The truth behind her husband's words finally revealed the secret of his lineage, and Mikoto could no longer hold back the tears brimming in her eyes. Silently, they overflowed in joy within her husband's embrace. The haze and confusion that had clouded her heart all this time cleared up in an instant. At last, she understood why her husband had always doted on Naruto like he was their own son, even though they weren't related by blood.
Even so, after learning the truth, new questions blossomed in Mikoto's heart. How did Naruto survive these past three years without parents or anyone to care for him? Did he even know who his parents were...? The questions swelled rapidly, to the point where she felt an overwhelming urge to drag her husband away from the noisy crowd and interrogate him properly.
But deep down, she understood—just as her husband had said—these were questions better asked of Naruto himself rather than answered through speculation.
With that thought in mind, Mikoto wiped away the lingering tears on her cheeks and slowly lifted her head from Fugaku's chest. As her gaze landed on Naruto, who stood not far off with a confident grin on his face, she began silently organizing the words she would use to ask him later.
Meanwhile, completely unaware that Fugaku had already sold him out, Naruto was putting on a show with Tenzo, the Examiner, in perfect sync.
As the exam Examiner, Tenzo's capricious style had drawn most of the crowd's attention. He had no idea that, in trying to act as normal as possible, he had come off as excessively doting on Naruto. The villagers—who previously couldn't even be bothered to look at Naruto due to his status as the Nine-Tails' reincarnation—were now staring at him in disbelief, eyes wide open.
Instead of satisfying Naruto's plan, it had completely backfired. Originally, all he wanted was to subtly guide Tenzo into taking responsibility and cleaning up the aftermath. Now, he'd been shoved into the exact spotlight he least wanted.
'Damn it, Tenzo, don't you understand anything about keeping a low profile? You're supposed to stay under the radar and let me develop quietly, not blow everything up like a clueless pig teammate... Let's just hope all of this doesn't make Obito suspicious and push him to act early and capture Kurama. I'm nowhere near strong enough to face him head-on yet—let alone fight the monster-level Akatsuki members who rival the Tailed Beasts in power.'
Hearing Tenzo suddenly shift to a warm and gentle tone in front of everyone, Naruto inwardly cursed. Holding his head with both hands, he forced a goofy grin and swept his gaze across the crowd. When he noticed that the villagers had already shifted their attention from Tenzo to him—bringing exactly the kind of attention he didn't want—he sighed internally and gritted his teeth. Though he was frustrated, he kept up the act with a cheerful smile.
"Hehe, well, since the esteemed Examiner said I could, I'm going to go ahead and ask my question! Hmm, let me think... Ah! That's right! My first question for the Examiner is... why did you say this was the 'second round' of the exam? Does that mean there was a first round already?"
'Huh? Why does he look… not too happy? Wait, did I mess up again? No way, I'm pretty sure this is the same tone those elder-type targets used when they spoke to kids during missions...'
Tenzo, who had been staring at Naruto without blinking, clearly caught the fleeting glimmer of dissatisfaction and helplessness in Naruto's eyes. He had thought his performance was at least passable, if not perfect. Now, however, he was left bewildered and a little wronged. After a slight pause—and a subtle nudge from Naruto's foot—he snapped back to his senses, cleared his throat to cover his awkwardness, and began to answer with a serious expression, trying not to let Naruto down further.
"Eh? Oh, you want to know that? You didn't— ahem, I mean, yes, you're absolutely right. Before this second round of exams, anyone who made it here to the academy today had already passed the first round, which was part of the registration process for new students this year. Passing that earned you the right to participate in this round."
"Already passed...? But… I still don't even know what was tested in that first round!"
Now that Tenzo had unconsciously withdrawn his smile and returned to a more serious demeanor, although it didn't erase all the eyes already focused on Naruto, it at least managed to slow the growing interest. Naruto, silently relieved that things weren't getting worse, slightly adjusted his plan and tilted his head innocently, all while keeping his cheerful smile. He popped his finger into his mouth and muttered like a confused child.
"I still feel like I passed this exam somehow without doing anything... Could it be that the Examiner just picked people he liked and used the exam as a cover?"
Although Naruto's muttering seemed quiet, his tone was just loud enough to be carried by the breeze and reach everyone nearby. His words shifted the crowd's focus back to Tenzo, giving Naruto some much-needed breathing room. Now, instead of wondering how the Nine-Tails brat had made Tenzo act so kind, everyone's attention was fixed on a more pressing curiosity:
What exactly was tested in the first round?
After all, no one wanted their child to lose their eligibility due to some unclear criteria, and no one wanted to be accused of getting in through backdoor connections.
As someone who came from Root, Tenzo had long been cut off from ordinary life due to years of inhumane training under Danzo. He was used to prioritizing efficiency over consequences. In short, he was still learning how to stop being a mere tool and become a real person.
And Naruto's job now was to help him.
This little show of back-and-forth was Naruto's way of explaining the exam content clearly to everyone present—making sure people understood and accepted the results. He wanted to erase the seeds of resentment in their hearts.
That was why Naruto chose to stand out and take the hit, even if it meant drawing attention he didn't want.
'Yeah... and he still doesn't know he's been sold out. Cleaning up the mess and getting sold out by your teammate… this game is exhausting.'
System Prompt: Player Naruto Uzumaki has initiated surrender.