Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

The muddy riverbank was cold and wet.

That was exactly what Ino felt—buried neck-deep in the earth.

Nearby, Naruto Uzumaki wiped the sweat from his forehead and exhaled. Dealing with the Ino–Shika–Cho trio had been unexpectedly tiring. The real struggle wasn't the fight—it was digging the holes to bury them afterward. He hadn't learned the Decapitation Earth Burial technique, so doing it manually was exhausting.

The downside of shadow clones? Their fatigue returns to the original body once dispelled.

"What a pain," Naruto muttered. "If I hadn't used up all my rope on Anko, I wouldn't have had to go through all this. I could've just tied them up."

"Damn it, Naruto! What the hell are you doing?! Let us out and give us our Heaven and Earth scroll back!"

Shikamaru's head thrashed in the dirt, but Naruto had buried him too deeply. He couldn't move an inch.

Never in his wildest calculations had Shikamaru expected Naruto would turn on them like this.

"C'mon, this is for your own good," Naruto replied, summoning four shadow clones. "These clones will stay here to guard you. You'll be safe. Nothing to worry about."

"Oh, should we thank you for that?" Choji grumbled, clenching his teeth.

"No need. Just doing my duty," Naruto said matter-of-factly.

Choji's pudgy face turned beet red in anger as he glared at Naruto. Then he turned toward Ino.

"Ino, you should say something too! This bastard betrayed us—we've known him since we were kids!"

Ino kept her head low. Her long blonde hair trailed across the dirt. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Though she hadn't been physically hurt, her heart stung with betrayal.

She looked more delicate than usual—helpless, humiliated.

"I lost. A loss is a loss. No point making excuses."

Her voice was steady but strained. She bit her lip and stared at Naruto with eyes filled with pain.

"But I'll never forgive you."

Naruto turned away, flustered by her words. Her stare was harder to endure than any jutsu.

"I am doing this for your sake," he said, avoiding eye contact. "Just wait. Once I've dealt with the others, I'll come back for you."

It wasn't that he wanted to hurt them. Quite the opposite.

They were strong, especially as a team. Naruto was afraid they might beat other Genin and take their scrolls. If he tried to fight them a second time, it would be too much.

So he did the only thing he could—took their scroll and made sure they wouldn't get in the way.

Without another word, Naruto leapt into the trees and disappeared.

Inside the tower…

The Third Hokage's crystal ball continued to display Naruto's journey, ever since his battle with the Sound ninja team. When Naruto had snatched the scroll from them so cleanly, the room had been filled with smiles.

The observing jonin praised him—strong, decisive, fearless. The future of Konoha.

But then things changed.

When Naruto intercepted Kabuto's team—fellow Konoha ninja—and forced them to give up their scrolls, the smiles faded.

And now, he'd taken down the Ino–Shika–Cho trio.

If he could go that far against his friends… what wouldn't he do?

Tension rose among the spectators.

Most awkward of all was Kakashi, who had stopped translating Naruto's lip movements.

Naruto was his student. Everything Naruto did now reflected on his teaching.

"Is Uzumaki Naruto trying to eliminate everyone and pass the exam alone?"

The sudden voice of Kurenai Yuhi startled the room.

"Why would he do that?"

"What's the point?" someone else echoed.

Kurenai glanced around. She wasn't sure herself—just a hunch. Deep down, she believed Naruto wasn't malicious. So she tried to spin it in a positive light.

"Maybe… maybe he wants to accomplish something unprecedented. No one's ever cleared the second round solo before."

As soon as she said it, she regretted how far-fetched it sounded.

But what she didn't expect was how quickly the others latched onto the idea.

"Masaka!" Might Guy exclaimed. "You think he's aiming to eliminate everyone?! That's enough to skip straight to special jonin—forget Chunin!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, then nodded slightly.

"If he really does it… the Chunin Exams could be restructured entirely because of him."

Moonlight Gai cleared his throat and added,

"Future prodigies might use Naruto as a benchmark. If clearing the Forest solo becomes the new bar… it might turn into a real Forest of Death."

Might Guy nodded enthusiastically.

"That explains it. That's why he took down the Ino–Shika–Cho team—even though they're from his own village."

Moonlight Gai continued, "Think about it—Naruto didn't actually hurt them. When he met Konoha teams, he just took their scrolls. After defeating Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, he left clones to protect them. Honestly, that's... admirable."

"Exactly," Kakashi added, regaining his composure. "That shows responsibility. He's being smart, not cruel."

With each voice that spoke up, Kurenai felt more confident. Maybe she hadn't been imagining things after all.

If everyone else saw it too, then perhaps she'd been right from the start—Naruto's heart was in the right place.

More jonin chimed in.

"Hi~! Didn't expect this rookie to have such ambition."

"He's going to achieve greatness, that's for sure."

"Why didn't we ever think of this back in the day?"

"Because we didn't have the skills!"

"You think you were as strong as him at that age?"

"Maybe Konoha's next legendary ninja is right in front of us."

Most of the room was now buzzing with admiration, but the Third Hokage's expression remained grim.

He had invited nobles from across the Land of Fire to witness the third exam. He had even prepared a betting pool to generate revenue for the village.

If Naruto cleared the second round alone… there would be no third round.

What a disaster.

The image in the crystal ball showed Naruto growing ever closer to the remaining teams. The Third Hokage could already imagine the headlines.

He scowled. Naruto probably could defeat everyone left. He considered whether he should shamelessly intervene—maybe convince Naruto to stop.

If I need to, I'll just bribe him with something from the vault. Some unimportant trinket…

But before he could act, the doors to the tower slammed open.

"Lord Hokage! Emergency!"

A breathless Chunin burst in.

"The Sand and Sound ninja have launched an attack! They've breached the village!"

The room froze.

Whether the news was true or not—they couldn't wait to confirm it. They had to respond immediately.

"Kakashi, Kurenai—each of you take ten Chunin and head into the forest. Protect the Genin!"

The Third Hokage waved his hand, and the jonin scattered like leaves in the wind.

The old man closed the crystal ball and took a long drag from his pipe.

"What's happening out there? Has the Kazekage arrived yet?" he asked the Chunin who had delivered the message.

The Chunin sneered suddenly. His voice shifted.

"Getting old, are we, Sarutobi-sensei? Even your eyesight is slipping."

The Third Hokage's eyes widened.

"You're… Orochimaru!"

Outside the village...

A three-headed giant snake roared as it led the Sand ninja forces through the outer defenses. The village walls crumbled under the weight of their attack.

"Why so soon?"

From high in a tree, Naruto glanced down toward the chaos erupting below.

Inuzuka Kiba lay unconscious. Rock Lee was barely standing. Gaara and Sasuke were locked in combat—Sasuke at a clear disadvantage. But from the look in Gaara's eyes, his grip on sanity was rapidly unraveling.

Naruto didn't hesitate.

He formed hand seals rapidly—

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Ten clones burst into existence, and they launched at the surrounding Genin all at once.

There was no more time for diplomacy.

He had to get the Rasenshuriken. No matter what.

"Hand over all your Heaven and Earth scrolls!"