Afternoon sunlight streamed through gaps in the trees, scattering into beams that pierced the forest. In those columns of light, drifting dust seemed alive, slowly floating in the golden haze.
On an open patch of grass, a herd of antlered deer lay resting. Among them were many young fawns, leaning close to their mothers, their little triangular heads crowned with budding horns, stubbornly upright.
A few birds sang from deeper within the woods, their voices clear and ethereal, making the silence of the forest even heavier.
But then came a discordant sound.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
The herd stirred, leaping to their feet as one. Their ears pricked, antlers raised like spears, they listened sharply in unison.
Two dark figures blurred past from the treetops.
Startled, the herd bolted. The clearing emptied in moments, leaving only the whisper of leaves.
"Naruto! Enough already, I am out of strength! It is almost five o'clock. Any further and we will hit the Forest of Death!"
One of the two shadows landed on a branch behind, his voice weary.
"Oh? Shikamaru, this is the Forest of Death you spoke of?"
The other shadow stopped. Golden hair gleamed under the slanting light.
Naruto and Shikamaru stood a tree apart, one ahead, one behind.
"Yes, we cannot go farther. I…" Shikamaru began, but his voice caught.
Naruto suddenly flicked his wrist. A kunai cut through the air, straight at Shikamaru.
Startled, Shikamaru's body moved instinctively, sidestepping the attack. His hand flashed, hurling a kunai back in retaliation.
It was the reflex of a trained shinobi.
But his eyes widened in shock. Naruto did not dodge. The blade pierced him cleanly.
With a puff of smoke, the figure dissolved into a log that clattered to the ground.
Shikamaru let out a breath. Turning his head, he found Naruto perched on another trunk, calm and composed.
"You already mastered the Substitution Technique?" Shikamaru asked, astonished.
"It is hardly surprising. Just a basic academy skill," Naruto answered flatly, though his gaze flicked briefly into the distance. He had sensed Moonlight Hayate retreat the moment he revealed the technique.
Shikamaru frowned. He himself had long since mastered substitution and transformation, though he ignored the Clone Technique since it produced hollow phantoms. His true effort went to his clan's secret jutsu.
But Naruto was different. According to all intelligence, he had only received the scroll with these techniques last night. No guidance, no mentor. To grasp substitution so quickly was almost unthinkable.
"Let us go. Weren't you going to introduce me to another friend?" Naruto's voice cut into his thoughts, eyes glinting.
Shikamaru hesitated, then asked, "Do you have any money on you?"
"Money?" Naruto tilted his head, lips curling with amusement. "Can friendship be bought with money?"
"Of course not!" Shikamaru's face hardened, then twisted in pain. "It is just… he really likes eating. I worry I don't have enough to treat him."
So it was Chōji.
Naruto's mind sharpened. Mirror World required data. And Chōji was one of the Konoha Twelve. He needed to meet him.
Naruto smiled faintly. "Bringing money on trips is always wise. Let us go. I am very interested in this friend of yours."
That morning, Naruto had staged his act carefully. When Moonlight Hayate lurked inside his home, Naruto sat openly reading the scroll, struggling deliberately with Clone Technique, failing over and over. Only after lunch did he allow himself one shaky success.
Then, aloud, he muttered he would find Shikamaru. As expected, Hayate slipped away to report.
Naruto knew the game well. Give the Third Hokage an opening, and Shikamaru would soon be arranged into his path. And indeed, they had met before the weapons shop, exactly as predicted.
Now here they were, heading to meet Shikamaru's other friend.
Hokage's Office
"You are certain Naruto performed the Clone and Substitution Techniques?"
The Third Hokage sat with eyes half-lidded, but his tone was heavy.
Moonlight Hayate flipped through a small notebook. "Yes. His Clone Technique was unstable, but Substitution was flawless. He even used it in sparring against Shikamaru."
So the Five Elements Seal had worked. Naruto's chakra control was no longer sharp.
The Hokage nodded. "And Shikamaru invited him to meet someone else. He did not refuse?"
"On the contrary, he looked eager."
The Hokage's gaze hardened. Something was off. Naruto's personality seemed… altered. Still, a weapon that sought bonds was better than one that shunned them.
"Continue the surveillance," he ordered.
At the Snack Shop
"Hello, I am Chōji."
Shikamaru's lazy friend stood outside, round-faced, wearing a plain white shirt with the kanji for "food" across the chest.
"Hello. Shikamaru said you like chips," Naruto replied, producing an armful of snacks.
Chōji's eyes gleamed. He scooped up every bag, tearing them open with startling speed, devouring one after another.
Shikamaru winced, worried Naruto would think poorly of him.
But Naruto's eyes glimmered. As Chōji clapped his hands on his shoulders, grinning, "You are Shikamaru's friend, then you are my friend too," Naruto's mind stirred.
The system's prompt rang out.
Collecting data…
Data complete. Current integration: 8%.
Naruto extended his hand. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. Truly glad to meet you."
His smile was genuine, his tone warm.
That night, Naruto sat cross-legged in his room, turning over the results of his Mirror World. Still little change. The completeness was too low. But he was certain now. The key lay with important figures tied to the story itself.
Why, then, could he not gather data from the Third Hokage?
In the seal space, Minato's voice echoed. "Naruto, do you not fear the Hokage's suspicion? Today you acted differently from before."
Naruto's eyes glinted like steel. "Even you think I seemed different, Father? Change itself is a positive thing. As long as I guide it in a direction that favors me, it is not danger but power. The Hokage is watching me every moment. Let him draw his own conclusions."
His smile was cold. "I am only expanding my circle of friends. Is that not exactly what he wants?"
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