"Hinata! Neji!"
"Yes, Naruto-kun... no, Naruto-sensei," Hinata replied nervously.
Naruto nodded.
"The two of you will complete three hundred Gentle Fist drills today. After that, you'll each perform your newly developed techniques one hundred times."
Hinata blinked in surprise but obediently answered,
"Yes, Naruto-sensei."
Neji also frowned, but his pride would never allow him to complain.
"...Understood."
Without another word, he immediately began training.
---
"Ino-Shika-Cho!"
"We're here..." Ino answered reluctantly.
Choji and Shikamaru looked equally unenthusiastic.
"Today's assignment is to practice all seven Ino-Shika-Cho formations one hundred times each."
Ino's eyes widened.
"Seven formations... one hundred times each?!"
Naruto nodded firmly.
"That's right."
"After that, each of you will practice your clan's secret techniques another one hundred times."
Choji nearly dropped his bag of potato chips.
"Naruto-sensei... isn't that a bit excessive?"
Naruto folded his arms.
"When I trained, I could repeat the same ninjutsu over a thousand times in a single day."
"You may not have as much chakra as I do, but if you give it everything you've got, one or two hundred repetitions are completely achievable."
Shikamaru scratched his head helplessly.
"There's no point arguing with him."
"It's troublesome... but let's just do it."
Choji and Ino could only sigh in resignation.
---
"Lee!"
Rock Lee immediately stood at attention.
"Osu! Naruto-sensei!"
Naruto smiled.
"You're already an outstanding example for everyone here."
"Continue following your own training plan."
Lee's eyes shone with excitement.
"Yes!"
---
"Tenten!"
"You specialize in ninja tool summoning and weapon mastery."
"So today you'll practice both of them five hundred times."
Tenten's shoulders slumped.
"...Just kill me already."
---
"Sakura! Kiba! Shino!"
"Yes, Naruto-sensei!"
The three answered together.
"Your mission today is a real combat exercise."
"You'll split up and treat each other as enemies."
"You'll use tracking, concealment, reconnaissance, ambushes, and close-range combat."
"Your team excels at perception, stealth, and tactical fighting."
"But those strengths can only improve through actual combat."
Kiba grinned.
"Naruto-sensei... you've really thought this through."
Shino adjusted his glasses.
"This is indeed the most suitable training for Team Eight."
Naruto proudly puffed out his chest.
"Of course."
---
"Finally..."
"Team Eleven!"
"Karin! Jugo! Sai!"
"And our newest member, Fū!"
The four stepped forward.
"Your mission is simple."
"You'll fight me."
The expressions on all four faces immediately changed.
Naruto explained,
"Although you've all joined Konoha, you're still unfamiliar with one another."
"You haven't built enough trust."
"Fighting me will require teamwork, communication, and coordination."
He smiled knowingly.
"It's basically Kakashi-sensei's bell test... with my own improvements."
Fū raised her hand enthusiastically.
"Yes, Naruto-sensei!"
"Excellent."
"The four of you will attack me together."
"Don't hold back."
Naruto looked over everyone gathered on the training ground.
"All members of Team Naruto..."
"Training begins!"
---
Chapter 169: Candidate for the Sixth Hokage? The Five Kage Summit and Tsunade's Decision!
Standing on a nearby cliff overlooking the training grounds, Tsunade and Jiraiya quietly watched the young ninjas.
A nostalgic smile appeared on Jiraiya's face.
"This really brings back memories."
"It reminds me of when Orochimaru and I trained under Lord Third."
Tsunade nodded gently.
"It does."
"But these children seem even more energetic."
"Naruto deserves the credit."
Jiraiya chuckled.
"Naruto really has his own unique style."
"He's not simply shouting orders."
"He's actually designed training methods specifically suited for each person's strengths."
A faint smile appeared on Tsunade's face.
"That's why I keep telling you to trust him."
"He may still act childish sometimes..."
"But he's grown tremendously."
"It's not just his strength."
"It's his character."
Jiraiya sighed.
