This is a short filler chapter so if you want you can skip

Two years had passed since Naruto enrolled in the Academy. Throughout that time, he had consistently held the top student position, with Sasuki trailing closely behind in second place. Naruto's academic excellence led to him being assigned as Sakura's tutor, helping her catch up with the rest of the class. After learning of her aspiration to become a combat medic, he provided her with medical texts to study. Thanks to his guidance, Sakura had risen to the top five among the girls, excelling in her academic studies. Recognizing her natural aptitude for chakra control, Naruto suggested she explore genjutsu as well. Sakura, having benefited greatly from his advice in the past, took his suggestion to heart.

The attention Sakura received from Naruto fueled the jealousy of his fan club, particularly Ino. She often attempted to flirt with Naruto, hoping to distract him, but he, oblivious to her intentions, simply thought she was being friendly. Sasuki, still experiencing that strange feeling whenever she saw Naruto with Sakura, decided to channel her emotions into rivalry. She challenged him to spars whenever she could, but she had yet to win a single match, further fueling her determination to become stronger.

Overall, Naruto was well-liked by most of the Academy students, much to the chagrin of some parents. Even some of the teachers had begun to see him in a new light. During these two years, Naruto had also picked up a new hobby: pranking. Initially, his pranks were a way to get back at the villagers for their harsh treatment of him. But over time, he came to view it as a form of training, honing his stealth, trap-making skills, and his ability to analyze his "targets'" patterns and habits.

Naruto had made significant progress as a ninja during these two years. His overall physical prowess had increased dramatically. He had mastered advanced calisthenics moves like the planche (holding his body horizontal to the ground using only his arms), the front lever (the opposite of the planche), handstand pushups (for shoulder strength and balance), and his favorite, muscle-ups (for explosive strength). These exercises, combined with his increasing gravity seals, had made his muscles, tendons, and flexibility incredibly robust. This, in turn, had a profound impact on his taijutsu. His strikes were stronger and faster, and he was finally strong enough to execute the slams he had been envisioning. He could now lift and slam opponents much larger than himself.

He had also been attending various civilian dance schools in disguise. After his fight with Ayame, he wanted to improve his footwork, theorizing that dance would be the perfect way to do it. He was right. His taijutsu now resembled a deadly dance, a flowing combination of grace and power. An unexpected benefit of his dance training was improved improvisation. Dancing, as an art form, relied on spontaneous movements and rhythm. Naruto was now even more unpredictable in combat, letting his movements flow freely from kata to kata. He was also better at recognizing and disrupting an opponent's rhythm, a subtle but crucial advantage, as every fighter, even unconsciously, had a unique rhythm.

His ninjutsu had also seen considerable improvement. After learning his elemental affinities (wind, water, and lightning), Kakashi had instructed him in specific leaf-cutting exercises. For wind, he had to use chakra to cut the leaves; for lightning, he had to crinkle them; and for water, he had to make them wet. Thanks to his shadow clones, he mastered these exercises in about two weeks. This, in turn, made learning elemental jutsu significantly easier. Kakashi had taught him two jutsu for each element. For water, he learned Water Style: Water Ball Jutsu and Water Style: Water Wall. For wind, he learned Wind Style: Air Bullet and Wind Style: Great Gust. Finally, for lightning, he learned Lightning Style: Taser Jutsu and Lightning Style: Shock Palm. He wanted to master lower-level jutsu before delving into the more powerful Uzumaki techniques. He had mastered the Academy jutsu and his shadow clone variants to the point where he no longer needed hand seals.

In fuinjutsu, Naruto had reached level 10 mastery. He had created numerous new seals, including a body temperature regulator seal (maintaining optimal body temperature regardless of weather), a fabric repair seal (automatically repairing torn clothing), and a diagnosis seal (diagnosing illnesses when placed on a patient). This last seal had led to vast improvements at the Konoha Hospital. Naruto often collaborated with Tsunade on creating groundbreaking seals. He had dozens of other inventions, but those were for later.

Naruto had also drastically improved his shurikenjutsu. From Itaia's book, he learned how to curve and deflect kunai, as well as how to use wires to control their trajectory. While he was nowhere near Itaia's level yet, he had learned to channel elemental chakra into his kunai, adding another layer of lethality.

His greatest achievement, however, was with his bloodline. After mastering his chakra chains, he began experimenting with creating other objects. He started with simple things: a long staff, a simple chokuto sword, kunai, and shuriken. He wanted to master the basics first. This led him to begin training in bojutsu and kenjutsu. The Uzumaki, being a clan of weapon users, had a vast library of weapon styles. Thanks to his clones, Naruto became very adept, though not yet a master, in these weapon-based combat forms.

Overall, Naruto was satisfied with his progress. He knew it was thanks to his various trainers that he had come so far. He had even managed to pick up a few of Jiraiya's "hair jutsu" techniques.

It was midnight, and Naruto, clad in an all-black ninja outfit that concealed everything but his eyes, moved stealthily through the darkened streets of Konoha. His target: ANBU headquarters, the most heavily guarded building in the entire village. For the past two days, Naruto had meticulously studied the ANBU guards, observing their patrol routes, shift changes, and individual habits. He knew their patterns like the back of his hand.

