy, before he started to wind down to conserve his reserves, but the fury was still there, as if daring anyone else to provoke him into fulfilling his threat.

All except one.

Uchiha Sasuke bore a deeper hole into Naruto, initially seeking to determine whether the boy was an impostor or not. Although he had not yet activated his Sharingan, he had sharpened his sight through rigorous training. Naruto had not displayed any inconsistencies in his behavior or attitude apart from appearing more tempered due to some unknown training. The urge to uncover this mysterious training grew within him as soon as the lead ball took off, and intensified when Naruto began dragging away those who could not restrain him. It had been only two months since he last caught a glimpse of the blond-haired boy, always trying his best to ignore the latter's absurd ambitions of becoming his rival.

Absurd.

He would never, in a million years, ever recognize such an intolerable idiot as a rival and equal. If such a thought were to ever cross his mind, he'd no sooner tear his own eyes out.

Everything about this situation felt wrong to him. He had already pinched himself earlier, so he knew he was not dreaming.

He pinched himself again, just to make sure.

Hm, maybe if he had a kunai…

Naruto hung his head, a taciturn expression painted on his features. He had kept a lid on his emotions since classes started, but inwardly, he was piqued at how they were still judging and badgering him. Had he really been that bad?

He thought things would be different after all the work he had done.

"Ne, Oton, can I talk to you about something?"

Oton heaved a breath, and replied, "Go ahead."

"When I…go back to the Academy, I just know that a lot of my classmates are gonna be…asking questions."

"Hm. Reps."

"Uh, 2315."

"2317. You're afraid of how they might take your…changes."

"Yeah…"

"Just tell them the truth."

"What truth? Training?"

"That is indeed what you did."

"With a head start from my Uzumaki genes. You don't know them as well as I do."

"Your peers have merely taken after their parents and the adults around them, so they're not entirely to blame. They could move past such prejudgments, but that's already asking for too much. Because of the law placed by the Hokage, there is a gag order on your identity as the Jinchūriki under the threat of death, hence why you were in the dark for years."

"That…actually sounds fairly workable," Naruto said. His demeanor fell, becoming more pensive. "What went wrong?"

Oton took a breath, released it, and replied, "At the time, the law may have been an appropriate measure to help secure you from enemy spies, or those that were vengeful towards the Kyūbi, but unfortunately, it only took a weak link in the chain of command to leak your identity, leading to, well, how your childhood turned out."

"Chain of command? Someone in the government?"

The two were in Spike Gym, a day after Naruto had finished his weighted squats. Oton was doing his presses on the bench with a 300 kg barbell, with the blonde spotting him. They had been making casual talk to help pass the time, and because Naruto had been getting bored.

"Shimura Danzō, a member of the council and the Hokage's friend, fellow veteran and war buddy."

There was a cold, sinking feeling in Naruto's stomach, now knowing the name of the man who made his life the way it had been. "So, he's the reason…"

Oton trained his eyes up at the blonde, and said, "Getting ideas?"

Naruto didn't respond immediately. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why…would he do that? What'd I ever do to him?"

"Politics. It isn't a matter of what you did, but what you're going to do, what you represent, and how you might serve Konoha's interests in the coming future."

Naruto's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Should I feel flattered?"

"Is your self-esteem so desolate that being a pawn instills in you a sense of value and fulfillment?"

Naruto sucked in his lips, replying, "When you put it that way, it sounds pretty damn pathetic."

"All shinobi by profession are pathetic."

"Eh?"

"We are tools, weapons, cogs in a machine. We may have our own agency at the best of times, but ultimately, we must give our all for the integrity of our country. That is what it means to be a soldier."

"No."

Oton glanced up at him from his position on the bench.

"I can't accept that. Not…not after everything I've been through. I can't accept being a tool, a pawn, or a cog. I…we…is that all we really are? To be used?"

