Chapter 16: RasenganNaruto noticed Minato flinch slightly when he heard this, so he continued:"And the villagers of Konoha are simply afraid of the power of the Nine-Tailed.""I can understand that fear.""That is why I will use the power of the Nine-Tailedto protect Konoha, so that those who once feared me will feel at ease because of my power, not because I have disappeared."This was the "Hokage Manifesto" he gave himself.Every word was true, but only he knew the deeper meaning behind them.The "protection" Sandaime Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him was to throw him into an orphanage and ignore him, letting an infant survive on expired milk and instant noodles, so naturally, he would also "protect" Sandaime.During the Chunin Exams, he would stand quietly on the sidelines, watching Sandaime be sent off by Orochimaru and his two teachers.Then there was Danzo, the two Advisors, and all those who had once laid hands on him.He wouldn't miss a single one.It wasn't revenge.There wasn't a single word of revenge in what he said to Minato.He just felt that some people should pay the price for their decisions.Sandaime's greatest mistake was never letting Naruto suffer, but his indulgence of Root and Danzo, and the wasted dozen years of failing to let the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki become a true combat asset.Such strategic incompetence—even if Naruto didn't act, history would eventually render its own judgment.Minato didn't know what was in Naruto's heart.He only knew that his son stood before him, looking at him with the exact same eyes he had when he stood on Hokage Rock, telling him word for word:I want to become the Hokage.I want to protect Konoha."Naruto..."The Fourth Hokage's eyes turned red.He remembered the night he sealed the Nine-Tailedinto Naruto, remembered telling Sandaime before he died, "Please tell Naruto that his father was a hero who protected Konoha," and remembered how he had been worrying for over a decade.Would his son, the child abandoned by the entire Village, grow up to hate him, to hate Konoha?And now, his son was telling him: I will use the power of the Nine-Tailed to put them at ease."Naruto actually... has such selfless thoughts..."Minato's voice trembled, and tears slid from the corners of his eyes, refracting a faint rainbow in the golden light.Naruto wore a smile, silently tallying a debt against his own conscience."Sorry, Dad.""I am indeed shedding tears for you.""But yours are tears of emotion, while the entry in my ledger might need the wording modified ever so slightly.""Well acted."Naruto gave himself a mental thumbs-up.Kushina's eyes also turned red, but she didn't cry again.A mother's intuition told her that her Naruto was far more complex than her husband imagined.But she didn't intend to press him, because no matter what Naruto was plotting, she believed the words he spoke.Naruto was her child, and she would support whatever he did!Those two things were enough."Good."Minato wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve and regained his sharp demeanor: "Enough idle talk. For every second of Chakra we consume, there is one less thing we can teach you.""Let's begin immediately."Minato first began teaching his signature Ninjutsu, the Rasengan."Naruto..."Minato raised his right hand, palm upward: "The advanced Ninjutsu of the Ninja World are strange and varied, but in the end, they all boil down to two fundamental abilities: Shape Transformation and Nature Transformation.""Shape Transformation is controlling the shape, density, and movement of Chakra.""Nature Transformation is imbuing Chakra with material attributes like Wind, Fire, Water, Lightning, or Earth.""The Rasengan is the pinnacle of Shape Transformation.""It requires no Nature Transformation; through mere control of Chakra's shape, it can create the destructive power of an A-rank Ninjutsu in the palm of your hand."Naruto nodded.Of course he knew; when he watched the three stages of Rasengan training in his past life, he had practically memorized every single frame.But he didn't interrupt Minato, letting him finish the complete theory.Learning Ninjutsu isn't just about watching; when you actually do it, any deviation in detail will lead to failure."Learning the Rasengan is divided into three steps.""First step, Rotation."Minato held up a finger: "Guide the Chakra to your palm and make it rotate.""It doesn't need to be fast, but it must be steady.""The direction must be clockwise; this is the most natural for a right-handed person, and your Chakraattributes are also most stable when flowing clockwise.""Second step, Irregular Rotation."Minato held up a second finger: "On the basis of rotation, constantly increase the density of the Chakra and make it rotate irregularly.""It is easy to be impatient in this step, but once the rotation speed exceeds your current control limit, the Chakra sphere will explode in your palm.""Remember this when practicing with your real body.""Injuring your palm is no joke.""Third step, Maintenance and Compression."Minato held up a third finger, his tone intensifying slightly: "Compress the high-density, irregularly rotating Chakra sphere into a stable form."Naruto listened to the three-step theory and, without a word, raised his right hand.He didn't ask "Is this right?" "Is the force enough?" or "What range should the rotation speed be controlled at?" because these questions were all nonsense in the face of Absolute Control.His consciousness was precise enough to see the path of every wisp of Chakra flowing through his meridians to his palm, precise enough to distinguish exactly how much Chakra pressure his palm could bear to be safe.Palm facing up.Chakra rose, gathering in his palm along the meridians of his right hand.Step one: Naruto drove the Chakra to rotate in a spiral form, and threads of Chakra gathered in his palm into a slow, steady vortex.Step two: Naruto controlled the Chakra to begin rotating irregularly and accelerating; the density of the Chakra began to rise smoothly. He could feel a slight vibration beneath his skin, but there was no sign of disorder.Step three: Naruto began to compress the high-speed rotating Chakra sphere.The edges of his palm gathered inward, pressure mounting. The surface of the sphere tightened like a drum skin, finally maintaining a stable spherical shape slightly larger than an adult man's fist."Hum!"In an instant, a full, blue Rasengan was rotating at high speed in Naruto's palm, emitting a low, continuous humming sound.The tiny air currents stirred by the rotation of the Chakra at the edge of the sphere blew the golden light on the ground. There was not a hint of turbulence; it was as steady as a carefully polished crystal glass bead.Minato Namikaze's pupils contracted, his mouth slightly agape."It took me three full years to develop the Rasengan.""The first year was figuring out the shape theory, the second year was completing the balance of rotation and power, and only in the third year did I finally manage to maintain it stably."Minato paused, watching the Rasengan in Naruto's palm, which pulsed as naturally as breathing. He was silent for a long time, then revealed a proud yet somewhat dazed smile:"Naruto, you've broken my record.""To form it in one go at this level..."Minato added half a sentence as if whispering to himself, but he didn't say the second half aloud: "It doesn't feel like you just learned it; it feels more like an action you have performed countless times and are familiar with."