As expected, a guard finished his survey of one wing of the headquarters and moved on to another. Naruto, taking advantage of the brief window of opportunity, silently scaled the wall to a window on the top floor. This was the room where the ANBU masks and uniforms were stored. He picked the window lock with practiced ease and slipped silently inside.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. Naruto swiftly transformed into a small spider, scurrying up the wall and clinging to the ceiling. A purple-haired ANBU entered the room, removing her mask and changing into civilian clothing. Once she was finished, she exited the room.

Naruto, his grin widening, transformed back to his human form. He gathered up all the ANBU masks and replaced them with a collection of goofy clown masks. Then, he placed dye seals on the uniforms, seals that would activate as soon as the uniforms were put on. His prank complete, Naruto slipped back out of the headquarters as stealthily as he had entered, leaving no trace of his presence.

The next morning at the Academy, Naruto heard a wave of loud laughter erupt. He subtly smirked, knowing exactly what was happening. All the students except him craned their necks to look out the window, their curiosity piqued. The sight that greeted them sent them into fits of laughter. Various ANBU were outside, dressed as warrior clowns. They wore ridiculously goofy masks, and their uniforms were dyed in vibrant, mismatched colors. A strict ANBU rule was that members had to preserve their anonymity, so they had no choice but to wear the masks. Their uniforms, however, remained unchanged until they put them on. They were extremely hesitant to appear in public in such ridiculous attire, but duty called. As soon as they stepped outside the headquarters, they became the laughing stock of the village. Mortified, they immediately went to report to the Hokage.

Hiruzen heard the commotion and wondered what was going on. He got his answer when his ANBU team entered his office. Hiruzen snorted, trying to suppress his laughter. His elite ninja force looked utterly ridiculous. He knew exactly who was responsible. He ordered his ANBU named Cat to retrieve Naruto from class. Cat was more than happy to oblige. Weasel, the only one unaffected by the laughter, even the usually emotionless ANBU found the situation amusing.

Naruto simply waited to be escorted out of class. Everyone knew he was the culprit, but no one could ever prove it, so he often got away scot-free. Suddenly, an ANBU appeared next to Naruto in a body flicker, grabbed his ear, and then both disappeared. "Owww! Owww!" Naruto protested.

Seeing this, the class erupted in another round of laughter. This was why everyone loved Naruto. Despite being a recognized genius and prodigy, Naruto acted the complete opposite. He constantly helped those in need and always looked for ways to make people laugh. The clan heads simply shook their heads in amusement. How could someone as strong as Naruto be such a goofy idiot sometimes? Sasuki just palmed her face, embarrassed at considering Naruto her rival. Sakura giggled at her tutor's antics. This was why she had a crush on him. He always found ways to lighten the mood. Ino and Kiba were rolling on the ground laughing. "Man, can a guy get some rest around here?" Shikamaru grumbled, finding the whole situation troublesome. Choji simply patted his shoulder in commiseration. It wasn't just this class; the entire school was laughing. Naruto was popular with not only his class but the whole Academy. Tenten knew who was responsible and shook her head with a smile. "Naruto is such a goofball," she thought. Neji, not knowing Naruto well, simply thought he was an idiot. Rock Lee was just cheering.

At the Hokage Tower, Naruto was unceremoniously dropped in front of Hiruzen. "So, Naruto," Hiruzen began, barely concealing his mirth, "care to explain yourself?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto denied innocently.

"You brat, why did you do this?" an angry and embarrassed ANBU member spoke up.

"Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto repeated. They knew he was lying, judging by the broad smile on his face.

"I think he means the uniforms, Naruto," Hiruzen interjected.

"Oooohhhh," Naruto said, feigning realization. "That wasn't me."

Hiruzen knew Naruto would deny it. It wasn't the first time this had happened. "Of course, it was you. Who else could it be?" Cat retorted.

"Oh, really? Can you prove it?" Naruto challenged, knowing they couldn't. All the ANBU present had no proof. They remained silent.

"Well?" Hiruzen prompted. "Any proof?"

"We don't have proof, but we know it was him," another ANBU member said.

"If you can't prove it, then there's nothing to do," Hiruzen said, dismissing Naruto with a grin.

The ANBU glared as he walked by them. "Can we at least change?" Cat asked.

"No," Hiruzen replied. "If your security was so lackluster that someone could get in undetected, then this is your punishment. Dismissed." The ANBU exited the office with their heads hung low.

Once they were gone, Hiruzen burst into laughter, no longer able to contain it. He had caught Naruto in the act once, but instead of punishing him, he had given him a proposition. He suggested that as long as Naruto didn't leave any concrete proof, Hiruzen would turn a blind eye. Naruto, surprised, had asked why. Hiruzen explained that he believed Naruto's pranks would force improvements in the village's security. He had noticed that since Naruto's pranks began, the various clan compounds had significantly tightened their security measures. He also suspected that Naruto did this as a form of training.

As Naruto made his way back to the Academy, he was internally thanking Kimiko. She had taught him the basics of stealth. Once he had mastered those basics, Naruto had turned to pranks to hone and further train his skills. It seemed to be working, as he had yet to be caught red-handed.

He finally reached the Academy and saw his class practicing the Academy jutsu. Everyone smiled, seeing that he had once again gotten away with it. For the rest of the class, Naruto assisted his classmates in learning the jutsu, even offering creative ways to use them. The upperclassmen had great respect and admiration for him. They recognized that Naruto had incredible nerve, pranking not only the major clans but also ANBU.

After class, Naruto returned home to train and plan his next "attack."