Chapter 1: A Brand New Day
"Crap, crap, I'm gonna be late!"
Uzumaki Naruto burst out of his small apartment, clutching a piece of toast he'd already taken a bite from in one hand, his other hand snatching his orange jacket from where it was thrown over the bed.
The door slammed CRASH against the wall behind him, its hinges letting out a pained, heavy squeal.
But even the rickety, precarious door couldn't slow Naruto's steps.
He mumbled incoherently, "Iruka-sensei's face is gonna be darker than the chalkboard," as he sprinted desperately through the alleys.
Today was the Ninja Academy's graduation exam. This was the critical test that would decide if he could become a real shinobi, and he silently prayed that nothing would go wrong.
Last night, in a rare break from habit, Naruto had set his alarm early and actually gotten into bed.
He'd even carefully laid out his kunai and scrolls by his pillow, reviewing the ninjutsu movements that might be on the test, imagining how everyone would finally have to look at him differently after he passed. He had drifted off to sleep filled with that hope.
But who knew? That damn alarm clock had stopped at some point. By the time he jolted awake, the sky outside was already painfully bright.
"I absolutely, absolutely cannot miss the graduation exam!"
Ding-dong...
The first bell rang from the Academy's distant clock tower, and Naruto's heart clenched right along with it.
"I'm screwed!"
As the bell echoed, Iruka walked into the classroom.
He scanned the seats. The normally chaotic classroom actually felt a bit... somber today.
He touched his forehead, feeling like he was just being overly sensitive, then cleared his throat.
"Alright, let's begin roll call."
"Sasuke Uchiha."
"Here." The cool voice replied. Although Sasuke maintained his usual cold expression, his tone held an indescribable trace of joy.
"Sakura Haruno."
"Here!" Sakura answered brightly, her cheeks flushing as she snuck a glance in Sasuke's direction.
"..."
Name after name was called, and one by one, the responses came.
"Naruto Uzumaki." The classroom was silent. No response.
"Naruto Uzumaki?" Iruka's voice held a familiar note of exasperation as he called the name again. Still no answer.
"Naruto Uzumaki!" Iruka raised his voice, nearly shouting the name.
Just then, a few whispers started up from some no-name students in the back row, their voices full of undisguised ridicule.
"Hahaha, figures he's not here. How could that dead-last possibly show up on time for the graduation exam?"
"I bet he was scared he'd fail, so he's just hiding. He can't even do a basic Clone Jutsu."
"Yeah, totally. He probably just overslept again. How can someone like that ever become a shinobi?"
"Hey! Shut your mouths!" a voice suddenly barked. It was Kiba Inuzuka.
Akamaru was perched on his head as he glared fiercely at the students who were gossiping.
"You guys don't know anything."
"Arf!"
Shikamaru, in a rare show of energy, actually lifted his eyelids. "Seriously, you're all so loud. What a drag. What's it to you if he's here or not?"
Iruka slammed his hand on the podium, his stern gaze sweeping over the gossiping students.
"Quiet! In the Shinobi Academy, there's no room for such prejudice among classmates. Naruto must have a good reason. We'll wait for him."
He placed the class roster on the lectern, as if declaring he wouldn't continue roll call until Naruto arrived.
This, however, only made those same students more indignant. One of them, a tall, lanky kid, couldn't help but stand up, his face full of dissatisfaction.
"Iruka-sensei! That's totally unfair! Why should everyone's time be wasted for one person? He's always causing trouble. He's probably doing this on purpose!"
Another, shorter student chimed in, "Yeah, sensei! We all got here early to prepare. Why do we have to wait for that dead-last who's always late? He doesn't deserve to have us wait for him!"
The classroom erupted in noise again, with comments like "Iruka-sensei is playing favorites," and "Look at them, all sticking together," bubbling up.
At that moment, Sasuke Uchiha, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly lifted his gaze. His eyes swept over the loudest complainers as he uttered two words: "Shut up."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange pressure that instantly quieted the rowdy classroom.
The tall student froze, apparently stunned that Sasuke would speak up—and with that kind of attitude.
He sputtered indignantly, "Sasuke, what's that supposed to mean? Don't tell me you think we should wait for that dead-last?"
Sasuke didn't even look at him. His gaze remained fixed forward, his voice flat. "Whether he's the dead-last or not isn't for you to discuss. Besides... he wouldn't miss the graduation exam for no reason."
The tall student was speechless. He couldn't believe that the one and only Sasuke Uchiha was actually defending Naruto Uzumaki.
Seeing his opening, Iruka cleared his throat. "Alright. Since there are no further objections, we'll wait a little longer."
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Kakashi was in the middle of a report to the Third Hokage.
"Kakashi, what you're saying is... difficult to believe."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Kakashi with utter disbelief. The things Kakashi had just told him sounded like nothing short of a fairy tale.
What was this about a unified shinobi world warring against an alien? And that alien was the Rabbit Goddess from myth, Kaguya Otsutsuki?
He'd have an easier time believing the moon in the sky was fake.
"The enemy's strength is immense. Even multiple Kage-level shinobi working together were helpless. We must begin preparations immediately."
Kakashi, seeing that Sarutobi didn't believe him, tried to emphasize the severity of the situation.
"However, this... 'Fourth Great Shinobi World War' you mentioned is rather interesting." Sarutobi tapped the ash from his pipe. "Was I also present at this Fourth War?"
"Yes, but..." Kakashi didn't get to finish before Sarutobi interrupted.
"Does that mean I'm still the Hokage five years from now?" A flash of joy crossed Sarutobi's face. "It seems no one was able to take over for me. And here I was, hoping to retire soon."
"About that... Lord Hokage, you were brought back by Edo Tensei to fight Madara Uchiha," Kakashi said, exasperated.
His old leader wasn't focusing on the reason for the war, but on these trivial details.
"'Edo Tensei? Impossible. I sealed that forbidden jutsu away long ago," Sarutobi stated definitively.
Kakashi was about to say more, but just as he opened his mouth, he was cut off.
"He's telling the truth."
"And another thing. It's time for you to step down."
A woman's voice came from the doorway.
"Tsunade? What are you doing back here?"
Tsunade stood in the office doorway, looking weary and travel-worn.