"It's not that I don't trust him."
"I'm just worried he'll act recklessly."
"Like betting his life with the Nine-Tails."
"If something happened to him..."
"...how could I ever face Minato and Kushina?"
His voice became quieter.
"I failed them once already."
"I wasn't even in the village when they died."
Tsunade looked toward him.
"When are you planning to tell Naruto the truth?"
Jiraiya answered after a long silence.
"When Minato sealed the Nine-Tails with the Eight Trigrams Seal..."
"He didn't only want Naruto to control the fox's power."
"He also wanted Naruto to meet his parents one day."
"The chakra of both Minato and Kushina remains inside the seal."
Tsunade immediately understood.
"So... you want them to tell Naruto themselves."
Jiraiya nodded.
"Yes."
"But their chakra lies deep within the seal."
"Unless Naruto enters the Nine-Tails' domain or learns to control its power, it'll be difficult for him to meet them."
Tsunade sighed softly.
"So that's why you've always wanted him to master the Nine-Tails."
Jiraiya smiled bitterly.
"But that stubborn kid refuses."
"He doesn't want to rely on borrowed power."
"And honestly..."
"I can't force him."
Tsunade remained silent.
As Hokage, she knew Naruto was Konoha's greatest strategic asset.
Mastering the Nine-Tails would make him even stronger.
Yet personally...
She didn't want to pressure him.
To her, Naruto was like family.
More importantly, she believed he was already becoming powerful through his own efforts.
That strength was far more reliable than depending entirely on the unstable Nine-Tails.
Jiraiya seemed to understand her thoughts.
"Don't worry."
"I won't force him."
"If he truly succeeds in rescuing the Three-Tails..."
"If he earns Kurama's recognition..."
"And if he eventually masters the Nine-Tails' power..."
"Then he'll become one of Konoha's greatest protectors."
"Of course..."
"That's assuming he succeeds."
Tsunade smiled confidently.
"He will."
"Naruto has never failed."
"When I look at him..."
"I can see both Minato and Kushina."
Jiraiya quietly watched Naruto directing everyone's training.
His bright smile...
His unwavering confidence...
For just a moment...
He seemed to see the shadows of his two beloved students standing there once again.
"...Yes."
"He really is their son."
---
Naruto continued supervising everyone's training.
Sasuke trained alone in the distance.
Hinata practiced Gentle Fist alongside Neji.
Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji repeatedly rehearsed their coordinated formations.
Rock Lee and Tenten tirelessly improved their taijutsu and ninja tool techniques.
Kiba, Shino, and Sakura disappeared deep into Konoha Forest, hunting each other through a realistic survival exercise.
Meanwhile, Team Eleven—
Karin, Jugo, Sai, and Fū—
launched a coordinated assault on Naruto.
Fū laughed.
"Naruto-sensei!"
"I won't hold back!"
"Secret Technique: Powder Camouflage!"
A cloud of glittering powder instantly filled the battlefield.
It blocked vision while reflecting sunlight so brightly that it became difficult to keep one's eyes open.
Naruto remained completely calm.
"Excellent."
"Come at me with everything you've got."
He formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale erupted from his mouth, instantly blowing away every particle of powder.
At that exact moment—
Jugo charged from the side with a furious roar.
"Explosive Crush!"
Consumed by his Cursed Seal transformation, Jugo's body swelled dramatically.
His massive arms expanded with overwhelming strength as monstrous power exploded from every strike.
Naruto remained perfectly composed.
He didn't even activate Wind Release Chakra Mode.
Instead, wind chakra condensed around his fist.
The raging currents became denser and more violent.
"Wind Release..."
"Hurricane Punch!"
A roaring cyclone wrapped around Naruto's fist before colliding head-on with Jugo's attack.
BOOM!
The collision shook the entire battlefield.
The earth cracked beneath their feet.
Jugo's body trembled from the impact, but his madness only intensified.
Laughing wildly, he charged forward again.
"I'll kill you!"
"I'll kill you!"
"Earthquake Explosion!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)