NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Graduation Triumph
[actually this scene takes place before Naruto and Mizuki fight, but I made it here to elevate the MC. Hope you enjoy it. see how I elevate him]
Naruto after have a good night sleep rose early, feeling energized. Now that he understood chakra as a parallel to qi, channeling it had become second nature.
With renewed focus, he took out the academy books on Transformation Jutsu and Clone Jutsu and began practicing. After only two attempts, he'd mastered both, his experience with energy control lending him an edge. A small smirk crossed his face as he succeeded in his second try; his skills were growing faster than he'd expected.
He decided to take it a step further by revisiting the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which he had stumbled upon in the forest. His first two attempts left him with misshapen clones, but by the third, he had perfected it.
Satisfied with his progress, he allowed himself some rest, feeling more prepared than ever for the academy graduation test.
The Graduation Test
The classroom buzzed with excitement as students gathered, each eager to showcase their skills in front of Iruka-sensei, the examiner for the graduation test. Of the entire class, two-thirds had applied to test their progress.
Iruka-sensei began calling the names one by one. Sakura went first, creating two perfect clones and transforming herself into an exact replica of Iruka. She stepped back, satisfied, and watched as others took their turns: Ino with her elegant transformation, Shikamaru barely trying but still performing adequately, Choji with his ever-present bag of chips, Shino calmly summoning his clone, Kiba summoned his clone and transformed Akamaru as his perfect clone and Hinata with a delicate but successful transformation.
Finally, only two students remained: Naruto and Sasuke.
As Naruto stepped forward, a ripple of laughter spread through the class. Akamaru, Kiba's dog, barked, and Kiba grinned. "I bet Naruto fails," his voice made the other students to enjoy the show of Naruto embarrassing himself, eliciting a few snickers.
Unfazed, Naruto focused and channeled his chakra with precision, executing the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Seven identical clones of Naruto appeared beside him, each one flawless. Before anyone could react, he proceeded with the Transformation Jutsu, turning each clone into different classmates. One clone became Sakura, another Ino, then Shikamaru, Choji with a bag of chips, Shino, Hinata, Kiba and finally, Sasuke. Each clone bore a perfect resemblance, standing in line beside the real Naruto.
Gasps filled the room as everyone stared at the clones, each a mirror image of the students they know. All the real seven students got shocked seeing their petrfect reflection from the clones of Naruto, no one expected Naruto would do something like this.
Ino blurted out, "It's… cool!".
Her cheeks tinted slightly pink, a look of reluctant admiration crossing her face. Sakura also got shocked, she never expected him to out perform her.
It was now Sasuke's turn. Seeing Naruto perform such a display struck a nerve. If this "loser" could master these jutsus, what did that mean for his own ambitions? how can he get his revenge if he loses to a clown.
Determined to surpass Naruto, he tried to summon more than seven clones. However, his chakra reserves limited him to four. he got angry for his inability and tried to transform them. Two of the clones vanished in clouds of smoke as he attempted to transform them. The remaining two clones, one was turned into Naruto and the other as Iruka-sensei, clearly perfect. Sauske got angrier, he watched Naruto glaringly and clenched his fists.
A smirk crossed the faces of several male students including Shikamaru and Kiba, while some of the girls sighed. Ino and Sakura got upset seeing Sauske like that.
Iruka as a sensei remained impartial, but it was clear to him—and everyone else—that Naruto's performance had been the most impressive.
He smiled and raised his hand. "All of you students, who applied for graduation more than half have passed, and only few have failed. But don't worry you can apply for it in the next year ".Then he declared, moving forward to hand each student a headband. He placed one in Naruto's hand, a mark of recognition and, for Naruto, a symbol of his first small victory in this new world.
Before they left, Iruka reminded everyone, "Remember, tomorrow we'll have a photo session, so bring your headbands. It's the first of many memories as shinobi."
As the students filed out, Naruto's mind raced with new ambitions. He was a step closer to his goal. His journey to power, respect, and dominance had officially begun.