Naruto : I Aspire To Become Hokage Man

Itachi watched as Naruto and his little brother disappeared into the school, then turned and walked away. As he rounded the corner of the street, a masked figure suddenly appeared before him—it was an Anbu, one of the Hokage's direct subordinates.

"Itachi, Lord Hokage has summoned you."

Itachi paused for a moment. "Understood. I'll go see him immediately."

Hokage's Office

"Itachi," the Third Hokage spoke solemnly, "can I trust you?"

Itachi knelt on one knee, his voice unwavering. "For Konoha, I will sacrifice myself without hesitation."

The Third Hokage exhaled deeply, nodding. "Good. I am promoting you to captain of an Anbu branch. Your mission—" he hesitated slightly, then continued, "—is to monitor the Uchiha Clan. Keep me informed of their latest movements."

Itachi's pupils contracted slightly. There was no need for explanations—he knew exactly what this meant. "Yes, Lord Hokage." Without another word, he stood and walked out of the office.

Standing atop the Hokage Building, he gazed over the village, lost in thought. His conversation with Danzo the night before replayed in his mind.

"The Uchiha are gathering again. Before the coup begins, I hope you will spare only your little brother... and help us eliminate the rest. To prevent chaos, we must act before it happens. The only shinobi suitable for this mission is you. You are the double agent between Konoha and the Uchiha. Will you accept this mission?"

Danzo's words had been cold and emotionless, as if ordering the extermination of insects, not his family.

Itachi clenched his fists. Shisui... what should I do?

At the Ninja Academy

Sasuke and Naruto stood in the training yard, undergoing the entrance examination. Sasuke coolly threw a few kunai—each one hitting the bullseye.

Meanwhile, Naruto tossed his kunai absentmindedly, missing the mark almost entirely. One even ended up lodged in Sasuke's target by sheer dumb luck.

Sasuke cast Naruto a sidelong glance, scoffing. "Hmph. Dead last."

Hands in his pockets, he strode toward the next test without waiting. Naruto grinned and followed him, unfazed.

Each event played out the same way—Sasuke took first place, and Naruto was dead last. His results were so bad that even the academy instructors looked at his scores with open disbelief.

Watching from the sidelines, Sakura and Ino were completely enamored.

"Ahhh, Sasuke is so cool!" Sakura squealed.

Naruto turned toward them with a sly grin. "Hey, ladies, I'm handsome too, you know." He ran a hand through his hair in an Aizen-like motion, posing dramatically.

For a brief moment, both girls faltered, stunned by his features, which were eerily reminiscent of the Fourth Hokage.

But the moment passed.

"It's a shame you're such a loser," Ino commented, giggling. "With grades like yours, you'll never make it to Chunin, let alone Jonin."

Sakura nodded, still staring at Sasuke with heart-shaped eyes.

When the exams finally ended, the rankings were announced. Sasuke, unsurprisingly, ranked first, while Naruto set a new record for the lowest score in the academy's history.

The exam instructor sighed heavily, preparing to call out the names of those who had failed. But before he could speak, an Anbu suddenly appeared beside him, whispering something in his ear.

The instructor's eyes flickered toward Naruto before he finally nodded.

Naruto sighed internally. Welp, looks like I'm stuck in this damn school after all.

Sakura and Ino approached him, smirking.

"Dead last," Sakura taunted. "It's a miracle you're even still here."

Naruto was about to reply when Sasuke suddenly interjected.

"Hmph. The dobe will probably be stuck here forever."

Sakura and Ino both blinked in confusion, surprised that Sasuke even acknowledged Naruto, but quickly shrugged it off.

Naruto, however, leaned in toward them, grinning mischievously.

"Let's make a bet," he said, pointing to his own cheek. "If I get admitted, you both have to kiss me. If I fail, then Sasuke will kiss you instead. Deal?"

Sasuke turned to him, scowling. "Oi! What the hell?!"

Naruto ignored him, winking at the two girls.

Sakura and Ino glanced at Sasuke, who was practically radiating irritation, then exchanged a glance with each other.

Naruto, He is pretty handsome… they both thought.

They hesitated for a moment before smirking. "Fine, deal!"

At that moment, the instructor began calling out the names of the admitted students.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chōji, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino… Haruno Sakura."

Sakura beamed, already smug about winning the bet.

Then—

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

Silence.

Every student in the yard turned to stare at Naruto in shock.

"WHAT?!"

The eliminated students erupted in protest.

"This is unfair!" someone yelled. "How did he get in with such garbage scores, while I got rejected?!"

The instructor glanced at them, unimpressed. "This was decided by Lord Hokage. Know your place. If you're not satisfied, train harder and try again next year—if you even get another chance."

The protesting students—and their parents—immediately shut up. They were civilians. Unlike the children of major clans, they had no special resources or private training. Complaining would do them no good.

Naruto, meanwhile, smirked, turning toward Sakura and Ino.

"Well, well, ladies… I do believe we had a bet." He tapped his cheek. "I'd like to collect my winnings now."

Sakura and Ino hesitated, their faces turning Naruto is still little more handsome than Sasuke.After a moment of silent debate, they decided—what the hell—and leaned in.

Just as they were about to kiss him, Naruto suddenly pulled away.

Slam!

Sakura and Ino crashed into each other.

"OW!" Sakura shouted. "Forehead girl, why the hell did you hit me?!"

"ME?!" Ino snapped. "You ran into me, pig!"

Both of them turned to Naruto, glaring. "Why did you dodge?!"

Naruto smirked. "Well, I just realized… this is my first kiss. And as a respectable young man, I should protect my purity."

He then shot a glance in Hinata's direction.

Hinata, who had been watching the whole thing from a distance, immediately turned bright red and ducked behind her father.

Sakura and Ino, meanwhile, were not amused.

BAM!

Naruto staggered as they both punched him on the head.

"You bastard!" they yelled before storming off.

Sasuke snickered beside him. "Serves you right."

Naruto shot him a deadpan look. "You just don't get it, kid. This is called 'living among thousands of flowers without a single leaf sticking to you.' It's all part of my grand strategy."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot."

"Mark my words," Naruto grinned, "in the future, you'll be the one stuck with a concrete pillar for a personality. No wonder you end up a widower."

Sasuke's eyes twitched. "WHAT did you just say?!"

Before he could respond, the Third Hokage stepped up to the podium.

The students immediately fell silent as he began his speech.

"As long as there are leaves dancing, the fire will continue to burn… and from that fire, new leaves will sprout. Only when you wish to protect something dear to you will your true strength be revealed…"

The crowd was moved. Even Sasuke was stirred by the words.

Sasuke eyes screamed like I want to become Hokage too someday

Naruto, however, merely smirked.

"It's over, Sasuke. Your family is done for."