Shouts of "Naruto-sensei!" immediately echoed through the training ground.
Naruto frowned.
"Louder!"
"NARUTO-SENSEI!"
"That's better."
The smile on Naruto's face slowly disappeared. Replacing it was a rare expression of seriousness.
"Since you've all decided to call me Naruto-sensei, let me tell you an unpleasant truth."
"In the days ahead, you'll undergo the most rigorous special training you've ever experienced."
"It will be brutal."
"You'll feel like you're suffering every single day."
"There will be times when you'll wish you were dead."
"You'll probably regret the decision you've made today."
He paused before looking at everyone with unwavering determination.
"But..."
"There is one thing I, Uzumaki Naruto, can promise you."
"If you endure this training to the very end, your strength will improve at an astonishing rate."
"You'll gain confidence."
"You'll develop an overwhelming presence."
"And you'll obtain power unlike anything you've ever possessed before."
Naruto's eyes swept across the crowd.
"So..."
"Are you ready?"
Everyone stared at him.
The Naruto standing before them felt different from the one they had always known.
However, when they thought about Konoha's current situation, the growing threats both inside and outside the village, and the increasingly tense atmosphere throughout the ninja world, a powerful sense of urgency filled their hearts.
They all took a deep breath before shouting in unison,
"We're ready!"
"Naruto-sensei!!"
---
In truth, everyone understood something.
Among all of them, Naruto was the one carrying the greatest burden.
As the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, he had long since become one of the Akatsuki's primary targets.
His capture was only a matter of time.
Yet that wasn't the only reason he pushed himself so relentlessly.
He trained for his dream.
He trained to protect everyone.
If even Naruto worked this hard, what excuse did anyone else have to be lazy?
After all, becoming a true ninja was completely different from simply attending the Ninja Academy.
Even Shikamaru—who had always been lazy and hated troublesome things—had realized an important truth after completing real missions and witnessing actual battles.
If he wanted to continue living the peaceful, carefree life he dreamed of...
He first had to become stronger.
Only by changing the ninja world itself could true peace ever exist.
So, although everyone complained about how exhausting the training was, deep down they had already made up their minds.
If even Shikamaru could think that way, there was even less reason for everyone else to hesitate.
And so...
Naruto officially began his devilish special training program.
Aside from the occasional mission, almost every waking moment was devoted entirely to training.
Training.
Then even more training.
For years, the system had forced Naruto to train every single day until it became second nature.
Even without the system now, his determination had never wavered.
The others, however, had never developed such a habit.
From sunrise until sunset, there were no breaks.
Even breakfast, lunch, and dinner had to be finished within ten minutes.
Every spare second was squeezed out and devoted to becoming stronger.
After just a single day...
Everyone was completely exhausted.
Even Sakura Haruno, who had initially joined mainly to spend more time with Sasuke, had no energy left for romance after experiencing Naruto's ruthless training regimen.
She barely had enough strength to stand, let alone chase after Sasuke.
Among everyone present, only Sasuke endured the training without a single complaint.
As he grew older, he became increasingly aware of the enormous gap separating him from Uchiha Itachi.
The distance between them felt like an endless abyss.
If he wanted revenge as soon as possible...
He had no choice but to train like a madman.
Even Naruto couldn't help being surprised by Sasuke's determination.
Besides training under Naruto's supervision from dawn until dusk, Sasuke studied new ninjutsu under Jiraiya, learned methods of countering the Mangekyō Sharingan by sparring with Kakashi, and constantly refined his swordsmanship.
It was practically the equivalent of working three full-time jobs every day.
The relentless schedule pushed him to the brink of collapse.
Yet he never once considered giving up.
Fortunately, such desperate effort produced equally astonishing results.
His strength increased at an incredible pace.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)