Chapter 36: Chakra FusionNaruto stood still before the Nine-Tailed.He lifted his head, looking up at the colossal beast that was taller than a building even while lying down, his gaze calm and resolute.Then he raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and extended it toward the Nine-Tailed."Kurama, believe me, I truly want to become your partner."The Nine-Tailed looked at the fist extended toward it.It was tiny.Compared to its massive size, Naruto's entire body was smaller than one of its claws, and that fist was so small it was almost negligible.But it knew what this fist represented.This fist carried the most incredible promise a human had ever made to a Tailed Beast.Not enslavement, not sealing, not exploitation, but an equal partnership."Uzumaki Naruto, do you mean to..."The Nine-Tailed's voice was low, and it paused mid-sentence, as if even it dared not speak the name of that action aloud.A fist bump—that was the most fundamental action humans used to express trust and bonds."So, Kurama, you can call me Naruto; you don't always have to use my full name, it feels too distant."Naruto maintained his outstretched fist, his eyes fixed straight on the Nine-Tailed's massive vertical pupils, without blinking: "That's right, what you're thinking is exactly what I intend to do.""Let me feel your Chakra, Kurama!"The Nine-Tailed was silent for a long time.The wind on the plains blew between them, causing Naruto's golden hair to sway slightly.In its vertical pupils, Naruto's reflection was shrunk very, very small, but the look in those eyes held a power that even a Tailed Beast that had lived for thousands of years could not ignore.It was not the power of Chakra, nor the power of a Bloodline Limit, but the unique power belonging to the human species.The Nine-Tailed slowly raised its right front claw, and with an extremely light and slow movement, it passed through the gaps in the bars of the Sealing Space cage and cautiously touched Naruto's fist.The size difference was stark.Just one of the Nine-Tailed's knuckles was several times larger than Naruto's entire fist.But the moment those two fists, one big and one small, touched, two completely different Chakras converged at the point of contact.The Nine-Tailed's Chakra carried accumulated hatred, resentment, rage, and the desire for destruction.In an instant, it all surged into Naruto's body.This was not just massive energy; it was massive malice.Hatred pierced every inch of Naruto's consciousness like countless red-hot iron skewers, resentment poured into Naruto's veins like thick asphalt, and violent desires for destruction exploded in Naruto's brain, roaring for him to tear everything apart.Then, Naruto's Chakra also flowed into the Nine-Tailed.Compared to the Nine-Tailed's ocean-like volume of Chakra, Naruto's Chakra was pitifully small, like pouring a cup of water into an ocean.But this cup of water was different from the Nine-Tailed's Chakra.It was clear, warm, free of any impurities, without fear, without defenses, without bargaining.Chakra never lies; it carries the truest will from the depths of a person's heart.Naruto's Chakra was telling the Nine-Tailed one thing: I trust you, as an equal partner."Brat, you really..."The Nine-Tailed's voice trailed off.It had lived for thousands of years, and this was not its first time being sealed inside a Jinchuriki.Every time, the fusion between the Jinchuriki and its Chakra had been a one-sided act of plunder and suppression.The Jinchuriki would siphon its power, and it would use its hateful will to corrode the Jinchuriki; the two were always fighting, always tearing at each other.Never had a human dared to proactively flow their own Chakra toward it, let alone dared to let it read what thoughts were hidden within their Chakra.Because no one dared; no one dared to let a Tailed Beast see into their heart, nor could anyone's heart withstand being measured by a Tailed Beast's yardstick of hatred.But there was not a hint of guilt in Naruto's Chakra.The commitment, the trust, the determination to fight side-by-side—it was all packed into that cup of water, without any reservations.The Nine-Tailed was silent for three seconds.Then it suddenly lifted its head, and an unprecedented light burned within its scarlet vertical pupils.A sense of excitement and disbelief, as if long-forgotten memories had been awakened."Naruto..."The Nine-Tailed did not call out Uzumaki Naruto, nor did it call him brat; it called out Naruto's name: "Accept my Chakra!"Naruto's consciousness opened its eyes abruptly within the Sealing Space, and without the slightest hesitation, his hands quickly formed hand signs.He had seen the sequence of these signs once and it had been etched into his mind; this was the sealing key Minato Namikaze had given him, the sequence of hand signs used to undo the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style.As his fingers flew, a warm Chakra surged from his abdomen, and the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style that sealed the Nine-Tailed began to loosen layer by layer.Click... click-click... click-click-click...It was as if countless chains were being unlocked inside him simultaneously; with each one undone, a surge of Chakra, so immense it was suffocating, poured out from the gaps in the seal.The Nine-Tailed's Chakra surged into Naruto's body like a breached flood.This time was completely different from the experiment in the forest in the Land of Waves.That time, the Nine-Tailed had only given a few scraps that had leaked through the corroded seal, but this time, the Nine-Tailed had actively opened the gates of its Chakra, pushing its power over without reservation.The volume of Chakra instantly skyrocketed to an alarming degree; Naruto felt as if his body were a pipe that had been forced to contain an entire river, and it was on the verge of bursting at any moment.He dared not be the slightest bit careless. He activated Absolute Control to its fullest extent, and the Nine-Tailed Chakra that surged in was precisely guided into the designated meridian pathways, mixing in an orderly fashion with his own Chakra.The hateful will of the Nine-Tailed Chakra was stripped away and purified layer by layer, leaving only the purest power.Throughout the entire process, the Nine-TailedChakra was strictly controlled within Naruto's body, without a single bit leaking out, and the disturbance was firmly contained by the Perception Blocking Barrier, with not even a trace escaping beyond the barrier.To outsiders, the waterfall area remained roaring under the moonlight, with nothing unusual.Inside the barrier, however, it was a completely different and spectacular scene.The many Shadow Clones who were practicing the Flying Thunder God opened their eyes, as if they had sensed something.Then they perceived that the Chakra fluctuations on the main body were climbing at an incredible speed; this density and pressure had completely surpassed the magnitude that a normal Ninja should possess.And the exterior of the main body's body was gradually covered in a layer of warm and dazzling gold."The main body's Chakra volume is skyrocketing?""This Chakra is no longer the volume of a Tailed Beast cloak; it's even more exaggerated than the Four-Tails state!"One clone widened its eyes."Did the main body open the seal?""Is this the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode?"Another clone hadn't finished speaking when it saw the main body's figure begin to flicker violently, and then, with a flash of golden light, the Chakracompletely stabilized.The Shadow Clones looked, only to see the main body enveloped in a layer of golden Chakra flames. These flames were completely different from the previous violent, deep-red Tailed Beast cloak; this flame was warm and bright, like molten sunlight spun into threads, wrapping around the main body layer by layer.
