Although before the operation, there were many conjectures about how Iruka would react after witnessing the true strength that he had been hiding all along—for example, whether he was afraid and worried, or whether he thought that his good intentions had been deceived by Naruto's tricks and stayed away—and formulated a corresponding remedy plan one by one. It can even be said that compared to the fragile Mizuki...... How to properly handle Iruka's mood is the most headache for the worried Naruto!

"Dreaming ......? Burst...... Hahaha! It turns out that in Iruka-sensei's heart, is that what he thinks? Hahahaha——! ”

Because of this, in a hurry, the first reaction to find out that Iruka was not that he had been deceived by Naruto, so he angrily shook his hand and left. It's not that I'm worried and scared about Naruto's move to expose his true strength. On the contrary, it was an unconscious whisper, showing a funny appearance of doubting life and escaping reality, which made Naruto slightly stunned, because from Iruka's whispering words, he could not detect the slightest disgust and resistance, and the heart that was always hanging high was quietly and completely put down. Immediately, from the moment Mizuki who played the clown appeared, he tried to suppress his laughter, and when his tense nerves relaxed, he couldn't restrain himself anymore, so he simply covered his little belly with his hands and laughed out loud.

"Ann la, Iruka-sensei, this ...... Burst...... It's not a dream, it's a reality! ”

"Huh? Isn't it a dream? ”

Under the influence of the self-doubting of life caused by everything he witnessed was too much beyond the scope of his own common sense, Iruka's consciousness gradually wandered into the clouds. So much so that when he heard Naruto's words soothing, he instinctively responded in a loud voice, but Iruka, who was still blind-eyed, showed a sluggish and dazed appearance.

"But...... How is this possible...... I remember ......"

"Hehe, if you don't believe me...... You can pinch yourself and see if it hurts. ”

At the same time, because he easily dealt with Mizuki and relaxed his vigilance a little, Naruto couldn't help but slightly raise the corners of his mouth after seeing Iruka's confused appearance, and some mischievous thoughts were born. Immediately, while trying to suppress the smile in his heart, he pretended to blink innocently and proposed to Iruka "kindly".

"If it hurts, doesn't that prove that you're not dreaming?"

"Huh? yes, you can do that......"

"That's right, that's it...... Hiss——! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts——! What are you doing? Iruka-sensei! ”

"Huh? It's an exaggeration, isn't it...... If it looks like this, isn't this really my dream? ”

"Huh?! No, wait a minute...... To make sure you're not dreaming, you should pinch your face, right? Why did you come to pinch me? Could it be ...... Yes! You did it on purpose! It's so cunning! Iruka-sensei! ”

"Hahaha! Who made you want to tease the teacher? It's called self-inflicted, Naruto! ”

It's a pity that Naruto's little abacus is an existence that can be easily recognized by Iruka, who has watched him grow up since he was a child. And at the same time that Iruka's consciousness, because of Naruto's familiar smile of "bad intentions", all returned to reality, and he quietly decided to cooperate with the plan. So much so that when Iruka raised his hand, it seemed that he was going to pinch his face according to Naruto's suggestion, making the treacherous smile on Naruto's face even stronger. In the next second, he suddenly turned back, unceremoniously pinched Naruto's soft little face, and twisted it hard.

And when she started it, the warm and soft familiar touch that fed back back to her made Iruka feel at ease......

Although everything he has seen so far is still unbelievable and even unacceptable to him. But at least it's certain that this isn't a ridiculous and bizarre dream of your own. Mizuki, who was going to transform into a beast-type monster before, was the one who was easily solved, and it was indeed Naruto the crane tail who was in his impression, the first to the bottom in every exam, and even failed in the graduation exam!

Because of this, in front of Naruto's silent appearance, he actually showed a powerful strength that was like a transformation, which was diametrically opposed to the name of "crane tail", so that Iruka quickly realized that whether it was the successive failures in the exam, or the previous conversation with Mizuki, as if he couldn't bear the blows, and showed an emotional out-of-control appearance, it was all Naruto's deliberate fraud and illusion. Even faintly, a strange conjecture appeared in Iruka's heart because all this was too logical......

That is Naruto has long known that Mizuki will want to use himself as a "monster", so he will deliberately pretend to be the tail of a crane that can't do anything, so as to attract the truth that Mizuki exposes his true nature!

Of course, for Iruka, who genuinely cares for Naruto...... No matter what Naruto had in mind, in terms of the result alone, it was definitely a happy existence. So much so that in Iruka's heart, the first reaction derived from it was not to complain that Naruto had deceived him for so long. On the contrary, it is because of Naruto's inadvertent reliable and calm appearance in this process, so that in a sense, Iruka, who plays the role of Naruto's father, is driven by the complex emotions of "my family has a child who has just grown up", and all those thousands of thoughts are gathered and unified into one emotion - that is, satisfaction and pride.

"Speaking of which, you stinky boy, you deceived the teacher and me so hard......"

Thinking of this, although Iruka put on a straight face on the surface and put on a serious and unhappy appearance, the more and more vigorous doting smile in his eyes completely exposed Iruka's true heart. Then he crossed his hands on his waist, seemingly reprimanding and accusing, but in fact he praised and praised, and continued to speak to Naruto.

"I thought you would really be affected by Mizuki's words and completely lose your mind...... I didn't expect you to not only be unaffected, but also defeat Mizuki, which really surprised the teacher. ”

"Hey, hey, well, so-so, so-so~"

And Iruka's change in expression is naturally easy for Naruto, who is already good at observing words and feelings, and has been with Iruka for a long time, to see through it easily. So much so that while his heart was warm, when his true strength had been exposed, he no longer deliberately concealed something, and began to explain and respond to Iruka.

