Sword of God -- A Naruto Fanfiction

| 17 | If Only People Cared...

Clack. Clack. Click. Clack.

Cold metal boots strike the unyielding ground as he trudges through the entrance of the ninja academy.

Clack. Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

He takes long strides, making his way to the large staircase that ascends upwards, extending long to a higher tier of floors.

The footsteps cease the loud volume, instead replaced with a marginally quieter sound.

Naruto makes his way up the staircase, breathing a sigh of relief at having arrived at the academy in the nick of time.

With what I recall from that clock about ten minutes ago, I should have about twenty minutes left, Naruto notes. That's adequate time to mingle.

He comes to a cessation as he takes note of the escalating commotion on the second floor.

It's the second floor! The examination is on the third floor! Naruto mentally exclaims.

Shifting his focus to the core of the problem, Naruto's eyes narrow, squinting at the doorway where a horde of fellow genin had gathered, besieging the door as two boys defend it from harm.

They have chunin-level skills to be repelling the scum of the shinobi world, Naruto notes.

Dispel, Naruto blinks casually, instantly dispelling the genjutsu around him with but a single thought.

With a victorious gleam in his eye, he assesses the situation with a well-honed eye.

The two boys holding the mob back have been revealed to be the Eternal Gate Guards, Kotetsu and Izumo.

No wonder they're handling the genin with such ease. They're literally trained to do this full-time! Defend the objective, no matter the cost. The two are usually our first line of defence in case of a surprise siege, Naruto discerns, a hint of respect escaping into his thoughts at the expense and sacrifice potential their job holds.

He smirks, seeing Lee and Tenten leading the push for the doors, with Neji simply standing off to the side.

Conveniently enough, the two are sent flying back to him, and as they ready themselves to leap back into the fray, Naruto stops them with two consecutive taps on each shoulder.

"Miss me?" Naruto cockily smirks, though the two instantly apprehend the fakeness in the phrase.

"Yosh!" Lee whispers, or well, utter as silently as his lungs can produce, which is about the tone of any regular speaking tone, minus the normal exuberance. "Your flames of youth burn as strong as ever!"

"Naruto, hey!" Tenten greets, as Neji walks over, she instantly begins fawning over him, her eyes becoming stupefied and dreamy.

"Naruto-San," Neji greets formally, bowing his head as Naruto obliges to the traditional formalities, bowing his head in response.

"Neji-San. It's good to see you," he responds sincerely.

"Likewise."

"Yatta! We shall win this together, eh, Naruto?"

"We'll give it our best shot," Naruto determines, before asking: "You know that this is a genjutsu, right?"

Neji smirks. "We've known since the very beginning. They're setting up a false pretence that we are weak to make people underestimate us," he explains.

"Ditto," Naruto concurs. "There are only ten minutes left, so let's go, shall we?"

He inclines his head innocently, as the doors slam open, the hinges creaking to reveal the Uchiha and his 'duck-butt' hair, posing alongside a pink-haired girl and a pale boy who could pass as a ghost.