Chapter 37: Nine-Tails Chakra ModeIn this state, Naruto's appearance began to undergo an earth-shattering change.Naruto's hair was lifted upward by the Chakra, the strands on his forehead parting into the shape of two horns, and six black magatama condensed from Chakra appeared on his collar.When Naruto opened his eyes, his pupils were shaped exactly like the Nine-Tailed's, but they glowed a bright orange-gold in the sunlight.The thirty Shadow Clones simultaneously fell speechless for two seconds, and then, as if by prior agreement, began to sigh in admiration."Wow, the original went all out.""Here we are, painstakingly trying to comprehend the Flying Thunder God, while the original is off secretly piloting a Gundam behind our backs!""Uh, what should I do if I'm halfway through comprehending the Flying Thunder God and suddenly blinded by the original? Waiting online, pretty urgent."...Naruto ignored the Shadow Clones. He slowly raised his hands and looked down to examine his palms.Golden Chakra flowed at his fingertips like a layer of molten gold, illuminating the lines on his palms with perfect clarity.This feeling was absolutely wonderful.Previously, when channeling the Nine-Tails Chakra, whether in the initial rampaging state or the Four-Tails form, he had to use Absolute Control to suppress the will of hatred within the Nine-Tails Chakra.But now was different.The Nine-Tailed's Chakra was given to him willingly; the hatred within had been retracted by the Nine-Tailed itself before entering his body. He only needed to receive the purest power itself.Thus, Naruto now felt so light that he could almost fly, with every cell in his body brimming with a gentle yet majestic power."This is the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, or rather, the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode."Naruto muttered to himself.He bent his knees slightly, tapped his toes lightly on the rock, and his body turned into a streak of golden light, instantly appearing on the opposite bank of the pool.It wasn't the Body Flicker Technique, nor was it the Flying Thunder God; it was simply the most basic movement speed under the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.He raised his hand again and spread his fingers toward the pool in front of him.A brand-new sensory ability unfolded naturally.Sense of Good and EvilCompletely different from his previous detection using Absolute Control paired with Chakrafluctuations, the Sense of Good and Evil under the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was a much higher level of sensory ability.He could perceive others' goodwill toward him, or sense any malice they radiated.Naruto closed his eyes, slowly expanding the range of his Sense of Good and Evil.There were no malicious Chakra sources in the forest surrounding the waterfall, only a few scattered gray traces that were likely nocturnal animals.As the range expanded further to the edge of Konoha Village, he could feel a vast amount of goodwill Chakra scattered throughout the Villagelike stars, with a few being particularly prominent.Mr. Iruka, Uncle Ichiraku, and the three little ones of Konohamaru's group—none of them harbored any malice toward him.Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, retracted his Sense of Good and Evil, and confirmed the maximum distance of his current perception.Supported by his massive Chakra reserves, covering the entire Konoha area with his Sense of Good and Evil posed no problem at all.Then, Naruto carefully checked the Chakra status inside and outside the barrier once more.After the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was activated, all Chakra fluctuations were contained by the Perception Blocking Barrier, and the external scans for any traces outside the barrier also came back completely clean.There was no commotion in Konoha; everything in the Village was normal. The Anbu were still stationed in their original spots, and the Sandaime's crystal ball was highly likely still focused on his snoring Shadow Clone.Under this double protection, this awakening of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode did not alert anyone at all."Though the outcome is good, it was still a bit risky,"Naruto muttered.His plan was originally to practice the Flying Thunder God first, and once he had a basic grasp of it, find a wild area far from Konoha to fist-bump the Nine-Tailed and attempt to unlock the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.He hadn't expected the Nine-Tailed to be so moved by his sincerity that, in a sudden surge of emotion, it thrust all of its Chakra onto him, completely throwing his plans into disarray.Fortunately, the Perception Blocking Barrier and Absolute Control worked together flawlessly; otherwise, the burst of Chakra from just now would have been enough to jolt awake every sensory ninjain Konoha.That would have been troublesome.Immediately after, Naruto's consciousness sank back into the Sealing Space.It was still that same blue sky, white clouds, and endless grassland.The Nine-Tailed's massive body lay on the grass, but unlike before, its huge, dark-orange frame had visibly shrunk, and its once lush, thick fur had become somewhat sparse and dull.Its nine tails lay limply on the grass, not even bothering to flick.Naruto walked over to the Nine-Tailed's massive fox head, placed his hand on its furry snout, and frowned slightly."Thanks, Kurama.""I'm really sorry for making you look like this."The Nine-Tailed's eyelids twitched, opening a crack."Hmph, I didn't expect you to actually pull it off either."The Nine-Tailed's voice was much softer than before, carrying a clear weakness, but its tone remained proud."Uzumaki Naruto... no, Naruto.""Now that you possess my power, I hope you use it well.""Save the cheesy talk. Just let me sleep for a while.""Also, when you have time, don't just practice those flashy Ninjutsu."The Nine-Tailed closed its eyes, its voice growing lower and lower. "Although you have the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode now, your body hasn't fully adapted to the speed and power of this form.""Make adapting to the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode your top priority. Otherwise, when you throw a punch, the first thing to shatter won't be your enemy's face, but your own knuckles.""Additionally, now that you have my Chakra, you should also start learning the Tailed Beast Ball and a few basic Tailed Beast techniques.""You have such a massive reserve of Chakra now; not having the matching means to release it is just a waste of resources.""I got it, Kurama."Naruto nodded seriously."Also, remember, in this mode, you are using your own Chakra to control mine.""Although your Chakra control is precise, your total volume isn't that large. Don't squander it recklessly just because you have the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.""If you run out, my Chakra will instantly go out of control and rampage, and you won't even be able to pull it back.""I'll keep that in mind, Kurama."Naruto responded solemnly."Now that you know, get lost. I need to sleep for a while."The Nine-Tailed turned its head away, presenting the back of its head to Naruto. It curled its nine tails around itself, and its breathing gradually became slow and steady.Naruto exited the Sealing Space, his consciousness returning to reality.He opened his eyes and saw over thirty Shadow Clones staring intently at him. Seeing this, Narutoshook his golden hair and deliberately struck a pose."Yo, guys, how do you like my new look?"Hearing this, all the clones stared at Narutoexpressionlessly. After a brief silence, they erupted in unison."Damn it, the original actually managed to show off!""Here we are, sitting on our butts meditating to comprehend the Flying Thunder God, while you're over here secretly pinky-promising the Nine-Tailedto unlock the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode! Where's the justice? Where is the law?!"
Chapter 38: Digging a Hole, Adapting to Nine-Tails Chakra Mode"Hmph, I want what the original body has too! Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, is it? Chakra fusion, is it!""I'm going back right now to add another training memory for you as a protest!"No sooner said than done.*Poof...*The clone closest to Naruto's original body leaped up from the ground, formed a release sign with his hands, and vanished into a cloud of white smoke with a soft pop."Us too..."Poof, poof, poof...The remaining Shadow Clones said in unison, and then exploded into white smoke one after another.Before dispersing, the last Shadow Clone didn't forget to shout at Naruto, "Original body, remember to use the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode next time you summon Shadow Clones..."Naruto stood there speechlessly. The next moment, thirty sets of training memories for the Flying Thunder God Technique flooded into his mind all at once. Naruto used Absolute Control to categorize and organize them all.After sorting them out, Naruto's lips twitched involuntarily, but then he smiled.The thirty Shadow Clones had sent back over thirty sets of insights. After a massive amount of sensory details were combed through and integrated by Absolute Control, the spatial perception—the most critical part of training the Flying Thunder God—vaguely showed a concrete direction for a breakthrough.Striking while the iron was hot,Naruto formed a cross hand seal, and the Chakrainside his body gushed out in an unprecedentedly abundant state.The golden Chakra glowed within the barrier so brightly that it looked as if someone had lit a miniature sun by the pool."Shadow Clone Technique!"Once the smoke cleared, forty golden Narutos stood neatly on the open ground by the pool.All of them were shrouded in the same golden Chakra cloak, their hair upturned into horn-like shapes, magatama patterns appearing on their collars, and their pupils slit vertically.The spectacle of forty golden Narutos appearing at the same time was grand enough to rival a small army.The golden clones looked at their glowing, identical companions beside them, and then at the original body."Everyone, back to work. We must complete the first stage of the Flying Thunder God tonight."Naruto stood before the cave, golden Chakraflowing all over his body."Roger that, original body!"Forty golden Narutos replied in unison, then quickly dispersed, each finding a spot to sit cross-legged and train.Then, with their eyes closed, they immersed themselves in comprehending the Flying Thunder God Technique. The golden Chakra light filtered through the mist, casting concentric rings of swaying halos upon the pool.Standing at the cave entrance, Naruto looked down at the golden Chakra cloak flowing over his body.He had mastered the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, but this was only the first step.Absolute Control allowed him to suppress the surging Chakra in a short time and achieve basic utilization, but some high-level techniques still required dedicated practice.It was like a person suddenly being gifted with a thousand pounds of arm strength; swinging a fist was no problem, but using that strength to thread a needle was a completely different matter.The most practical aspect of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was using Chakra to condense extendable Chakra Arms around the body.In the later stages, Naruto would master this technique to perfection, using the Chakra Arms to grab distant enemies, protect companions, and even directly form Rasengans for long-range strikes.But right now, he hadn't even condensed a single Chakra Arm yet; he had to start from scratch."Let's start with the simplest thing first."Naruto raised his right hand, focusing his mind on the outer side of his shoulder.Golden Chakra welled up from his right shoulder. At first, it resembled a shapeless mist, but under the guidance of his will, it began to stretch and take shape.Absolute Control played a massive role at this moment. He could precisely perceive the flow direction and density