Time flew like an arrow. Since that evening when the Third Hokage personally came to visit Naruto, another three months had quietly slipped by.
During these three months, Naruto had completely conquered both Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane inside the Mirror World.
The rewards, however, left him dissatisfied. His chakra still refused to manifest any nature besides wind. All he could do was digest their training experience.
Yet his chakra growth shocked both Minato and Kurama. In this short time he had fully mastered the sensory ability of the Uzumaki clan, extending his perception range far beyond even the Nine Tails sealed within him.
Kurama snorted at that. If not for the seal, it would have shown him what true sensory power looked like.
Now it was May. After lunch, Naruto left the house without using Transformation. He headed toward a place far from the village center, a place where no one would come at this hour.
Fields of grain stretched endlessly before him, the blue sky painted with drifting clouds, warm breezes brushing against his cheeks. His steps carried him across a wide river, over a wooden bridge, down winding paths, until he reached a small grove.
Here stood an abandoned training ground. Wooden posts for taijutsu, scattered gear, targets nailed to trees for kunai and shuriken practice.
Naruto had stumbled upon this place yesterday while wandering with Moonlight Gekkō shadowing him from behind.
Knowing the Third Hokage could spy on him directly with the crystal ball, Naruto decided to make this his daily training ground. Better to let them think he was just a child playing ninja while concealing his true strength.
Yesterday he had his body tested. Two hours on the parallel bars movements akin to gymnasts of his previous life left him breathing steady, face unflushed, heart calm. His stamina bordered on monstrous.
Minato explained this was natural. Kushina had once been top in taijutsu at the academy, training from dawn to dusk without ever tiring. The Uzumaki body was blessed with endurance beyond human limits. Add to that the Nine Tails' chakra pulsing within him, and Naruto's strength seemed inexhaustible.
Still, Naruto had no intention of exposing his taijutsu skills. Better to appear like a child playing games than a prodigy too dangerous to ignore.
Today, he decided to test his aim.
But as he approached the targets, something was off.
The equipment had been maintained. The targets were replaced with brand new ones, bullseyes freshly pierced.
Then he noticed it: a bamboo basket set neatly upon a stone platform.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. Inside the basket lay kunai and shuriken, far more than he possessed in his own pouch.
"Father, what do you think?" Naruto asked within the seal, fingers brushing the six kunai strapped to his waist.
Minato thought for a moment. "Perhaps the owner of this ground left them."
Naruto nodded. "Then that means they've noticed me. But this doesn't feel like a warning."
Kurama's deep voice rumbled. "Naruto, the one hiding in that tree just left. And he left in a hurry."
"I know. But there are still three more watchers farther out." Naruto's tone was calm, his senses spread wide. "Most likely he's rushing back to report. They don't know who owns this ground either."
"Does that mean I've caused trouble for the real owner?"
Minato knew Moonlight Gekkō was the one tailing Naruto. The analysis made sense, and his voice grew uneasy. "Naruto, maybe we should go back."
"Why go back?" Naruto spread his hands, smiling faintly. "I swam across the river to reach this place. It wasn't easy to find."
He lifted a shuriken from the basket. "Besides, these weapons feel like an invitation, not a threat. Whoever trains here doesn't mind me using them. Otherwise they wouldn't have been left so openly."
Minato still hesitated. "But they belong to someone else..."
"Then I should stay even more," Naruto said lightly, weighing the shuriken. "I need to meet this person, apologize, and return them properly."
His gaze sharpened. "And I have a feeling this owner is no ordinary man."
With a flick of his wrist, the shuriken cut through the air.
Thud.
It struck dead center.
Hokage's Office
"Lord Hokage! That's how it happened. Those weapons weren't there yesterday. We don't know who put them there!"
Hiruzen pressed the Hokage's hat firmly on his head, eyes narrowing. "And what is Naruto doing now?"
Moonlight Gekkō coughed harshly before answering. "He seems to have abandoned taijutsu. Today he carried six kunai and is practicing throwing techniques. He will likely continue using that ground. Shall we investigate the owner?"
"No." The Third stood, pacing slowly, the weight of his words filling the room. "I know who owns that ground. From now on, do not follow Naruto when he leaves the house. Watch him only from a distance. Guard his home, nothing more."
"Yes, sir."
Back at his desk, Hiruzen lit his pipe, then pulled out the crystal ball. When the swirling mists cleared and Naruto's figure appeared within, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
The Training Ground
"Father, what kind of move is this?" Minato's voice cracked with disbelief.
Naruto had been hurling shuriken with precision, then suddenly began shouting about destiny and dancing around the clearing in wild, exaggerated poses.
At first Minato thought it was some bizarre taijutsu routine. Then he realized his son was... dancing.
Minutes later, Naruto froze, his eyes narrowing. "They've left. All of them."
"Maybe the Third dismissed them," Minato said, hopeful. "Perhaps you will no longer be watched."
"That's impossible." Naruto's gaze was sharp as steel. "Don't be so naive, Father."
Minato fell silent, his face stiff. He wanted to believe in Hiruzen, but deep down he knew Naruto was right.
"From the moment I was born, they stripped everything from me and wove lies to keep others away. They've controlled my life from the very start."
Naruto retrieved the shuriken from the targets, placing them carefully back into the basket. His voice was calm, but the weight behind it shook Minato's heart.
"But I am patient. Patience will guide me to the day I reclaim what is mine."
Minato's lips trembled. He wanted to protest, but words would not come.
Naruto turned toward the village. His eyes glowed with an unsettling light.
"So long as I remain in Konoha, they will always live under the shadow of their own fear. And that, too, is fine."
Minato's face went pale. He cried out desperately, "Naruto, they don't know the truth!"
Naruto did not even glance back. "The truth is not important. Because from the cold edge of reality, those who refuse to see it are already wrong.
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