WTR-LABNaruto: Starting with Kurama ModeCh. 17 / 6526.2%WebWeb+AI#17Chapter 17 Flying Thunder God TechniqueChapter 17: Flying Thunder God TechniqueNaruto nodded, not showing conceit. With Absolute Control, learning Rasengan was not difficult.Next was Kushina's teaching time."Naruto, it's Mom's turn now!"Kushina rolled up her sleeves, eagerly preparing to start the Sealing Jutsu lesson, her red hair floating up in excitement.But Minato reached out and stopped her.Minato's voice was very soft, his tone serious: "Kushina, the essence of Sealing Jutsu is manipulating laws, barriers, and contracts. It's different from Rasengan.""No matter how much of a genius Naruto is, it's impossible to learn an entire system of Sealing Jutsuin such a short time.""Besides, we don't have Shadow Clones to demonstrate. Relying solely on explaining the diagrams and characters would exhaust all your Chakra on a single technique.""For now, let me teach Naruto the Flying Thunder God Technique."Kushina's expression stiffened for a moment.She opened her mouth to argue, but Minato was right; she couldn't refute him."I understand."Kushina eventually calmed down and turned to Naruto: "Naruto, listen carefully. Mom isn't teaching you one or two Sealing Jutsu, but the underlying framework of Sealing Jutsu.""I will teach you all the principles of the Sealing Jutsu passed down through generations of the Uzumaki Clan.""From binding styles to suppression styles, from barrier deployment to seal expansion, from single contraction to multi-layered nesting—all the theories.""I will cram them all into your brain.""I don't have time to stay by your side and practice with you. You have to use your brain to absorb all of this, then go back and practice it over and over again on your own."Naruto nodded.Next, Minato began teaching Naruto his core ultimate technique, the Flying Thunder God Technique."The Flying Thunder God Technique is essentially a type of space-time Ninjutsu. Its core is to fix Chakrain the form of a technique formula coordinate at any point in space, and then trigger the technique to teleport.""The Ninja World calls me the Yellow Flash because the Flying Thunder God Technique allows for zero-delay displacement on the battlefield."Minato said this, then his tone shifted and became more serious: "But it has two fatal barriers.""First, the engraving of the technique formula must be fast, accurate, and steady. The pattern of the formula cannot have any deviations. Even if just one of the curse marks is drawn incorrectly, your teleportation target point will be off.""Second, at the moment of activation, it requires consuming a massive amount of Chakra and performing extremely complex coordinate calculations.""Ordinary people often cannot complete their first successful activation for years after learning to engrave the formula, because their brains cannot calculate the spatial deviation between their own position and the target formula.""Given that time is limited..."Minato slowed his pace: "I will break down the complete diagram of the Flying Thunder God Technique, analyze it for you step by step, and orally explain the essence of spatial perception during teleportation—the most crucial yet most metaphysical part.""As for how far you can go in the future, it depends on your talent and how much time you spend practicing when you go back."Naruto even softened his breathing while listening.His Absolute Control allowed him to manage his brain's memory efficiency. Every word Minato spoke and every line of the technique formula was written into the most stable memory area of his brain.Then Minato supplemented it with a large amount of combat knowledge and techniques for high-level Ninjas.For example, how to precisely concentrate Chakraon the soles of the feet to increase explosive dash speed, how to cover the surface of the hands and arms with Chakra to increase the hardness and weight of Taijutsu attacks, how to switch breathing patterns during combat to save Chakraconsumption, and how to judge the next attack direction based on the subtle movements of an enemy's shoulders.These were the essence of the experience Minatohad accumulated through countless battles. Originally, it would have taken months to teach them hands-on at the training ground, but now he could only explain them, leaving all the practice to Naruto's own time and sweat.Naruto did not lose focus for a second while listening. And it wasn't just listening; he was using Absolute Control to manage his brain, accurately archiving and organizing every piece of knowledge.Every sentence Minato spoke was completely etched into the junction area between his short-term and long-term memory. Any keyword trigger would automatically bring up all related details.Finally, before her Chakra was completely exhausted, Kushina poured all her basic principles of Sealing Jutsu onto Naruto at once."Listen well, Naruto. Adamantine Sealing Chains is a Bloodline Limit of the Uzumaki Clan. If you awaken it in the future, you can use it as a foundation to combine with Chakra to build suppression barriers in the form of chains. The hand seal sequence is Rat-Boar-Rabbit!""The deployment mode for the Four Symbols Seal is to set the lock first, then nest!""The variation of the Fire Sealing Method requires changing to reverse Chakra flow at the third hand seal!"Kushina spoke extremely fast, delivering a large amount of content in one breath.When Kushina paused to catch her breath, Narutoraised his hand, his eyes clear: "Mom, I've remembered it all."Kushina looked at Naruto, stunned for a moment, then smiled and raised her hand to ruffle Naruto's hair.This time, it was a ruffling motion with a downward press, carrying a playful strength."That's my son, alright."Finally, after who knows how long, both of their Chakra was exhausted to the limit.Tiny cracks began to appear at the edges of the golden space, like the surface of a crystal illuminated by sunlight slowly peeling away.Their figures also began to become increasingly transparent, spreading upwards from their feet. Pale golden light particles continuously drifted from the edges of their bodies, disappearing into the depths of the darkening space.The time for farewell had arrived.Naruto watched their figures fading bit by bit, remained silent for a second, then suddenly spoke: "Dad, give me the key to sealing the Nine-Tailed."Minato smiled and nodded, without asking any more questions.His fingers quickly formed a few hand seals, the movements clear and slow. Every moment of the hand seals was firmly captured by Naruto's eyes.Minato felt a slight sense of relief as he transferred the final administrative authority between himself and the Nine-Tailed Eight Trigrams Sealing Style to Naruto.When the last seal was completed, a faint ray of Chakra light flew out from Minato's heart area and merged into Naruto's chest.Kushina bent down, transparent tears rolling down her transparent cheeks, shattering into light before they could even hit the ground: "Naruto, Mom never thought I would be able to accompany you until you grew this big.""Although it's very short, just being able to talk to you like this, Mom is already very happy.""I'm sorry... Naruto, you have to walk the path of the future by yourself.""We both love you."Minato stepped forward and stood side by side with Kushina. His golden hair and her red hair overlapped, and in this final light, it felt as if they had returned to Konoha many years ago.That young Hokage and his wife were holding hands, talking about the future under the sunset on the Hokage Rock."From here on, I leave it to you, Naruto.""We can't accompany you any longer."After Minato finished speaking, he smiled and reached out to Naruto.His fingers were already completely transparent, the knuckles almost impossible to see.This was not a gesture for a handshake.This was his last gesture of reaching out to touch everything he loved most.Naruto looked at the couple.Somewhere inside his chest, constructed of Chakra, something that didn't belong to Absolute Controlwas aching slightly.Then he slowly uttered one sentence."Thank you, Dad, Mom."
Chapter 18: Concept-level?The golden space began to dim.After the light particles dispersed, only Naruto's consciousness remained, floating quietly in the warm darkness.Arranged within his mind were the hand seal sequences for the Rasengan and Adamantine Sealing Chains, the diagrams for the Flying Thunder God, and the underlying logic and full application of the Sealing Jutsu framework.Dense and clearly organized.It was as if someone had built a private archive inside Naruto's mind.Naruto smiled slightly, then his consciousness began to slowly rise.The scene changed.A dark and damp environment; air smelling of rust and beasts once again enveloped Naruto.At the end of the corridor, inside a massive iron cage, the Nine-Tailed's colossal red form lay sprawled on the cold water.Nine thick tails swayed listlessly behind it, each sweep across the ground kicking up a low, whistling wind.The Nine-Tailed's half-closed eyes snapped open the moment Naruto's consciousness appeared."Brat... you've finally appeared!"The Nine-Tailed roared, the sound shaking the entire sewer.The Nine-Tailed pushed itself up from the ground, its massive body lunging to the bars. Its two thick claws gripped the bars tightly, and its scarlet eyes glared fiercely at Naruto's figure through the gaps.Dark red Chakra flames surged around its body, scorching the air inside the cage until it distorted slightly."Tell me, how do you know my name?"The Nine-Tailed's voice was low, as if every word had been crushed deep in its throat before being spat out.The name Kurama is not something just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can know.This is the name the Six Paths Sage gave to the Nine-Tailed; it is the first and only name the Nine-Tailed has ever truly received in this world.Besides that old man, the Six Paths Sage, and the other Tailed Beasts, no one else in this world should know this name.Yet this brat before me not only called it out, but did so so naturally, as if he were calling a friend he had known for a long time."Kurama, be quiet. I'm a bit busy right now, wait a moment."Naruto waved a hand in the Nine-Tailed's direction, speaking casually without even looking up.He still needed to organize the knowledge in his mind.After saying this, right in front of the Nine-Tailed—the strongest Tailed Beast that once nearly destroyed the entire Konoha Village—he continued to organize the Ninjutsu in his memory as if nothing were wrong.The Sealing Space fell silent for a second.Then, the Nine-Tailed completely exploded."Uzumaki Naruto..."The Nine-Tailed clenched its sharp teeth, its fangs grinding together to produce a sharp, piercing screech.Its massive claws slammed heavily against the cage bars, making the entire iron gate rumble loudly.The incantations on the sealing paper flashed wildly, as if screaming to warn that someone was violently impacting the seal.A gust of wind carrying the pressure of Chakraerupted from its mouth, mixed with scorching saliva and the anger accumulated over a thousand years, crashing toward Naruto like a wall.The gale whipped up Naruto's hair and the hem of his clothes, blowing the stagnant water at his feet backward in a fan-shaped ripple.Naruto frowned."Kurama, you're very noisy."Naruto looked up at the massive fox raging inside the iron cage.His azure eyes and the scarlet slit pupils locked gazes in the dim basement for a moment.There