distribution of every shred of Chakra during the shaping process. His fingers made a grasping motion as if kneading a lump of invisible clay, combing the Chakra into shape fiber by fiber.A golden Chakra Arm slowly extended from his right shoulder.First came a thick wrist, then a broad palm, and finally, five fingers.Every knuckle was sharp and distinct, the lines at the joints clearly visible.This Chakra Arm was larger than his entire body. With its fingers spread, it was a full five meters long, hovering outside his right shoulder and emitting a warm golden glow under the moonlight."It's done."Naruto exhaled, then frowned slightly. "No, the control precision can still be improved. The Chakradensity at the fingertips is too low; the tips will disperse first when grabbing something."He readjusted the distribution ratio of the Chakra, increasing the density at the fingertips by about twenty percent.Then, he condensed a second Chakra Arm, this time extending from his left shoulder. It took shape even faster than the right one, taking less than ten seconds.Two massive golden palms hovered on either side of his body, fingers slightly splayed, ready to perform various complex movements at any moment.Adaptation training required an actual object to practice on.Naruto looked around, his gaze landing on the cave behind him.This naturally formed, semi-open stone cave was too small, barely large enough for one person to sit cross-legged, making it difficult even to turn around.Moreover, if he wanted to use this place as a long-term secret training ground, a stone cave less than two meters in diameter was clearly insufficient. He needed more space to stretch his limbs."Then I'll use you for practice."Naruto shrugged his shoulders, and the two Chakra Arms made identical movements.The fingers spread and then curled, as if grasping something in the empty air.He chose to start with the innermost stone wall of the cave.The five fingers of the Chakra Arm sank in as easily as if piercing tofu. The stone wall made almost no sound, leaving only a patch of fine cracks where the golden fingers had penetrated.He controlled the depth and angle of insertion, distributing the force evenly across the entire palm, and then applied a slight amount of power.A massive boulder, about ten meters square, was steadily pulled out of the mountain by the ChakraArm.The cut edges of the rock were flat and smooth, as if sliced by a giant hot knife."I used too much force; the resistance when inserting was much smaller than expected."Naruto muttered to himself, noting the operational feel. At the same time, he controlled the ChakraArm to gently lower the rock to the ground, cushioning it with the palm so it made no sound upon landing.The speed of excavating the second rock was noticeably faster. From insertion to grabbing to putting it down, the Chakra Arm performed the action in one smooth motion, taking less than ten seconds in total.For the third block, he used one hand; for the fourth, he switched to the left hand; and by the fifth, he began trying to work continuously by alternating between his left and right hands.While the right hand dug out a block and moved it away, the left hand was already digging out the next one.The rhythm became smoother and smoother.Naruto wasn't just crudely hollowing out a hole; he was expanding it without compromising the mountain's overall structure. With every block he excavated, he would glance at the surrounding rock strata patterns to ensure the support structure remained intact.Soon, just two Chakra Arms were no longer enough to satisfy Naruto.He expanded the condensation points of his Chakrafrom his shoulders to other parts of his back, manifesting seven or eight Chakra Arms at once to work simultaneously.Chipping, grabbing, moving, transporting, and setting down—he established a streamlined assembly line.The cave's area rapidly expanded in complete silence.
WTR-LABNaruto: Starting with Kurama ModeCh. 39 / 6560%WebWeb+AI#39Chapter 39 Successful Avatar CultivationChapter 39: Clone Training SuccessThe massive amount of Chakra granted to him by Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and the fine manipulation abilities brought by Absolute Control combined perfectly in this engineering-like training.When the first hint of dawn began to break in the eastern sky, Naruto stopped his work.Standing at the entrance of the cave, he looked at the fruits of his night's labor.A domed cavern about five hundred meters in diameter was fully presented before him.The ceiling of the cave was high enough that he couldn't touch it even if he jumped, and the ground had been repeatedly leveled by Chakra Arms. Although it wasn't as smooth as a mirror, it was flat and sturdy enough.On the rock walls, he had left several rock protrusions on purpose, which could be used to hang Ninja tools or carve sealing formulas in the future.Next was setting up the Perception Blocking Barrier.He selected a core node in the center of the newly excavated cavern, and then created two clones to stand at the cave entrance and the cave ceiling respectively.The three barrier hand signs were completed simultaneously within seconds.Now, the interior of this cavern, just like the fifty-meter-diameter training clearing outside, was firmly enveloped by the Perception Blocking Barrier.From now on, no matter what jutsu he practiced inside, people outside wouldn't be able to detect even a shred of it.Walking out of the waterfall, Naruto finally noticed that the pile of rocks he had excavated had piled up into a small mountain.Originally, Naruto thought he could just pile these stones by the river, but looking at them now, the quantity was too vast, a vast, conspicuous patch under the moonlight. Let alone a Ninja, even ordinary villagers passing by would find it suspicious.Leaving them as they were was definitely not an option; if they were discovered, it would be equivalent to directly telling Konoha that someone had undertaken a massive project here.And Naruto didn't know any Earth Release Ninjutsuyet, so he had no way to fuse these rocks back into the mountain or sink them underground."Then I can only destroy them all."Naruto muttered to himself.He raised his right hand, and a bright blue Rasenganrapidly formed in his palm. Then, he walked up to the nearest rock and pressed the Rasengan against it.The moment the rapidly spinning Chakra sphere came into contact with the rock, the rock's surface was shaved and shattered in chunks, like a giant scoop of ice cream being gouged out. The debris was ground into fine powder within the spinning Chakra and instantly evaporated in the high temperature generated by the friction.A massive boulder over ten meters high was shaved from top to bottom by the Rasengan in less than half a minute, leaving not even a single grain of sand behind.After destroying several large rocks in a row, Narutolooked down at the spinning Rasengan in his hand, and a sudden thought popped into his mind."What if I throw the Rasengan?"The Rasengan's biggest shortcoming for a long time had been that it required close-range contact to deal damage. If he could turn it into a long-range attack, his combat flexibility would instantly go up a level.Without hesitation, he decided to try it.Naruto condensed another Rasengan. This time, instead of holding it in his palm to press it against something, he made a throwing motion and violently flung the rapidly spinning Chakra sphere toward the pool.The moment the Rasengan left his palm, it flew forward normally in the air for seven or eight meters. Naruto almost thought he had succeeded.But just as he was about to record the feeling, the blue Chakra sphere, like an electric spinning top with its plug pulled, slowed down more and more. The edges of the sphere began to blur, and the Chakra dissipated in all directions. When it flew to about twelve or thirteen meters, it completely disintegrated into a blue mist, falling onto the pool and stirring up a negligible ripple."As expected, it doesn't work."Naruto withdrew his hand, feeling neither disappointed nor surprised.The core structure of the Rasengan is an irregularly and rapidly spinning clump of Chakra, which can only maintain stability for a few seconds without external control.To turn the Rasengan into a long-range attack, he either had to add Chakra nature transformation for structural reorganization, or directly use the Chakra shroud as an extension cord to connect to it.The latter was the exact principle behind the Chakra Arms holding the Rasengan in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.Speaking of which, when he watched Boruto in his past life, Boruto's Rasengan could be thrown directly to fly without adding nature transformation, and it would even turn invisible.It seemed to have something to do with Borutounintentionally adding a trace of Lightning attributeChakra when practicing the Rasengan, but right now, Naruto's Chakra only had the Wind attribute.Mastering nature transformation was another crucial foundation, preparing him for the future Rasenshuriken and laying a solid groundwork for learning other composite Ninjutsu.Once the Chunin Exams were over, he would find an opportunity to ask Kakashi about the specific training methods for Chakra nature transformation, especially how to get started with attributes other than the Wind attribute.In this regard, Kakashi was Konoha's recognized expert. As a Sharingan wielder who had copied over a thousand types of Ninjutsu, his understanding of the five attributes and his switching techniques were, in some aspects, even more comprehensive than the Sandaime's.With this in mind, Naruto raised his right hand again, honestly holding the Rasengan in close combat style to continue clearing the remaining rocks.The Rasengan emitted a low hum during its high-speed rotation, blending with the sound of the waterfall. In the darkest moment before dawn, it sounded like a fast-paced work song.One massive boulder after another turned into dust under the shaving of the Rasengan, leaving not even lime behind.Naruto knew better than anyone just how sensitive the Ninja world could be to details.In his past life, he had failed because of details; in this life, he would not make the same mistake again.By the time the last remnant of rock was ground into powder by the Rasengan and dispersed into the pool, an extremely thin, grayish-white band of light had already lit up on the horizon.Naruto patted the non-existent dust off his hands, preparing to deactivate the Nine-Tails Chakra Modehe had been training in all night."Hahaha... I sensed space fluctuations!"An excited, voice-cracking shout came from the direction of the cavern.A Nine-Tails Chakra Mode clone bounced up from the ground, his golden Chakra shroud wobbling because he stood up too fast, almost causing him to trip over himself.After stabilizing himself, he raised his fists in the air and roared at the waterfall, startling the other clones nearby who were still closing their eyes to comprehend, making them all shudder.Immediately afterward, several more clones jumped up from the ground, their chaotic shouting unable to be drowned out even by the roar of the waterfall."I can carve Chakra onto the formula!""I can sense the Chakra I carved! The approximate direction and distance of the location, I can sense it all!"Naruto's eyes lit up.Without any hesitation, he formed a release sign with his hands."Shadow Clone Technique, Release.""Bang, bang, bang, bang..."In an instant, forty Nine-Tails Chakra Mode clones turned into golden Chakra smoke at the exact same moment.Immediately after, over forty sets of training memories flooded into Naruto's mind like an opened sluice gate: the Flying Thunder God formuladiagram, the positioning and calculation of spatial coordinates, the tactile sensation of Chakraengraving, and the initial perception of spatial fluctuations.Each memory brought insights and details from different angles, converging and colliding at the same moment.Naruto stood in place with his eyes closed, instantly activating Absolute Control.
