Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
The incident involving the Hyūga Clan and the Hidden Cloud Village (Kumogakure) caused surprisingly little disturbance within Konoha.
Now, a new year had begun—and Naruto Uzumaki had turned five.
Of course, it wasn't only his age that had grown.
Over the past two months, under Namikaze Minato's constant guidance within the sealed space, Naruto's strength had improved at a startling pace. By Konoha's standards, he was already at least genin-level, though his taijutsu still lagged behind.
Because he was constantly monitored, Naruto had no choice but to train ninjutsu inside the seal and sharpen his combat instincts in the Mirror World, repeatedly challenging data-based puppets.
Virtual combat was effective—but he had never tested himself in the real world.
So he couldn't accurately judge how strong he truly was.
During these two months, Naruto focused entirely on laying a solid foundation.
Ever since switching to the Uzumaki-style chakra refinement method, his chakra reserves had been expanding at an astonishing rate.
The first technique he learned was the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Recently, he had also begun practicing chakra sensing, a sensory technique passed down through the Uzumaki Clan, taught personally by his father. This involved using one's own chakra to perceive the surrounding environment.
Thanks to his rapidly growing chakra pool, Naruto could now spend even more time in the Mirror World each night.
More than once, he had relied on overwhelming numbers of Shadow Clones to exhaust and defeat Izumo Kamizuki during practice matches.
He wanted to make use of his daytime hours as well—
—but he couldn't.
The ANBU who had briefly withdrawn their surveillance only gave him a single day of "freedom" before resuming their watch.
Today, Naruto had just returned from Ningu Mantendō (translated: Ninja Tool Shop) with two new kunai.
The shopkeeper had even thrown in a cheap ninja tool pouch for free.
But Kurama immediately warned him:
"Gekkō Hayate is tailing you again. He's right behind you."
Naruto felt speechless.
This only confirmed one thing—he needed to master chakra sensing as soon as possible.
If even Moonlight Hayate, a relatively low-level stealth specialist, required Kurama's warning…
What would happen if Naruto encountered someone like the Second Tsuchikage (Ōnoki's predecessor), who possessed the terrifying Dustless Concealment Technique, capable of completely erasing one's presence—even from sensory perception?
The kunai were meant for use inside the Mirror World, where real-world items could be projected into simulations.
Although Naruto had challenged Izumo Kamizuki countless times over the past two months, the rewards left him dissatisfied.
Yes, he had gained everything Izumo knew:
All of his jutsu
His genin- and chūnin-level combat experience
But most of the jutsu were useless.
Naruto couldn't learn them—including Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu.
After using five chakra nature test papers, Naruto confirmed the truth:
He possessed only Wind Release chakra.
Aware that Hayate was still lurking behind him, Naruto calmly placed the kunai into his pouch, walked to his desk, and spread out a sheet of paper.
He picked up a brush and wrote two lines:
""Lying beneath the plum tree, one catches the scent of its blossoms."
"A bowed branch, weighed low with sorrow and longing."
He deliberately left the paper in plain sight—then went downstairs to prepare lunch.
As soon as Naruto left, Gekkō Hayate stepped forward, muttered the lines under his breath a few times, then leapt out the window and vanished.
Hokage's Office – Rooftop
"What do these two lines mean?"
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stared at Hayate's surveillance report, his brow deeply furrowed.
The two lines Naruto had written were placed prominently at the top.
He recognized each character individually—but together, they made no clear sense.
"Ahem… Hokage-sama," Hayate coughed."I couldn't understand them either."
"The target wrote them immediately after returning from the Ninja Tool Shop with two kunai."
The Third's expression darkened.
"Kunai?""Is someone bullying Naruto again?"
"No," Hayate replied firmly."He follows his usual routine—leaves home, returns shortly after. Recently, he even uses the Transformation Jutsu when going out."
"He has had no contact or conflict with anyone."
Hiruzen frowned.
If no one was bothering Naruto—why was he buying offensive weapons?
That was not a good sign.
Naruto had already begun refining chakra.
He was no longer just a child.
He was a shinobi.
If an ordinary villager managed to anger him…
"We must know exactly what Naruto is thinking," Hiruzen said coldly."Everything about him must remain under control."
"Bring Nara Shikaku."
"Yes, sir."
That Night – Inside the Sealed Space
Under Minato's watchful gaze, Naruto extended one hand.
Visible chakra rapidly condensed in his palm—rotating, compressing, flowing in opposing directions.
In seconds, a high-density chakra sphere formed.
A Rasengan.
Without pause, Naruto raised his other hand.
Another Rasengan spun into existence.
Minato was stunned.
Earlier that night, Minato had excitedly declared:
"Naruto! I'll teach you a jutsu that doesn't require hand seals!"
Naruto had guessed it immediately.
Rasengan.
Yet even after three hours of practice, he hadn't fully grasped it.
That was normal.
After all:
It took Minato three years to develop it
Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, needed three days to learn it
Naruto had neither a Sharingan nor instant-copy talent.
He had planned to buy balloons the next day—just like in the original story.
Then Kurama lost patience.
One glance was enough.
He recognized the technique immediately.
The Rasengan was developed based on the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Mocking Minato's inefficiency, Kurama ordered Naruto to fist bump him.
In an instant, Naruto received a complete mental transfer of how tailed beasts formed their bombs.
Afterward, Kurama replenished Minato's chakra, shot him a meaningful look, and promptly went to sleep.
Minato understood immediately.
He fist-bumped Naruto.
Everything he knew about the Rasengan flowed over.
Thanks to that, Naruto mastered it completely—
—and unlike the original timeline, he could now form it with one hand, without Shadow Clones.
Standing before the iron gate, Naruto raised a Rasengan in each hand and pressed them against it.
Buzz—Buzz.
A faint vibration echoed.
The Rasengan vanished.
The gate remained intact.
"Naruto… what are you doing?" Minato asked, speechless.
"Testing whether Rasengan could break the seal."
Kurama snorted.
"Don't bother. I've blasted it from inside with Tailed Beast Bombs countless times."
"Then I'll try from the outside next time."
Before he could finish—
"The Third Hokage is downstairs," Kurama warned.
A knock echoed.
Naruto opened the door to find Hiruzen Sarutobi standing there.
He invited him in, poured lukewarm water, and sat politely.
"Naruto," Hiruzen said kindly,"I came to check on your training. Any problems lately?"
"Hokage-sama," Naruto replied brightly,"I've already mastered the Transformation Jutsu!"
He formed flawless hand seals.
Poof!
A perfect transformation.
Not even Naruto recognized the face he became.
Hiruzen's eyes gleamed.
In a flash, he grabbed Naruto's arm—
—and just as quickly let go.
Naruto felt chakra surge briefly through his body.
"Haha! Excellent!""Next time, I'll teach you another jutsu."
After a few pleasantries, Hiruzen left.
The moment the door closed—
"Tch! Naruto, that old man is up to no good!" Kurama snarled.
"When he grabbed you, he recorded your chakra signature."
Minato's face darkened.
"The Telescope Technique," he said gravely."With it, he can monitor specific people remotely—through a crystal ball."
"But only if he has their chakra signature."
Naruto's expression turned ice-cold.
He knew that crystal ball.
He had seen it countless times in the anime.
The Third Hokage used it to spy on him.
Moonlight streamed through the window.
Naruto climbed onto the rooftop, dragged out a lounge chair, and lay back—staring at the sky.
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen placed the crystal ball on his desk.
Naruto's image appeared clearly within it.
The old man frowned.
"…What is he doing?"
"Staring at the moon?"
(End of Chapter)