was no fear in Naruto's eyes, no provocation, not even much emotion—only a calm warning.The Nine-Tailed felt inexplicably furious under Naruto's gaze.A brat, a brat who had been used as a vessel for twelve years—how dare he look at it with such eyes?The Nine-Tailed puffed out its chest, preparing to brew another, even more intense roar and Chakrablast.But before it could make a sound.A will descended, pinning the Nine-Tailed in place.It was not Chakra, not Sealing Jutsu, nor any form of power the Nine-Tailed had witnessed in its long life.There was no warning, no hand seals, no incantations, not even a fluctuation of Chakra.It was simply a pure will, as if this space itself had suddenly made a decision, and as an existence within this space, it had no right to raise any objection to this decision.The Nine-Tailed's body froze.Its massive claws stopped on the bars, and its nine tails hung motionless in mid-air, as if a pause button had been pressed on all of them simultaneously.Its tooth-filled mouth was still open, but the roar brewing in its throat was blocked in its chest, unable to emit even a trace of sound.The only things that could still move were those scarlet eyes, which were wide open, pupils constricted to the size of needle tips.What happened?What is this?Why can't I move my body?It wasn't the seal restraining it; it was too familiar with the feeling of the seal's restraint. That feeling of having its power locked away by the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style was completely different from this.Nor was it a Genjutsu. It had dealt with the Sharingan more than once. When Uchiha Madara's Mangekyo ocular power tried to control it, it could at least feel that ocular power coiling around its will like chains.But now it was different; it couldn't feel the presence of any external force. There were no chains, no feeling of restraint.Its body simply stopped listening to it.It was as if the world itself had erased its permission to move on a fundamental level.Naruto watched the Nine-Tailed's sudden rigidity and was also stunned for a moment.He looked down at his hands—or, to be precise, the outline of his hands in his consciousness state.He could feel the will he had just emitted; it was as natural as breathing, perhaps even easier than breathing.He had just subconsciously wanted the Nine-Tailedto quiet down, and then the ability had activated.It was as natural as controlling his own heartbeat and muscles in his previous life.Without thinking, it arrived in an instant.It was so fast that Naruto only realized he had activated Absolute Control on the Nine-Tailed after it had already frozen.But this wasn't right.His Absolute Control ability in his previous life could only act upon his own body: controlling brain neurons, controlling muscle groups, and controlling cells around wounds to accelerate division. These were all within the scope of his own body.Previously, the Nine-Tails Chakra, as well as the Chakra left by Uzumaki Kushina and Minato Namikaze, could be controlled, so that made sense.But now, this ability was acting directly on another independent living entity, and one of the Nine-Tailed's caliber at that.The Nine-Tailed was not his body; it was another independent living individual sealed within him.Unless the fact that the Nine-Tailed was inside him meant that, by the judgment criteria of Absolute Control, it counted as a part of himself.Or perhaps the true definition of Absolute Controlwasn't controlling his own body at all, but controlling everything that belonged to him within his body?Naruto immediately began to speculate: if the Nine-Tailed had just been directly stripped of its bodily control by Absolute Control—without even needing Sealing Jutsu, and bypassing the process of Chakraconfrontation entirely—then it meant the underlying logic of Absolute Control was not at the level of Chakra, nor at the level of energy, but something of a higher order.Was it authority itself?"Holy crap, does that mean my Absolute Control is concept-level?"
Chapter 19: Experiment"As long as it is something within my body, I can exert Absolute Control over it?"Thinking of this, Naruto's heart couldn't help but beat a little faster.In his past life as an ordinary person, he lived in a world without supernatural powers; although his Absolute Control was incredible, it still fell within the realm of biological miracles.Developing the brain, controlling the body, accelerating healing—no matter how you look at it, these were just the ultimate manipulation of the physical body.Naruto had always assumed that this ability could only achieve that much.In the worldview of his past life, the ability to directly intervene in external objects with willpower simply didn't exist, so Naruto had never even considered that possibility.But after transmigrating to the Ninja World, the situation was different.Here, there was Chakra that defied physics, Bloodline Limits that could warp space-time, Rinne Tensei that could resurrect the dead, and ancestors who could fall from the moon.In this world with Chakra, the true nature of Absolute Control might have been underestimated by him from the very beginning."If it really is conceptual-level Absolute Control..."Naruto slowly lowered his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, then gradually relaxed:"Then I need to re-evaluate how to walk the path ahead."From the moment he woke up until now, the plan Naruto had set for himself was generally conservative.Develop quietly, secretly practice Ninjutsu to become stronger, avoid provoking existences at the Ōtsutsuki level, and try to use his prophet advantage from the original plot to avoid risks.But if the essence of his ability was conceptual-level, then the ceiling for his entire development path had been redefined.Previously, he had considered combat power accumulation, Ninjutsu combinations, and team building; now, he needed to re-plan an entirely different path.At this moment, countless ideas lit up in Naruto's mind like fireworks, each one worth spending time to deduce.Immediately after, Naruto forcibly suppressed all the expanding thoughts.Thinking too much was useless; even the most beautiful hypothesis needed experimental verification.Right now, there was a ready-made experimental subject standing in front of him."Snap!"Thus, Naruto looked at Nine-Tailed and raised his hand to snap his fingers.Nine-Tailed's body instantly regained its freedom.Its massive body staggered slightly as it suddenly regained control, its nine tails instinctively lashing out behind it, striking the iron cage bars and making a series of dull thuds.Nine-Tailed panted heavily, its scarlet eyes experiencing confusion, shock, anger, and a trace of terror it was unwilling to admit in a short span of time."Uzumaki Naruto, what did you just do to me?"Nine-Tailed's voice remained deep and still carried a fierce pressure, but Naruto could hear a very subtle, instinctive sense of insecurity when facing the unknown."Kurama, calm down."Naruto raised a hand, making a soothing gesture, his tone also becoming steadier:"I need you to cooperate with me on an experiment."Nine-Tailed's eyes narrowed in vigilance."What are you trying to do again?"Nine-Tailed's tails subconsciously pulled back, and its huge fox body shrank back by two inches.This strongest Tailed Beast, which made the entire Ninja World tremble with fear, had just subconsciously tucked its tail?What kind of situations hadn't Nine-Tailed seen in its life?It had been beaten into the ground by Senju Hashirama using Wood Release, walked like a dog by Uchiha Madara using his Mangekyo Sharingan, sealed into one Jinchuriki after another, and torn in half by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to be locked in a cage for decades.There was never a time it felt submissive after losing, nor was there a time it felt true fear from the bottom of its heart.But that feeling just now, where its whole body was no longer under the control of its own will, yet it couldn't sense any external force invading, really panicked Nine-Tailed.Naruto smiled, his tone relaxed:"Don't be nervous, you just need to release your Chakra to me with all your might."Nine-Tailed was stunned for a moment."Just this?"Naruto nodded.Nine-Tailed was silent for a moment, its fierce expression replaced by something that couldn't quite be described as confusion.It thought Naruto would make some more excessive demands, like asking it to submit completely, or asking it to hand over all its Chakra for him to control permanently.But the experiment the other party spoke of was actually as simple as just letting it release Chakra."Fine."Nine-Tailed agreed without much hesitation;"Then you'd better be able to catch it.""This is the Chakra accumulated from eroding the seal over the years; it's much more than the little bit you used before."The reason Nine-Tailed agreed was very simple; what it lacked least was Chakra.From the first day it was sealed inside this blonde brat, its Chakra had been continuously and slowly seeping through the seal, leaking out bit by bit from the gaps in the bars and mixing with Naruto's own Chakra.It didn't care about giving some away; if this brat couldn't handle it and had his will consumed by its Chakra, then the seal would be even easier to break.Naruto took a deep breath and prepared himself.In the next second, a torrent of Chakra far exceeding any previous time erupted from Nine-Tailed's body.Dark red Chakra surged out from the gaps in the cage like a flood breaking through a dam, carrying a cold and piercing will of hatred, instantly filling Naruto's entire body.The volume and density of this Chakra were completely incomparable to what it was in the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals formation before.If the last time was a trickling stream, this time was a flash flood.In the real world, Naruto's body was completely enveloped by the dark red Chakra aura.This Chakra was so intense that it formed a layer of visible Chakra cloak around him.His clothes moved without wind under the impact of this powerful force, his golden hair stood on end, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch under the pressure of the dissipating Chakra.A tail condensed behind Naruto, swaying slowly behind him, each sway dragging a scorching afterimage through the air.Following that, the second, the third, the fourth.In a moment, four dark red Chakra tails unfurled behind Naruto, like four burning flags.The debris on the ground was shaken into suspension under this pressure, slowly rotating around his body.The birds in the woods were startled and flew away in all directions, and even the distant stream rippled unnaturally due to the radiation of this power.Tailed Beast Form, Four-Tails Mode.This was the mode Naruto entered multiple times in the original plot when he lost control in a state of anger; it had immense destructive power, but the cost was having his sanity eroded by Nine-Tailed's will of hatred every second.Normally, a Jinchuriki who could remain conscious after entering this state would be considered to have extraordinary talent.At this moment, Naruto's eyes were still azure blue.He looked down at his body, feeling the will of hatred frantically eroding him, and shook the four tails behind him.The tails swayed obediently according to Naruto's will; the second one on the left swung to the left, the first one on the right flicked upward—the four tails coordinated even better than his own fingers.
