A week before the Academy’s final exam, Naruto got his hands on several buckets of paint and happily spent his night covering the cliff engraved with the faces of the Hokage with the paint. The boy was ignored and neglected by almost the entire village. Therefore, it was common for him to perform this kind of cheeky joke, laughing loudly at his audacity, and pretending to ignore the exasperated looks of the villagers.

Naruto was an isolated and orphaned kid. His life was difficult. However, it could have been much worse. The boy could have been more lonely. But Naruto had Iruka, whom he had known for a long time and who treated him with such familiarity that the boy called him ‘big brother’ sometimes.

Naruto also had Kiba, always up for hanging out after class or inviting him to play with his pets. There was also Ino, who watched him with an eagle eye and took pride in his achievements in class. To a lesser extent, Shikamaru, Choji, and a few others were also friendly toward him.

The boy had experienced a lonely childhood, but his life wasn’t devoid of happiness. He lacked the recognition of the village but had people who cared about him and helped him progress. Even if he still acted up and showed his frustration through childish jokes, Naruto was aware that he was lucky to have these loved ones who made his life better.

But the boy’s personality remained the same. He was an eternal cheerful troublemaker with mediocre grades in class. Fate didn’t change that much. Therefore, it was no surprise he painted the faces of the Hokages. It wasn’t also surprising that the Konoha Police fell on him with annoyance mixed with resignation. The blond was always handed over to Iruka to be punished after they arrested him.

It was the normal course of things in Konoha. The Police officers were patrolling, keeping the civilians safe, and overseeing the smooth running of the village. There was no Uchiha among them. They all have different backgrounds. Their chief was Shiba Arata, a stern-faced man who wore no clan emblem and who was infinitely more liked than Fugaku had once been.

Anko was among the police officers. She was munching on a dango skewer while half-listening to her teammate Madoka Hyuga. Anko was thinking about her daughter, Masami. She would be three years old this year. She physically looked more and more like an Uchiha, but she had her mother’s huge smile and overflowing enthusiasm. Few people would imagine that the adorable little girl was the product of a cloning experiment using the genes of an Uchiha.

However, Anko wondered how long the illusion would last. Her daughter would start being around people as she grew up. Anko couldn’t help but be anxious, like all mothers. Would her daughter be happy? Would she make friends? Would she be safe? Those were the questions in the mind of the kunoichi.

It was also normal in the village to see people wearing the Land of Water-style kimonos. Since the start of the civil war in Kiri, there had been several waves of refugees. Some had taken a little detour through the Intelligence Section, but overall they had been well received. They had been welcomed.

New businesses had opened. Kids with foreign accents had joined the Academy. About three hundred people found refuge in Konoha, a good third of them were children. No secret branch of the ANBU had murdered them using the safety of the village as an excuse.

For a few years now, there had been more children at the Academy than usual, and the building had to be extended. Not only there were refugees from the Land of Water but also from other places within the Land of Fire. Conflicts at the borders had increased, and many people had fled their homes. Things had calmed down, and patrols had been increased. Some families left the village and went back home while others stayed. Those who had lost everything had decided to make a new start and enroll their children in the Academy because it was free.

When Jun saw the graffiti on the Hokages’ faces, he couldn’t help but smirk. Fate would soon change Naruto’s life. He was going to become a genin and throw himself into the course of History. A story that Jun had already been anticipating with determination for several years.

In this storyline, Mizuki didn’t make Naruto steal the scroll of the forbidden technique. The young Uzumaki was a better student than in the original story. He wasn't the best in his class, but he was decent. Mizuki was still a teacher at the Academy.

This year's graduating promotion included many refugee children. Creating viable teams was a nightmare for the instructors. It took them longer than usual to form the teams. Iruka was very happy it was over. He stared at the class for a second. Everyone was talking excitedly at the same time.

The refugees from the Land of Water sat together as if they suspected they would be assigned to different teams. The children belonging to a clan were also gathered together. The majority of them had known each other since childhood. Naruto was sitting next to Sakura, trying to get her attention. Sakura was glaring at Kazuma Uchiha, who was talking with Sasuke. She was wondering what they were talking about. Ino was bickering with Shikamaru two rows away. Kiba was throwing crumpled paper balls at the girl sitting in front of him, triggering indignant squeals.

A vein appeared on Iruka’s temple. He adored his students, but there were days when they pushed him to the limit.

“Silence!” He shouted.

The class quieted down.

“You will be assigned to teams of three led by a jonin. No changes are possible as the teams are final. Now pay attention as I will start calling names…”

Everyone’s eyes were on Iruka as he started calling them one by one…

“Team two, your sensei is Hiro Hyuga.”

It was rare for a Hyuga to be in charge of a genin team. But with the influx of new children from other places, each clan had to do its part. The Hyugas were disciplined, and skilled in combat and tracking.

“Choji Akimichi, Shino Aburame, and Ranmaru.”

At the back of the class, a red-eye boy sat up imperceptibly, a shy smile appeared on his face. Ranmaru came from the Land of Water. He was an orphan of unknown parents and lived in a civilian village not far from the border. When he was six years old, a group of refugees passed through his village.

A family had taken pity on the poor, sickly orphan living alone in an abandoned house. They had taken him with them and had subsequently been offered asylum in Konoha. During a routine medical examination, his Kekkei Genkai had been discovered. The family who had taken care of him was horrified and immediately abandoned him.

