"But I also want to become stronger." Naruto shouted aggrievedly.
"I know, I know." Kakashi patted his head soothingly, then his eyes lit up with an idea.
He cleared his throat and said to Naruto, "In that case, why don't I teach you some basic Ninjutsu? A Shinobi's strength starts with a solid foundation."
"You'll teach me?"
Naruto's attention was immediately diverted. He looked at Kakashi suspiciously, "Are you any good, Kakashi-sensei? You always seem so lazy."
The corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched under his mask, "Watch closely, Naruto."
His hands quickly formed a few seals in front of his chest.
Bang!
A puff of white smoke later, the Kakashi standing before Naruto had instantly transformed into Sandaime Hokage.
"This is... the Transformation Technique?!" Naruto's jaw dropped in shock.
He knew about this one. It was a required course at the Academy, though he hadn't started learning it yet.
"Correct. This is one of the most basic of the Three Basic Techniques, the Transformation Technique. It allows you to infiltrate, scout, and deceive enemies. Its uses are very broad."
White smoke rose again as Kakashi returned to his normal appearance. He spoke persuasively, "Next, I'll teach you how to perfectly master the Transformation Technique."
He pointed to another clearing in the training ground.
"Come on. You're not allowed to bother Sasuke again until you succeed."
"Okay! I understand!"
With a new goal, Naruto was instantly filled with motivation again.
He rushed excitedly to the other side of the clearing and, under Kakashi's guidance, began his Transformation Technique training.
"Transformation Technique!"
Bang!
A three-headed, disproportionate Kakashi with a big head and a small body appeared.
"Damn it! Again!"
Bang!
This time, it was a Sasuke with Naruto's face.
"…"
Sasuke glanced at the idiot amusing himself over there, then at Kakashi who had a 'mission accomplished' expression on his face, and snorted coldly.
"Busybody."
Though he said that, the surroundings were finally quiet. He sank back into his focus, concentrating on the ball of lightning in his palm.
Kakashi leaned back against the tree trunk and reopened his Icha Icha Paradise.
…
After about a few hours, continuous training made the hunger pangs in Naruto's stomach protest.
This instantly drained half of Naruto's motivation.
Clutching his empty, hungry stomach, he slumped to the ground, complaining weakly, "So hungry..."
Just then, he suddenly remembered something, his eyes lighting up.
'That's right! When Grandpa Hokage visited him at the hospital at noon, he gave me this month's living allowance!'
'Ramen... no, let's splurge today! I'll buy the deluxe version of instant noodles!'
He leaped up from the ground, glanced at Sasuke who was still training intently in the distance, and decided not to disturb him.
He tiptoed away, heading straight for the village's convenience store.
However, when he stood at the entrance of the familiar convenience store, his footsteps involuntarily halted.
Naruto peeked inside. The store's owner, who always scowled at him, had his back to the door, crouched by a shelf organizing something.
"That uncle will definitely chase me out again..." Naruto scratched his head in distress.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind.
He grinned, his hands forming passable hand seals.
"Transformation Technique!"
The white smoke cleared. The blond boy in the orange jacket was gone, replaced by a boy in a blue short-sleeved shirt with a cold expression.
It was the exact likeness of Uchiha Sasuke.
"This should work now!"
Puffing out his chest, 'Sasuke' swaggered into the convenience store, quickly grabbed two boxes of his favorite tonkotsu miso deluxe instant noodles from the shelf, and walked up to the checkout counter.
"Boss, check out!" He cleared his throat, trying hard to imitate Sasuke's indifferent tone.
"Coming, coming."
The shop owner responded without looking up, put down the goods in his hands, and turned towards the counter.
When he raised his head and saw the customer's face clearly, he froze instantly on the spot.
'That face...'
The shop owner's pupils contracted violently. The icy feeling of a blade pressed against his throat months ago surged back into his mind.
"I-It's you..."
His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and he instinctively took half a step back.
However, amidst this extreme fear, the shop owner felt something was off.
'Although the appearance was the same...'
'Why was the hair yellow?'
The shop owner's gaze fell on 'Sasuke's' eyes.
'Those eyes held a trace of poorly concealed... guilt?'
This thought flashed through his mind, and the shop's owner immediately had a guess.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear inside, and squeezed out a smile uglier than crying onto his face.
"Customer, that will be three hundred and twenty ryo."
He tremblingly quoted the price while carefully observing the other's reaction.
"Oh... okay!"
'Sasuke' responded instinctively, then fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the green frog wallet.
The moment he saw that wallet, the shop owner's last trace of doubt vanished.
'It really was that demon fox brat!'
A wave of anger at being tricked instantly replaced the fear, rushing to his head.
He quickly grabbed a broom and swung it directly at Naruto's head.
Naruto was still dumbfounded, completely unable to figure out why the other had suddenly attacked.
He could only instinctively raise his hands to protect his head.
But the expected sharp pain didn't come.
He opened his eyes and found someone had blocked it for him.
It was...
Mizuki.
One of the few people at the Academy who wasn't so hostile towards him.
"Enough!"
Mizuki said coldly, looking at the shop owner, "Attacking a child, how impressive of you."
Intimidated by Mizuki's Shinobi aura, the shop's owner's hand went weak, and the broom clattered to the ground.
But he still argued unconvincedly, "It was this demon fox brat who transformed into an Uchiha to trick me first! He..."
"He just wanted to buy something." Mizuki directly cut him off, "Moreover, he is my student. If you have any problems, you can come directly to me."
Having said that, he ignored the pale-faced shop's owner, turned around, and pulled the still-dazed Naruto out of the convenience store.
Outside the convenience store, the sunset was gradually dimming.
Mizuki let go of his hand, his face once again wearing that gentle smile. He comforted softly, "Are you okay, Naruto? Don't take that kind of person's words to heart."
Naruto lowered his head and shook it vigorously.
"Thank you, Mizuki-sensei!"
Mizuki smiled, then crouched down, his tone becoming a bit more serious, "But can you tell me why you transformed into Sasuke's appearance?"
"Because..." Uzumaki Naruto's voice dropped, and he scratched his cheek somewhat embarrassed, "Because, as long as I become Sasuke, that old man won't bully me."
The smile on Mizuki's face faltered slightly. He said earnestly, "Naruto, relying on transforming into someone else to escape isn't the way. If you truly don't want to be bullied by others anymore, there's only one method."
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