Chapter 20: Changing the Nine-Tailed's EnvironmentUnder Absolute Control, Naruto had originally thought that mastering the Four-Tails would take some effort, but he suppressed the Nine-Tailed's encroaching will with almost no exertion.The Four-Tails mode is strong; there is no doubt about that.Naruto could feel that his current strength, speed, and reaction time had all been elevated to a level far exceeding that of an Elite Jonin.But for him, this mode was not good enough.The Four-Tails mode requires consuming a large amount of Nine-Tails Chakra to maintain the physical existence of the tails, and the tails themselves do not add much actual combat power; frankly speaking, it is a berserk form with low Chakra utilization efficiency.What Naruto really wanted was the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode or the Kurama Mode.In this form, the Chakra cloak would change from deep red to a dazzling gold, without the materialized tails dragging behind consuming energy; instead, it provides highly efficient energy overflow and extreme light-speed movement capabilities.This is the true complete form of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, an advanced application that Minato Namikaze spent years in the Shinigami's stomach to master.In the anime, Naruto is naturally like this.If he could go one step further and stack Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode to enter the Sage Fox Mode, that would be even more perfect.However, Naruto also knew that these things could not be rushed.The Four-Tails form was already quite good as an intermediate transition state, and he still had plenty of time to slowly research and develop it.If he were to rush into the Sealing Space now and say to the Nine-Tailed, "Come on, Kurama, let's try to see if you can unlock the Nine-Tails Chakra Modefor me!"Naruto estimated that given the Nine-Tailed's current state of shock, suspicion, and guilty conscience toward him, it would most likely refuse to cooperate directly.With this in mind, Naruto withdrew the Nine-Tails Chakra.The deep red Chakra cloak began to fade, and the four tails dissipated into red light particles in the air one by one, while this violent Chakra aura gradually receded back into his body.Within a few breaths, Naruto had returned to his original appearance, standing quietly in place without even a single tear in his clothes.Inside the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tailed lay in the cage, watching Naruto enter and exit the Four-Tails mode as if it were nothing, and then disengage just as casually; the expression on the giant fox's face was extremely complex.It could see that this brat no longer needed to expend any effort at all to control its Chakra.The Four-Tails level berserk form was actually more obedient in his hands than a Shadow Clone.Would Naruto still need its cooperation in the future?Would Naruto just bypass it and drain all of its Chakra?If that were the case, would it ever have a chance to break through the seal and get out in this lifetime?While the Nine-Tailed was lost in these wild thoughts, Naruto's consciousness reappeared in the sewer.He stood in front of the iron cage and raised his hand to smile at the Nine-Tailed."Thanks, Kurama."The Nine-Tailed was stunned for a moment, its giant ears twitching involuntarily.It thought it had misheard; this brat had just said "thank you" to it?"Thank me?"The Nine-Tailed narrowed its eyes, its tone filled with vigilance and suspicion: "Thank me for what?""Thank you for cooperating with me."Naruto stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, his tone sincere and casual, just like thanking a neighbor who helped move something.He was indeed thanking the Nine-Tailed; regardless of the purpose for which the Nine-Tailed agreed to cooperate with the experiment, the information value this round of experiments brought him was immense.The Nine-Tailed was silent for a moment, then refocused its attention on the question it had never received an answer to.The giant fox head lowered, leaning close to the bars, its scarlet slit pupils staring fixedly at Narutowithout blinking."You still haven't answered me, why do you know my name?""Also, what did you do to me just now?""Why can you control my Chakra so easily?"Naruto heard this, then tilted his head, revealing a smile with a hint of mystery."Kurama, you have a few too many questions; maybe next time!""Hmph..."Hearing Naruto's words, the Nine-Tailed's ears pricked up instantly, and a thick puff of hot air sprayed from its nostrils.Seeing the Nine-Tailed's appearance, Naruto added a sentence."I'll tell you next time I have a chance."The Nine-Tailed snorted heavily, turned its giant fox head to the side, and no longer looked at Naruto."Pretentious brat."The Nine-Tailed muttered in a low voice, then rested its chin on its front paws, closed its eyes, and assumed a posture of "I don't want to deal with you anymore."Naruto didn't mind.He stood where he was without leaving, starting to look up, down, left, and right at this Sealing Space.His gaze swept over the damp dome above, the mottled walls on both sides, the shallow and murky water under his feet, and finally landed on the giant iron cage covered in sealing talismans.Oppressive.This was Naruto's only assessment of this space.It must be one of the reasons for the Nine-Tailed's continuous mania!Although the Nine-Tailed had turned its head away to ignore Naruto, its ears remained pricked, capturing every subtle sound Naruto made.It heard Naruto's footsteps not leaving, but instead still moving, unable to stop, and finally couldn't help but turn its head back a little, looking at Naruto with squinted eyes."Brat, what are you doing?""Seeing that the space you are staying in is a bit oppressive."Naruto stopped, turned to face the Nine-Tailed, and flexed his wrists: "I'm giving you a change of environment."Before the Nine-Tailed had time to ask "what do you mean by changing the environment," Narutosnapped his fingers crisply.Snap.In an instant, the sewer's dome, walls, standing water, and rust all disappeared.Replaced by an endless expanse of golden light.The walls and floor emitted a warm and bright golden halo; this color and texture were like boiling sunlight filtered through layers of thin gauze, neither dazzling nor making one feel scorched.The air was permeated with a quiet and steady atmosphere, with no dampness, no rot, only a faint, ancient rhythm.It was the exact same structure as the golden space where Kushina was, only more spacious and quieter.The Nine-Tailed was stunned.Its slit pupils narrowed slightly under the reflection of the golden light, its giant ears rotated back and forth, and it involuntarily took a deep breath of air that lacked the smell of mold,then realized something was wrong; it was a Tailed Beast, and its sense of smell did not feel comfortable just because the space had changed.The Nine-Tailed shook its head, resumed its usual arrogant expression, and rested its chin back on its front paws."Tch..."The Nine-Tailed uttered a disdainful monosyllable, but said nothing more.Naruto looked at the Nine-Tailed's expression, already understanding eight or nine tenths of it in his heart.Clearly liking it to death, but refusing to admit it with its mouth.Another tsundere, he understood.Naruto didn't expose the Nine-Tailed, just tilted his head and deliberately used a tone of seeking an opinion to say:"Is it not good? That's true, all gold is too monotonous."Before the Nine-Tailed could react, Naruto had snapped his fingers again.Snap.The golden space peeled off from all directions like a shattering illusion, and was quickly filled by a brand new scene.