The boy’s rare Dojutsu fits the description of the Ketsuryugan. It was a Kekkei Genkai thought to be lost forever. Iruka could imagine how thrilled the higher-ups had been to discover that a child with those magic eyes had been dropped off on their doorstep.

The boy had been sick when he came to the village. He needed a bone marrow transplant. The village didn’t want to lose a Kekkei Genkai so easily, so a compatible donor was rapidly found. Ranmaru was cured within a year of his arrival in Konoha.

Iruka didn’t know all the details as he wasn’t the boy’s main teacher at the Academy. According to what he knew, his Dojutsu was able to sense the life force of creatures, much like a Hyuga would see chakra. Ranmaru can see this life force from great distances and even through walls. He could also see through Genjutsu and hypnotize people. Moreover, the boy can transfer a portion of his life force to a third party.

Ranmaru was a sweet, melancholic person desperate to fit in and be loved by others. Konoha treated him kindly. It was probably the reason he had asked to take the exam early. He wanted to be useful.

…

“Team seven, your sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Let’s see… we have Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Kiba Inuzuka.”

“Team eight, your sensei is Kurenai Yuhi. We have Ino Yamanaka, Yakumo Kurama and Hinata Hyuga.”

Ino was the heiress of the Yamanaka clan. She was temperamental and possessive but also intelligent and determined. She was a good student. Yakumo was the heiress of the Kurama clan. She had poor health and a fragile body in her childhood. But a mix of intensive training and long hospital stays strengthened her body.

She graduated a year late at thirteen years old. The declining Kurama clan was proud of her. Yakumo was also happy about her graduation. The young girl was someone dark and determined, who tended to brood over her guilt easily. But her devotion to her clan and the village was total.

“Team nine, your sensei will be Yamato. We have Naruto Uzumaki, Hotaru Tsuchigumo, and Kazuma Uchiha.”

Hotaru was a blond girl with big blue eyes. She was a refugee from the Land of Fire. She had arrived in the village four years ago after her clan was attacked by nukenins who coveted the Kinjutsu they were protecting. It was a tragic story.

The assault on her clan started at the mansion where the head of the clan, Hotaru’s grandfather, lived. The latter entrusted his granddaughter to a servant and held off the enemies at the cost of his life to allow her to flee. However, the nukenins didn’t stop there. They slaughtered everyone in the clan.

When Konoha had been notified and sent help, there was almost nothing left of the clan. The survivors refused to welcome little Hotaru among them, blaming her for their misfortunes. The Sandaime had then personally insisted on having the girl in Konoha. She and her old servant were granted residency status in the village.

“Team ten, your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi. We have Shikamaru Nara, Shiho, and Naiki.”

Shikamaru was incredibly smart but mind-bogglingly lazy. He was the heir of the Nara clan and the son of the jonin commander, Shikaku. The boy had enormous potential, but he never put in the effort. At twelve years old, he was already used to resting on his laurels.

Shiho was your average girl with glasses. Her Taijutsu was poor and her Ninjutsu was passable. Her parents were civilians and had no relationship with any clan. Her biggest strength is her intelligence.

Naiki was a boy with long white hair and gray eyes. He was a quiet child. He wore his headband over a bandana. He and his mother were a refugee from Kiri. She had lived in constant fear, apprehending the day when someone would come to kill her child because of his Kekkei Genkai. However, Konoha welcomed everyone.

One by one, the jonins came to get their students. Naruto sat with his future teammates, tapping his feet impatiently while staring at his comrades. He knew Hotaru. They’d never really spoken to each other, but he knew who she was. The Uzumaki couldn’t say the same about the other guy. He had never seen him. He had no idea where he came from. The boy was shorter than him too and possessed the same last name as Sasuke. Had he been in another class?

Naruto glared at Sasuke, who was sitting two rows away with his teammates. The blond envied the fact that the Uchiha was paired up with Sakura and Kiba. The latter was his first friend with Ino. He would have given anything to be on the same team as Kiba. Back then, while everyone else kept their distance from him, the two approached to get to know him.

At that thought, Naruto’s throat involuntary tightened. He had recently known the reason the village hated him. And honestly, he would have preferred not knowing. After passing the final exam, he had gone to see the Hokage to brag about his achievement.

The old man had then closed his door and told him everything. The Yondaime had been unable to kill Kyubi, so he decided to seal the beast into a child to save the village. Naruto learned he was a jinchuriki. The Sandaime also told him that the previous jinchuriki of Kyubi was also an Uzumaki. He was told about the power that came with his role and his responsibility. The fact that Naruto had to be careful if a clan ever sought his favors. He told Naruto who he was so that the boy remain impartial and loyal to the village above all.

Naruto had protested, questioned, and even cried. He felt a bit betrayed. He didn’t ask to become a jinchuriki. He had only been a baby. And why would he care if people seek his favor? No one had approached him; everyone hated him. The boy got upset when the Hokage told him he had strictly forbidden the various clan leaders to get close to him.

The boy found it unfair. Was that the reason he grew up alone? The Hokage had no right to deprive him of having friends. He didn’t even have a family. The Hokage told him about another Uzumaki who lived in the village. Naruto was even hurt by the revelation. Why didn’t that Uzumaki come to him?

The old man had tried to calm him down. He had explained that Kyubi was a powerful weapon and that secrecy was necessary. But the boy couldn’t keep his calm, he had trusted the Hokage. He considered him as his grandpa, his family. But the old man had contributed to his isolation, to his loneliness. And even now, he refused to tell him who his parents were. He was so mad. Naruto didn’t know if he could ever forgive the Sandaime.