Just as shock still lingered through the exam space and across the ninja world, Naruto Uzumaki suddenly took Hinata's hand and boldly pushed through the crowd, standing firmly at the front.
Despite being a group of ninja students who had graduated early, they hadn't even had time to complete their graduation exams—let alone experience true missions. But in this moment, even without real-world battlefield weight under his belt, Naruto understood the gravity behind Raikage Ai's offer.
To be honest, he was moved.
After all, the Raikage's role... wasn't that essentially the same as the Hokage he always dreamed of becoming?
If Naruto had been born in the Village Hidden in the Clouds, wouldn't he also have shouted, "I'm the man who will become Raikage!"?
But—
> "No!"
Naruto shook his head like a spinning top, looking directly at the Fourth Raikage Ai. His voice was resolute:
> "I can't accept."
!?
Everyone fell silent—stunned by his sheer decisiveness. Some even wished they could take his place.
Seriously?
Was he really turning this down?
You weren't the same person just minutes ago—boiling with resentment toward Konoha!
So what now? Did you actually think people would change their minds about you just because the truth came out?
While the crowd reeled from the abrupt rejection, Naruto continued:
> "At the Ninja Academy, they taught us that Raikage is a title passed down.
If I become Raikage, I'll just be the Sixth Raikage Ai.
But I don't want that.
I want the world to know me as—Uzumaki Naruto!"
Silence.
...Then—
Pfft—
Someone burst out laughing. One chuckle infected another until it spread like wildfire—through the exam space and the ninja world alike.
People expected some deep reason for Naruto's refusal. Something that would tug at the heartstrings.
But this?!
> "Hahahaha! No. 1 unexpected response in the entire history of the Tianjiao Rankings!"
> "Rejected... just because of the name! The Sixth Raikage who was declined because he didn't want to be called Ai!"
Even Nagato, who had remained expressionless until now, couldn't stop a smirk from curling at his lips.
He thought back to the quiz questions he'd crafted. At this moment, he seriously wanted to hand Naruto a pen:
> "Here.
Please calculate the psychological trauma in Raikage Ai's heart.
Show your work."
Nagato was amused.
Naruto… this guy… he was something else.
He had endured pain, loneliness, temptation—yet still shone like the sun.
And more importantly—he had that muscle-headed simplicity.
To Nagato, this wasn't a flaw—it was a perfect vessel.
If Naruto could just learn to treat enemies with ice-cold decisiveness... he'd become the most ideal heir to carry on the Red Mind's ideology.
Would Naruto accept such a belief system?
Nagato was confident.
He only needed time—and that kid was already halfway there.
With this, Nagato turned his gaze toward Raikage Ai, whose facial expressions were shifting faster than a Genjutsu illusion.
From stunned to embarrassed, then to utterly dejected.
And finally… all those emotions compressed into a single, quiet sigh.
> "Tch."
Fourth Raikage Ai snorted and closed his eyes.
He'd just been publicly humiliated.
Not by clever mockery, not by opposition—but by the most unexpected refusal in history.
Refused… because of a name?
That was like proposing to someone and hearing:
> "Sorry, I just don't date people whose names start with vowels."
---
"Our answer is… Chiyo's younger brother, Ebizō."
The voice came from Terumi Mei of Kirigakure.
Her eyes were bright, but underneath that shimmer was both envy and grief.
She envied Ai's courage—to wager the future Raikage title on Naruto Uzumaki.
In her view, it was a solid investment.
Did they not realize the Fourth Hokage would eventually return?
When he sees what happened to his son, to the village he died for—good luck explaining that.
Not to mention—Naruto had Sage Mode.
That alone made him a walking natural disaster.
And the grief?
That was for her own Mist Village, which had become a land of misfortune.
What could she offer Naruto?
What leverage did she have?
Nothing.
---
Meanwhile, the answering authority rotated again—this time falling to Iwagakure.
Suddenly, all eyes locked onto one person: Deidara.
> "Nope. Our brown team doesn't know this answer. PASS! Just pass!"
Ōnoki's tone was urgent, and his gaze like a tracking sensor aimed at Deidara.
He didn't want another freak occurrence where Deidara just accidentally gave the correct answer again.
Next to him, Kurotsuchi still had a firm grip over Deidara's mouth—this was pre-planned as soon as answering authority shifted to them.
Ōnoki had even called in backup from Iwa Shinobi, asking them to pin Deidara down like a potential time bomb.
As soon as the brown light faded, Kurotsuchi let go—
And Deidara exploded:
> "AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!"
But the Iwagakure shinobi around him didn't flinch.
In fact… they smiled.
Deidara's veins bulged, fury pouring from every pore, and Kurotsuchi teasingly traced her fingers across his forehead.
> "Back off, Kurotsuchi. He's from the Akatsuki."
Ōnoki, meanwhile, gave her a serious nod:
> "Smart boy… He's infiltrating the Akatsuki. He must keep up the act."
Kurotsuchi blinked. Deidara… was that deep in disguise?
She glanced at her grandfather. Ōnoki saw through it all. She never would have guessed if he hadn't said anything.
She then looked at Deidara with renewed admiration.
> "Quick! Everyone, act scared! Deidara's trying to fool the Akatsuki! We must help!"
> "Humph! I'm not afraid of some traitor!"
> "Ahh! Nooo! Don't kill me, Deidara~"
> "Help~! The scary artist is on the loose~"
The whole village had gone into full skit mode.
---
Up in the sky, Nagato sighed as he observed the chaos.
> "Still so young…"
Deidara was overreacting.
He needed to learn from Naruto.
Nagato had already memorized the law of leadership:
> "Using the capable is wise. Using even the questionable for the right mission is genius."
If Nagato could use Naruto Uzumaki, why not Deidara?
---
Meanwhile…
> "Chiyo-sama… This answer…"
Maki from Sunagakure looked up anxiously.
This was the sixth question.
Iwagakure had three correct. Konoha had one. Only three more chances remained.
If they missed this—
The make-up exam was dead in the sand.
But what answer could they give now?
They'd already exhausted the obvious candidates.
Who else was left?
Yecang?
What, she resurrected and took over after the Fourth?
Maki's mind was a swirling mess.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
In the corner, Gaara's sand tail kept rhythmically smashing the ground—slowly, but unrelentingly.
It was exhausting to listen to.
Maki was about to snap. He was this close to shouting at Gaara to stop—when a quiet voice echoed above him.
> "Then answer… Gaara."
"Na…ni!?"
Maki froze.
Gaara?
The Fifth?
You're kidding, right?
If that's true… I—Maki—will livestream myself eating sand!
But despite his mental breakdown, Maki's strongest quality was obedience.
> "The Fifth Kazekage… is Gaara of Sunagakure."
He held his breath, expecting the answer to be rejected.
But then…
Nothing happened.
The answering authority didn't change.
Sweat poured down his back.
---
Maki:
"My Niiiiiima..."
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