In the early morning, as dawn was just breaking, it was that subtle moment when day and night interchanged, as if the entire world was enveloped in a veil of tranquility.
In the mountains behind Konoha, a continuous small river flowed like the most artistic stroke in a verdant scroll, full of poetic charm. A light mist enshrouded it, making the river surface appear to be draped in a sheer veil, revealing a hint of mystery through the haze.
As the morning light first shone, golden rays pierced through the mist, scattering upon the river surface, which shimmered with countless tiny diamonds sparkling in the water. The river water flowed gently in the morning light, clear to the bottom, where one could see pebbles and water plants swaying softly. Occasionally, a few small fish leaped out of the water, then quickly submerged, creating delicate ripples.
On both sides of the river, green trees provided shade, their leaves adorned with glistening dewdrops. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soft swishing sound that intertwined with the distant bird calls. Dewdrops gently slid from the tips of the leaves, falling into the river and causing tiny ripples.
A small, blond-haired boy stood bare-chested and barefoot, his pant legs rolled up, standing steadily on the surface of the lake. No matter how the river flowed, he remained motionless in place.
His large eyes were narrowed into a long, thin slit, revealing only a glimpse of his azure blue eyes.
He stood silently on the lake, seemingly having been there for a long time. The splashes from the flowing river had already wet his hair and black cloth trousers, and tiny water droplets slid down his slightly defined muscles.
"Splash!"
"Splash!"
"Splash!"
Just then, three small fish finally leaped out of the water beside him. Naruto's previously narrowed eyes instantly widened, and the three fish seemed to freeze in mid-air.
The wooden stick in his hand immediately darted forward, quickly piercing through the bodies of the three small fish with a series of whooshing sounds.
"Today's breakfast is settled."
Naruto smiled and jumped directly to the campfire not far from the riverbank, where there was also a tent. He had been living there for several months, away from that annoying Village, which was good for his physical and mental health.
Similarly, the main reason he moved here was for training. As early as the second day of his transmigration, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already come to test him. After all, it would be impossible for him not to be concerned that an orphan who knew nothing suddenly learned to extract Chakra under his surveillance.
Naruto directly blamed it all on the Nine-Tailed.
He said that while he was sleeping, he suddenly saw a large fox trapped in a cage. The large fox said that if he did as it said, he would gain the Village's approval, so he followed its instructions and then extracted Chakra.
The large fox also indicated that if he opened the cage, it could teach him several powerful Ninjutsu, which would make it even easier to gain everyone's approval.
This scared Hiruzen Sarutobi so much that he almost summoned Enma on the spot. He thought Naruto had already opened the Nine-Tailed's seal. After carefully checking Naruto's seal and finding that the Eight Trigrams Seal had not loosened in the slightest, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Before leaving, he solemnly affirmed that the Nine-Tailed absolutely could not use Ninjutsu, let alone teach Naruto. If Naruto truly wanted to learn Ninjutsu, he could ask him for guidance.
From then on, Hiruzen Sarutobi's frequency of visiting Naruto each month increased.
Naruto cleaned the internal organs of a few fish, skewered them on branches, and roasted them by the campfire. Just as the fish were almost done, a somewhat stumbling footsteps sounded behind him.
Naruto knew who it was without even thinking. He turned around, and sure enough, it was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although his face showed some fatigue, he still wore a kind smile and greeted Naruto with a chuckle.
"Naruto, long time no see. Are you having roasted fish for breakfast again today?"
'Why is this old guy here so early today?'
'Does no one cook for him at home? Why does he always come here for free food?'
Naruto couldn't help but grumble a few words internally, but on his face, he still showed a sunny smile and said with some excitement, "Third Hokage Grandpa, you're here! Do you want some fish?"
As he spoke, Naruto picked up a nearly roasted fish and happily handed it to him.
"Then thank you, Naruto."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile deepened when he saw this, and he chuckled as he took the roasted fish from Naruto.
Indeed, little Naruto was still a very well-behaved child. Although he was away from the Village, his original intention was to avoid causing trouble for the villagers. The fire will in his heart was no less than anyone else's.