Oton released a deep, meticulous breath, finishing his reps and hooking the barbell up in place. He sat up, holding his hand out for Naruto to hand him his towel. As he was wiping his shirtless body, his white pants showing some dampness from perspiration, he replied, "That depends on you."

"Me?" Naruto asked him. "Well, what about you?"

"I am nobody's pawn!" Oton snapped, causing the blonde to jolt back. "Now, repeat what I said."

"I-I am-" he was cut off by Oton flicking his forehead. "Ow! Hey!"

"If you need someone else for you to determine that, then you're still a pawn. Namely, mine. You must be sure of yourself, with no room for doubt on your own integrity as an individual."

Naruto lowered his gaze, and replied, "I always thought I did."

"If you are indeed your own man, then you must assert it to yourself before others," Oton declared. "You can even leave Konoha and go on a journey of self-discovery, if that's what it takes."

"Are you trying to get me in trouble?" Naruto grumbled testily at the man.

"Then, what are you truly?"

Naruto blinked, inclining his head back. What was he truly? A reincarnation of an ancient dragon, the son of the Fourth Hokage and one of the last surviving Uzumaki, an aspiring shinobi, jinchūriki, and perhaps…

Wait…

Since when did he…

Darting his head around, he saw that his classmates were giving him the usual dirty looks, with a gleam of contempt shining behind their castigating gazes.

"Alright, break it up, all of you. Now, what's this about Uzumaki that you all have a problem with?"

Everyone turned to Masa, who had finally spoken up.

Moriyama stepped forward to address the instructor, replying with, "Sensei, pardon me for saying this, since I don't know if you were even briefed on this, but Naruto is, to put it mildly, the lowest of the low. His record is, frankly, abysmal to say the least. Out of all of us; probably in the entire history of the Academy, Naruto has consistently shown himself to be a hopeless failure. He's terrible in Taijutsu, barely has a grasp of Ninjutsu, and has absolutely no fortitude towards Genjutsu. If anything, him having made it to his fourth year; after being held back once I might add, is plainly miraculous. Unless he's in some kind of special program that none of us are aware of, there is no viable way that he should even be here after the evaluation did its part in weeding out those that arguably had more acumen than him. And don't even get us started on how he's made a habit of flagrantly disrupting class to play pranks around the village."

"Yeah!"

"That's right!"

"Just ask Iruka-sensei!"

Masa hummed to himself, tilted his head, and said in a calm tone, "Is that so?"

Moriyama nodded, answering with a firm, "Yes!"

The bandaged instructor seemed to take all of that into consideration, lightly scratching his chin. Finally, he said, "And yet, all I've ever seen since the day I evaluated Uzumaki Naruto myself is nothing short of an exceptional student."

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"That's right, he's-" Moriyama's eyes popped wide open, as did everyone else who had heard the instructor's words. He slumped forward, letting his arms sag. "What?"

Many of the students were picking at their ears. Naruto? Exceptional? Did they seriously just hear that right? In the same sentence?

The wind taken out from under his sails, Moriyama opened his mouth to try and better bring his point across, but there was a waver in his voice as he said, "S-sensei! None of what I told you is false! Everyone here can vouch for it even without asking."

Cries of agreement resounded from the crowd of students once again, a number of them raising their fists and sending jeers Naruto's way.

"So, you all truly believe he is an imposter then?" Masa said in a clearly skeptical tone.

This had Moriyama reply with a hesitant, "Who...what else could he be?"

"Hm, there's a simple enough solution for that," Masa said. "Hyūga."

There was no reply, prompting Masa to bark out, "Hyūga!"

"Y-yes?" The Hyūga heiress shakily stepped forward, her knees wobbling as she tried to shrink into herself under the sudden focus directed at her.

"Stand at attention," Masa snapped at her curtly, causing the girl to seize up with a start and let out a warble. "Are you able to use your Byakugan?"

Now standing rigidly but trembling like a leaf, she replied, "Yes, sir!"

