A veteran of the ninja world: surviving from the Six Paths of Heroes to Boruto

"Shuimu took advantage of you."

"He told you that as long as you steal the Book of Seals, you can pass the test, right?"

Naruto was stunned, and nodded subconsciously.

He lied to you.

Manji continued, feigning anger as he laid out the facts one by one before Naruto.

"His real goal is to obtain the Book of Seals and then defect from Konoha with you. You are just a pawn in his plan. He took advantage of your desire for recognition and your desire to prove yourself, and pushed you into this trap."

"If you hand over the Book of Seals to him tonight, he will kill you immediately and then escape with the scroll."

"You think he's helping you, but he actually planned to use you as a pawn from the very beginning."

He spoke sternly, ten thousand times.

"I....."

Several seconds later, Naruto finally managed to speak, his voice dry as if something was blocking his throat.

"...So, Mizuki-sensei...has been lying to me all along?"

"You've been lying to me from the very beginning?"

Wanci did not answer immediately, but simply nodded slightly.

This was as if the support on Naruto's spine had been completely removed.

Naruto froze completely.

He looked down at the heavy Book of Seals in his arms, then looked up at the shocking wounds on Manji's body.

Everything that happened tonight kept replaying in my mind—Mizuki's gentle smile, his words, "As long as you get the Scroll of Seals, I'll help you pass the exam," how I excitedly climbed over the wall of the Hokage Building, how I carefully stole the scroll, and how I couldn't wait to practice in the forest...

All the anticipation and excitement shattered into dust at that moment.

"It's me..."

Naruto's voice suddenly became very low, with a noticeable tremor.

"I was just too stupid..."

"I know perfectly well that stealing is wrong... I know perfectly well... but I still..."

Naruto's eyes quickly reddened.

"I just... I just want everyone to acknowledge me... I want to prove I'm not useless... I want... I want someone to praise me..."

"It's my fault that Master Manji got hurt... It's my fault that I was completely fooled by Mizuki... It's my fault that I stole the Book of Seals... If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened..."

Naruto suddenly raised his head, tears welling up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"I'm sorry... Mr. Manji... I'm so sorry..."

"I was wrong... I really know I was wrong..."

"I shouldn't have stolen... I shouldn't have believed Mizuki... I shouldn't have caused Konoha so much trouble..."

As Naruto spoke, he rubbed his eyes vigorously, but tears still rolled down his cheeks.

"I'll never do it again... I promise... I'll be good from now on... I'll never do anything so stupid again..."

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

The boy's voice sounded particularly thin in the empty night, filled with heavy self-blame and regret.

Wanci watched him quietly.

After a long while, Wan Ci finally spoke slowly.

"Naruto."

Her voice was softer than before, but still earnest.

"Stealing the Book of Seals is a serious violation of the rules. Regardless of the motive, the act itself has broken the rules of Konoha."

Naruto's shoulders slumped even lower, and his tears fell even more heavily.

"but--"

Wanci changed the subject abruptly.

"The fact that you were able to master the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique on your own in such a short time is already beyond the level of ordinary students."

Naruto suddenly raised his head, tears still on his face, but his expression was somewhat bewildered.

Wanci raised his hand and took something out from inside his clothes.

It is a brand new headband.

The metal headband gleamed slightly in the moonlight, with the Konoha emblem clearly engraved in the center.

"Now that you've mastered the Shadow Clone Technique..."

"Then you've passed."

Manji handed the headband to Naruto, his tone calm yet carrying a certain solemnity.

Naruto was completely stunned.

He stared wide-eyed at the headband, then at Wanci, as if he hadn't understood what he was saying.

"It... passed the test?"

"right."

I forced myself to nod ten thousand times.

To be honest, Manji really didn't want to give Naruto that headband.

However, in order for the plot to proceed smoothly, Wanci had no choice but to give in.

Subsequently, he fabricated a set of statements against his will, which at first glance sounded reasonable but could not withstand scrutiny.

"The real purpose of graduation exams is never to make you steal anything, nor is it to make you prove how great you are."

"It's to make you understand that as a ninja, you must learn to take responsibility for your choices and you must learn to grow at crucial moments."

"You made a mistake tonight, but you also learned something from it. And—you really did master the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."

He gently placed the headband in Naruto's still tear-stained hand.

"From this day forward, you are a Konoha ninja."

"Naruto Uzumaki"

A night breeze blew by, ruffling the stray hairs on the boy's forehead.

Naruto looked down at the headband in his palm, and his tears suddenly fell even harder, but he couldn't help but laugh.

That smile contained grievance, relief, immense joy at finally being recognized, and deep reflection on her behavior just now.

"Thank you... Mr. Manji..."

Naruto sniffed hard, gripped his headband tightly in his hand, and his voice, though still noticeably nasal, was much more determined than before.

"I won't let you down again."

"I promise."

Naruto said firmly.

Wanci looked at him, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"Then let's return the Book of Seals first."

"Then, come back to the village with me, and I'll treat you to ramen~"

Wan Ci said.

"good!!!"

Naruto jumped up with joy.

The two walked towards the village, one after the other.

Naruto was still clutching the brand-new headband tightly, occasionally glancing down at it with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.

But when he thought about the stupid thing he had just done, he immediately suppressed his expression and became serious and remorseful.

Ten thousand times, he walked in front.

Just as I stepped out of the edge of the forest, a familiar figure stood in the shadow of a tree not far away.

Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Hokage's robes fluttered gently in the night breeze, and the pipe glowed faintly between his fingers.

He seemed to have been waiting there for a while, his gaze calmly falling on the two of them, finally pausing on the Book of Seals in Naruto's arms.

"Ten thousand times."

Hiruzen's voice trembled slightly; this was the first time he had addressed this lord by his full name so directly...

Hiruzen Sarutobi then turned his gaze to Naruto, his brows furrowing slightly, and his voice deepened.

"Naruto."

Naruto instinctively straightened his back and gripped his headband tighter.

Do you know your crime?

Hiruzen's tone carried the unique authority of a Hokage.

"The Scroll of Sealing is one of the most important forbidden books in Konoha. Your unauthorized intrusion into the Hokage Building and the theft of the scroll is a serious violation of the ninja code. Under normal circumstances, such behavior would be enough to get you locked up in the dungeon or even stripped of your qualification to become a ninja."

Naruto's shoulders slumped instantly, and the slight joy he had felt from receiving the headband was immediately suppressed.

"I...I know I was wrong..."

Naruto lowered his head, his voice muffled.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama... I'll never do it again..."

Hiruzen looked at him like this, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly before he quickly regained his serious expression.

"It's good that you know you were wrong."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, his tone remaining stern.

"However, since Wanci has already determined that you have passed the graduation exam and the headband has been issued, this matter... will end here."