Chapter 21: Five DaysIn its place was a vast, open grassland with a transparent blue sky and fluffy white clouds.A breeze swept across the grassland, making the blades of grass rustle and causing the dark orange fur on the Nine-Tailed to ripple gently like waves of wheat.There was no oppressive dome, no stench of rust, and no freezing, biting stagnant water.There was only the grass, the sky, the breeze, and a vast space where it could roll around freely.The Nine-Tailed's eyes snapped open.It lifted its head from its paws, looked at the endless grassland to its left, then at the endless grassland to its right, and finally looked up at the impossibly blue sky above.Its tail instinctively swept across the grass, and the sensation of the grass blades brushing against its tail felt so real that it found it incredible."Kid, you..."The Nine-Tailed's voice was filled with unconcealable surprise."Looks like you like it."Naruto clapped his hands, admiring his handiwork: "Let's leave it like this for now. These are the only two environments I can imagine at the moment; I'll change it for you later when I get some inspiration.""Let's talk next time, Kurama."Naruto waved at the Nine-Tailed, his gesture casual and natural, as if saying goodbye to a friend.Then, his consciousness began to slowly fade from the grassland like mist scattered by the wind."This kid..."The Nine-Tailed watched the spot where Narutohad disappeared, remaining silent for a long time.Then, it heaved its massive body up, took a few steps across the soft grass, found a spot where the sunlight hit just right, and slowly lay down.Its nine tails spread out behind it, its thick front paws crossed over its chest, and its chin rested on the back of its furry paws.The sunlight spilled onto its dark orange fur, feeling warm, and the breeze of the grassland gently brushed the tips of its ears.The Nine-Tailed slowly closed its eyes.Regardless of what this kid was planning, regardless of what secrets he had.At least this damned sewer, that iron cage that had trapped it for over a decade, had now turned into a place with grass, blue sky, sunlight, and wind.The Nine-Tailed had to admit, this feeling wasn't bad.OutsideNaruto slowly opened his eyes.Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, landing right on the large rock where he sat cross-legged, warming the black Ninja pants on his legs.Birdsong drifted from the canopy in all directions, and the stream flowed between the crevices of the rocks, making a murmuring sound; everything was quiet, with no abnormalities.Naruto scanned the area; the fifty-plus Shadow Clone sentries he had set up were still at their posts, some crouching in the canopy, others hidden behind bushes, maintaining a defensive formation.Everything was exactly the same as before.Naruto nodded with satisfaction, then slowly raised his right hand.In an instant, Chakra condensed in his palm, then immediately began to rotate at high speed, accelerating and compressing.A few breaths later, a clear blue Rasengan appeared steadily in Naruto's palm, emitting a low hum.The flow of Chakra at the edge of the sphere whipped up a slight air current, causing the hair on his forehead to sway slightly.Looking at the rotating Rasengan in his palm, Naruto nodded.He had mastered the Rasengan in less than ten minutes, from theory to practice.This was his first true A-rank offensive Ninjutsu to date, and also the highest expression of his single-target lethality at this stage.With the Rasengan, he had a trump card for a sure kill in close-quarters combat, no longer having to rely solely on fists and Shadow Clones to brute-force his way through like before.Then there was the Flying Thunder God Technique; this one wouldn't be as fast.Minato Namikaze had taught Naruto the complete formula diagrams and the essentials of spatial perception, but the calculation of spatial coordinates involved a large number of precise operations that required repeated practice to form muscle memory.It wasn't that he didn't understand the principles; it was that while his brain understood, his hands still needed time to hone it.Naruto's goal for himself was to carve the prototype of the first Flying Thunder God Technique Kunaibefore returning to the Chunin Exams; even if he couldn't activate it stably for the time being, he wanted to at least practice the precision of the formula inscription until it was up to standard.Sealing Jutsu was even heavier.Adamantine Sealing Chains, Four Symbols Seal, Fire Sealing Method, barrier deployment, multi-layer nesting.Kushina had stuffed the foundational framework of the Sealing Jutsu passed down through the generations of the Uzumaki Clan into Naruto's mind as if by direct transmission,but Sealing Jutsu was one of the most complex systems of techniques in the Ninja World.The precision of writing every rune, the speed of every hand seal, and the unfolding sequence of every nested structure could only be achieved through a massive amount of time and sweat.Naruto was very clear about this, so he didn't set any expectations for quick success with Sealing Jutsu; he simply added it to his long-term training list.In short, through this training, by consuming the Chakra left to him by Kushina and Minato Namikaze, Naruto's self-preservation ability was more than a notch stronger than before.When he first transmigrated, he had relied on Absolute Control and the on-the-spot burst of Nine-Tails Chakra to barely withstand Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals; now, if he were to fight Haku again, he could win even without Nine-Tails Chakra.After returning to Konoha, as long as he kept a low profile, didn't cause trouble, and didn't attract the attention of Danzo and Sandaime prematurely, he could take missions step-by-step to earn money and improve his living conditions, while secretly training in the Flying Thunder God and Sealing Jutsu, steadily building up his strength.Once the Chunin Exams ended, Sandaime died, and Tsunade took office, his situation would become much more relaxed.By then, he would have enough trump cards in his hand to develop however he pleased.The future was promising.Thinking of this, the corners of Naruto's mouth curled up slightly, and the string in his heart that had been taut all this time loosened just a little bit.He raised his hands and formed a release seal."Release.""Poof, poof, poof, poof..."In an instant, the fifty-plus Shadow Clones in the forest simultaneously turned into white smoke.The continuous poofing sounds rose and fell, echoing through the entire forest like a relay; white mist permeated the woods and dissipated as soon as the wind blew.At the same time, the memories accumulated by the clones over this period flooded into Naruto's mind like a tide.Five days.He felt like not much time had passed in the golden space, but a full five days had already passed in the real world.The images of memories flashed by one after another; over these few days, villagers gathering herbs occasionally passed by the forest entrance, only to be politely turned back by Naruto's clones with the excuse that "Ninjas are performing a special mission ahead, passage is temporarily prohibited."A few idle men were unconvinced and wanted to force their way in, but were politely escorted away by Naruto's clones using very restrained Taijutsu, and no one came by after that.Apart from that, nothing major happened.In a small place like the Land of Waves, ever since Gato died, even wandering samurai had become extinct, and the level of public safety had actually risen sharply.After organizing these memories, Naruto stretched his limbs, then kicked off the rock, sprang up, and leaped toward the direction of the bridge.A few minutes later, Naruto landed on a reef at the entrance of the bridge.The full view of the bridge was revealed before Naruto's eyes.