"Excellent," Masa said, then gestured towards Naruto for the entire class to see what he meant. "If the Naruto standing before us is indeed an impostor, then the only surefire way to determine that is through the eyes of a Hyūga. Am I right?"

"R-Right," the Hyūga heiress confirmed meekly.

Hyūga Hinata. I had encountered a number of her clansmen back in the third war. Nothing but a bunch of self-important dicks. Yet, she seems contrary to that distinction. For now, at least. "Please proceed."

"Y-yes," Hinata stammered, her nerves rooting her to the spot. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she slowly focused on Naruto, who had his back to her and was returning her gaze over his shoulder. When he spun around to fully face her, it only intensified the poor girl's discomfort, filling her with an urgent desire to back away and hide behind Ino once more. "U-um…"

"It's okay, Hinata," Naruto told her, a thin smile replacing the turmoil from earlier. "Go ahead."

His consent and encouragement increased the heiress' confidence, allowing her to carefully begin weaving her hands into forming the seal to activate her dōjutsu. Slowly and steadily, veins began to pop up around the area surrounding her milky white eyes, still unused to the sensation of being newly inducted into the training, her irises becoming more prominent.

Silence reigned as Hinata focused intently on Naruto, watching his blue veins become visible as they pulsed with energy. Her jaw clenched as she maintained her concentration, the strain of keeping the dōjutsu active steadily building.

Once she felt that she was stable enough, she began scanning Naruto's form, raking her eyes over the regions of his body, noting his height, the outline of his muscles, every curve and contour. His toned and defined chest, rippling biceps, his chiseled abs.

A billow of steam erupted from the top of Hinata's head like a chimney, her face becoming beet red.

Naruto blinked, gaping in surprise at the shift in the girl's demeanor. "Eh? Hinata, what's wrong?"

She's got it bad. Everyone who knew of the girl's affections for the oblivious blonde thought to themselves, including Masa, who didn't take long to be clued in.

Lightheaded, Hinata shook her head, taking stock of her senses. She deactivated her dōjutsu and turned to her captivated audience, awaiting her verdict with bated breath. "It's Naruto," she said.

This brought out groans of disappointment.

"Oh come on!"

"No freaking way!"

Masa waited for them to grow quiet, making room for him to proclaim, "Do you doubt her word?"

"Yeah!"

"No way! She's not even that good. Both of them are-"

"I think that's quite enough," Ino intervened, coming to Hinata's side. She wound her arm around her shoulder, sending a warning glint at those that were berating the timid heiress. "Hinata here has been training her Byakugan diligently since classes were suspended, so like everyone else here, I'm sure she's worked hard to make the cut. And not just her, but all of us here have been evaluated fairly and thoroughly with the Hokage himself present, and if there had indeed been any foul play involved, the administration would have stamped it out with uncompromising prejudice. Why, if anything, any one of us here is free to take this issue with the Hokage right this very instant."

Hearing that, doubt eased its way into the dissenting students, and that was when Ino got to the heart of the issue by reading their reactions. "Well then, with that, I do believe this farce of a trial is over. Right, sensei?"

"No fucking way!"

"Enough!" Masa snapped. "If Uzumaki were truly an impostor, don't you think that I, a retired Jōnin, would have seen right through it from the start? Even as an instructor, I am still a veteran, and the job comes with a prerequisite that we are capable of ensuring your safety. So, how about this? We move on to the sparring match ahead of all other activities."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Sparring? Now?"

Those who had been antagonizing Naruto looked at each other and themselves in confusion and worry.

"Oh, but not just any kind of spar," Masa intoned deviously. "It will be a sparring match where your goal is to knock Uzumaki out. Against those who are eager to reveal him for the supposed impostor that he is, for as you should all know, the only other surefire way to dispel a henge is to disrupt their concentration of maintaining their form, which can be achieved by knocking them unconscious."

