In the days that followed, Naruto lived a surprisingly fulfilling and happy life.
Every day, he chose times when the streets were quiet and dark, sneaking off to train in remote places to avoid the villagers' hateful stares.
His body grew tired, but his heart felt light.
No disgusted looks.
No cold eyes.
Just peace.
Sometimes, he even caught glimpses of Hinata hiding nearby, secretly watching him train.
She was like a shy little hamster, peeking out from the shadows.
Sometimes she hid so well Naruto couldn't spot her.
Other times, he sensed her presence through sheer instinct, and the moment he did, his whole face lit up. Just that tiny discovery could keep him smiling all day.
When he wasn't training outside, Naruto stayed home, practicing chakra extraction and working on the Three Body Technique.
Chakra extraction came easily to him.
He didn't know how much chakra others had, but the first time he drew his out, it felt like an entire lake appeared inside him.
With that much chakra, he could train the Three Body Technique endlessly without running out.
His Transformation Technique and Substitution Technique came along quickly.
The Clone Technique, however, gave him trouble. Every clone he made came out crooked, misshapen, or just plain weird.
"Clone Technique!"
"Clone Technique!"
"Clone Technique!"
Again and again, the clones popped into existence with a bang, only to collapse into smoke.
But Naruto didn't get discouraged. He kept practicing with boundless patience. The clones started looking less distorted with each attempt, slowly getting better.
Deep inside the seal, Kurama—the Nine Tails—opened his eyes.
"This brat…" the fox muttered. "Under my chakra's influence, he's mastering the Clone Technique. His control is becoming sharper. How old is he again? Is Konoha raising a genius Jinchūriki?"
Kurama felt uneasy.
Watching Naruto suffer under the villagers' hatred had once pleased him. The more Naruto was shunned, the easier it would be to twist him toward darkness. With time, Kurama could push him to break the seal and unleash chaos.
But Naruto didn't fall. His will was firm. He endured, worked harder, and pushed himself forward—just like the Fourth Hokage had once done.
Kurama's frustration only deepened.
Now Naruto's clones were nearly perfect. If Kurama wasn't sealed inside him, he might not have been able to tell the difference between the real Naruto and a clone.
Soon after, Naruto left the house for his usual training. Sweat dripped as he ran his routine, then set out on his ten-kilometer run. The Anbu watching him trailed along as always.
But then… another Naruto quietly slipped out of the house.
This one transformed into an ordinary villager and blended into the streets unnoticed.
Kurama blinked in disbelief.
"This kid… since when is he this sneaky?"
For the first time, Uzumaki Naruto wasn't acting recklessly in the open. He had deliberately used a clone to distract the Anbu tailing him while his real body slipped away unseen.
Why are there always ninja watching me?
Why does Grandpa Third keep spying on me with that telescope jutsu?
Why does Konoha itself feel so suffocating, so wrong?
Naruto's thoughts turned sharper, more cautious.
"The heart that harms others is evil. But the heart that guards against others? That's necessary."
He whispered the words to himself, slipping deeper into the forest near Konoha's training grounds, confident no one had followed.
On his wrist glimmered a strange bracer, faintly glowing with light visible only to him.
"Bedrock Armor," Naruto thought with a grin. "Shape-shifting, anti-surveillance, healing, damage absorption, void teleportation, void shield… this thing is a monster."
That day, after his meeting with Hinata, the sapphire statue had glowed red when he returned home. It had absorbed some unknown power and changed.
Naruto later realized the truth: every wish drained luck from the statue. The more luck he gathered, the more likely his wishes would succeed.
He'd gotten this far because his luck was unusually high. And Hinata's luck… hers had been even stronger. That's why the statue reacted so intensely when they met.
The night Hizashi's fate weighed heavily on his mind, Naruto awoke to find the Bedrock Armor by his side.
Thanks to its anti-surveillance abilities, he finally discovered the Anbu watching him—and even realized the Third Hokage had been peeking on him every few days with the telescope technique.
For the first time, Naruto felt wary of the Hokage.
So today, he used his new Clone Technique to perfection, slipped away unseen, and headed deep into the woods.
He needed to master the Bedrock Armor.
In Konoha itself, he dared not reveal it. But here, alone, he would push its limits.
"This spot should work."
Naruto touched the bracer. In an instant, black armor spread across his body like liquid metal, wrapping him completely in seconds.
Testing began.
Strength. Speed. Teleportation. Shields. Armor durability.
The ground cracked. Trees toppled. The forest shook as if a beast was tearing through it.
"Not bad," Naruto muttered, panting lightly. "Pretty close to full mastery. Could this even rival a Jōnin?"
With that, he slipped into the void, vanishing completely.
Moments later, several Konoha shinobi rushed into the clearing.
"Who was fighting here? That power felt insane—probably a Jōnin."
"Great, just what we needed. Another problem. Konoha's already stretched thin."
"Let's just hope it's nothing serious. The village can't handle more trouble right now."
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