Chapter 40: Flying Thunder God Technique, Part OneIn his mind, this information was categorized, compared, and synthesized by Naruto.More than forty Shadow Clones each broke through different aspects of the Flying Thunder God. Some Shadow Clones sensed spatial fluctuations first, some completed the Chakra inscription first, and others found shortcuts in the spatial calculation steps.Under the integration of Absolute Control, these scattered breakthroughs quickly assembled into a complete logical network.The two most critical steps—the inscription of the Chakra formula and the spatial sensing of the inscribed formula—transformed from mere principles into tangible intuition in Naruto's cognition.Naruto opened his eyes and took a blank Kunai out of his Ninja tool pouch.He held the Kunai in his right palm, condensed Chakra at his fingertips according to the inscription sequence of the Flying Thunder God, and began to carve it stroke by stroke.The Flying Thunder God inscription does not have a fixed pattern; every user creates a unique mark based on their own Chakra characteristics.The Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Mark was a special, extremely simplified rune, while Minato Namikaze's mark consisted of the four characters for "Sword of Shinobi Love."It was a memento of a certain promise between him and Kushina, and it also symbolized the will to protect Konoha.Naruto didn't intend to be the same as them. He thought for a moment, and a pattern flashed through his mind.On a red background, a large five-pointed star surrounded by four smaller five-pointed stars.This pattern was an anchor to his past life, and it could also constantly remind him of where he came from.This mark was unique in the Ninja World, with no possibility of being mistaken for anything else.The Chakra at his fingertip landed the first stroke on the metal surface of the Kunai handle.Naruto's movements were slow—not out of lack of skill, but because inscribing the Flying Thunder Godformula required extremely precise control over the density and penetration depth of the Chakra.If the Chakra was too shallow, the inscription would not last; if the Chakra was too deep, the metal itself would be unable to withstand it and would shatter.Absolute Control allowed Naruto to perceive the force at his fingertips with milligram-level precision, keeping the depth of every stroke at the optimal point of the metal material's tolerance.When the final stroke was finished, Naruto moved his finger away from the Kunai.On the Kunai, a five-pointed star was clearly reflected on the metal surface. The star's points were sharp and regular, and four slightly smaller five-pointed stars surrounded the large one, arranged seamlessly to form a miniature flag.The mark flickered under the reflection of the metal, as if it had been embedded deep into the texture of the metal.Naruto looked at the pattern, his fingers tracing the edges of the five-pointed star, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly."In the future, I want to make this pattern cover the entire Ninja World."After speaking, Naruto gripped the Kunai with the Flying Thunder God Mark carved into it, weighed it to confirm the feel, and then tossed it forward casually.The Kunai traced a silver parabola in the air and embedded itself into a rock crevice about fifty meters away on the opposite side of the waterfall pool.Naruto closed his eyes, focusing his attention on the specific sensory frequency of the Flying Thunder God Technique.The next moment, Naruto clearly sensed the existence of the five-pointed star mark on the Kunai.It was not visual sight, nor was it ordinary Chakrasensing, but a type of positioning that essentially transcended physical distance.In his perception, the mark was like a star in the dark night; the distance, direction, and even the state of the mark itself were perfectly clear.Naruto activated his Chakra according to the activation sequence of the Flying Thunder God.Unlike ordinary Body Flicker Techniques that require hand seals, the activation of the Flying Thunder Godrelies entirely on the spatial channel connection between the formula and the user.The moment the Chakra activates the formula, the expanding spatial channel pulls the user point-to-point along the coordinates.The feeling of spinning and turning lasted less than a tenth of a second.After his vision stabilized, Naruto looked down and saw that he was standing on the edge of the rock on the opposite side of the pool. His right foot was stepping directly below the crevice where the Kunaiwas embedded, and his left foot was stepping on a mossy pebble.He pulled out the Kunai and spun it around his fingers."It worked."Naruto felt a surge of joy.The sound was drowned out by the roar of the waterfall, but the smile on his lips could not be hidden.Flying Thunder God, Part One: Teleportation successful.No matter how fast a Ninja is, their speed is traceable. Body Flicker Technique has pre-seal movements, Taijutsu Body Flicker has footwork trajectories, and the high-speed movement of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode is merely the extreme of speed, yet a route still exists.But space is formless.When time does not appear, space is king.With the Flying Thunder God, Naruto possessed a trump card in this Ninja World—a world of high offense and low defense—that the vast majority of enemies could not counter.Naruto put the Kunai away and then carved five more Kunai with the Flying Thunder God Mark. As he carved, he went over the subsequent training path for the Flying Thunder God in his mind.Part One is the foundation, fixed-point single teleportation, which is already done.What is needed next is repeated practice to improve activation speed and teleportation precision, and then to enter the Flying Thunder God Second Stage.The Flying Thunder God Second Stage allows for continuous teleportation in high-speed combat, incorporating the Flying Thunder God into the rhythm of actual combat offense and defense.Additionally, he needed a batch of Ninja tools that could retain the Flying Thunder God Mark for a long time.Marks carved on ordinary Kunai would become blurred and invalid after a period of time due to the dissipation of Chakra, but if carved on Kunai or Shuriken forged from Chakra-conducting metal, the marks could be permanently retained, and the clarity of spatial sensing would be greatly improved.Chakra-conducting metal is expensive, but with his current mission rewards and the bounties from occasionally accepted C-rank missions, he could save up enough to buy a few.However, where to buy it also seemed to be a problem!Naruto thought for a moment, and eventually, one person appeared in his mind.Tenten.One of the Konoha 12 who throws weapons as if they were free.Her family runs a Ninja tool shop, so they definitely have them.However, he and Tenten didn't know each other yet: "It looks like I'll get to know her during the Chunin Exams."Naruto thought to himself, and then he found a corner in the cave and firmly nailed a Kunai with the five-pointed star mark into the depths of the most inconspicuous rock crevice on the cave wall.He smoothed the surface of the rock crevice with his palm, and from the outside, it was impossible to see any traces.This was a fixed teleportation point. In the future, whether he was in Konoha or executing missions outside, as long as he activated the Flying Thunder God to lock onto the coordinates of this Kunai, he could instantly return to this cave.After leaving the coordinate point, Naruto re-checked the Perception Blocking Barrier inside and outside the cave, confirmed that both layers of the barrier were functioning normally, and then walked out of the cave entrance.Standing on the edge of the waterfall pool, facing the clearest first ray of morning light of the day, he deactivated the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.The golden Chakra cloak slowly faded away, his hair fell back down to his forehead, and his vertical beast-like pupils returned to blue, round pupils.Naruto raised his hand to stretch his shoulders and wrists, feeling the still-abundant but not ostentatious Chakra within him, and began to review the results of last night's cultivation.