Chapter 22: Naruto's ChangeAt this moment, the bridge deck had been paved to the end, with only the installation of the last railing and the finishing touches on the bridgehead seams remaining.Several workers were at the bridgehead doing the final welding work, the sound of hammers striking iron nails crisp and rhythmic."Bang!"Naruto's Shadow Clone was crouching beside a lamppost at the bridgehead keeping watch. Noticing its original body appear, it turned its face to nod at the original, then dissipated into white smoke.In an instant, all the memories of guarding the bridge over the past few days flooded into Naruto's mind.Over the past two days, Tazuna had led the workers to pave the bridge deck, and progress had been smooth.On the third day, Sasuke, having rested for a few days and recovered quite a bit, came to the bridge to see him with Sakura's support. Upon learning that Naruto's clone was guarding the bridge, Sasukestood there for a moment.Sakura wanted to go forward to talk to Naruto but was called back by Sasuke.Afterward, the two of them left and never came back.Seeing this, Naruto felt no emotional fluctuation.He withdrew his attention back to the bridge before him and looked up at the sky.The setting sun had dropped just a little above the distant sea level, golden afterglow spilling onto the sea surface and onto the stone tablet at the bridgehead inscribed with the words 'Land of Waves Bridge'.Naruto estimated that in another day or two, this bridge would be completely finished.By then, their protection mission in the Land of Waves would officially end.Thinking of this, Naruto did not choose to return to Tazuna's house but instead found a clean spot at the bridgehead to sit down, quietly waiting for the sky to turn completely dark.The night gradually swallowed the sea.When Tazuna hammered down the last temporary rivet and announced that work was done for the day, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening.The old bridge builder took off his hard hat, covered in sweat. Seeing Naruto standing by the lamppost at the bridgehead, he paused for a beat and then burst into laughter."Naruto, you're still here!""Let's go, let's go home and eat!"Naruto stood up, stretched his somewhat stiff shoulders, and followed Tazuna and the workers back.When he pushed the door open to enter, only Kakashi was in the living room.Kakashi was sitting cross-legged in the corner, back against the wall, his forehead protector slanted to cover his left eye, holding a small, orange-red hardcover book in his hands: 'icha icha paradise'.At this moment, Kakashi was engrossed in his reading, his eyes curved into two arcs, a series of chuckles escaping his mouth. He was completely immersed in some indescribable plot in the book, not even noticing the sound of Naruto opening the door and entering.Naruto changed out of his Ninja shoes, walked up to Kakashi, bent over, extended two fingers, and pointed at the book in Kakashi's hands."Kakashi-sensei, you're currently in a recovery period, read less dirty books."Kakashi froze, his finger pausing in mid-air as he turned the page. Although his only Sharingan was not revealed, the eye exposed outside was wide open.He looked down at the 'icha icha paradise' in his hands, then looked up at the expressionless Narutopointing at him. A flush of red appeared on his cheeks, and then he closed the book with lightning speed and quietly tucked it into the innermost layer of his Ninja tool pouch.After doing all this, Kakashi coughed and attempted to change the subject."Hey, Naruto."Kakashi tilted his head, carefully examining the blonde youth in front of him: "I feel like you've changed quite a bit during this period."This wasn't the first time Kakashi had this feeling.When the Land of Waves mission started, Narutowas still that boisterous, energetic, but extremely unreliable Loser.But ever since the battle with Haku ended, it seemed like something was missing from this kid, and something else had been added.What was missing was that noisiness. In the past, Naruto was talking every waking moment, either shouting "I'm going to be Hokage," arguing with Sasuke, or circling around Sakura.But now he was much quieter, and his speech was much more concise.What was added was a kind of composure he had never seen in Naruto before.This composure was not gloom, not the despondency after being hit by a blow, but a kind of calmness only found in a Jonin.Naruto was slightly stunned, then smiled.The smile was different from the exaggerated grinning of the past; it wasn't wide, but it was very natural."Kakashi-sensei, perhaps this is growth.""Having experienced so many life-or-death situations, it's only normal to have some changes."Kakashi was silent for a moment, then nodded.A flash of understanding crossed his eyes. That was how it was for a Ninja: after killing for the first time, after seeing a comrade fall before one's eyes for the first time, after crawling back from the gates of hell for the first time, one's personality would undergo irreversible changes.Naruto had clashed with Zabuza, been shot into a hedgehog by Haku, seen Sasuke fall before his eyes, and finally experienced the deaths of Zabuza and Haku.With so many things hitting a twelve-year-old boy all at once, it would be strange if he didn't change.Moreover, in all fairness, Kakashi felt that this change was a good thing for Naruto.The Naruto of the past, who was too loud, too boisterous, and too unreliable, would always be the first to charge in when encountering danger, requiring him to spend a lot of energy to clean up the mess.This quiet and composed Naruto now, although it made him feel a bit unaccustomed, really gave one a feeling of being more reliable."Well, experience makes one grow."Kakashi reached out, patted Naruto on the shoulder, his voice carrying a bit of serious encouragement: "Keep it up, Naruto.""Okay, Kakashi-sensei."Naruto met Kakashi's gaze and nodded earnestly: "I will work hard to become Hokage."This was not a lie.Becoming Hokage, this goal itself was real, but it was now worlds apart from the impulsive shouting of a child.Kakashi nodded with satisfaction.Just as he was about to say something encouraging, the wooden door was pushed open once again.He saw Sasuke and Sakura walk in, one after the other.Sasuke walked in front, his injuries mostly recovered, though his face still carried the pallor of someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.Sakura followed behind, her hair also damp with sweat. She had gone to train with Sasuke, but Sasuke hadn't spoken to her much the whole time. She had just been throwing shuriken and practicing basic taijutsu on the side, better than nothing.As soon as she entered the door, she saw Narutostanding next to Kakashi. The expression on her face completed a spectacular transformation within a fraction of a second.First was surprise, then awkwardness, and finally, it settled into cold indifference as she turned her head away.Both of them had heard the sentence Naruto just said: "I will work hard to become Hokage."Sakura thought to herself: "Hmph, Naruto is still the same Naruto. Talking about wanting to be Hokage, what's the use?""Compared to Sasuke-kun, he's far behind.""And I haven't calmed down from that 'last time' attitude of his a few days ago. Now, I will absolutely not take the initiative to speak to him. I will absolutely ignore him, unless he comes to apologize to me first."What Sasuke was thinking was: The Loser he had known for years had always been one of the worst students in class since the Ninja Academy. He could only use the Three Basic Jutsu in a half-baked way and had even failed the graduation exam because his Clone Jutsu wasn't up to standard.
But now, Naruto's tone was steady, his gaze firm, and there wasn't a hint of bravado in his demeanor.When did this guy change like this?Recalling Naruto's experiences in the Land of Waves: the terrifying Chakra he unleashed within the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals that even shocked Haku, how he broke Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals single-handedly after Sasukefell unconscious, and how he used fifty Shadow Clones to intimidate the entire Gato mercenary group after Zabuza died.And now, even the way he spoke was different from before.Was this still the same Loser he knew?Sasuke didn't speak, but he looked at Naruto with more intensity than ever before.Just then, Tazuna walked out of the kitchen carrying a large platter of freshly steamed rice balls. Seeing everyone gathered, he happily announced in a loud voice:"Honored Ninjas, good news! The bridge will be officially completed tomorrow!"Tazuna paused, giving his words a moment to sink in, then continued in a booming voice: "That means your mission will officially end by the day after tomorrow at the latest!"Hearing this, Naruto nodded, stood up, and walked toward the dining table. Sasuke glanced at him and followed.Sakura immediately put on a beaming smile and eagerly sat down next to Sasuke.Of course, she deliberately chose the seat furthest from Naruto.After the meal, Tazuna laughed heartily, raised his glass again, and announced another matter. He solemnly declared that to thank Naruto for guarding the bridge all this time,he planned to change the name of the nearly completed bridge from the originally planned "Great Land of Waves Bridge" to the "Great NarutoBridge".Naruto was drinking soup and nearly choked on a mouthful of miso soup upon hearing this.He set down his bowl and looked up to see Tazuna's smug expression, which clearly said, "Go on, praise me."He had thought about this name for a long time.Naruto waved his hand with some resignation: "Old man, whatever makes you happy."Sakura, who was sitting next to Sasuke and picking food for him, paused, her sweet smile freezing on her face for a moment.Her pink eyes widened, and she let out a silent roar internally: Why is it the Great Naruto Bridge?Why isn't it the Great Sasuke Bridge?Sasuke almost died!Why give the bridge's name to Naruto instead of Sasuke?Sasuke didn't say anything; he just turned his head to look out the window, lost in thought.Kakashi furtively reached into his Ninja tool pouch and quietly pulled out icha icha paradise, opening it up.The next day, nearly all the men, women, and children of the Land of Waves flocked to the bridgehead.The bridge, which had been under construction for so long, finally had its last stone slab set in place this afternoon.When Tazuna personally pulled off the white cloth covering the stone tablet at the bridgehead, the four characters for "Great Naruto Bridge" reflected a brand-new luster under the sunlight.Cheers shook the sky.Fishermen tossed their net caps into the air, women wiped tears from each other's eyes, and children screamed as they ran back and forth across the new bridge deck.They knew that from this day on, the Land of Waveswould no longer be an isolated island cut off by the sea.They could trade with the outside world, their children could live a good life, and no one would ever starve to death again.Another day passed.In the morning, the sun warmed the newly paved bridge deck.Kakashi and Tazuna completed the final step of the mission handover in the small living room of Tazuna's house.A standard-format Konoha Village protection mission completion confirmation form was signed and thumb-printed by the client, then signed and filed by the team leader.When Tazuna pressed his thumbprint onto the signature line, the calluses on his hand even wore away a layer of the ink pad.After signing, Kakashi rolled up the confirmation scroll, tucked it into his Ninja tool pouch, and then signaled for Naruto and the others to pack their gear and prepare to head back to the Village.While packing