Mumbles began to circulate among the crowd of students, and to their growing notice, of the other classes watching above from the windows, themselves having become captivated. Bokomon was standing on a chair, carefully observing and growing worried over what Naruto had gotten into, and on his first day no less. Konohamaru was next to him, poking his head out of the window in interest after spotting the one who had handed him a humiliating defeat, eyeing the scene in fascination.

"How did it come to this?" Naruto thought to himself in irritation, glowering at Masa, who glanced back at him with an impish gleam in his eye through his bandages.

Sparring with Naruto? Imposter or not, the thought didn't exactly inspire excitement.

"Those students who manage to succeed will be awarded a passing grade and allowed to go home."

Naruto wanted to throw his goggles down. He just had to sweeten the deal.

Which seemed to do the trick, as Moriyama, Akaza, Machida, Yamazaki, and a few others were instantly fired up at the thought of not only getting a passing mark, but going home early. All of them were now glaring daggers at the exasperated blonde, who resolved to just roll with the punches rather than object further.

"You're dead, you fake!" Machida threatened, pointing at him, his features contorted into an evil smirk.

"I'm gonna fuck you up so hard, your ancestor'll feel it in the nuts!" Yamazaki followed, slamming a fist into his palm.

Making preparations, the students all moved to the sparring ground, which was on the other side of the field, depriving the students in the academy an opportunity to watch. Groans and whines went all around, many disappointed that they no longer had an excuse to skip class.

Bokomon sighed, clapped his hands, and declared, "Alright, guys, the show's over. Back to your seats."

Konohamaru was the last to comply, his interest lingering on the departing students, eyes glued on Naruto. "Konohamaru-kun," Bokomon tapped the boy on the side, who became startled from the contact, not really paying attention.

Konohamaru looked down at the diminutive instructor, who was eyeing him questioningly. The boy stammered, "What?"

"Back to your seat," Bokomon replied.

"Y-Yeah," Konohamaru nodded, hopping down from the window and then sprinting back to the row where he sat between two others. On his right was a boy with short brown hair and glasses, some snot trickling down his nose. The other was a girl with light orange hair, done in thick pigtails that stood up, her cheeks a healthy pink. The Hokage's grandson returned his focus to his notebook, taking down the figures written on the blackboard.

Bokomon heaved his chair back behind his desk and hopped onto it to circumvent the obstruction of his height. He picked up the book that contained his lesson plans and pointed to the board, saying, "Now then, once you're done copying these diagrams, we'll move on to some problem solving exercises."

"Sensei?"

Bokomon looked up from his book, seeing Konohamaru with a raised hand. "Yes, Konohamaru-kun?"

"Um, is… is Naruto-senpai in trouble?"

Bokomon cocked a brow and replied, "Why ask that?"

Konohamaru stiffened, lowering his head. "No reason."

Bokomon answered with a shrug, "I'm sure he'll be fine." It's highly unlikely that he'd be expelled after coming this far.

Konohamaru nodded and continued with his work.

At the sparring ground, where there was a wide, circular depression that served as the ring, the students gathered at the sidelines, with the ones participating lining up for the match. Naruto stood far across from them, his arms folded over his chest in contemplation. Instead of being under pressure, he appeared as serene as the gentle gust of wind that brushed past them, the rustling of the tree leaves providing a calming effect amidst the otherwise tense backdrop.

Naruto was lost in thought. "I didn't think I'd get to spar so soon," he murmured. He swept his gaze over the crowd, the air around them thick with anticipation and the expectation of his failure. To his disappointment, but not to his surprise, Sasuke was among those who had committed themselves to simply watching, not failing to catch the hard glare directed his way. "Does he think I'm a fake, too?"

His heart sank to his stomach at that, stinging him deeply, that the boy he was...no! No! No! No! He was definitely not going there! He would be damned before he had what even remotely resembled an attraction to Sasuke! He knew that he didn't! And no amount of wisecracks from smartasses like Shikamaru were going to change that.

