Chapter 16 – New Sign-In Reward!

If anyone was feeling the pressure after Nagi passed the exam with ease, it was definitely Naruto.

"How am I supposed to take the exam now…?"

Naruto stood frozen, slack-jawed. After Nagi's stunning performance, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and give it a shot.

"Clone Technique!"

Under everyone's gaze, Naruto's clone fizzled out like a deflated balloon.

"What an idiot…"

Even Shikamaru couldn't help but facepalm.

The very next second, the entire class burst into laughter.

"Naruto…"

Iruka sighed heavily. He understood how badly Naruto wanted to become a genin—but rules were rules.

"Aww, come on Iruka-sensei, don't be so rigid. I think Naruto actually did better than usual," Mizuki said with a fake chuckle, putting on a show since the Hokage was here.

Of course, Mizuki wasn't doing this out of kindness. He just wanted to earn the Nine-Tails' favor.

"Lord Hokage…"

Iruka looked to the Third for guidance.

But Hiruzen simply shook his head calmly. "You are the exam proctor, Iruka. My opinion isn't needed."

"In that case—Uzumaki Naruto, fail."

Iruka wrote the verdict on Naruto's result sheet without hesitation.

Even Naruto was stunned. It hit him like a bolt from the blue. His face dropped, as if all hope had drained from his body.

When the exam ended and the students went their separate ways, Naruto caught up to Nagi on the road.

"Nagi! Please, help me! Isn't there anything I can do to pass the exam?"

Naruto looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. In all of Konoha, Nagi was the one person who treated him decently.

And after the absolute dominance Nagi had just shown in the exam, Naruto had no doubt this guy could help.

"Naruto, you need to understand—you're different from everyone else."

"You shouldn't waste your time on 'normal' ninjutsu. That stuff's not meant for you."

Nagi patted Naruto on the shoulder with steady, serious eyes.

"Then… what should I be doing?"

Naruto looked lost, his brows furrowed.

"Shadow Clone. Rasengan. That's your lane."

Nagi knew exactly what Naruto was meant for. As someone who'd mastered over 700 variations of the Rasengan, he wasn't about to let Naruto waste time on low-level basics.

"I've heard of Shadow Clone… but what the heck is a Rasengan?!"

Naruto scratched his head—was he actually… learning?

"Tell you what. Come to my place tonight at midnight. I'll show you what to do."

Nagi kept his tone calm, almost cautious. He was on alert in case ANBU were eavesdropping.

But after probing his surroundings, he found no signs of surveillance.

Makes sense. The Hokage was still at the academy. The ANBU were probably busy reporting to him.

"Midnight? Got it! I'll be there!"

Naruto lit up like a firecracker. Just like that, the storm cloud hanging over him completely vanished.

Nagi watched him leave, a subtle grin on his face.

"This is getting more and more interesting."

He couldn't wait to see Hiruzen's expression when the time came.

Time flew. After Nagi spent a bit more time refining his Wood Release, it was already midnight.

"Let's get in one more sign-in before Naruto arrives."

Ding! Congratulations, host has received the purple-tier tag: Forbidden Secret Technique – Shun Goku Satsu Formation!

[Forbidden Secret Technique: Shun Goku Satsu Formation]

Become untargetable, dash forward while leaving a shadow clone at your original location, and mark a target. Activate again to swap positions with the clone.

"This kekkei genkai is kinda cracked…"

Nagi was stunned. This wasn't just a jutsu—it was a full-blown bloodline limit.

And beyond what the system described, Nagi could already sense its potential: long-range teleportation, spatial swaps… the possibilities were endless.

"With this, everything just got a whole lot easier."

Knock knock knock!

"Nagi? You there?"

Naruto's voice came from outside.

Nagi opened the door and let him in.

"Nagi, do you really have a way I can pass the exam?"

Even after all this time, Naruto was still buzzing with excitement.

"Easy. You only need to learn one jutsu to pass. But you'll have to steal it."

Nagi didn't hide the plan. Naruto needed to know what was coming.

"I'll go steal it right now!"

Naruto jumped up without hesitation.

Nagi was caught off guard by how fast he adapted.

Not even a flicker of doubt.

"You won't be able to steal it on your own. I need some jutsu myself, so I'll help you."

"Wait—what?! No way! That's too much!"

Naruto looked shaken. Nagi was already doing more than enough just by giving him advice—he didn't want to burden him further.

"It's simple give-and-take. But in the end, you'll probably be the one who has to return what we took."

Nagi locked eyes with him.

Stealing the Scroll of Seals? Nagi had a hundred ways to do it.

But returning it afterward? That was a different story.

And that's where Naruto came in.

[End of Chapter]