their last personal items, Tsunami, who had been responsible for their laundry and meals, specially wrapped a few extra rice balls in oil paper and stuffed them into Sakura's backpack.The Land of Waves was too poor to offer any valuable gifts; every extra meal of dry rations counted.Then she stood at the doorway and bowed deeply to them.Inari ran up to Naruto, looked up at him, his eyes brimming with tears that were no longer born of fear, and said in a voice heavy with nasal congestion: "Brother Naruto, you gave me courage.""In the future, I will be as brave as you and protect my family and this bridge!"Naruto looked down at the brat who used to only know how to hide behind his grandfather and cry. He was silent for a moment, then bent down and patted Inari on the shoulder."You are already very brave.""The day you stood at the bridgehead, you were your grandfather's hero.""Keep it up."Inari bit his lip, clenched his two small fists tightly, and nodded heavily at Naruto.Naruto straightened up and turned to walk toward Kakashi and the others, who were already waiting at the town entrance.After he had walked a dozen steps, Inari's voice rang out from behind him, shouting with all his might: "Brother Naruto, I will definitely become a Ninja just like you one day!"Naruto didn't turn back; he just raised his right hand and waved casually.Kakashi walked at the very front of the group with his usual devil-may-care gait. His hand had already reached back into his Ninja tool pouch, touching the corner of icha icha paradise; he would probably sneak it out to read within a kilometer.Sakura followed closely behind, chattering away at Sasuke's heels about what desserts she wanted to eat when they got back.Sasuke walked in the middle of the group, expressionlessly dealing with Sakura's chatter. After walking for a while, he turned his head slightly and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Naruto, who was at the very back of the group.Naruto walked at the back of the group. He was thinking about what would happen after returning to Konoha.It went without saying that as soon as he stepped through the gates of Konoha, it wouldn't be long before the Anbu's eyes were stuck back on him.With the identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchurikihanging over him, no matter how kind and amiable the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared, it was impossible for him to truly let Naruto move about the Village freely without keeping tabs on him.Not to mention that Hiruzen Sarutobi had the Telescope Technique to locate his Chakra at any time; he could watch whenever he wanted.Eating instant noodles in his apartment, sleeping in, staring blankly at the wall—the Sandaime might have seen all of those scenes.Thinking of this, Naruto felt uneasy all over.But at this stage, there was nothing he could do.He couldn't show any awareness of the surveillance; a Genin who had only graduated from the Ninja Academy a few months ago shouldn't have the ability to detect Anbu tracking him.Nor could he suddenly change his daily routine.Before Hiruzen Sarutobi died, he had to continue playing the role of Uzumaki Naruto—someone who had matured slightly after the baptism of the mission, but was still fundamentally that same Loser.This restrictive feeling made Naruto very unhappy, but he had no choice but to endure it.He only hoped that the Chunin Exams would arrive quickly. Once the Konoha Crush Plan started, Hiruzen Sarutobi would die within the Four Violet Flames Formation, and Tsunade would take over as the Fifth Generation Hokage. By then, his situation would be completely different.
Chapter 24: Konoha, Returning HomeTsunade's attitude toward Naruto was different from Sandaime's; she wouldn't stare at him every moment, nor would she use the Telescope Technique to pry into his private life."Hurry up and start, Chunin Exams."Naruto muttered to himself in his heart.As dusk approached, the gates of Konoha Villagefinally appeared in the sight of the group.The Konoha Village gates.Two middle-aged Ninja stood at the entrance, one on the left and one on the right.Naruto remembered these two, Kotetsu Haganeand Izumo Kamizuki.They were Konoha's famous, legendary gatekeeping Chunin; don't let the fact that they were just gatekeepers fool you—when it came to a real fight, their strength was nothing to scoff at.Casting his gaze past the gate, he looked into the Village.In the distance, the red roof of the Hokage Buildingwas particularly conspicuous in the setting sun, and directly above the Hokage Building, the Hokage Rock carved into the entire mountainside was clearly visible.The four faces looked down silently over the entire Village, the setting sun plating them with a layer of golden-red light.Naruto only glanced at it before retracting his gaze, not lingering for even a second.Kakashi led the three of them to the mission registration office to complete the handover procedures, signed the papers, submitted the mission confirmation form, and collected the reward for this mission.Although the mission in the Land of Waves had been upgraded from C-rank to A-rank halfway through, because the client, Tazuna, could not afford a higher commission, Konoha settled it as a C-rank mission according to custom.Kakashi weighed the money bag in his hand, then turned to face the three of them."Well, congratulations on completing the protection mission in the Land of Waves."Kakashi's eyes curved into two arcs, his voice still maintaining its lazy tone: "As a reward, you get two days off. Hurry back and get some good rest.""Great!"Hearing this, Sakura was the first to jump up, clasping her hands together, the fatigue on her face instantly swept away: "I'm going to go home and have a nice hot bath, then sleep until I wake up naturally. The last few days in the Land of Waves, even the showers were cold water; I feel like my hair is about to turn into straw!"She spun around excitedly on the spot, her long pink hair whipping an arc through the air.Then, her movements gradually slowed down.Because she realized that she was the only one happy at the scene.Kakashi leaned against a lamppost, one hand in his pocket, his forehead protector covering his left eye, making his expression impossible to read.Sasuke stood to the side with his head lowered, hands in his shorts pockets, showing no reaction to the two-day holiday, as if he were thinking about something else.As for Naruto, his gaze was focused on the ground in the distance, his brows slightly furrowed; clearly, his mind was not here at all.The smile on Sakura's face slowly stiffened.She looked at Kakashi, then at Sasuke, and finally at Naruto.Kakashi and Sasuke were one thing; one was naturally expressionless, and the other was the aloof type.But shouldn't Naruto be cheering happily with her?Didn't he love holidays the most before?Every time Kakashi mentioned a holiday, he would jump up and shout, "Great! I'm going to eat ramen," and then lean in close to her to ask, "Sakura, do you want to go together?"But now, Naruto didn't even glance at her, as if what she had just said was completely air.Sakura turned her head away, crossing her arms over her chest.Hmph, ignoring me, are you?Then I won't pay attention to you either.I hate Naruto right now, and I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely will not be the one to talk to him first.Kakashi calmly took in the reactions of his three students.As the Jonin in charge, he had a responsibility to observe the state of each student.After returning from the Land of Waves, Sasukewas even more silent than before, but the nature of his silence had changed; it used to be that cold, arrogant silence, but now it felt more like the silence of someone rethinking things after being touched by something.Naruto's change was even more obvious; from his previous noisiness to his current steadiness, it was as if he were a completely different person. However, having experienced the life-and-death battle against Zabuza and Haku, this change actually showed that he was truly growing.As for Sakura, she had basically not changed at all, which couldn't be blamed on her. She had barely participated directly in the main battles of the Land of Waves mission, so naturally, she lacked the realization that comes from having walked the line between life and death."Well."Kakashi clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three back to him: "Now, dismissed."As his voice faded, he used a Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a slowly drifting leaf.After Kakashi vanished, Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto.He clearly wanted to say something, his lips moving, but in the end, he didn't say anything.Then he turned around, hands in his pockets, and walked away alone along the main road of Konoha, not even saying goodbye.Seeing Sasuke's retreating figure, the expression on Sakura's face instantly collapsed.She had originally wanted to take advantage of the holiday to ask Sasuke to go to that newly opened dessert shop, but he hadn't even given her a chance to say a word.Sakura stood there, feeling somewhat dejected, and then subconsciously turned to look in Naruto's direction.She discovered that Naruto had left too.He was walking in the opposite direction from Sasuke, his pace neither fast nor slow, his golden hair gradually becoming a small speck of light in the setting sun, walking further and further away."That's so rude, Naruto!"Sakura couldn't help but blurt out.Her voice drifted into the air; Naruto didn't even pause his steps, and it was unclear whether he truly hadn't heard or just couldn't be bothered to respond.Naruto continued walking, soon turning a street corner and disappearing into the shadows of the buildings.Sakura stood on the spot, took one last look at the direction where Naruto had disappeared, let out a heavy huff, stomped her feet twice, and then arranged her hair, put on a ladylike expression, and turned to walk in the direction of her own home.Naruto walked forward along the route in his memory.The proprietress of a dango shop was packing up her stall; she looked up, saw Naruto walking past, and habitually revealed a polite smile. Then, realizing it was Naruto, her smile instantly stiffened, and she lowered her head to continue tidying up.Naruto didn't pay attention to any of this; his focus was only on the road beneath his feet.After walking for about fifteen minutes, he turned into an old apartment complex.A yellow, three-story cramped apartment building appeared before him. Large patches of yellow paint on the walls were peeling, flapping in the evening breeze. Half of the hallway lights were out, and at the corner of the second floor, a few cardboard boxes—who knew how long they had been there—were piled up.Naruto stood under the apartment building and looked up, then leaped a few times to the second floor, walking along the corridor to the door at the very end.He fished the key out of his Ninja tool pouch, inserted it into the keyhole, and the door let out a harsh, creaking sound.The door swung wide open; inside, it was pitch black.Naruto reached out to find the switch on the wall and pressed it; an incandescent bulb on the ceiling lit up, illuminating the entire room.Then, Naruto saw a bachelor apartment that could only be described as a disaster zone.At the entryway, at least five or six pairs of worn socks were piled up. On the low table in the living room, seven or eight finished instant noodle cups were strewn about, some of them still containing dried, congealed soup.Empty milk cartons were piled into a small mountain, a few of which had toppled over and rolled onto the floor, where a few drops of yellowing milk stains had dried into white patches on the floorboards.