They were all the new leaves of the Village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a little emotional, but Naruto was gritting his teeth internally. This old guy, he was just being polite, and he actually took it. He hadn't considered that Hiruzen Sarutobi would come at this time; three fish were just enough for him alone.
"I say, you brat, if you don't want to give the fish to that old guy, why don't you just tell him?"
In the Sealed Space, the Nine-Tailed looked at Naruto's two-faced behavior and felt a bit speechless, so it couldn't help but complain.
"What do you know? If I don't give up this fish today, he'll dare to take me to Anbu tomorrow on the grounds that my fire will is insufficient, and then he'll brainwash me with the fire will every day."
"These old guys love to use the fire will to brainwash others, then make others sacrifice while they profit. This roasted fish, though small, contains my strong fire will."
Naruto responded to the Nine-Tailed with some annoyance.
"I really don't understand you humans. Only when your strength is insufficient do you go through so many twists and turns." The Nine-Tailed scoffed.
"That's why you're sealed inside me."
The Nine-Tailed immediately broke down.
"Third Hokage Grandpa, be careful of fish bones." Naruto reminded him with a worried expression.
The Third Hokage's old face was almost as wrinkled as a chrysanthemum.
"Grandpa knows."
The old and young sat silently on the stone pier by the river, enjoying their breakfast.
Blond hair, enjoying the joy of family.
"Little Naruto, are you still going to train later?"
After finishing the roasted fish, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
"Mm." Naruto nodded heavily and said with a hopeful expression, "I want to become strong quickly so I can protect everyone in the Village and make them accept me sooner."
Ultimately, the system's reward was too low. Besides giving him Chakra mastery on the first day, it hadn't triggered again.
In the first few days, he wandered around the Village, and besides receiving a lot of Byakugan and curses, and being provoked by a few brats, not a single option was triggered.
In this situation, Naruto decisively chose to temporarily abandon the system and opt for his other cheat—the Nine-Tailed Beast Chakra.
If you don't train to death, then train until you're dead.
As for the danger of being alone in the wilderness, as the Nine-Tailed's malice perception showed, there were always two Anbu squads around him.
"You truly are a good child, Naruto. One day, everyone will acknowledge you, because you are the true hero of Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was secretly astonished by Naruto's training progress. This training volume would leave even Might Guy from the Ninja Academy far behind.
He couldn't help but glance at the mountain-like boulder not far away, which was covered with dense fist prints, palm prints, and even footprints.
Nine-Tailed Beast Chakra combined with Vortex Clan bloodline truly was terrifying. Even if he couldn't master the Nine-Tailed Beast Chakra in the future, he would still have the strength of an elite Jonin.
"I will definitely do it." Naruto immediately straightened up, patted his chest, and said with a confident expression, but his confident expression quickly became hesitant.
Seeing Naruto's appearance, Hiruzen Sarutobi also guessed something. He couldn't help but hesitate, wanting to pretend not to notice, but thinking of Naruto's eager desire for recognition, he finally asked, "What's wrong, little Naruto? Is there something else you don't understand?"
Naruto hesitated for a moment, as if finally summoning his courage, and said, "Third Hokage Grandpa, I have completely mastered Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and Rasengan. Can you teach me a new Ninjutsu?"
Even though he observed Naruto's training progress daily through the Telescope Jutsu, hearing it firsthand, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but be secretly astonished.
Minato, you truly had a good son.
This is the hope of Konoha.
"Little Naruto's talent is even higher than I imagined." Hiruzen Sarutobi showed an expression of surprise and relief, "Your talent surpasses even that of the Fourth Hokage."
Naruto immediately showed a shy expression, scratching his head and saying, "I also want to become a hero who protects the Village, just like the Fourth Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard, his vision seemingly blurring. He saw double images of Naruto in the sunlight, as if he were seeing the former Fourth Hokage.
"Since that's the case, then today I will tell you about the nature transformation and shape transformation of Chakra."