"Who let that guy Mizuki take it for granted...... Although there are indeed such unwritten orders, there are not a few people in the village who like to gossip. In other words, he thought he could shake my emotions, and I knew it years ago. ”

"Really...... I see......"

Although Naruto spoke lightly, he didn't seem to care about his "monster" identity. But since Iruka, who lost his parents in the Nine-Tails Rebellion and was bullied and discriminated against by his peers because of his orphan status, he can fully imagine how cold despair and pain that inhuman treatment would be for a child. Then his lips moved and he muttered for a long time, and sorted out all the complex thoughts that arose in his heart into one sentence. While habitually reaching out and covering Naruto's little head. While bending his eyes and smiling, he responded softly word by word.

"You've worked hard, Naruto...... Thank you for your hard work. ”

It's not that Iruka doesn't want to comfort Naruto a few more words...... It's that Iruka knows in his heart that in front of Naruto at this moment, mentioning those past events too much creates an afterthought-like pity and comfort, which is not only an act that does not help, but also equivalent to tearing Naruto's hidden wound open again. So much so that in the case of having a certain understanding of Naruto's character. Let Iruka tacitly choose this kind of words that Naruto, who seems to be plain and unremarkable, but also seeks the approval of his peers, and wants to hear the most as his response.

Of course, when talking and chatting with Iruka, in order to avoid being cut off by his own arms, Mizuki will die on the spot because of excessive blood loss and the backlash brought by the forcible use of the half-finished spell mark. Naruto didn't forget to drive the shadow clone and rush to the deep depression that Mizuki had smashed to do some simple healing and recovery for Mizuki.

It was at this time that Iruka became more and more surprised to find out through the corner of his eye that the number of Naruto present was not just two, but three!

In other words, the "Naruto" who suddenly appeared behind Mizuki before and was so frightened that he jumped up directly to open up the distance was actually the same as the second "Naruto", but Naruto who arrived here one step ahead of him, and was placed nearby in advance to be used as a shadow clone on standby at any time......

Although using the Flying Thunder God's technique, Naruto was able to deal with Mizuki at a faster speed...... But in the final analysis, even if Mizuki entered the second stage of the spell seal's transformation, it was still because of the significant gap in strength, and there was no way for Naruto to take it seriously. So much so that in Naruto's opinion, using two shadow clones with a little combination of strategies to deal with him can already be regarded as a rather elevating means! It's even more unworthy of letting Naruto, at the risk of exposing his hole cards, deliberately cast the Flying Thunder God technique to kill him!

But even so, the picture of three Narutos suddenly popping up was still quite a shocking scene for Iruka, who was born in an ordinary person. So much so that despite his efforts to overestimate Naruto's strength again and again, Iruka still found out with a smile that the student in front of him, who was only naughty and mischievous, had already grown into an excellent ninja who was enough to take charge of himself unconsciously!

"Then again, that's ...... Shadow clones? Pretty advanced ninjutsu......"

Witnessing it with his own eyes, seeing the figures of the other two "Naruto", not only possessing entities, but also being able to act flexibly and freely like an ontology, made Iruka, as a ninja school teacher, quickly guess the hidden inside story. Immediately, as if relieved, the curvature of the corners of his mouth became more and more eye-catching. As if he had made a decision, he continued to speak unhurriedly and slowly.

"This ninjutsu is the move you said before, you want to show me, right?"

"Hehe, it's Iruka Sensei, you've recognized it."

Without involving core secrets, Naruto has always had to answer questions about his companions. So much so that he raised his hand and wiped the tip of his nose triumphantly. As if he was a child who was eager to show off to his parents and ask for praise, he bent his eyes and laughed, and responded to Iruka in a serious manner.

"However, to be precise, this is not a B-class shadow clone technique...... It's in the record of the Book of Seals.,Forbidden ninjutsu with a difficulty level of A.,The technique of multiple shadow clones! So, as long as I want to, even if I create another hundred, or even a thousand shadow clones, it's absolutely fine! ”

"Really......"

“…… That's it? Iruka-sensei, don't you have anything else to say to me?! ”

"Hmm...... Nope. ”

"Huh?! How so——! ”

"Ah, by the way, Naruto, you close your eyes first......"

Perhaps it was because of the various shocks that Iruka's nervous body had gradually become numb to the name of surprise. After hearing Naruto's ostentatious words, not only did he not show the slightest look of surprise and astonishment as before. On the contrary, he was able to do the same while his face was as usual, as if he was not moved at all, and responded lightly. Then, in front of Naruto's aggrieved appearance of a deflated ball and drooping his head, he withdrew his hand from Naruto's head and slowly moved it to the forehead guard he was wearing. While trying to suppress the smile in his heart, he continued softly word by word.

"For the sake of your hard work, the teacher will make an exception and give you a small gift."

……

Obviously, in Iruka's opinion, whether it is the calm mind he shows or the outstanding strength he has, Naruto, who should be bearing the name of the crane tail, has already been one of the most outstanding students in the class led by Iruka! So much so that Iruka secretly decided to use his power as a homeroom teacher to rewrite the result of Naruto's third graduation exam in order to attract Mizuki to take the bait, and repeatedly and deliberately failed, resulting in the imminent punishment of repeating a grade.

It's just that what Iruka didn't think of was......

From the moment he transferred his forehead guard to Naruto......

Konoha Ninja Village has ever ......

No, it should be said that it is the legend of the strongest "lower ninja" in the history of the entire ninja world, and it will officially kick off from this moment......

(End of chapter)