Chapter no.1 Prologue

Title: Naruto: The First Try

Description: Naruto Uzumaki’s journey takes an unexpected turn when Hiruzen Sarutobi uncovers deliberate sabotage in the boy’s education at the Shinobi Academy. Determined to right this wrong, the Third Hokage grants Naruto an early graduation and places him under the apprenticeship of a skilled mentor—a Shinobi who can teach him what the Academy never did. Unbeknownst to all, this single act sets off a chain of events that will not only redefine Naruto’s destiny but also alter the course of the entire Shinobi world.

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Early graduation.

For years, it had been the whispered dream of every academy hopeful, the ultimate badge of honor among their peers. It was a rare feat, one that marked the elite few who showed exceptional talent, discipline, and potential. Graduating ahead of time meant more than just skipping years of classes—it meant being recognized as someone special. A prodigy.

Naruto Uzumaki wanted that recognition. No, he craved it.

For as long as he could remember, the villagers’ scornful glances and muttered insults had followed him like a shadow. The academy wasn’t much better; most of the instructors barely hid their disdain for him. But Naruto didn’t care—not entirely. He had a plan.

Standing in the sparsely decorated classroom, Naruto grinned broadly as he slapped a form onto Iruka Umino’s desk. “Alright, sensei! I’ve got it! The application for early graduation!”

Iruka, a man in his late twenties with a perpetually tired look and a scar bisecting his nose, glanced up from the pile of papers he was grading. His dark eyes narrowed as he read the form in front of him.

“Where did you get this?”

“From the principal’s office!” Naruto replied proudly. “She gave it to me after I asked!”

Iruka stared at the boy for a long moment, trying to gauge if this was another one of Naruto’s pranks. “She just… handed it over?”

“Yup!” Naruto’s grin widened. “I told her I wanted to graduate early, and she gave me the form. Must’ve known I was ready!”

Iruka sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t entirely surprised; Naruto’s persistence was legendary. The principal probably gave him the form just to make him stop pestering her.

“Listen, Naruto,” Iruka began, “early graduation isn’t an option anymore. Lord Third banned it years ago.”

“What? Why?!”

“Because,” Iruka explained, leaning back in his chair, “students who graduated early often weren’t ready for the realities of being a shinobi. The missions were too dangerous, and some of them… didn’t make it back.”

In actuality, the real reason early graduations were banned stemmed from the tragedy of Itachi Uchiha’s psychotic breakdown and the subsequent Uchiha Massacre. The fallout had sent shockwaves through Konoha, forcing the Third Hokage to reevaluate the pressures placed on young shinobi. The decision to ban early graduations was made to protect children from being thrust into the deadly responsibilities of a ninja too soon. Iruka couldn’t help but think that if early graduation were still allowed, Sasuke Uchiha would have been the first to pursue it.

“That’s not fair! I’m ready! I’ve been training harder than anyone else in the academy! I can handle it!”

“Really? Can you show me a perfect Transformation Jutsu right now?”

Naruto’s confidence wavered. “Uh… I mean, I’m close! Just a little more practice—“

“That’s what I thought,” Iruka said. “Naruto, being a shinobi isn’t just about wanting respect or proving yourself. It’s about protecting people, putting your life on the line, and making decisions that could mean life or death. You’re not ready.”

Naruto’s face twisted in frustration. “But I can do it! You’re just like the others—you don’t believe in me!”

Iruka sighed again. He didn’t dislike Naruto—far from it. But the boy was stubborn, impulsive, and far too eager to prove himself in ways that often backfired. Iruka couldn’t count how many times he’d had to clean up after one of Naruto’s pranks or defend him from the wrath of the other teachers.

Still… maybe there was a way to teach him a lesson without crushing his spirit completely.

“Alright, Naruto. I’ll let you take the early graduation exam.”

Naruto’s head shot up, his eyes wide with excitement. “Really? You mean it?”

“On one condition,” Iruka said, his tone serious. “You have to behave. No pranks, no disruptions, and no shortcuts. If I hear even one complaint from another teacher, the deal’s off.”

Naruto grinned ear to ear, practically vibrating with excitement. “You got it, sensei! I’ll be the most behave-ist student ever! Dattebayo!”

Iruka suppressed a smile. “We’ll see about that.”

By the afternoon, Naruto found himself perched on his favorite stool at Ichiraku Ramen, his fists clenched tightly against the counter. The savory aroma of broth filled the air, but Naruto’s normally bright mood was overshadowed by a simmering frustration.

“You seem upset, Naruto,” a calm, weathered voice said from beside him.

Naruto turned his head to see Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage himself, sitting just a stool away. The old man’s sharp eyes studied him with quiet curiosity, though his kindly smile softened their edge.

The boy sighed heavily, resting his chin on the counter. “I got laughed at today, old man.”

“What’s new, Naruto? You seem to deal with that a lot.”