Chapter 41: Summary of GainsFirst, the first stage of the Flying Thunder God Technique was completed.Naruto originally expected it to take several days to grasp the spatial perception and seal inscription, but thanks to forty Shadow Clones practicing simultaneously and the surging Chakra from the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he achieved the hardest breakthrough—from zero to one—overnight.Then there was the unexpected gain: Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.It wasn't in the plan for tonight, but because of that exchange of punches with the Nine-Tailed, the Nine-Tailed voluntarily opened the gates of its Chakra, allowing him to master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode ahead of schedule.Although the whole process carried the risk of exposure, fortunately, under the dual suppression of Absolute Control and the Perception Blocking Barrier, no one in Konoha noticed the movement by the waterfall pool.Since transmigrating, this was also the first time Naruto felt he held some real chips in his hand.Not the advantage of foresight brought by information asymmetry, not the breathing room bought by playing smart in the shadows, but power truly mastered in his own hands.He finally had a bit of confidence to face the old folks in the Ninja World and Konoha, each with their own ulterior motives.The sky gradually turned from gray to pale orange, and the clouds behind the distant mountains were plated with a golden edge by the rising sun.The meeting time was eight o'clock; it was still early, but he couldn't cut it too close.He needed to rush back to the Village before dawn and seamlessly switch back with his Shadow Clone; he couldn't let the Anbu discover any abnormalities.However, he had already planned this with his Shadow Clone.Thinking this, Naruto leaped toward Konoha.Near the main road of Konoha Village, in a small alley, there was an old-fashioned public toilet built at the corner.This toilet was in a very remote location, flanked by two abandoned old warehouses; usually, almost no one passed by except for stray cats and the occasional construction worker slacking off.Naruto landed behind the outer wall of the public toilet and first scanned the area with both Sense of Good and Evil and normal Chakra sensing.There were no Anbu nearby, no patrolling Ninja, and not even villagers out for an early morning stroll.He pulled open the wooden door of the public toilet and went in; it was indeed empty, all three stalls had their doors open, and the faucet at the sink was dripping water with a ticking sound.He walked to the innermost stall, closed the door, and waited quietly.Meanwhile, at the apartment, the Shadow Cloneopened its eyes on time.It stretched, yawned, and then got out of bed to wash up.While brushing its teeth, it even made a face at its own foam-covered reflection in the mirror.The Shadow Clone mimicked the original's daily habits perfectly, even reproducing the detail of squeezing out a bit too much toothpaste exactly the same way.After changing into its Ninja outfit and putting on the headband, the Shadow Clone went out.In the tree canopy across the street, an Anbumember stifled a silent yawn, nudged their partner with an elbow, and gestured with their chin toward the apartment entrance.The partner nodded and silently adjusted the focus of their binoculars.The blonde boy walked out of the apartment building, his pace neither fast nor slow, crossing the empty morning streets and heading toward the small bridge where Team 7 usually met.Everything was normal, no different from every other morning.Halfway there, when the Shadow Clone passed the public toilet at the corner of the secluded alley, it naturally turned inside.The door closed behind it.Less than thirty seconds later, the original Narutopushed open the stall door and walked out, put the Shuriken that the Shadow Clone had transformed into back into his Ninja tool pouch, turned on the faucet at the sink to wash his hands, adjusted his headband while looking at his own face in the mirror, and then pushed open the toilet door, continuing toward the meeting spot while facing the morning sun.From his arrival to the Shadow Clone entering, it took less than a minute.In the alley outside, except for an orange cat squatting on the wall, there was no movement at all.The Anbu's tracking attention remained locked on the steadily moving target, discovering no abnormalities.By the time Naruto reached the bridge, Sasuke and Sakura had not yet arrived.Needless to say, Kakashi; the whole of Konohaknew that the Jonin leader of Team 7 was a notorious latecomer, and it would be abnormal if he arrived early.The bridge deck was empty, with only a few early-rising sparrows hopping on the railings, and a thin morning mist floating over the river.Naruto leaned against the bridge railing, scanned the sky, and silently estimated the time.There was at least an hour until the eight o'clock meeting time.Waiting idly like this would seem different from the Naruto who always cut it close or was late; being too early would be conspicuous.He made a cross hand seal with both hands."Shadow Clone Technique."Poof, poof, poof...A dozen puffs of smoke exploded on the bridge deck, and over a dozen Narutos appeared in the morning light.The clones looked at each other, understood, and quickly scattered on the small open space by the bridge, starting to feign various basic training exercises.Some were doing push-ups, some were repeatedly practicing Shuriken throwing postures, and a few were squatting by the river throwing stones to see who could throw further.These trainings looked lively, but in reality, they were mostly creating a scene of him still working hard.Naturally, the Anbu watching from the shadows would only take this as the daily routine of an enthusiastic Genin.Naruto himself sat cross-legged on the ground with the remaining few clones, closed his eyes, and began to continue digesting the theoretical knowledge of the second stage of the Flying Thunder God Technique.The core of the second stage of the Flying Thunder God was to use the Flying Thunder Godcontinuously during high-speed combat for multiple teleports, and even using the inertia of the teleport to change the attack direction.Just sitting there with his eyes closed, his expression calm, occasionally gesturing with his hands, he looked as if he were pondering some particularly difficult Shuriken combo.Two Anbu were watching from afar, and the less experienced one gave a soft click of the tongue."This guy really has a lot of Chakra, making over a dozen Shadow Clones to practice early in the morning!""The bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan, plus that thing."The older Anbu replied indifferently, with no judgment in his tone, only the coldness of stating a fact:"It is normal to have high energy.""Focusing on the mission is the priority, don't chat.""Yes, senior!"The young Anbu stopped speaking and refocused his attention on Naruto.They did not notice that if they counted the dozen or so Shadow Clones, there was actually one extra.The Shuriken that the Shadow Clone had transformed into during the handover at the toilet had been mixed into the Ninja tool pouch and brought out by Naruto, and during the previous training, it had silently blended into the pile of clones and dissipated with the smoke, returning to the original.Time ticked closer to eight o'clock.Naruto calculated it was about time, so he dispelled all the Shadow Clones.After the smoke cleared, he sat leaning under the bridge railing alone, panting slightly, with a few beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, and even his expression and state were completely adjusted to what they should be after training.This level of camouflage might have required him to think deliberately to achieve it in the past, but now, with the continuous application of Absolute Control, operations like controlling expressions, adjusting breathing, and simulating posture had become as natural as breathing.As it approached eight o'clock, two figures appeared in the morning mist at the end of the bridge.
