"How lame, kid…"
Inside the Seal Space, Kurama burst out laughing, "You gave up after just one punch? Are you only good at talking big?"
Naruto pouted, feeling a bit embarrassed, but hitting that tree trunk really hurt!
"I'm only four years old!"
"Kids your age in the Sengoku period could already go to war!"
"This isn't the Sengoku period."
"And you're not an ordinary kid!"
Kurama showed Naruto no mercy, mocking him relentlessly, "A kid is a kid. No matter how much you understand, you can't change your timid nature. When I heard you talking so eloquently earlier, I thought you were the Six Paths Sage reincarnated! Now it seems you still haven't understood what kind of world you're in…"
"Hatred, betrayal, war… Lives are lost every minute of every day in this world. The blood of those who die daily could dye riverbeds red. People, fueled by endless ambition and greed, fight and kill each other…"
As Kurama spoke, he sat up, his gaze fixed intently on Naruto.
"Find a quiet place away from the world and live peacefully? An interesting idea, but too naive! As long as you're in this world, you can never avoid conflict. Those ambitious people will always find a reason to drag you into it."
"If you're rich, they'll plunder you. If you're poor, they'll enslave you. This world is like that—survival of the fittest. Only by becoming stronger than anyone else will people fear your power!"
"Naruto, your talent is indeed excellent. I've lived for a thousand years and only seen one freak like you, but you clearly don't have the corresponding resolve…"
"Resolve?"
Naruto didn't quite understand, "What resolve?"
"The resolve to become strong! Even Hashirama, as strong as he was, was tempered through countless life-or-death battles."
"Well… though I can't stand him, that guy is really strong. Uchiha Madara, Senju Tobirama, and even your father, Minato Namikaze…"
"Without exception, all those guys possessed a unique aura, which, in your human terms, might be called conviction."
"But you're different, kid…"
Kurama lowered his head, staring deeply at Naruto.
"From the very beginning, you've given me a strange feeling. I can't sense your anger or hatred. No, it's not that I can't sense it, but that it simply isn't there. Your Chakra is calm and gentle, like a stream in the forest."
"While I don't know why a kid like you would have such a transcendent mindset, I can be sure that this calmness doesn't stem from tolerance or benevolence towards the world. It's more like a kind of…"
"Arrogance."
Naruto casually finished the sentence.
Kurama bared his teeth in a grin, "Hmph, so you're not completely oblivious, huh…"
"Arrogant people usually have two characteristics: they either discern the truth or grasp the facts. It seems I'm also inevitably influenced by it."
Naruto sighed, "It looks like the power came too easily, making me lose sight of myself. Thank you for reminding me, Kurama."
"I just can't stand your flimsy, ugly appearance! No matter what, you're still my Jinchuriki. If you die due to your own foolish arrogance while possessing such great power, I'll be dragged down too!"
Kurama clung to the doorframe, roaring loudly, "That's right! That's it! Don't get too full of yourself! You damn brat!!!"
"Oh, are you shy?"
"Aow!!!"
Ignoring Kurama, who had entered berserk mode, Naruto released the chains hanging from the tree branch and flipped to the ground.
Then, a Russian hook!
His tender little fist struck the tree trunk with a loud thud!
Naruto didn't care if his technique was correct or not; he just punched however felt comfortable. For two hours straight, thudding sounds echoed non-stop. He didn't even notice when Ino left.
Left hand, right hand…
His fists went from slightly red to bleeding, then rapidly healed, and then repeated the previous steps again.
The Shadow Clones practicing tree climbing nearby were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances.
"Is the original… really that diligent?"
"It's truly terrifying…"
Seeing the Shadow Clones' passive and lazy demeanor, Naruto dispelled them without a word.
Upon receiving the tree-climbing experience from the Shadow Clones, Naruto's face darkened.
These clones had clearly finished their training long ago, yet they had been pretending to train and slacking off!
Trying to evenly distribute Chakra to his feet, Naruto shot up to the treetop in a flash.
The entire process was smooth and fluid, like eating Dove chocolate.
Flipping down from the tree, Naruto once again formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Indeed, it's more imposing when you shout out the jutsu!
Bang, bang, bang…
Smoke exploded. This time, Naruto created thirty Shadow Clones, double the previous amount, and the Chakra consumption wasn't as noticeable as before.
"Ten of you go practice water walking, and the rest spar in taijutsu!"
Naruto waved his hand grandly. The Shadow Clones exchanged glances and formed a circle.
"Rock-paper-scissors! The ones who lose go water walking, right?"
"What if there are more than ten people?"
"If there are more than ten, we play rock-paper-scissors. Only the winners get to slack off!"
Naruto: "…"
Soon, the Shadow Clones began their vigorous training.
Naruto also returned to the tree and continued punching it, honing his physique.
About ten minutes passed like this. With a thud, a Shadow Clone that was sparring exploded. As the memories flowed back, Naruto's face paled, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Who the hell used Monkey Steals the Peach?!"
The Shadow Clones exchanged glances. In the crowd, one Shadow Clone silently dispelled himself.
In the Seal Space, Kurama flicked his tail, amused, "Hitting yourself? Your brain, like your talent, is truly rare in this world…"
Naruto ignored Kurama's mockery. He had realized that Shadow Clones couldn't even manage basic sparring.
They were too fragile. If the movements were too slow during sparring, it wouldn't be effective. If they were too fast, they'd be instantly blown away.
After thinking for a moment, he released two Wood Clones in the Seal Space and had them spar there.
He hadn't mastered Flying Thunder God yet, and Naruto didn't intend to expose his Wood Release ability. As a Chinese transmigrator with Wood Release, his bloodline instincts had been suppressed for a long time…
But it didn't matter; he would be free soon.
Naruto knew this well, because in less than two hours, the surface of the small river in the forest was covered with his Shadow Clones.
The moment he dispelled the Shadow Clones, the memory recall caused Naruto's mind to be momentarily sluggish, but it didn't make him feel tired at all.
With Ashura's Sage Body and Nine-Tailed Chakra, Naruto was truly a beast now!
Step…
Naruto took a step, steadily walking on the water's surface.
"Do you feel it, Kurama…?"
"What?"
"The scent of freedom."
"Heh…"