Naruto shot him a glare that would’ve made anyone else flinch. But this was Hiruzen Sarutobi—the professor, the God of Shinobi, and a man far too accustomed to the glares of irritated children. He simply ruffled Naruto’s unruly blonde hair.

“I’m just joking, Naruto,” Hiruzen said lightly. But as he saw the boy’s scowl deepen, his tone turned more serious. “I thought you didn’t mind being made fun of. You’ve always been good at brushing things off.”

The ramen arrived, steaming and fragrant, and Naruto immediately brightened. He clasped his hands together. “Itadakimasu!” Then, as if his previous irritation didn’t exist, he began devouring the noodles with vigor.

Hiruzen watched silently, the flicker of a smile on his lips, but his thoughts were heavy. He knew Naruto craved attention—it was obvious in everything he did. From his pranks to his loud declarations of becoming Hokage, the boy was constantly seeking validation. And who could blame him? An orphan with no family and a village that actively avoided him, Naruto had grown up in isolation.

Hiruzen hated it. Hated the way the villagers let their fear of the Nine-Tails dictate how they treated an innocent child. He had hoped, naively perhaps, that over time people would see Naruto for who he truly was, not what was sealed inside him. But hope was slow to change hearts, and the old man felt the weight of his failure every time he saw the boy’s lonely eyes.

Still, Hiruzen thought, it wasn’t all bad. Naruto was resilient. His energy and determination could brighten the dullest day.

But then Naruto spoke, his voice quieter than usual, and it pulled the Hokage from his thoughts.

“It was different this time,” Naruto muttered, staring down into his half-empty bowl.

“How so?”

“I tried for early graduation,” Naruto said. “And I failed. Everyone laughed at me… like all my hard work didn’t mean anything.”

Hiruzen’s brow furrowed. He could hear the bitterness in Naruto’s voice, the sting of humiliation still fresh. He understood the pain of failure, especially when it followed genuine effort. Yet it wasn’t the failure that caught Hiruzen’s attention—it was the mention of early graduation.

“Early graduation?”

“Yeah. I asked the principal to let me take the test. But it didn’t go well.”

Hiruzen’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. The ban wasn’t a suggestion—it was an order.

If Naruto had taken an early graduation exam, it meant someone had blatantly ignored his decree. Hiruzen’s jaw tightened. He would need to have a very serious conversation with the principal.

“Well, Naruto, failing isn’t the end of the world. Learn from your mistakes, train harder, and next time, you’ll show them all.”

Naruto nodded slowly, though he still looked dejected. He lifted his chopsticks again but paused, seemingly debating whether to speak. When he finally did, his words froze Hiruzen in place.

“No worries, old man,” Naruto said. “I stole the exam paper. I’ll bring it to class tomorrow and show everyone how hard it is. Then they’ll see it wasn’t my fault.”

Hiruzen blinked, the words hanging in the air like a storm cloud. Naruto said it so casually, as though it were nothing. But to Hiruzen, it meant everything.

The boy… had stolen the exam paper?

For a moment, Hiruzen felt conflicting emotions. On one hand, he was concerned—what had driven Naruto to such an extreme? On the other hand, he was… impressed. Stealing an official exam paper, especially at Naruto’s age, wasn’t something just anyone could do.

He had been receiving reports of Naruto’s dismal performance at the academy for months now. His academics were below average, his ninjutsu barely passable, and his chakra control was a disaster. Yet if Naruto had managed to infiltrate the academy and steal an exam paper…

There was more to this boy than met the eye.

“Naruto, let me see the paper. Maybe this old man can help you figure out what went wrong.”

Naruto hesitated. “Why? You’re not gonna tell Iruka-sensei, are you?”

“Of course not. I just want to see how tough the questions were.”

Still wary, Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a small scroll. With a puff of smoke, the exam papers appeared, slightly crumpled but intact.

Hiruzen took the papers, his expression unreadable as he scanned their contents. His sharp eyes moved quickly over the questions. The material wasn’t particularly advanced, yet it required a solid grasp of the fundamentals: clone ratios, substitution timing, kunai trajectory calculations, and transformation accuracy.

He frowned. The questions weren’t unreasonable for a student preparing to graduate, but for someone like Naruto—whose academic reports painted a dismal picture—this seemed like an unnecessary uphill battle.

“Did you struggle with the written portion?”

Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably. “Kinda. The questions were weird. Like, who cares what angle I’m throwing a kunai at? That’s boring.”

Hiruzen hummed thoughtfully. “Naruto, you do know that the angle of a thrown kunai affects how far it travels and how accurate it is, don’t you? For example, if you throw at a steeper angle, the kunai takes a longer path and slows down before it reaches the target. But if you throw it flatter, it travels faster and straighter, giving your enemy less time to react.”

Naruto blinked, staring at the old man like he’d just revealed the meaning of life.

“Wow, I didn’t know that.”

