Chapter 2

Finally, it was his turn.

Iruka called him and led him to the adjacent classroom, where Mizuki was already waiting.

With a professional smile, Iruka gestured for him to begin.

Naruto nodded to himself, took a deep breath, and formed the seals with precision.

Tiger → Boar → Ox → Dog

BOOM!

A dense cloud of smoke erupted beside him, quickly dissipating...

And there it was.

A poorly formed clone wobbled next to him, barely standing, its face and limbs malformed.

Iruka looked at the deformed figure, then at Naruto.

He and Mizuki sighed almost in unison.

"Failed!" Iruka declared without hesitation.

Mizuki tried to intercede for him, attempting to convince Iruka to pass him, but he remained firm.

He expected nothing else. Iruka had always been strict with his students. It was what made him a great teacher... but also an idiot in the eyes of many.

"Naruto..." Iruka ran a hand over his forehead, as if he had a headache. "Just when I thought you were finally taking this seriously..." he sighed. "I suppose it was my mistake to expect more."

Iruka's words hit harder than Naruto had anticipated. He clenched his fists tightly and left the room without saying a word.

He knew he had to fail; he had done it on purpose. But still, the disappointment in Iruka's voice bothered him.

He was one of the few people who sincerely cared about him. Letting him down... was not something he wanted.

But he had no choice.

This was the only way to make Mizuki approach him later.

He needed to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

It was essential.

And if he was lucky, he might be able to memorize more techniques once he stole the Scroll of Seals.

He sat on the swing outside the Ninja Academy, his gaze lost in thought.

The time had come.

He opened the group chat.

[Please send a message to activate the chat.]

Naruto smirked.

[My name is Naruto Uzumaki, give me everything you've got!]

He made sure to be as direct as possible.

They could give him their bloodlines, combat experience, techniques, and much more...

After all, they were dead. They wouldn't need them.

At that moment, in the Pure Land, multiple slumbering souls opened their eyes.

And one by one, great names began to appear.

...

[Shinobi God: What kind of strange artifact is this? Can I really communicate with the living?]

[Uchiha Suck: Brother, is that you?]

[Shinobi God: Tobirama?]

[The Ghost of the Uchiha: You're as arrogant as ever, Hashirama. Calling yourself 'Shinobi God'...]

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the first messages in the chat. He hadn't expected the first voices to manifest to be none other than Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara.

[Shinobi God: Madara, I'm sorry for killing you, but you left me no choice! In the end, you really did become a ghost, but that's your own fault...]

[The Ghost of the Uchiha: You...! Forget it, talking to you makes me feel dumber.]

Naruto, who was trying to maintain a defeated expression after failing the exam, nearly broke his act upon reading the exchange between the two.

He was just a step away from bursting into laughter.

[Uchiha Suck: Madara Uchiha! I was glad when I heard you died, but I can't say the same about having to talk to you again.]

[The Ghost of the Uchiha: Tobirama... What's with that ridiculous nickname?]

[Shinobi God: Brother, your obsession with the Uchiha remains intact even after death! HAHAHAHA!]

[Uchiha Suck: It's a fitting name, in my humble opinion.]

[Evil Eye Fugaku: From what I've gathered from the previous messages, am I correct in assuming that you are Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, the First and Second Hokage, respectively? And that Madara Uchiha, the former leader of my Uchiha Clan, is also here?]

[The Ghost of the Uchiha: "Your Uchiha Clan"? Were you the patriarch?]

[Evil Eye Fugaku: I was... until the day I died.]

[Uchiha Suck: One less Uchiha in the world.]

[Shinobi God: But why can we communicate if we're all dead?]

[Uchiha Suck: It's strange. I'd rather stay dead than have to talk to Madara again.]

[The Ghost of the Uchiha: What the hell is your problem with me!? I never did anything to you, yet you killed my brother.]

[Uchiha Suck: We were on the battlefield. And as for my problem with you… you abandoned the village and tried to destroy it.]

Tobirama made his stance clear. Naruto, reading the argument, nodded to himself, understanding his point of view.

However, seeing how the conversation was devolving into a pointless dispute, he decided to step in.

[Naruto Uzumaki: Enough. I don't want to be forced to kick you out of the group.]

[Shinobi God: Who are you?]

[Uchiha Suck: An Uzumaki? Is this some kind of Fūinjutsu technique? Or perhaps a variation of my Edo Tensei?]

[The Ghost of the Uchiha: Explain the situation immediately.]

[Blood Habanero: Naruto? Is that you? My son?]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Calm down, Mom. I'll explain everything first, then we can talk.]

[Yellow Flash of Konoha: Naruto...? Is it really you? If you managed to create a technique capable of communicating with the dead, you must have become incredibly strong...]

[Blood Habanero: Minato, it's our son! Our baby!]

Naruto smiled at seeing his mother's excitement. He was just as eager to talk to her.

[Naruto Uzumaki: Before explaining everything, click on your nickname and change it to your real name. There's no point in lying, I know who you all are.]

< System: The members' nicknames have been updated. >

Naruto looked at the long list of names in surprise. The number of members in the chat still amazed him.

[Naruto Uzumaki: Well, as you've probably deduced... you're all dead. Heh.]

[I'm the only living member of this group right now. And therefore, the only one who can help you see the world of the living.]

[Kushina Uzumaki: Naruto, what do you mean by that?]

[Minato Namikaze: Yes, son. What's happening in the real world that made you turn to the dead?]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Ugh... Now I feel bad about what I'm about to say. And before you get offended, I'm not talking about you, Dad, Mom...]

[Using the Group Chat, I can allow you to see the world of the living through my eyes. But as the group leader, I have the authority to remove you or restrict your access. I also have a lot of information and knowledge about past and future events.]

[I can give you all of that... as long as you give me everything that belongs to you.]

[Mito Uzumaki: I don't understand... What do you mean? As the dead, we have nothing to give you.]

[Hashirama Senju: Mito! You're here too! What a joy!]

[Naruto Uzumaki: What I mean is that, with your consent, I can inherit your bloodlines, techniques, chakra, combat experience, and any other knowledge you possess.]

[Tobirama Senju: So basically, you want us to hand over everything we spent years training and working for, instead of you earning it yourself. Is that it?]

[Naruto Uzumaki: That's a good summary.]

[Kushina Uzumaki: Naruto! That's extortion! You can't do something like that! I didn't raise you that way!]

[Naruto Uzumaki: But... you didn't raise me.]

[Kushina Uzumaki: That hurts...]