As their fists collided, the chakra of man and fox instantly connected.
As expected, the Nine-Tailed Beast sensed not a trace of deception in Minato's heart, only pure and genuine goodwill.
This left the proud and aloof Nine-Tailed Beast, who had remained unshaken for millennia, feeling utterly bewildered for the first time.
"In my world, I released the Tailed Beasts," Minato said solemnly. "But in this world, I intend to entrust this task to Naruto."
Minato's expression turned serious. "I ask you to guide him down the right path, Kurama!"
"Why should I help him?" Kurama scoffed, sprawling on the ground and turning his face away in a huff. "This brat isn't like you. His heart is dark."
"If I had experienced what Naruto has, I'd be even darker than he is," Minato countered. He shook his head. "Besides, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Unprincipled forgiveness of enemies isn't greatness; it's foolishness. I only hope he cares for friends who treat him with sincerity and can act in accordance with his conscience, doing things he can live with."
Kurama's ears twitched, but he remained silent.
"So, I'm counting on you, Kurama!"
"Hey, don't just stand there muttering to yourself, you damn beast!"
The Nine-Tailed Beast roared, but despite his words, his body remained honest—refraining from interfering with Naruto's chakra.
Sensing this change, Minato chuckled and withdrew from the Sealing Space.
"Try again, Naruto."
"Okay—"
Naruto didn't fully understand, but he obediently complied.
He formed hand seals with both hands: "Clone!"
Boom!
This time, it wasn't a weak, useless clone, but one that was identical to his original form.
Seeing this, Naruto immediately cheered.
"Yes! I did it!"
Excitedly, Naruto grabbed Minato's hand. "Minato, how did you do it? I suddenly felt my chakra become much easier to control!"
"That's a secret for you to discover little by little in the future."
Minato raised his index finger. "However, although you succeeded, you wasted a lot of chakra. Your chakra control is still lacking, so that will be your training objective from now on."
"What should I do?"
Naruto immediately looked eager to get started.
"See that tree over there?"
Minato pointed to a large tree near the training ground, then strode over. To Naruto's astonished gaze, he stepped onto the trunk and, with steady steps, walked to the treetop.
"Awesome! How do you do that?" Naruto's eyes sparkled with wonder.
"Distribute your chakra evenly beneath your feet, balancing it to support your weight."
Minato jumped down from the tree. "Want to try?"
"Yosh! Watch me!"
Naruto began gathering chakra, then charged toward the trunk and started climbing.
Thud, thud, thud—
He managed three or four steps before losing his footing due to uneven chakra distribution. He slipped and began falling.
"Whoa!"
Naruto yelped, but Minato caught him mid-air.
"Be careful not to fall during training," Minato said gently. "This is your first-stage objective. When I believe you've mastered it, I'll teach you a powerful A-Rank Ninjutsu."
"A-Rank Ninjutsu?" Naruto's eyes widened. "What technique? Can I see it?"
"Hmm... Alright!"
Minato nodded, wanting to motivate Naruto. He gathered chakra in his palm, forming a deep blue sphere.
"This is called the Rasengan. As for its power... watch closely!"
With that, he slammed the Rasengan into the tree trunk.
Boom!
The moment the Rasengan touched the tree trunk, it exploded with a thunderous boom, leaving a perfectly circular crater carved by the impact.
Just as I expected from my teacher's Rasengan...
Witnessing this inherited technique, a glimmer of amusement flickered in Kakashi's eyes.
"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, his excitement surging. "Hey, Minato, can you teach me right now?"
"No, not yet," Minato replied, shaking his head. "This technique requires exceptional chakra control. With your current level, you wouldn't even pass the initial stage. Cultivating ninjutsu demands a solid foundation. Even with my natural talent, I wasn't an exception. However... I can show you a clever shortcut."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "What kind of shortcut?"
Minato formed hand seals and released a Shadow Clone with a pop.
"A clone?" Naruto tilted his head, puzzled.
"This is a Shadow Clone," Minato explained solemnly. "Created by the Second Hokage, it possesses independent thought and action. Because the clone's memories are transferred back to the original through chakra circulation, training alongside a Shadow Clone doubles your experience."
"Similarly, if you create a thousand Shadow Clones, you'll gain a thousand times the experience. A thousand clones cultivating Chakra for a day would be equivalent to three years of training for anyone else."
"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed, his excitement bubbling over. "Teach me right now!"
"Hold on," Minato cautioned, shaking his head. "This training method has its drawbacks. First, due to Chakra limitations, most people simply can't meet the requirements for this kind of training."
"Second, while the experience gained by the clones flows back to you, so does the fatigue. If you're not careful, you could end up a fool at best, or dead from Chakra depletion at worst."
Naruto's expression turned serious. Even someone as carefree as him couldn't help but take this seriously.
"Do you still want to learn?" Minato asked.
"Yes!" Naruto nodded vigorously, his demeanor unprecedentedly serious. "I want to become—"
Minato waved his hand, interrupting Naruto. "Yeah, yeah, no need to explain your reasons."
Naruto froze mid-sentence, his face twisting in confusion.
"I'm not interested in ideals or whatever. The things people strive for are so easily within my grasp that I probably can't relate," Minato chuckled softly. "Besides, I believe that simply being yourself is enough."
"Hmm..."
The little Naruto didn't fully grasp what was being said, but Kakashi understood. He sensed a notable difference in personality between this young teacher and his own Teacher Minato.
Or was Teacher always this arrogant as a child?
Kakashi scratched his head and continued observing the scene.
Just as Minato had anticipated, Naruto and Shadow Clones were destined to be.
In less than ten minutes, with a pop, a clone materialized, carrying half the chakra of the original.
"It worked! So cool—"
Naruto circled his Shadow Clone, which bounced around playfully, full of energy.
"Hahaha! Uzumaki Naruto, the Great Master, is truly a genius!"
"Not bad," Minato nodded approvingly. "Now, your next goal is this."
With that, he formed hand seals with both hands.
Boom!
Smoke exploded, and over a thousand Shadow Clones instantly surrounded both Narutos!
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