Soul Summoning and Command. This is mastery over spirits. It can ignore a spirit's own will, forcibly bend it to the user's command and put it to use. A powerful practitioner can control multiple spirits at once, bind a spirit's power to themselves, or even consume a subdued spirit — gaining a small, permanent enhancement by devouring it.
The Double Perfect Hands. One hand alters the soul and controls memory; the other alters the body, able to reshape flesh and bone.
The Wind-Behind-the-Gate. The pinnacle of qimen (mystic gate arts). By fixing a central point beneath one's feet, the user governs every change within that qimen domain at will—possibly even manipulating time and space. Depending on the four directional essences and the path one walks, one may employ any corresponding ultimate technique.
These three of the Eight Wonders were what Naruto intended to master completely. To Naruto, Soul Summoning and Command might be deduced from studying Konoha's forbidden arts—Spirit Transformation and Edo Tensei—both of which touch the realm of souls. Perhaps from those he could extrapolate the means to control spirits outright.
As for The Double Perfect Hands, it's essentially one hand for spirit and one hand for flesh—an yin-yang duality. Given his current rate of mental and physical growth, and the cultivation methods he planned to develop for drawing in heaven-and-earth energy, Naruto believed he could eventually command the Double Perfect Hands himself.
The Wind-Behind-the-Gate, in Naruto's view, resembled the ancestral bagua—limitless in variation. Once you understand the bagua, you can perceive the laws of change in (heaven and earth), and from there, manipulate those laws—to achieve the ultimate power of commanding nature.
But—
While Naruto pondered these final three wonders, time moved on. The six years at the Ninja Academy had at last reached their end.
On that day—at the last moment before dismissal—Iruka told the class: tomorrow would be their graduation exam. The test was simple: demonstrate the basic Triple Shadow Clone technique they had learned. Perform a competent version of the jutsu and you pass—receive your forehead protector and become a true Leaf Village genin.
"Is it finally time? " Naruto thought, watching Iruka leave the classroom, while cheers filled the room. He glanced out the window.
On the playground below, younger students practiced shuriken throwing. A breeze stirred the trees and leaves rustled. The swing where Naruto used to sit moved gently by itself. The scene felt serene and peaceful.
Naruto felt a pang of feeling well up in his chest.
The next day, on the graduation-exam morning, the class gathered as before. When the time came, Iruka called a student's name; that student went into the next room and demonstrated the basic Triple Shadow Clone to Iruka and Mizuki. A passing clone meant a passing grade—and a forehead protector.
One by one, names were called. One by one, they passed. They all received their forehead protectors. Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata—each passed. Sasuke passed too.
Of course, Naruto passed as well. His standard Triple Shadow Clone was flawless. Iruka and Mizuki found no faults. Because of this, the original storyline's episode in which Mizuki coerces Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals never occurred here—the version of events in which Naruto somehow bumbled his way into the Hokage's building and stole the scroll under the Third Hokage's nose now seemed unbelievable.
In the original tale, Naruto's inability to conceal chakra and perform body flicker techniques made his theft of a guarded scroll a miracle. But the current Naruto had long since reached an understanding with Kurama—the Nine-Tails no longer interfered with his chakra. More importantly, having watched Naruto's growth, Kurama would never sabotage him—doing so would be suicidal.
Besides, they were comrades now. Comrades don't hinder each other's progress. (Admittedly, Kurama did admit part of his cooperation was motivated by Naruto's gifts: manga, novels, junk food, and chips—the little comforts Kurama had grown unexpectedly fond of. )
"Hey, come on, stand up straight—your photo's next. " On the Hokage Rock rooftop, the old man in charge of graduate portraits grew impatient at Naruto's lingering gaze toward the carved Hokage faces. He didn't want to take a photo of this brat; he couldn't believe Naruto had managed to graduate. Still—taking photos was his job.
"Coming. " Naruto replied calmly, snapping out of thought. He had already learned to ignore the villagers' hostility. He remembered, briefly, the carved stone image of his father—the Fourth Hokage—on the rock. He had seen that face close up for the first time since arriving in this timeline. He wondered how things might have been different if Minato and Kushina had lived through the Nine-Tails' attack. But he let the thought go. What mattered was the present.
Wearing a new black outfit and his Leaf forehead protector slung over his left shoulder, hair golden and wind-swept, Naruto posed before the camera with arms folded and a confident grin.
"Click! "
In that instant, Naruto was frozen in time.
The photographer took the instant print, held it up, and blinked—suddenly seeing something uncanny in the image. For a moment he thought he was mistaken: in Naruto's photo, the man's expression reminded him of the late Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
"No way—this fox looks like the Fourth Hokage? I must be seeing things—old eyes, old brain. " The photographer shook his head and scolded himself inwardly.
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