Okay, yeah, he couldn't exactly deny that the guy was conventionally good looking, what with all the attention he regularly drew from most girls (and maybe some boys). Yet, he wouldn't exactly call him flawlessly perfect! Not with that stupid scowl he always sported, that dinky hairdo, those... piercing black eyes, skin that shone a pearly white, and the way his lips would purse in a cute-

Naruto shot towards the nearest tree and headbutted it hard and deep, leaving an imprint of his goggles in the process. The spontaneous act took everyone else by surprise, and they all gathered around the scene.

As numerous leaves fell on and around him, Naruto took a moment to compose himself, then spun around to face them, revealing an inconspicuous smile stretched across his face, with some blood trickling down from his forehead in a ghastly display. Scratching the back of his head, he let out an uproarious laugh, explaining, "Just... doing some last minute warm-ups, hehe."

The onlookers regarded him strangely, while the ones who were set to contend with the blonde; including Kiba, only saw this as a crack in his facade.

Masa motioned for Naruto and his opponent, Machida, to enter the ring. The latter was smirking. "Just give it up," he said. "There's no way you can beat me."

Naruto cocked a brow at him. "Wait. Wasn't it that this whole thing started because you think that I'm an impostor?"

"Yeah, which I'm going to prove right here, right now!"

"So, why are you so confident that you can take me on when you still believe that?" The blonde asked with air quotes. "As far as you know, I could be a lot tougher than the 'real' Naruto."

Machida opened his mouth, as if with a retort, only to falter, averting his eyes awkwardly. "Well, since you decided to look like a loser, then...you are a loser! So there!"

It was then that the absurdity of this entire situation started to sink in.

"Take your stance," Masa raised his arm overhead.

Machida assumed the standard Academy stance, his eyes glued on the blonde, who continued to stand still. Nobody commented on it, with only a niggling curiosity beneath the tense ambience, more focused on the ensuing fight.

The instructor threw his arm down. "Begin."

Machida shot forward. If the Naruto before him really was an impostor, then he wouldn't hold back. He drew his fist, wanting to start out with a feint to test the waters.

Naruto sighed, not really paying attention, limiting Machida to his peripheral vision. He ducked from a right cross, leaving his head open to a left hook. Naruto withdrew his upper body just in time, avoiding the blow. Smoothly hooking his foot behind Machida's knee, he pulled, causing the boy to buckle. In the span of a split second, Naruto had drawn back his right arm and fired out a palm strike straight at his opponent's chest, knocking the wind out and flinging him several feet out of the ring with merciless force.

It all happened in an instant, causing many to do a double take, their eyes blinking rapidly. Even Sasuke was bemused. Every single movement wasn't wasted; they flowed into each other like a stream.

Masa internally commended the blonde with the same sentiment. Whatever reservations he had about Seiko, the man showed results.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, relaxing his form as he flicked his wrists, unlike Machida, who was slumped on the ground, face down. He was coughing up a storm from the abrupt pressure on his chest, bile escaping from his open mouth and making a mess on the ground. Masa called for two students to help the poor boy up, leading him past a disbelieving crowd of his classmates and placing him down on a blanket, sitting up, with a bottle of water next to him once his breathing was steady again.

"Harite?"

"Ah," Oton replied, the two of them having moved to Spike Gym's large kitchen after the man's workout, looming over a large, custom made, high performance blender which he was filling with ingredients. Orange juice, eight pasteurized egg whites (the yolks taken out), okara (soy pulp), chopped pieces of kiwi (fruit), flax seeds, ground walnuts, whey protein powder and honey for extra sweetness.

After the blending was done, Oton handed Naruto a glass filled with the concoction, a straw sticking out. He then resumed the conversation, saying, "When you enter into a sparring match, you must do nothing but harite. Rather than a fist, you slap or strike the opponent with an open palm."

"Why?" Naruto asked as he took a sip of his drink, the two of them moving to sit down around the countertop at the very center.

"Some of the most fragile bones of the human body are the knuckles. Without sufficient conditioning, even a moderately powerful strike can damage the bone and cartilage that make up your hand. Same with the fibula when it comes to kicks. Before we go into that part of your training, and we will," Naruto gulped, "the intermediary will involve you learning to put more power into your attacks."

