Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

A week later. The sun was shining brightly.

After waking up and washing his face, Naruto Uzumaki stood in front of a full-length mirror, fixing his appearance and styling his hair in a more mature way. Since the Chunin Exams were about to begin and unexpected situations could arise, he swapped out his usual white outfit for a black one—less likely to show dirt.

On his way to the Ninja Academy, he bought a couple of steaming hot meat buns for breakfast. As Naruto walked, he began to notice something strange—the streets of Konoha were oddly quiet, and a thin mist lingered in the air.

Yet it had been perfectly sunny when he left his house.

"Ugh, what a boring illusion."

Finishing his last bite of meat bun, Naruto tossed the plastic bag into a trash can, stretched lazily, and continued walking as if nothing were wrong.

Suddenly, through the mist, a masked man wearing a Hidden Rain forehead protector appeared. He was holding a child with a long blue scarf in his grasp.

"Morning, Konohamaru!" Naruto greeted the boy cheerfully, then casually walked around the Rain ninja.

The man froze for a moment, completely baffled, before bursting out, "Hahaha! I didn't expect to capture the grandson of the Third Hokage! I've got to hurry back to my village and claim credit!"

But Naruto didn't even turn around. He kept walking, ignoring the man's theatrics entirely.

The Rain ninja ran up to him, holding Konohamaru like a prize, and growled, "Hey kid, did you not see me?!"

"Oh, no. I didn't see anything."

"You serious?! I'm holding the grandson of the Third Hokage hostage! Aren't you going to try and rescue him?!"

Naruto turned slightly and answered in the same calm tone, "Oh, then you'd better hurry up and get going. If you wait too long, the Third Hokage might show up, and you won't be able to leave at all."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

As Naruto disappeared down the road, the Rain ninja transformed back into Iruka. The "Konohamaru" in his grasp had turned into nothing but a scarecrow.

Iruka scratched his head, unsure whether Naruto had passed or failed this pre-exam test.

Elsewhere, in the Third Hokage's office, Akimichi Choza frowned as he stared into the crystal ball. "This kid is Kakashi's student? He didn't even try to help his friend. Are we sure he's fit to be a ninja?"

Others present had similar concerns. Mitarashi Anko approached Yuhi Kurenai, clearly disappointed.

"Hmph. The brat you've been talking up so much doesn't seem to have a great character."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kurenai snapped. "Naruto probably figured out something was off from the start."

Anko scoffed. "Then he should've played along and fought with Iruka's fake Rain ninja. Walking away like that doesn't prove anything."

Kurenai's face showed a flash of irritation, and Anko muttered, "Alright, alright, I'll help train the brat later. I'll whip him into shape."

"Enough." The Third Hokage chuckled, taking a drag from his pipe. "Naruto saw through the setup. That's good enough. He passed."

The Hokage agreed with Kurenai—Naruto likely realized the entire scenario was fake. After all, he had risked his life to save Konohamaru just days ago. The Hokage had no reason to doubt his loyalty or instincts.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of defending Naruto. If others wanted to misunderstand him, so be it. The deeper the misunderstanding, the better. In the end, either he or Konohamaru would set the record straight.

Kurenai and the Hokage were only half right. Naruto had seen through the illusion from the very beginning. But whether it was the real Konohamaru or just a scarecrow, he wasn't interested in playing along.

After all, just a week ago, Naruto had protected Konohamaru from Kankuro out of genuine goodwill. And what was his reward?

A stern moral lecture from the Third Hokage the next day.

Be kind to others. Be patient. Obey the village's chain of command. Don't act rashly.

In Naruto's eyes, it was all just one long sermon on how to be a spineless pushover.

So now he wants me to act like a coward too? No thanks.

Not long after Naruto walked away, the village streets returned to normal. The shops were bustling with customers, and the warm sun pierced through the last of the fog.

Passing by the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Naruto noticed a familiar face.

Ino Yamanaka, looking stylish in her usual revealing outfit, caught sight of him and jogged over with a bright smile.

"Naruto! Long time no see!"

"Yeah. Long time."

Naruto glanced at her clothes—definitely more daring than usual—and asked, "Heading to the Academy too?"

"Oooh~ So you were watching me!" Ino teased, brushing a hand under her chin and letting her long blonde hair sway with the movement. "Have you been secretly following me?"

Pfft. As if. My taste leans more toward Nohara Shinnosuke. You're not really my type. But sure, I pay attention.

Naruto replied flatly, "If you're not going, I'll head off on my own."

"Hey! Don't be like that—wait for me!"

Ino quickly caught up, falling into step beside Naruto with her hands clasped behind her back. She tried to strike up a conversation, but Naruto remained silent.

After a few moments, she broke the awkwardness: "So… Naruto, were you in danger just now?"

"Nope," Naruto replied without interest.

"What?! That's weird!" Ino pouted. "I thought that little scenario was some kind of village-wide test. Am I the only one who got one?"

"Maybe." Naruto shrugged, answering just enough to be polite.

Ino looked troubled. She started venting about her own situation, wondering aloud if the village thought she was too weak, so they were trying to test her.

Naruto said it was possible. That only made her more depressed.

As the two walked and chatted, they eventually ran into Choji and Shikamaru, who were waiting near the Academy gates.

Choji's face lit up when he saw Naruto. Back during their Academy days, the three of them had been close. But after graduation, they hadn't spoken in months.

After some small talk, Choji handed Naruto a bag of potato chips—something very out of character for the food-loving ninja.

Naruto was instantly suspicious. Choji never shared snacks unless he wanted something.

Sure enough, Choji leaned in and whispered, "Hey, Naruto… do you know what really happened with Asuma-sensei and Sasuke?"

Hearing that, Ino and Shikamaru's ears perked up.

They had been dying to ask.

Asuma was their team's jonin leader. Sasuke, their former classmate. The rumors about them were too wild to ignore.

Asuma was supposedly under house arrest. The elders in the village weren't saying a word. For young shinobi like them—full of curiosity—it was maddening.

Shikamaru thought it might be inappropriate to ask Naruto directly.

Ino, on the other hand, was worried that bringing up Sasuke would upset Naruto—he did have a bit of a petty streak.

So they relied on Choji. And Choji offered his best bargaining chip—a snack.

Naruto looked at all three of them, their eager eyes practically sparkling with gossip-hungry energy.

He sighed internally.

Sasuke, your reputation's officially toast…