As the year drew to a close, the already bustling commercial district of the Hidden Leaf Village was brimming with the joyful atmosphere of the New Year. In the midst of the busy crowd, Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, both bundled up in thick, warm spring festival clothes, strolled side by side, glancing around leisurely at the changes brought on by the season.
As time passed, both Naruto and Sasuke had been steadily and quietly growing stronger. On top of that, as they were still in their developmental stages, under Uchiha Fugaku's special care, not only did they have an unlimited supply of Ration Pills, but their three daily meals were meticulously prepared by Mikoto Uchiha herself—delicious and portioned just right in handmade Bento. Because of that, the boys never had to worry about nutritional deficiencies affecting their training. They could throw themselves wholeheartedly into their training, and their height had shot up like bamboo after the rain. Even more astonishingly, beneath their seemingly average spring outfits, both boys had medium-grade weights strapped around their limbs and joints—the kind only adult ninjas would typically use. On their small, youthful bodies, distinct, masculine muscle lines were already beginning to form…
Clearly, anyone who judged their strength based solely on their age would be in for a rude awakening!
Perhaps it was because the fame of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Naruto Uzumaki, was already deeply etched into people's minds. The moment people in the crowd noticed Naruto and Sasuke—well, to be more precise, noticed Naruto—everyone spontaneously pressed to the side. Strangers who had never even met one another silently moved in sync, parting like Moses parting the sea, creating a path wide enough for the two boys to walk through comfortably.
"Hey Naruto," Sasuke leaned in, itching with curiosity. "I've completely mastered both the Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu and Phoenix Fire Jutsu. When are you going to teach me a new jutsu? Especially that one of yours, the Rasengan! No hand signs, huge power—it's so practical and awesome! You're amazing, Naruto… Come on, pleaaaase? Just teach me the Rasengan~"
"Oh? You've really mastered both jutsu completely? Don't start bluffing again." Naruto gave him a side glance. "Don't forget, your brother is personally coming to check your progress this afternoon. If you mess up because you got cocky, you'll be in for another scolding."
Faced with Sasuke's puppy-dog eyes and soft pleas, even Naruto—who'd long trained himself to resist—almost gave in on the spot. He took a deep breath to calm down, crossed his arms behind his head, and teased him lightly.
"I told you already, Rasengan isn't suited for you. Your fighting style wouldn't benefit from it. You'll just waste your time on something that gives you half the results for twice the effort. Instead, you should focus on the training goals you've already been assigned. Once you've nailed those, then we'll see about the Rasengan."
"Tch, you always say that. How do you know that it's not suitable for my fighting style, It's not like I have a fixed fighting style yet…" Sasuke muttered in protest. Even though he'd experienced firsthand how much harder it is to fight like naruto, his longing for the flashy and powerful Rasengan made him pout in frustration. Still, he looked up, clapped his chest confidently, and said, "Hmph, don't worry, Naruto. I won't lose to you! I'm a genius of the Uchiha Clan! Those two are just C-rank jutsu, and I've already mastered them. Even if my brother comes to test me, I'm not scared!"
"Is that so… Well, it's good to see you this confident." Naruto smiled and rubbed Sasuke's spiky hair fondly, deliberately ignoring his grumbles. "Just don't disappoint Itachi. Or else—no tomatoes for a week."
"Exactly! If I don't work hard, how else can I learn the Rasengan sooner!" Sasuke grinned, enjoying Naruto's warm hand on his head. Despite being the same age, he'd long gotten used to acting spoiled around Naruto. But when he heard the threat about losing his tomatoes, he suddenly tensed. "Let's go, Naruto! We're wasting training time!"
"Alright, alright… Hey! Slow down! Sasuke—wait up! You'll trip!"
Seeing Sasuke suddenly rush off, Naruto easily guessed the reason, trying not to laugh as he shouted after him. Once the little figure disappeared into the crowd, he let out a sigh of relief.
