Shikigami Summoning in Konoha

Chapter 55: Approaching Drama

"Thank you so much for yesterday, Katsuragi!"

Little Lee came up to Katsuragi, bowed deeply, and said gratefully, "Tenten already told me about it. If it wasn't for you stopping me, the guests might have been injured!"

"It's nothing, don't mention it!"

Katsuragi waved his hand with a smile, feeling unusually upbeat. He really didn't expect to run into them here. Looking at Ningci who was trying to act as if he didn't know him and kept his head down, Katsuragi almost burst out laughing.

Noticing Katsuragi's gaze, Tenten also noticed the femininely dressed Ningci beside him. Just as Katsuragi had mentioned, dressed in women's clothes, Ningci looked just like a girl. Plus, Tenten had never imagined Ningci doing such a thing, so she didn't recognize him and curiously asked Katsuragi:

"Who is this?"

"Oh, this!"

Katsuragi nudged Ningci lightly with his shoulder, grinned mischievously, and whispered, "How should I introduce you?"

"..."

Ningci took a deep breath to calm his furious mood, glanced coldly at Katsuragi, and remained silent, worried that Tenten and Little Lee might discover his current state. Luckily for him, Katsuragi didn't push too far. Knowing Ningci seemed genuinely upset, he answered Tenten and Little Lee:

"This is my 'sister' Ningning. She's a bit shy and doesn't talk much."

"Ningning!?"

Tenten was startled, looking at the head-down Ningci. Something felt off.

"Ahem, we have some important things to handle, we'll be going now if there's nothing else!" Seeing Tenten's expression, Katsuragi quickly made an excuse. He was worried that staying any longer might let the cat out of the bag if the two were to discover Ningci's true identity.

"Oh, then go ahead with your tasks!" Tenten smiled and waved, saying goodbye. As they started to turn away, she suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "Wait, Katsuragi, have you seen Ningci? Little Lee and I have been looking everywhere for him!"

Katsuragi, with Ningci beside him stiffening, managed not to let on and smiled back at her, "No, I'm also looking for him. Maybe you should check his house?"

"Alright then!" Tenten nodded. She and Little Lee waved again, "See you later!"

"Goodbye!"

Once they reached the forest and were out of sight from Tenten and the crowd, Ningci finally relaxed. Seeing Katsuragi barely containing his laughter, he could no longer hold back and launched an attack with his Byakugan active, aiming at Katsuragi.

Considering they were in the forest, Katsuragi wasn't as restrained. Watching Ningci attack, he dodged skillfully while teasing him, "Hey, Ningci, this is ungrateful of you! I just helped you, and if Tenten and Little Lee knew their teammate was like this..."

Ningci's frustration exploded as he launched an even more vigorous attack, using techniques he had never managed to execute before, such as the "Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."

Although Ningci unleashed a big move, for Katsuragi it was just slightly surprising. With his current abilities, even if Ningci used his ultimate techniques, it wouldn't make much difference.

Out of breath from his effort, Ningci stopped, and Katsuragi decided not to tease him further, "Actually, when I found you, there were some clothes next to you."

"Look, I need to go, haha!"

As he left, remembering the day's events, Katsuragi couldn't help but laugh out loud again.

This only solidified Ningci's resolve even more: even if it was destined, he would break it this time. He vowed to defeat Katsuragi and return all these pranks.

Unaware that he had just inspired Ningci to abandon his belief in fate, Katsuragi was planning to find Hinata and share the joy of the day, especially since he had kept some photos specifically for her to see.

...

Time passed quietly, and before they knew it, another year had gone by, bringing them to February.

"Naruto!!!"

From the lectern, Iruka suddenly shouted, startling even Katsuragi who was sneakily dozing off. Turning his head to see Naruto's blatant sleeping position, his mouth drooling onto the desk, Katsuragi couldn't help but be speechless.

Noticing Katsuragi's reaction, Iruka also realized that Naruto was completely unresponsive. Walking down from the lectern, he slammed his textbook onto Naruto's desk, finally waking the snoozing boy.

"Wha—what's happening? Is there an earthquake?"

Seeing Naruto's frantic reaction, Katsuragi almost laughed. After all this time, Naruto's character remained as it was in the original story, save for perhaps a bit less mischief.

"Naruto..."

Iruka pointed at him and bellowed, "Graduation exams are coming soon, and you're still sleeping during class. Have you forgotten how many times you've failed these exams?"

"Is it Iruka-sensei? Ah!"

Naruto finally realized what was happening, scratching his head and sheepishly responding, "Sorry, Iruka-sensei, I just saw Katsuragi sleeping, and I fell asleep too without realizing it!"

"..."

Katsuragi was at a loss for words, seeing Iruka turn his fierce gaze towards him. He quickly protested his innocence, "Sensei, I wasn't sleeping, Naruto must have seen wrong. If you don't believe me, ask Hinata!"

Iruka didn't bother to ask; he trusted Naruto's statement a bit more, although Katsuragi's consistent top-ranking performance in the class made him somewhat more reliable.

Looking at Naruto, Iruka sighed internally. While initially, he harbored hatred for Naruto, through their interactions, he no longer viewed him as the fox that killed his parents but as a pitiful child seeking recognition.

Thus, he didn't want Naruto to fail his exams and announced, "We're having a surprise test on transformation jutsu now. Line up in order!"

"Again with the ninjutsu test!"

Naruto groaned. He struggled most with ninjutsu tests, especially the transformation technique. Although he could manage "Sexy Jutsu" for transformations, "Clone Jutsu" was a different story.

As the queue formed and the testing began:

"Clone Jutsu!"

With a hand seal, a clone that looked exactly like him appeared beside Katsuragi.

"Alright, that's acceptable."

Iruka nodded approvingly, not disappointed by the performance of his top student. Even though Katsuragi often slept during class, his execution of the "Clone Jutsu," whether in form or essence, was flawless.

"Next up, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Watching the confident Naruto step up, Iruka's mood wasn't as bright as his face suggested, filled instead with worry. He couldn't understand how, despite being always together and equally sleepy, Katsuragi was always first and Naruto always last. What was the secret?

If Katsuragi were to explain, it would clear up that it was mostly due to the Nine-Tails causing interference, affecting Naruto's performance. But regardless of his current rank, Naruto's inherent potential was significant, his lineage alone standing testament to that fact.

Naruto's "cheat" just hadn't activated yet!

End of Chapter 55