Chapter 42: Gathering, Chunin ExamsSakura and Sasuke walked along the path by the river towards the bridge, one after the other.Sakura walked half a step behind and to the left of Sasuke, tilting her head as she spoke to him. She wore a carefully crafted smile, but there were faint dark circles under her eyes, making it look like she hadn't slept well last night.She had likely spent half the night overthinking various things about Sasuke.Sasuke had his hands in his shorts pockets, staring straight ahead with an expressionless face; his mind was not on what Sakura was saying.The two reached the bridge and saw Naruto already waiting by the side, causing them to pause simultaneously.Sakura's mouth opened slightly, and she subconsciously glanced at the sky; the sun had just risen, and it wasn't even eight o'clock yet.Naruto, who usually arrived exactly on time, was actually waiting for them at the bridge ahead of schedule today.Naruto raised his hand and nodded at the two, by way of greeting.The greeting was so brief that it didn't even include a single word, but his expression was natural; he wasn't deliberately giving anyone the cold shoulder, nor was there any sign of the blushing and heart-pounding he used to have when facing Sakura.Naruto wasn't trying to act cool; he simply didn't know what to say early in the morning. In the Land of Waves, he could use the mission status as a shield, but now that they were back in the Villageand meeting again, only pure calmness remained.Sasuke glanced at Naruto, his gaze lingering on the sweat beads on Naruto's forehead that hadn't been completely wiped away."This guy has been training on his own again," Sasuke thought to himself, not saying anything more, but giving a slight nod in return.He then walked past Naruto to the other side of the bridge, leaned against the railing, and continued to watch the river, waiting for Kakashi.Sakura stood where she was, watching the calm expression on Naruto's face, and began an unheard monologue in her heart."Hmph, so what if you came early? Don't expect me to take the initiative to talk to you...""I still remember your attitude in the Land of Waves!""This is the last time!""Listen to that tone.""But Naruto doesn't seem to be looking at me much today either; is he doing it on purpose?""Back at the Ninja Academy, he would blush even if I just walked past him.""Forget it, forget it. Anyway, I won't initiate conversation; I'd rather die than do that."Sakura turned her head away, lifted her chin high, tossed her hair, and then walked quickly to stand beside Sasuke, picking up the topic she hadn't finished earlier with a sweet voice.Naruto leaned back against the bridge railing, unconcerned, his eyes slightly closed and his breathing steady....One hour later."Hey, good morning everyone!"Just as the three were waiting, a voice came without warning, and immediately after, the figure of Kakashi appeared out of thin air on the railing at the end of the bridge.He was squatting on the railing in an extremely leisurely posture, his eyes curved into two inverted crescents."I got lost on the path of life today.""Liar!"Sakura's roar exploded almost the same instant Kakashi finished speaking.She took a big step forward, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles cracked, and the veins on her forehead throbbed at a visible frequency: "Kakashi-sensei, you use this excuse to fool us every time!""Last time it was getting lost, the time before that it was getting lost, and the time before that it was still getting lost! How many turns have you actually taken on the path of life!""Now, now, Sakura, don't be so agitated."Kakashi jumped down from the railing without changing his expression, his movements calm, as if he hadn't just been caught in a lie by his students:"The path of life is inherently winding, so it's quite normal to lose your way occasionally."Kakashi cleared his throat, his tone becoming a bit more serious: "Although it's a bit sudden, I am recommending the three of you to participate in the Chunin Exams."As he spoke, he pulled three application forms from his Ninja tool pouch and handed them to the three."Chunin Exams?"Sakura took the application form, looked down at it, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise."Yes."Kakashi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three: "Many Ninjas from other Villages have come to the Village recently; you should have noticed it on the streets these past few days."Sasuke leaned against the bridge railing, his brows furrowing slightly.Naruto also took the application form, scanned the content on the paper, and remained calm, saying nothing."I'll say this in advance..."Kakashi raised a finger, his tone returning to his usual lazy cadence, but his eyes revealed a hint of seriousness: "This recommendation is not mandatory.""The Chunin Exams are a selection process where you put your life on the line, not a graduation test at the Ninja Academy.""Whether you participate is your own choice."After finishing, Kakashi put his hands back in his pockets, tilted his head slightly, and his visible right eye, from beneath his forehead protector, swept across the faces of the three."Those who want to participate, sign your names on the application form and come to Classroom 301 at the Ninja Academy at 3:00 PM five days from now."He paused, and Kakashi's tone suddenly became casual, as if mentioning it in passing: "That's all. Dismissed."As the words fell, Kakashi's figure disappeared into thin air again, not even leaving a single leaf behind.Only the three remained on the bridge.Silence spread among the three. Sasuke looked down at the application form in his hand, his gaze landing on the name field.He was thinking about the Chunin Exams.The Chunin Exams would gather Genin from various Villages for multiple rounds of selection, and those who made it to the end were, without exception, the elites of their respective Villages.This meant he would have many opportunities to fight against truly strong opponents.Especially that Sunagakure Ninja named Gaara; just the aura radiating from him was not on the same level as an ordinary Genin.Fighting against someone like that was the best test of his own strength.He needed to become stronger, needed to become stronger quickly, and nothing stimulated growth in strength better than actual combat.Thinking of this, Sasuke's fingers tightened slightly, and the paper was creased with a few faint wrinkles at his fingertips.Naruto flipped to the signature section of the application form and signed the four characters "Uzumaki Naruto".After signing, he folded the application form in half and put it into his Ninja tool pouch.His mind couldn't help but drift to the plotline of the Chunin Exams.Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, the Konoha Crush Plan a month later, and the death of Sandaime.As he thought, Naruto's mind drifted to the Flying Thunder God.Right, Ninja tools.The Flying Thunder God Kunai made of Chakra-conductive metal must be sorted out as soon as possible. The techniques inscribed on ordinary Kunaiwould become blurred and ineffective after a few days due to Chakra dissipation, and he didn't want to find that his destination was long gone when he teleported during a battle.Sakura held the application form and read it through once, then raised her head and secretly glanced at Sasuke.Sasuke's expression was focused, and there seemed to be something weighing deep in his eyes; needless to say, she knew Sasuke was thinking about how to become stronger.Immediately after, she secretly glanced at Narutoagain.
Chapter 43: Letting Sasuke Train SakuraNaruto had finished signing the form and was putting his pen away. There was no trace of nervousness or excitement on his face, which was becoming increasingly inscrutable, as if he hadn't just signed an application for the Chunin Exams, but rather a takeout order for a ramen shop.Sakura suddenly felt a tightness in her throat.The mission in the Land of Waves was her first high-difficulty mission as a Ninja, yet throughout the entire process, she had barely participated in any substantial combat.When Haku and Zabuza appeared, she was guarding Tazuna; when Sasuke fell, Naruto took over the fight and defeated Haku.And yet, here she was, sulking over something as trivial as "absolutely ignoring Naruto."Now that she thought about it, what right did she have to give Naruto the cold shoulder?She couldn't even match his strength, yet she was still acting petulant.But if she didn't participate in the Chunin Exams, would she drag Sasuke down?Would she drag the whole team down?Sakura didn't know. She wanted to ask, but she didn't dare.Naruto fastened the buckle on his Ninja tool pouch, and when he looked up, his gaze happened to sweep across the side of Sakura's face.He saw that her face was full of hesitation and anxiety. Her pink hair hung down from keeping her head lowered, obscuring half of her cheek, and her fingers kept kneading the edge of the application form, leaving several messy creases on the paper.Looking at Sakura's expression, images involuntarily surfaced in Naruto's mind: the future Sakura, paying off her mortgage while raising Uchiha Sarada, and her growth trajectory—apprenticing under Tsunade, starting from scratch, and striving to become Konoha's top medical Ninja.To be honest, Sakura was indeed weak at this stage. If the current Sakura were placed on the same scale as himself and Sasuke, the counterweight would send her flying into the sky.But as a member of Team 7, her current weakness didn't mean she would always be weak—provided she could overcome this current hurdle."Hey, I have something to say." Thinking this, Narutospoke up, his voice breaking the silence.Sasuke and Sakura both looked up at Naruto at the same time.Sasuke's brows were slightly furrowed, wondering what this Loser was going to say now.Sakura's eyes still held a trace of tears she hadn't had time to wipe away, and her expression as she looked at Naruto was a bit like a schoolchild who had been suddenly called upon."I've checked the relevant information about the Chunin Exams."Naruto leaned against the bridge railing, his tone unhurried: "There's a strict rule for Geninparticipating in the Chunin Exams: registration must be done as a three-person squad.""If one person is missing, the whole team cannot participate."Sasuke was stunned, his brows knitting together. He did not doubt the veracity of Naruto's statement.The impression Naruto had given people recently was completely different from before. If the old Naruto had said this, Sasuke would have immediately dismissed it as empty talk, but now, when Naruto spoke, Sasuke would first process it in his mind before making a judgment.If it were truly mandatory to register as a three-person squad, that meant if one of them didn't participate, the other two couldn't either.Thinking of Gaara's cold eyes, and the possibility that the chance to cross swords with a strong opponent might go down the drain due to such an administrative rule, Sasuke's face darkened slightly."What?" Sakura's face instantly went pale.She had been struggling with whether or not to participate, but now, hearing Naruto say that if one person was missing the whole team couldn't participate, that hesitation was instantly replaced by a wave of intense panic.If she didn't go, Sasuke couldn't go either? Would Sasuke hate her because of this? Would he think she was holding him back?Sakura's brain was buzzing, and the application