*Bang!*
There was the sound of a door closing.
As Danzo Shimura disappeared, the Anbu finally breathed a collective sigh of relief. Such a fierce verbal confrontation between the two most powerful figures in Konoha Village was an extremely rare scene, even for the Anbu members who followed the Hokage closely. For a moment, no one had dared to even breathe.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment. In the Hokage's office, only the occasional sparks from his pipe remained, followed by thick smoke that gradually filled the air...
"You will continue to protect Naruto. Report any unusual behavior to me at any time."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
*Whoosh, whoosh—*
The figures of the several Anbu members immediately disappeared into the moonlight.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the full moon outside the window. His memory seemed to return to that bloody, horrific night from ten years ago. A long, heavy sigh echoed in the silent office.
…
By the time Naruto finally completed the one hundred chakra refining techniques and two hundred clone techniques, he couldn't even manage a yawn. Without waiting for the System's prompt, he immediately entered a deep mode of sleep.
But, for Naruto, the harvest on this day had been extremely rich. After taking extra lessons with Hinata in the morning, his proficiency in all his academic subjects had been greatly improved. In the afternoon, he had practiced hard with Rock Lee in taijutsu. Not only had his stamina broken through 90 points, but he had also encountered Might Guy and learned a killer taijutsu move: Konoha Whirlwind! The chakra refining and clone techniques he had practiced in the evening had also greatly improved his mastery of those two ninjutsu.
If he kept going like this, getting into the top ten in the class in a month's assessment… maybe it wasn't entirely a daydream after all.
…
Early the next morning, Naruto got up early as usual, washed up, and prepared breakfast for himself. He looked out the window, but Hinata didn't show up. It seemed that she couldn't get leave today. Naruto sighed, a little disappointed.
"Never mind, I can learn on my own!"
After these days of attentive listening, Hinata's tutoring session yesterday, and the assistance of the [Knowledge Absorption] ability, Naruto's proficiency in various subjects had also improved. Although he was alone, he found that he could actually understand these things to some extent. The textbooks that used to be like incomprehensible ancient tomes were now just a little obscure. For Naruto, this was a huge step forward.
Naruto did not waste any of the morning's time. Although the improvement was not as great as it had been with Hinata's tutoring, it still resulted in a lot of gains. After another big meal at noon, Naruto headed towards the Konoha training ground again as they had agreed.
Before he got very close, he heard a familiar, thunderous sound.
*Thump, thump—*
*Thump, thump, thump!*
*'It's Rock Lee!'* Naruto couldn't help but admire him. "Lee… you really work hard…"
Rock Lee also noticed Naruto's figure and was surprised, revealing his signature bright, enthusiastic smile.
"It's Naruto! I have prepared a new training plan for today! Not only has it improved significantly compared to yesterday's, but I've also added special training for that new move! Yes, it's the Konoha Whirlwind that Teacher Guy taught us! We'll kick the wooden stake 3,500 times in a row! Then, punch the wooden stake 4,500 times! Then, jump rope 3,500 times! And 3,500 push-ups! If you can't do it, then you have to walk upside down around Konoha Village 35 times! And once you're done with all that, we'll practice Konoha Whirlwind 500 times! Well, it's very simple, right?!"
Naruto groaned, "…This seems worse than being struck by lightning!"
Although Naruto complained, his body was still honest. Soon, the sound of burning youth echoed through the ninja training ground of Konoha Village.
*Thump—*
*Thump, thump, thump!*
With the foundation of yesterday's special training, Naruto's body seemed to adapt a little and he gradually caught up with Rock Lee's rhythm. Under the hot summer sun, the teenagers were sweating profusely. Front kicks, side kicks, punches, skipping rope, push-ups… The cruel training, comparable to hell on earth, made Naruto and Rock Lee try their absolute best, completely oblivious to anything else in the outside world.
In the span of a single afternoon, Naruto felt like he had died all over again. However, after completing all the special training, Rock Lee showed no intention of stopping.
"Naruto, let's practice the taijutsu that Teacher Guy taught us first! Konoha Whirlwind!"
Compared to this, walking upside down around the village 35 times was just plain boring. Even Naruto agreed immediately. "Good!"
The two of them discussed and exchanged ideas with each other, recalling Might Guy's demonstration and explanation from the day before, and gradually improved their understanding and mastery of the move.
*Thwack—*
*Thwack!*
Naruto's progress was even greater than Rock Lee's. He kicked out suddenly, hitting the wooden stake hard. Immediately, wood chips flew everywhere, and the entire wooden stake was shaking violently. Even the soil on the ground seemed to tremble!
"As expected of you, Naruto! Have you basically mastered it already?!" Rock Lee's taijutsu power was by no means inferior to Naruto's, but his understanding of the techniques themselves was not as good. The force of his punches was very strong, but it was too direct, making it easy for people to see through him.
Naruto was smug. "Lee, let's continue!"
"Good!"
At this moment, a cold-blooded young man with his hands in his pockets was passing by silently. Since being inspired by Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke had also increased his own rigorous training regimen a lot, reaching an almost inhuman level. This was true even on his rest days. On this day, Uchiha Sasuke was also practicing without slacking off. In addition to the image of Uchiha Itachi's scarlet pupils, there were also scenes of Naruto listening attentively, walking upside down, and practicing desperately with gritted teeth flashing through his mind.
"Hateful. That bastard is the dead last…" Sasuke couldn't help but clench his fists.
However, even he was still a human being. Although he could practice at the training ground in the Uchiha compound, he still had to go to the core area of the village if he wanted to eat. After all, he was now the only one left in the huge Uchiha compound. Whether it was buying food or daily necessities, he had to walk a long way into the village.
"Hm?"
After buying his ingredients and preparing to go back to continue his training, Sasuke suddenly heard a fierce noise coming from the nearby training ground.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
*Bang—*
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
*Bang!*
Sasuke's heart moved. That voice… it was so familiar. "Naruto?"
He paused, hesitant for a moment. He wanted to go and see what was happening, but he felt that it was a waste of time. Why should he pay so much attention to the dead last? His talent and strength were on a completely different level from his own!
Although Sasuke said this in his heart, his body was very honest. He carefully parted the bushes and quietly looked inside the Konoha training ground.
"That is…"
Sasuke's eyes widened instantly!
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
The Naruto in his sight roared and suddenly burst out with powerful physical strength. His legs flew into the air, twisting and circling rapidly, dazzling the eye. Then, he kicked powerfully and hit the wooden stake hard!
*Thwack—*