"So, I can't use punches?"

"No," Oton confirmed, now wearing a gray tank top that revealed his powerful muscles that his suit would normally hide. "Slaps, palm strikes, even backhanded strikes. That will be your test. Under no circumstances are you to do a punch of any form. Not one."

A shocked and shaken Moriyama looked back and forth between where Machida was now seated and where he had landed, his mouth agape in disbelief. "No way..."

"Moriyama, you're up," Masa called to him, but terror had seized the once confident student, fixing him in place as the others were similarly unsettled. Save for Kiba, who clicked his tongue and shoved the coward aside.

"Fucking piece of…fine! Let me in, sensei! I've been dying to cut loose."

Masa nodded without objection. "Take your stance."

Akamaru jumped out of his owner's jacket as Kiba reached for the zipper.

Naruto rolled his eyes at this. "Oh, so now he takes it off?"

Kiba did so, peeling off his jacket to reveal a short-sleeved shinobi mesh armor beneath it with plating over his midsection. He tossed the article of clothing aside dramatically, then patted the plating with a grin. "Ready to dance, dirtbag?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he inserted both hands into his pockets, his expression the picture of calm. "Sure."

Kiba's grin morphed into a grimace. "You really think you can win?"

"It isn't a matter of winning or losing, dog boy," Naruto replied, putting on a thin smile of his own. "It's about whether or not you'll give a good fight."

"Pfft, that's rich coming from you, dumbass!" Kiba snapped back, crouching low to assume his clan's signature stance.

"Begin!"

Going on all fours, Kiba kicked up, wanting to close the distance in a single bound. "You're dead!"

He then fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"The chin?"

"Ah," Oton mumbled, the large man munching on a protein bar. Naruto, on the opposite side of the table, was snacking on one as well.

"Why the chin?"

"That's like asking why you're breathing," Oton replied, drawing a frown from the boy. "A sufficient enough blow to the chin will transmit the force to the brain, causing it to make contact with the skull, inducing trauma as the neurotransmitters are overloaded, which sends you into a state of paralysis. This is how a clean knockout is usually done. It's why experienced fighters always guard their chin."

"No way are they gonna let me get a clean hit," Naruto groaned.

"Why not just move faster, then?"

"Eh?" Naruto glanced up at Oton from his half eaten protein bar. "Faster?"

"Than your opponent. You should be fast enough."

Naruto blinked, giving it some thought. He hummed to himself, wondering if it would work. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."

"Just try to be precise," Oton reminded him. "You'll be the one kissing the dirt if you mess up."

Naruto bristled. "I'm not gonna mess up!"

He hadn't. It had been a simple matter of timing, like he had done with WereGarurumon. He chuckled inwardly at how poetic it was against someone like Kiba. Looking down, it was then that he realized the reason why Oton had him forgo punches.

Time.

Every second counted in a fight, no matter how innocuous or trivial. The precious seconds it would take to make a fist, then pull his arm back to build up the kinetic energy. It was wasteful, especially against a more skilled opponent. He didn't want to risk it with Kiba, who was a clan heir and would have had more access to formal training much earlier than him.

Assuming a relaxed posture, Kiba acted recklessly, under the assumption that he would finish the fight quickly. Combined with his previous low skill level, it was nothing but simple bait.

He also needed to be fast, so fast that nobody would see his hands move as he did a quickdraw from his pockets. However, rather than a straight out palm strike, he did something that was much faster.

Bending his right hand inward, he swung, applying the principle of building just the right amount of energy for his wrist as it zoomed across Kiba's face. The precise hit he had been planning and building up to.

That wasn't to say that Kiba didn't manage to get a hit in.

Or tried.

"Incredible," Masa internally chuckled, having witnessed it in amazement. "He turned his head in the direction of Inuzuka's swipe, letting it drift past his face harmlessly. He's…he's definitely his son!"