form in her hand almost slipped from her fingertips.Sakura looked sharply at Naruto and found that when he said this, he happened to be looking at her as well. There was no longer the fawning or fanaticism in his blue eyes, nor was there any coldness or disgust; he was just looking at her very calmly, as if waiting for her to figure something out on her own."Wait, is Naruto reminding me?" "Did he guess my thoughts, and so he purposely said he checked the information, but it was actually meant for me?"Sakura's gaze toward Naruto shifted several times. Her mouth opened and closed, closed and opened, but in the end, she didn't say anything, just gripped the application form even tighter. Sure enough.Sasuke's brain had also quickly processed this information, and he turned to look at Sakura, his tone direct without any beating around the bush: "Sakura, among the three of us, you are the weakest.""There are five days left. Train hard and get your combat strength up."Sakura's shoulders hunched at Sasuke's blunt words, as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. She lowered her head even further, her pink bangs almost covering her entire face. Her fingers turned white from gripping the edge of the application form."I... I understand, Sasuke."Naruto silently turned his face away. As expected of a guy with an IQ of only 100, his speech was just that blunt. Though, it seemed his own IQ in the original setting was only 90.Damn, even Akamaru had 130. Naruto instantly lost his composure: "No, I'm not the original Narutoanymore. I definitely am not 90!"Thinking of this, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Although what Sasuke said was blunt, Sakura's strength was indeed weak right now, but she was at the top of her class at the Ninja Academy in terms of Chakra control precision and basic theoretical knowledge.It was just that whenever she encountered Sasuke, she would automatically enter a "one-click restart" state, with all rational functions going completely offline. This trait would be gradually corrected in the future after she became Tsunade's apprentice, but right now, it was a real headache.Forget it, might as well go all the way. Who told him his goal was to become Hokage? The Hokage's duty included leading the entire Konoha toward greater strength, and the teammates before him were his initial team.If he couldn't even handle a little girl in his own team, how would he deal with those thousand-year-old monsters in the Ninja World later on?Naruto turned to Sasuke, his expression serious, his tone like he was discussing tactical arrangements. "Sasuke, Sakura's strength is indeed a bit weak."Sasuke looked at Naruto expressionlessly, waiting for Naruto to continue. Upon hearing this, Sakuralooked up, and all those complex thoughts she had just had about Naruto instantly transformed into anger.Visible flames erupted in her pupils. "I just thought he was helping me, and now he turns around and says I'm weak to my face? Whose side are you on anyway?"But Naruto's next sentence caused Sakura's anger to stop mid-air as if it had hit a cotton wall. "So, there are five days left." "You are the one with the strongest combat power among the three of us. If you teach her yourself, five days is enough to raise her level by a notch."Sasuke's expression instantly froze. His eyebrows and lips twitched ever so slightly; the two subtle changes happened simultaneously, revealing that Sasuke's current mental state was undergoing a violent shock.Seeing these two changes, Naruto knew Sasuke had taken the bait. "Sasuke, you wouldn't want to miss the Chunin Exams, would you?"
Chapter 44: TentenThat sentence was a precise finishing blow.What Sasuke cared about most was participating in high-intensity practical combat to hone himself. If the whole team couldn't register because Sakuralacked the strength, he would also lose the opportunity to grow and become stronger.This approach was a million times more effective than saying, "You should care about your teammates.""Damn it... that guy Naruto."Sasuke's brows furrowed deeply, and his lips pressed into a thin line.He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.His own training was already intense enough; did he really have to spend time teaching someone else?But if Sakura really couldn't participate in the Chunin Exams due to a lack of strength, then the entire Team 7 would be done for, and he wouldn't be able to clash with those guys from Sunagakure. This thought made the Uchiha blood in Sasuke's veins protest.A moment later, Sasuke nodded with all the pride he could muster at his age.Sakura had been watching Sasuke closely. When she saw his extremely subtle but unmistakable nod, her whole world lit up.Sasuke was going to teach her how to train personally.Five days, spending time alone with Sasuke, having him guide her movements, and having him watch her do push-ups.Sakura was already imagining it all in her head.Deep inside, she let out a scream that only she could hear: "Well done, Naruto!!"Then, she clasped her hands together in front of her chest, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Sasukewhile trying hard to suppress her excitement.Naruto didn't say anything.He gave the two of them a thumbs up, then turned around cleanly and walked in the direction of his apartment.The first step had already been taken. Whether Sakura could break through her bottleneck before the Chunin Exams would now depend on Sasuke's teaching ability and her own efforts.And Naruto also had his own things to do.For others, five days might just be a short break between missions, but for Naruto, he needed to advance the Flying Thunder God from the first stage to the second stage, and then utilize the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode to its full potential in actual combat."Tch, that Loser."Sasuke looked at Naruto's retreating back and made a clicking sound.This guy was clearly the one dragging everyone down in the class before, yet now he was talking to him in this tone, as if arranging training for his teammates.What made Sasuke even more annoyed was that this arrangement was logically sound and irrefutable, leaving him no room to refuse.Sakura stood beside Sasuke, watching Naruto walk to the corner of the street and disappear, silently saying "thank you" in her heart.Then her attention turned completely in another direction: Sasuke was going to teach her how to train next.Five days—she had to seize this opportunity.Sakura was already planning in her head what kind of bento to prepare for the training ground.After saying goodbye to the two, Naruto walked slowly along the streets of Konoha.He didn't go straight back to his apartment, but instead strolled along the main road towards the Ninja district.Konoha's Ninja district was a place concentrated with Ninja tool shops, herbal medicine shops, custom equipment workshops, and various services exclusively for Ninjas. It was about three blocks away from the ordinary commercial street, and there were significantly fewer pedestrians on the road compared to the bustling area.As Naruto walked, he kept his Sense of Good and Evil in a constantly open state. This ability was now as natural as a second pair of eyes to him, and he could maintain large-scale surveillance without needing to focus his attention deliberately.Then, he felt malice.Not just one or two, but a whole wave of it.From the moment he entered the Ninja district, the malice around him pierced into the reception range of his Sense of Good and Evil like dense, fine needles.This malice came from shop owners, middle-aged women chatting on the street, and workers moving goods.When they saw the "Fox Demon" walking over from afar, although they didn't show any abnormality on their faces, didn't point fingers, didn't whisper to each other, and some even deliberately avoided direct contact with him, the malice they emitted was as clear as day under his Sense of Good and Evil.Perhaps the Village leadership had given them a heads-up beforehand.During the Chunin Exams, there were many Ninjas from other Villages, and they couldn't lose face for Konoha in front of foreigners.So these villagers didn't curse at him as a "demon fox" to his face like usual, nor did they throw rotten vegetables at him, but the disgust and fear in their hearts hadn't diminished at all; they had just switched to a more covert way of expressing it.Naruto's expression remained indifferent.With his current strength, these villagers weren't even worth counting as ants if they said something unpleasant to him.Would a normal person stop to argue with an ant because it waved its antennae at them on the side of the road?No.Besides, he would have to endure the cold glares of an entire family when he visited his future brother-in-law's house later on.Returning to the main point, Naruto continued walking, his eyes scanning the shop signs one after another on both sides of the street, while simultaneously going over the characteristics of Tenten's Ninja tool shop in his mind.When watching Naruto in his past life, Tenten didn't appear much, but he remembered very clearly that Tenten's family ran a Ninja tool shop, and it was quite large. It was a long-established shop in Konoha's Ninja tool supply circle, with various rare Ninja tools in stock.She herself was a member of Team Guy, on the same team as his brother-in-law Neji and Rock Lee, and would also be participating in the Chunin Exams this year.The problem was that Naruto only knew Tenten's family ran a Ninja tool shop, but he didn't know what the name of that shop was.There were at least five or six Ninja tool shops on one street, each with different signs and featured products; he couldn't just go into each one and ask.Naruto wandered back and forth in the Ninja district for nearly twenty minutes, stopping briefly at the entrances of several Ninja tool shops.One shop had a wooden sign hanging at the entrance that read "Yamada Ninja Tools," and the display window was filled with various shuriken and Kunai. Naruto glanced through the glass and then looked away.They were all ordinary iron Ninja tools, without even a decent roll of rune paper, let alone Chakra-conductive metal.Another shop called "Ninja Tool Maruchu" had a fairly large storefront, but the fat boss standing at the entrance, who had been smiling while greeting customers, saw Naruto walking over from afar. His smile stiffened for half a second, and then he turned around at lightning speed, pretending to organize the shelves.Naruto walked straight past with his hands in his pockets, not even pausing his stride.It wasn't this place.Just as Naruto was about to give up on today's search and return to his apartment to rest before heading to the waterfall to train at night, a very conspicuous hairstyle flashed at the end of his line of sight.Two round buns were tied on both sides of her head. Her back was walking out of a herbal medicine shop that sold military rations, carrying a small cloth bag in her hand, her steps light and brisk.Naruto's footsteps paused.Buns, Chinese-style outfit, the way the Ninja tool pouch was worn was completely different from ordinary Konoha Genin.This was Tenten, Tenten of Team Guy, one of the few space-time Ninja tool Ninjas in Konoha.Target found.After coming out of the herbal medicine shop, Tenten did not follow the main street, but turned into a relatively quiet alley.Her walking speed wasn't fast, but her route was direct; she was obviously extremely familiar with this area.