Chapter 25: Spring Cleaning, Hokage BuildingDirty clothes were thrown everywhere; one was draped over a chair, a pile was heaped by the foot of the bed, and even the window handle had a pair of wrinkled athletic shorts hanging from it.The entire room was permeated with a complex odor of instant noodle broth, expired milk, unwashed socks, and dust all mixed together.Naruto looked at the scene before him, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.Although he had long known from the original owner's memories that his living environment was not great, seeing it with his own eyes was completely different from the images in his memory.This could no longer be described as just sloppy; it was clearly the inevitable result of an orphan with absolutely no self-care skills living alone for many years.Naruto walked to the low table, picked up a cup noodle container with two fingers, and brought it close to his eyes to check the production date.Then he picked up a milk carton and flipped it to the bottom to find the expiration date.Both dates were two months past due."Eating expired stuff, how could I not get diarrhea?"Naruto threw the empty containers back, wiped his hands on his apron, and then, using the memories in his mind, sorted out the sequence of events.In the past, because of Naruto's special status, he couldn't afford fresh meals, not to mention he was ostracized by the villagers, so naturally, he couldn't eat outside either.Relying on the meager orphan allowance issued by the Third, in a place like Konoha where a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen cost sixty ryo, it wasn't enough to eat properly, so he could only hoard the cheapest cup noodles and milk, keeping a pile at home to eat slowly.On top of that, being reluctant to eat them, they just sat there and naturally expired without him realizing it."Fine..."Naruto shook his head, rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, looked around the room, and decided, "Then it's time for a deep clean."Starting from the door, he picked up all the worn socks and threw them into a large trash bag.Then came the cup noodle containers and milk cartons on the table, all of which were swept into the trash bag, leaving none behind.The cleaning lasted for nearly two hours.When Naruto carried the last trash bag to the trash can downstairs of the apartment building and returned to the room, the entire place looked brand new.The floor was polished until it reflected light, the table was clean, the windowsill was empty, the bedding on the bed was folded neatly, and the air was filled with a faint scent of detergent. Although it still carried the dampness typical of an old apartment, at least it didn't stink anymore.Naruto also cleaned out the refrigerator.Almost all the food in the refrigerator's cold storage had expired. He also dug out all the expired cup noodle stock from the cabinets and, along with the milk that was about to expire, bagged it all up and took it downstairs.The new rule Naruto set for himself was simple: from today on, he would no longer eat this junk food. If he was going to eat, he would eat proper food high in protein and calories, and slowly make up for the nutrition he had missed out on as a child.A healthy body is the foundation of cultivation, and he knew this better than anyone else.Just as Naruto was busy working up a sweat in his apartment, inside the Hokage Office...Hiruzen Sarutobi had his pipe in his mouth, squinting as he watched the crystal ball in front of him.The image reflected in the crystal ball was Naruto's apartment.He was kneeling on the floor, using a rag to vigorously scrub a stubborn stain, stopping every few rubs to change angles and see if there were any marks left under the light, only moving on to the next area after confirming it was gone.Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, the smoke rings rising and curling in the dim office.Standing in front of him was Kakashi, who had just finished his mission report and hadn't left yet."It seems that, as you said, after this mission to the Land of Waves, little Naruto has truly grown."Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was old and slow, his tone carrying a touch of lament, along with a hint of barely perceptible gratification."Yes, Hokage-sama."Kakashi slightly lowered his head: "Narutoexperienced the battle against Zabuza and the Ninjawith the Ice Release Bloodline Limit, and especially after Sasuke was seriously injured, he unleashed the Nine-Tails Chakra. Since then, he has become much more composed.""During this mission, he also told me personally that he is determined to become Hokage."Upon hearing the last sentence, a smile appeared at the corners of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth.It was a very complex smile, containing gratification, memories, and some things that others couldn't read.He didn't speak, just quietly watched Naruto in the crystal ball finish scrubbing the last patch of floor, stand up to thump his lower back, and then head out carrying the trash bag."Alright, I understand.""Kakashi, thank you for your hard work; you should go back and rest too."Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual gentleness."Yes, Hokage-sama, you should rest early as well."Kakashi bowed slightly and turned to walk out of the Hokage Office.The door closed gently behind him.Only Hiruzen Sarutobi was left in the office.He didn't turn off the crystal ball, but continued to watch Naruto return after dumping the trash, wash his hands, and then sit cross-legged on the bed with the freshly changed sheets, closing his eyes to begin meditation and cultivation."Little Naruto, it seems you have also started to grow.""Grow up quickly, and become a Ninja like your father."Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured to himself, watching Naruto in the crystal ball.He tapped the ash out of his pipe, refilled it with a pinch of tobacco, and was about to take another puff."Hokage-sama."At this moment, a low voice came from outside the door.It was Anbu.Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand moved slightly, and the image on the crystal ball instantly switched to blurry water ripples, rendering it impossible to see anything else.He put the pipe back into his mouth and leaned back against the chair."Come in."The door was pushed open, and an Anbu Ninjawearing a cat mask walked in quickly, knelt on one knee in front of the desk, and presented a scroll tied with a red ribbon with both hands."Hokage-sama, this is the list for the Chunin Examssent by the various nations."Hiruzen Sarutobi took the scroll and weighed it in his palm.The scroll was not light, which meant that the number of countries and Ninjas participating in this joint Chunin Exams was not small.His fingers traced the edge of the wax seal on the scroll, and he nodded slightly."I understand, thank you for your hard work, you may go.""Yes, Hokage-sama."The Anbu's figure exited the office silently as if melting into the shadows, and the door closed again.Hiruzen Sarutobi placed the scroll on the table, used his finger to flick open the wax seal, and slowly unrolled the scroll.The scroll was densely packed with the list of Geninfrom various Ninja villages participating in this Chunin Exams: Hidden Sand Village, Hidden Rain Village, Kusagakure, Takigakure...He read down line by line, his gaze pausing briefly on a few names.On the other side, in Naruto's apartment, Naruto, who had just finished showering and changed into clean clothes, sat cross-legged on the bed. His hair was still wet, and water droplets dripped from the golden tips onto his shoulders.He did not fall asleep immediately as usual, but instead closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the dense knowledge of Sealing Jutsu in his mind.He flipped page by page through the Sealing Jutsusystem that Kushina had left him, as if consulting materials in a library, sorting out the principles, structures, applicable scenarios, and limitations of each technique one by one.