He was the only one besides Senju Tobirama, and A of Kumo, who was famous for his speed. He had already suspected it from the hair alone, but this was even more proof.

The one man whom he would have regarded as a peer in age had he still been alive.

Namikaze Minato.

And standing right in front of him, was his son.

Akamaru quickly attended to his partner, licking his cheek; and before long, Kiba stirred. His vision was blurred for a moment, until it cleared enough for the first face he beheld to be that of his beloved dog. Akamaru barked happily at his awakening, his tail wagging, but he didn't get up, his body still not having caught up.

"What...the fuck...?" The world around him spun for a moment, but there was some level of coherence as he sensed someone approaching.

"Can you get up, Inuzuka?" Masa asked as he hovered over the downed boy, crouching down.

There was a gurgling sound, and then Kiba slowly rose onto his hands and knees. "What…?"

Masa said, "You lost."

Everything around Kiba descended into a drowning silence, his gaze unfocused but glued to the ground where his unconscious body had been lying prone on like a fallen sack of potatoes.

"What...?" he muttered in disbelief, before his face contorted into one of pure rage. "WHAT THE FUCK!?"

He shot up to his feet, stumbling due to the lingering effects from the shock. Masa withdrew from him without a word. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?" Kiba bellowed with spittle billowing out of his mouth, baring his canines. He snapped his head to Naruto, wild eyes fixed on the blonde, who reeled from the monstrous anger that was roiling out of him. "You're fucking dead, you piece of shit!"

But before he could engage the Uzumaki again, Masa grabbed him by the scruff of his neck in a vice grip. "Calm down."

"Fuck off!" Kiba roared at the instructor, trying to pull away from the man's hold once more, until he felt a sharp pain around his neck that made him pause.

"I said, calm down," Masa threatened; not ordered, threatened, exuding some killing intent to get the point across clearer. "I am going to let go now."

Kiba had gone still, his anger simmering. "Th-There's no way I-"

"I will not repeat myself," Masa said coldly. "Sit next to Machida. And if you even think about going near Uzumaki again, I will intervene. Do you understand?"

Grinding his teeth hard enough to break them, Kiba felt the steady grip around his neck, and his only option was to comply. After another minute, Masa felt like he could let go, with only a gruff jerk from the boy, then watched him carefully as he stormed towards the blanket where a more cowed Machida was resting, picking up his discarded jacket along the way, with Akamaru trailing next to him.

Naruto sighed in relief that it hadn't escalated any further. He had never once seen Kiba so angry, not even when he had been upset about anyone bothering Akamaru. "Anyone else?" He gave each of them a piercing look, and their previous resolve seemed to falter.

This was it. Sasuke stepped forward, ready to throw down and put this upstart in his place. No way was he going to pass up this opportunity to see how far he had come. If he couldn't beat this idiot, then how could he ever hope to-

"Hai~!" A rambunctious voice, a raised hand, and a familiar smile broke through the tension.

Yamanaka Ino strode forward confidently, a hand on her hip. She tilted her head, declaring, "How about I try?"

Surprise saturated all those present, with Minami hissing at her, "Ino, what are you doing?"

Ino ignored her, focusing solely on a no less wide-eyed Naruto.

Masa hummed in interest. "Are you sure, Yamanaka?"

"Sure I'm sure," Ino answered, sauntering into the ring. "As if Naruto would ever be able to bring himself to hit little old me."

"Uh, yes I would actually," Naruto responded, causing Ino and the rest of the class to fumble.

Ino righted herself, bristling. "Fine then, you barbarian, let's go!"

Her smile morphed into a vicious grin, and Naruto reciprocated with a grin of his own at the challenge with a twinge of excitement.

Amongst the crowd of enraptured onlookers, Sasuke stood frozen, completely stunned by this unexpected turn.

"She…she…she stole my thunder."

Author's Notes: I took a small break, and because it's been a tough month for me to do some research.