At this moment—
Uzumaki Naruto stood proudly at the front of the classroom.
Once again, he put his acting skills on full display.
He ignored the cold, dismissive stares of his classmates.
And declared with confidence for everyone to hear:
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!
My dream is to become Hokage, just like the Third Hokage!"
The room fell silent.
Everyone was stunned!
No one had expected this.
The so-called "demon fox" actually wanted to become Hokage?
After a moment of silence, the classroom erupted in whispers and sneers.
Those who believed Naruto was just the Nine-Tails in human form immediately began mocking him.
"Seriously? That monster wants to be Hokage?"
"What a joke!"
"He's totally delusional!"
Among the students from established ninja clans, the reactions were more nuanced.
Sasuke Uchiha observed Naruto silently.
He had never seen anyone his age speak with such conviction.
For the first time, Naruto seemed… different.
Shikamaru Nara sighed and rubbed his forehead, muttering:
"Troublesome… looks like things are going to get noisy from now on."
Hinata Hyūga, on the other hand, stared at Naruto with wide, sparkling eyes.
So brave…!
Saying his dream out loud like that…
So cool…!
Reactions across the classroom varied wildly.
Meanwhile, far away in the Hokage's Office—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was observing the scene through his crystal ball.
He watched Naruto's speech with quiet satisfaction.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Heh… that's good. That's very good."
He thought about the potential Naruto had.
About what role the boy might play in the future.
For now, his mood was quite pleasant.
With Naruto's bold declaration made—
His life at the Ninja Academy officially began!
The academy spans six years.
Students are taught:
Ninja theory
Combat fundamentals
Field experience
History of the shinobi world
And essential physical and chakra control exercises
As first-year students, Naruto and his classmates were starting with the basics:
Chakra extraction
The Three Basic Jutsu (Henge, Kawarimi, Bunshin)
And the Will of Fire, Konoha's guiding principle
For the first few weeks, Iruka-sensei focused on teaching everyone how to refine their chakra.
Students from civilian families had never encountered chakra before.
They paid close attention, eager to absorb every word.
By contrast, the clan kids—like those from the Nara, Uchiha, or Hyūga—
had already practiced chakra control at home under their parents' guidance.
While the basics were being taught, Iruka also made time to instill the importance of the Will of Fire:
A course more important than ninjutsu itself.
Every new Konoha student was required to understand:
The Will of Fire means protecting the village, caring for comrades, and passing the torch to the next generation.
This was the foundation of what it meant to be a Konoha shinobi.
However…
Naruto had already learned most of this on his own.
During this time, he quietly began practicing chakra control exercises far beyond the curriculum.
In class, while seated, Naruto would slightly lift himself off his chair—
channeling chakra to the soles of his feet to maintain balance and posture.
This mimicked the chakra control required for tree climbing.
After all, the key to climbing trees or walking on walls
was maintaining precise chakra output to adhere to a surface.
At home, when taking baths—
he'd use the time to secretly practice water walking in the tub.
He always waited until the ANBU guards were distracted.
Then, he'd focus and step onto the surface of the water.
Thanks to Naruto's natural talent and relentless practice,
he mastered both tree climbing and water walking in record time.
But he didn't stop there.
Each day, he also used a meditative training method he had developed on his own—
one that helped him sharpen his spiritual energy.
He also ate frequently to nourish his growing body—
taking advantage of the Six Paths Thief (likely a metaphorical or mystical method in this context) to strengthen his physical constitution.
By the time the rest of the class finally managed to refine their chakra—
Naruto's strength had quietly risen to a shocking level.
The amount of chakra he possessed was already comparable to a hundred Kakashis.
And nobody had the slightest clue.
Naruto's physical condition—
Was not just impressive.
It was monstrous.
Not only did he far surpass his peers, but even most elite jōnin would pale in comparison to him.
And this was while he still had to use his own chakra each day to suppress the Nine-Tails sealed inside him.
If there were anyone in Konoha whose physical strength could compare…
Naruto figured it could only be those two spiky-browed taijutsu fanatics—
Might Guy and his disciple, Rock Lee.
But even then,
for those two watermelon-headed workhorses,
their strength came from sheer effort,
and there was always a limit to how far hard work alone could take them.
Naruto, however, was different.
As the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails…
And with the unique power of the Six Paths beginning to stir inside him—
His body didn't obey ordinary rules.
His growth had no ceiling.
But enough about strength for now.
Let's look at the other side of Naruto's school life.
As Hinata Hyūga's desk partner, his relationship with her was developing quickly.
At the very least—
Hinata could now speak a few complete, coherent sentences without passing out or turning beet red.
That might not sound like much,
but to their classmates—
Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Nara, and the others—
it was a huge shock.
Everyone knew Hinata's reputation:
Soft-spoken.
Shy.
Timid.
Crippled by self-doubt.
But ever since Naruto entered her world,
Hinata had started to change.
Little by little.
And everyone noticed.
Time passed quickly.
Soon, after every student had learned how to refine and mold chakra—
Iruka-sensei began teaching the most fundamental ninjutsu in the academy:
The Three Basic Jutsu.
Every Konoha ninja knows these techniques.
They are:
Transformation Jutsu (Henge no Jutsu)
Substitution Jutsu (Kawarimi no Jutsu)
Clone Jutsu (Bunshin no Jutsu)
At first glance, they may seem simple.
But these jutsu are the foundation of all ninja combat—
And in the hands of a skilled shinobi, they can make all the difference.
"Alright, everyone," Iruka said, raising his voice above the excited murmurs.
"Watch closely. I'll demonstrate each one."
First up: Substitution Jutsu.
Iruka weaved hand signs with practiced ease.
Poof!
A burst of white smoke erupted—
And where Iruka once stood…
A wooden log fell to the floor with a thud!
The real Iruka reappeared a few feet away, arms folded, smiling at the stunned faces.
The class erupted in awe.
Next: Transformation Jutsu.
Iruka formed the hand seal again.
Poof!
Another flash of smoke—
And this time, Iruka had turned into a perfect copy of a student in the room.
From hairstyle to height, even down to their uniform—it was identical.
The poor kid he copied blinked rapidly, confused.
It was impossible to tell them apart.
More gasps and laughter filled the classroom.
Lastly: Clone Jutsu.
Iruka performed the final technique.
Poof!
An identical copy of Iruka appeared beside him.
Although it looked just like him,
this clone had no physical body—
a non-tangible illusion meant to confuse and distract in battle.
A basic trick, but still vital.
For these fresh-faced first-year academy students,
Iruka's demonstration was mind-blowing.
They could barely contain their excitement.
Finally—
They were going to learn real ninjutsu.
...
For Supporting me & 20+ Advance Chapters: P-com/LordMerlin