“Didn’t you ask your instructors to explain this?”

“Yeah, I asked. But they never tell me anything. It’s always, ‘Oh, Naruto, isn’t the answer obvious?’ or, ‘Oh, Naruto, don’t ask dumb questions.’”

Hiruzen pressed his lips into a thin line, flipping through the exam papers again. This time, he wasn’t just looking at the questions—he was looking at Naruto’s answers.

And what he saw disturbed him.

The boy’s responses weren’t just incorrect; they revealed a complete lack of foundational knowledge. It wasn’t laziness or simple ignorance—it was clear Naruto had never been properly taught. The answers reflected a student who was being guided with indifference, if not outright neglect.

“Naruto, can you perform body enhancement?”

“Of course!” Naruto said brightly. “I’m using it right now!”

Hiruzen froze, his mind racing. “You’re… using body enhancement right now?” he repeated slowly, barely managing to keep his tone steady.

“Yeah.”

“Why are you using it now? Body enhancement is a combat technique. It’s meant to be used during fights, not all the time.”

Naruto tilted his head, confused. “Mizuki-sensei told me that great shinobi, like the Fourth Hokage, used body enhancement all the time. He said it’s what made them super strong!”

Hiruzen’s breath hitched. The statement wasn’t entirely false—Minato Namikaze had used constant body enhancement, but only because it was necessary for the Flying Thunder God Technique. Without it, his body would’ve torn itself apart from the strain of a space time ninjutsu.

But for an academy student, constant body enhancement was not only unnecessary—it was harmful. It encouraged the body to rely on chakra for basic strength, weakening natural physical development. On the battlefield, where chakra reserves were precious and exhaustion inevitable, such dependence could easily lead to death.

For a teacher to encourage such a practice in a child…

Hiruzen’s hands tightened slightly around the exam papers. His gut told him this wasn’t a simple misunderstanding or incompetence. This felt deliberate.

The Third Hokage stood, his expression unreadable as he placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder.

“Naruto, I have to go.”

Naruto’s disappointment flashing across his face. “Oh. Okay.”

Hiruzen sighed, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Don’t look so glum. Teuchi-san!” he called to the ramen shop owner. “Make a dozen bowls for Naruto. Put it on my tab.”

Teuchi grinned. “You got it, Hokage-sama!”

“Really? A dozen?”

“Think of it as me rooting for you,” Hiruzen said with a small smile.

“Thanks, old man!” Naruto beamed, throwing his arms around Hiruzen in an unexpected hug.

The Third Hokage hesitated for a brief moment before reciprocating, patting the boy’s back gently.

When Naruto finally released him and returned to his seat, the old man straightened his robes and stepped out of the shop, the exam papers clutched tightly in his hand.

As he walked through the streets of Konoha, his mind churned with grim thoughts.

It was clear now—someone, or perhaps multiple people, within the academy were sabotaging Naruto. Whether it was through neglect, discouragement, or outright lies, they were setting the boy up to fail.

Perhaps they were bitter Shinobi, still holding grudges against the Nine-Tails. Or perhaps it was something more sinister. Either way, it didn’t matter. This could not be allowed to continue.

The academy was supposed to be a place where future shinobi were nurtured and prepared for the harsh realities of their world. For Naruto, it had become a place of scorn, neglect, and misinformation—a tool for destroying his potential before it could bloom.

Hiruzen’s jaw tightened. If the academy couldn’t be reformed to give Naruto the education he deserved, then the boy would have to be pulled out.

The Third Hokage would find him a teacher. Someone who could see Naruto’s potential, someone who could guide him, someone who could protect him from the shadows that still lingered in this village.

Because Hiruzen knew one thing for certain:

The world wouldn’t wait for Naruto to catch up. And when the time came, the boy would need every ounce of strength to survive.

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Author Note:

Hey, everyone! I just wanted to let you know that this fanfic isn’t meant to be a big project like Pokemon: An Unexpected Odyssey or Naruto: The Chosen Undead. Instead, this is more of a fun, casual fanfic I’ll be updating weekly with smaller chapters. Nothing too serious, just something I’m doing for enjoyment!

Now, let me explain what this fanfic is all about. You know how Naruto famously failed the graduation exam three times, even though he’s in the same class as his peers? That’s always been a bit of a plothole, right? My explanation for this is simple: early graduation. Naruto attempted early graduation and failed.

But what if he passed the first time? Not because of his skills as a shinobi, but because Hiruzen stepped in and placed him under the apprenticeship of a shinobi? That’s the premise of this story.

If you’re curious to see how it plays out, new chapters will be released every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

Oh, and I could use your help—what cover should I use for this story?











By the way, if the covers didn’t give it away, Mei Terumi is going to be the love interest for this fic! Don’t worry, she’ll be aged down appropriately to fit the story.

Have a great day! And if you’re a fan of The Chosen Undead, the next chapter will be uploaded in a few hours!