'Whew… Thank goodness he's still easy to distract. Should I arrange for him to meet Kakashi Hatake soon? He keeps bugging me about Rasengan… but I can't really teach him that at this age, can I?'
Naruto wasn't hiding the Rasengan out of selfishness. As he said, it wasn't suited for Sasuke. His chakra leaned toward fire and lightning, whereas Rasengan when finished should be a wind natured jutsu. Besides, thanks to the memories from his past life, Naruto already knew that among the Unranked Ninjutsu, only the Lightning Style: Chidori, created by his father's star pupil Kakashi, was truly suitable for Sasuke.
Instead of teaching Sasuke something he'd struggle with, Naruto had decided to help him develop the physical endurance necessary to master Chidori when the time came. That would be far more beneficial.
Naruto had spent enough time with Sasuke to know: this "little fanboy" was a true Uchiha genius. If not for the secret boost of the Shadow Clone Technique accelerating Naruto's own training, Sasuke would easily surpass him in natural talent. But Naruto also knew that too much praise would spoil a kid. Let Sasuke slack off, and he'd turn arrogant and uncooperative.
This wasn't just Naruto's imagination. In the original timeline, Sasuke at age twelve, even upon graduating the Ninja Academy, was barely above average among his peers. He wasn't even close to Hyuga Neji's level and was defeated easily by a hard-working genius like Rock Lee. And when Naruto began rapidly improving, especially after mastering the Rasengan, he began to close the gap—and eventually even surpassed Sasuke.
In that sense, the original Sasuke was a tragic waste of natural genius—like the parable of Fang Zhongyong from Naruto's past life. If not for defecting and being trained by Orochimaru, he might've become an average nobody, a flashy playboy who achieved nothing.
That's why Naruto was determined to ensure Sasuke didn't waste time on unsuitable training.
"Oh ho ho, good morning, Naruto. How did you sleep last night?"
Just as Naruto was deep in thought, weighing the pros and cons of introducing Sasuke to Chidori early, a gentle, grandfatherly voice behind him pulled him back to reality.
"Ah! Good morning, Grandpa Danzo!" After spending time around him recently, Naruto no longer needed a Byakugan to tell who was approaching. Though his skin crawled and goosebumps broke out, he forced a smile and turned around sweetly, answering in a childlike voice: "Thanks for asking, Grandpa Danzo! I slept great~"
"Is that so? That's wonderful to hear..." Danzo smiled even wider, carefully studying Naruto's seemingly innocent expression and finding no trace of deceit. He reached out and patted Naruto's head with fake affection. "Oh, and you're wearing new clothes too… You're looking especially energetic and handsome today! You might be the most handsome kid I've ever seen!"
As Naruto and Danzo exchanged smiles, each hiding their true intentions, the surrounding villagers—who had initially been grumbling about Naruto's presence in the shopping district—suddenly hurried away. Before long, they had cleared a wide space for the two to talk without interruption.
With the seasons shifting from winter to spring, changes weren't limited to Naruto and Sasuke. The whispers and curses aimed at the "fox reincarnated" had gradually faded from the village.
It wasn't because Naruto had accomplished anything particularly impressive—it was because of the kindly old man who often appeared by his side: Danzo Shimura. By leveraging his position as one of the three village elders, Danzo had begun to publicly show favor to Naruto. His true goal was to manipulate the boy, subtly brainwash him, and eventually recruit him into his faction.
The smarter villagers noticed this sudden attention and began to suspect Naruto might be harboring some dangerous secret. As a result, their openly hostile attitudes were replaced with false smiles and fake politeness.
Naruto, who saw through Danzo's act, played along on the surface. He had already informed the Third Hokage, and he gladly accepted the perks Danzo brought his way. After all, if he could be spared the villagers' cold stares, why not use this to his advantage?
'Only a fool doesn't take what's freely offered. It's not like I begged this scheming old fox to help me… He can consider this the interest on the blood debt he owes me from three years ago.'
Besides, this time, Danzo had miscalculated and handed Naruto the perfect opportunity to turn the tables. Naruto could barely suppress his glee.