Chapter 45: Ninja Tool ShopNaruto did not deliberately hide his footsteps; he followed behind at a leisurely pace, maintaining a distance that was neither threatening nor likely to lose her.Tenten was a Genin who had graduated the previous year, with a full year more of training and practical combat experience than Naruto. The training intensity of Team Guy was notoriously brutal throughout all of Konoha.A Ninja capable of surviving the self-abusive training regimen of Might Guy and Rock Lee could not possibly have low vigilance.Sure enough, when Tenten reached the middle of the alley, her pace suddenly faltered slightly.Although it was a very slight change in rhythm, in a fraction of a second, she switched from someone just walking to someone ready to fight at any moment.Then, she turned a corner without changing her expression, ducked into a corner at the end of the alley where empty wooden crates were stacked, stopped, and turned around to face the direction of the alley entrance.The small cloth bag in her hand was already placed by her feet, her right hand hung naturally, and her fingertips were less than a centimeter away from the buckle of the Ninja tool pouch at her waist."Who are you? Why are you following me?"Tenten's voice was crisp, carrying a layer of coldness as it echoed in the narrow alley.At this moment, she was sizing up the blonde boy in front of her with a scrutinizing yet calm gaze.Konoha forehead protector, Genin, with three whisker-like marks on his face.She had never seen this person, but judging from the description of his appearance, she could vaguely guess who he was.It was that fox demon whom everyone detested.Naruto stopped at the alley entrance, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, with no intention of approaching.He nodded slightly, revealing a polite smile."Hello, I am a Genin who just graduated this year, Uzumaki Naruto.""The Chunin Exams are coming up soon, and I need some Ninja tools to improve my combat effectiveness.""I heard your family runs a Ninja tool shop, so I wanted to follow you to see your family's shop."Tenten did not answer immediately; she looked Naruto up and down.Her gaze was not guarded, but it was not relaxed either; it was a habit trained by Team Guy to evaluate any stranger who approached proactively before responding."There are so many Ninja tool shops on this street, yet you didn't enter a single one and specifically followed me down an alley.""Why did you seek me out?"Hearing this, Naruto's smile added a trace of undisguised wryness.He reached out his index finger and tapped the three whisker-like marks on his face, then pointed at the Konoha symbol on his forehead protector."You should be able to roughly guess my identity."Tenten's eyes shifted slightly.Of course she could guess.As a peer, she knew better than anyone what kind of people the owners of the Ninja tool shops on this street were; they would probably want to shut the door if they saw the fox demon entering the shop."On this street, there probably isn't a single owner willing to sell things to me."Naruto reined in the arc of his wry smile a little."Then why are you so sure I would sell to you?"Tenten moved her hand away from the buckle of her Ninja tool pouch, crossed her arms over her chest, and lifted her chin slightly.Naruto met Tenten's scrutinizing gaze, and before answering, he thought very seriously about how to organize his words.In a moment, he thought of it."Because the way you look at me is different from other people.""Just now when you turned back at the alley entrance, your first reaction was to evaluate a stranger's strength and intentions, rather than retreating.""When others see me, their first reaction is to step back half a step or turn their faces away.""You didn't, so I felt you must be different from them.""Sorry, following you for most of the alley was indeed not very polite."Hearing this, Tenten's arms slowly lowered from her chest.She looked into Naruto's blue eyes; there was indeed no intention to curry favor, nor any polite pleasantries, just a very serious explanation of his reasoning logic.Someone who would evaluate before judging, rather than labeling and instinctively rejecting, was indeed the type Team Guy would appreciate."Fine, come with me."Tenten bent down, picked up the small cloth bag by her feet, draped it over her wrist again, and then tilted her head toward the outside of the alley:"I don't guarantee I have what you need.""Thanks..."Naruto followed: "By the way, I forgot to ask just now, what is your name?""Just call me Tenten.""Okay, Tenten."Tenten led Naruto out from the other end of the alley, rounded two street corners, and finally stopped in front of a Ninja tool shop in the middle of the Ninja district.The shop front was not particularly large, but the sign was hand-carved with three characters: "NinjaTool Shop".Naruto paused when he saw this shop; he had just passed by it earlier.He had stood at the entrance for five or six seconds at the time, carefully examining the samples displayed in the window. The Chakra metal plating covering the blades showed faint, interwoven light blue and reddish textures under the side lighting; the quality was indeed top-notch.He wasn't sure if this was Tenten's family shop at the time, so he didn't rashly push the door open to enter.He didn't expect it to be this one."Ding-dang!"Tenten pushed open the wooden door, and the bronze bell hanging above the lintel made a crisp sound.The inside of the shop was not particularly spacious, but it was arranged extremely neatly.Shuriken and Kunai of various sizes hung on the left wall, ranging from standard sizes to lengthened and weighted ones.Inside the glass counter on the right were several complete Ninja tool maintenance kits and rune engraving knives specifically for Sealing Jutsu.On the entire wall facing the door, there was a locked glass cabinet displaying several weapons with special designs.A long whip that could be folded into three sections, a set of matching throwing daggers, and a large item half-covered with a dust cloth that looked like some kind of foldable large-scale throwing weapon.Tenten casually placed the small cloth bag containing military rations on the counter and waved at the display racks in the shop:"Look for whatever Ninja tools you want, and tell me when you've chosen."Naruto walked slowly along the left wall, carefully examining every type of Kunai and shuriken hanging on the wall.These weapons were all forged from high-quality iron ore, the quenching process was quite well done, the luster of the blades was uniform and delicate, and the wrapping on the handles was tied very tightly.They were on a completely different level from the mass-produced standard equipment he had seen in ordinary Ninja tool shops.But after looking around, Naruto did not take any of them, but turned to Tenten and asked."Tenten, does your family have Ninja tools made of Chakra-conductive metal?"Tenten was just taking an inventory ledger out from under the counter to prepare for bookkeeping; hearing this, the ledger in her hand stopped in mid-air, and her eyebrows raised.She closed the ledger, put it back on the counter, leaned against the counter, and looked at Narutowith an "I see" expression."Oh~ Uzumaki Naruto, so this is your goal."Tenten nodded, not appearing particularly surprised.