Chapter 72: No Nesting Dolls Allowed
The classroom fell silent in an instant.
With his usual cold and aloof demeanor, Uchiha Sasuke walked in, face sour and guarded, his body language practically screaming "no entry for strangers." But even without a word, Ryosuke could tell.
His graduation application had been denied.
What the hell? The Third Hokage should've recognized Sasuke's strength. There's no reason to reject him, Ryosuke thought, confused.
Naruto noticed it too. "Something's off," he muttered. "The old man should've seen how strong Sasuke is. Why would he turn him down?"
"Maybe... it's because of that," Ryosuke said, watching Sasuke closely, his expression complicated.
Just a few hours ago, Ryosuke had glimpsed Sasuke's future—seen how powerful he would become. That vision still lingered in his mind.
Before anyone could rush over and ask Sasuke about it, Umino Iruka entered the classroom holding a scroll, wearing a warm smile.
"All right, everyone, settle down. Time for class."
Iruka was kind, but he was still a strict teacher. His voice cut through the tension, and those who had stood up out of curiosity quietly returned to their seats.
"Before we begin, there are two announcements I need to make."
Iruka stood at the podium, his eyes scanning the students until they rested on Naruto.
"I'm sure most of you have already heard about what happened earlier today," he said. "Uzumaki Naruto from our class applied for the graduation assessment yesterday and passed it this morning. He's now officially a Genin."
"Even though we've only spent a year together, I hope everyone can take a moment to congratulate him on taking the first step on his journey as a ninja."
Iruka began clapping, leading by example.
Ryosuke, sitting next to Naruto, joined in without hesitation. "Congrats," he said casually.
But most of the class didn't follow.
Only a few—Hinata, Shikamaru, and a couple of others who knew Naruto's story—offered polite applause. The rest stayed quiet, indifferent.
Surprisingly, even Sasuke, sitting by the window in his usual isolated spot, nodded slightly in recognition.
Even with the lukewarm response, Naruto looked genuinely happy. "Heh, guess more people are starting to recognize me for what I can do," he said with a wide grin.
Ryosuke was surprised, but after thinking about it, it made sense. This was Naruto, after all—someone who always yearned for acceptance and acknowledgment, no matter how much he'd changed on the surface. That light inside him still burned.
Maybe it was the influence of Asura's chakra. Maybe it was just Naruto being Naruto.
Regardless, he didn't seem discouraged. Iruka, on the other hand, looked a little awkward. The lack of response made him feel like he'd said something wrong, so he quickly moved on.
"The second announcement also has to do with the graduation assessment."
He cleared his throat, adopting a more serious tone.
"Now that we're in a time of relative peace, unlike the days of war, the village has decided to reform some of the academy's systems."
"One major change is this: from now on, only the top-ranked student in each year will be eligible to apply for early graduation."
There were gasps and murmurs.
"Also, the difficulty of the graduation assessment will be increased. Instead of facing a Genin in the sparring portion, students will now face a Chunin."
"Just like before, winning or losing won't be the only factor. The final score will be based on actual performance during the battle..."
Ryosuke hadn't had time to take the old exam due to his family matters, and the new system hadn't kicked in yet officially. But Sasuke... clearly, his application was rejected because of this change.
Still, Ryosuke couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Did they change the system specifically to stop Sasuke from graduating early?
He couldn't shake the feeling that this had something to do with the village's promise to Uchiha Itachi—to protect Sasuke by keeping him safe and restricting his growth.
Because when it came to the Uchiha, real power only came through life-or-death battles. And the last thing Konoha's higher-ups wanted was another rogue Uchiha.
Maybe they put up a wall to keep him "safe"—but really, it's to cage him in.
Naruto sighed beside him. "I thought I'd end up in the same team as Sasuke... but I guess not. Kinda sucks."
Ryosuke raised an eyebrow. "Oh? When did you two get so close?"
"I dunno," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe it was that fight. I just feel like... I dunno, we connected a bit."
"Doesn't mean it's over," Ryosuke said vaguely.
"You seriously think he can beat a Chunin?" Naruto asked, skeptical. "Come on, if I hadn't already graduated, I don't think I could've pulled it off. Chunin have battlefield experience."
"Who knows?" Ryosuke replied with a shrug, offering no further explanation. "Just pay attention to this last class. Trust me, once you become a ninja, you'll look back at this time and miss it."
Naruto tilted his head but dropped the subject.
As Iruka began his lesson, Ryosuke pulled out his ninja manual and flipped it open, skimming through the pages while occasionally glancing at Sasuke.
He'll graduate, Ryosuke thought. No way he's stuck here.
The Sasuke he saw in the future wasn't some academy kid. He was a monster—powerful enough to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan at a young age.
There's no way he could've stayed at the academy under this new system. That meant he'd find a way out, sooner or later.
But how? Ryosuke wondered. And what made him turn against the village so bitterly?
Still, it was pointless to dwell on it. He'd learned that the future he saw through the Byakugan wasn't set in stone.
Just seeing it already changed things.
He could try to live exactly the same way, make the same choices—but it wouldn't matter. The moment he became aware of that future, the timeline started to shift.
Unless, in that future, Ryosuke had no interaction whatsoever with Sasuke.
Which... was impossible.
He would interact with Sasuke. They were classmates, they were shinobi, and they were on intersecting paths. Avoiding him wasn't an option.
That's why Ryosuke didn't panic or overreact after seeing the future.
Sure, it had hit him hard at first. But after thinking it through, he realized the truth—those visions were too far out, too unstable. They were just snapshots. And unless he saw something that would happen in the next few seconds—or something absolutely inevitable—the power was unreliable.
But right now, it wasn't something he could count on.
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