Hinata picked up a piece of grilled fish and placed it in her mouth. As she chewed lightly, she was instantly overwhelmed by the taste.
This was without a doubt the most delicious, most satisfying meal she had ever eaten.
Watching Hinata devour her food, Naruto couldn't help but let his imagination wander, even forming a vivid mental image.
'If Hinata had eaten freely since childhood, with her unique constitution… maybe all that extra nutrition would have gone exactly where it should.'
As the two ate, a familiar figure approached.
Naruto looked up—it was Sasuke, his face twisted with inner conflict.
The two locked eyes, neither speaking first.
After more than ten seconds, Sasuke finally squeezed out his words.
"Naruto, can you teach me how to train? I want to get stronger!"
Hearing this, Naruto set down his lunch box and replied, "Sure."
Sasuke's face lit up with surprise—he hadn't expected it to be this easy.
But Naruto immediately continued: "I'll teach you, but there's one condition."
Hearing there was a condition, Sasuke asked directly, "Say it. How much money do you want?"
As the last surviving heir of the Uchiha, Sasuke hadn't inherited all of the clan's wealth. Still, Hiruzen Sarutobi had left him a small portion out of conscience. Not much, but still a considerable fortune for a child.
However, Naruto shook his head. "Tch, talking about money would only hurt our friendship. It's something else."
"Huh? Not money? Then what?" Sasuke instantly became suspicious.
While Sasuke's mind ran wild, Naruto revealed his condition.
"It's simple. Since you want me to train you, call me big brother. Not too much to ask, right?"
"What! Call you big brother?!" Sasuke reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, visibly agitated.
Logically speaking, calling someone "big brother" shouldn't have been a big deal. But just the thought of calling Naruto that made Sasuke's heart recoil.
"Can't you change the condition? I can pay more!" Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"Nope. If you want me to teach you, you have to call me big brother. It's your choice." Naruto smiled faintly.
Hesitating, Sasuke glanced at Hinata nearby. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he pointed at her.
"Then why are you teaching her? Don't tell me she also calls you big brother?"
"She's different."
"What's different? Just because she's a girl she doesn't have to?" Sasuke felt indignant.
Naruto shook his head. "It's not about gender. It's because she's Hinata. I'll teach her unconditionally."
Defeated in argument, Sasuke was left speechless, his expression tangled in frustration.
Hinata, listening quietly from the side, turned red in the face.
After minutes of inner struggle, Sasuke finally forced out the words through clenched teeth.
"B-big… brother! Happy now?!"
The instant Sasuke called him big brother, Naruto felt a wave of pure satisfaction.
Who says little brothers are destined to stay little brothers forever?
He nodded in approval, patting Sasuke's shoulder like a true elder. "Good. From now on, stick with me."
Stick with him? Stick with what?
Though Sasuke found it strange, at least he'd achieved his goal. He had no choice—he wanted strength too badly.
Naruto then began teaching Sasuke the Breath of Wind.
Sasuke's talent was slightly higher than Hinata's.
But Naruto's way of teaching was the exact opposite.
Hinata lacked confidence, so she needed constant encouragement.
Sasuke, however, was too arrogant. For him, there could be no soft words.
Every time Sasuke's breathing rhythm faltered, Naruto laid into him.
"I thought all Uchiha are geniuses?"
"Wrong again! Can't even handle something this simple? Hinata's doing way better than you!"
…
Sasuke was practically crushed under constant insults, but in his desperation to grow stronger, he gritted his teeth and endured.
A few hours later, when Sasuke finally managed to enter the proper breathing state—
Feeling his body's obvious strengthening, his eyes shone with excitement.
This speed of growth, visible to the naked eye—this was exactly what he'd dreamed of!
It seemed asking this guy for help hadn't been a mistake after all.
The humiliation… was worth it.
Even if the road ahead wouldn't be easy.
***
Several months later—
The shadow clone assigned to train in Yin-natured chakra returned. This Yin-aspected Naruto had a gloomy look, carrying an "old schemer" kind of vibe.
After making eye contact, the clone dissolved into a puff of smoke.
The training results and memories flowed back.
Wind-natured chakra (10000/10000)
Fire-natured chakra (10000/10000)
Water-natured chakra (10000/10000)
Earth-natured chakra (10000/10000)
Lightning-natured chakra (10000/10000)
Yang-natured chakra (10000/10000)
Yin-natured chakra (10000/10000)
In less than a year, Naruto had fully mastered both Chakra Shape Transformation and Nature Transformation for all attributes.
Shape Transformation allowed ninjutsu to change form, making them more versatile.
Nature Transformation greatly enhanced their power—like the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Now that both had reached their peak, even if Naruto only used a simple D-rank ninjutsu, its power would be terrifying.
Madara's Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame was dozens of times stronger than ordinary fire jutsu, like a sea of flames—thanks to his mastery of nature transformation and immense chakra reserves.
Similarly, Naruto's nine Breath of Wind sword forms had grown drastically stronger, both in power and size of their wind blades.
"I wonder… without tapping into the Nine-Tails' chakra, have I already reached the Kage level?" Naruto murmured.
Without a benchmark, he couldn't be sure what rank his strength truly was.
Looks like he needed to find some strong opponents to test himself against.
At that moment, the system's voice interrupted his thoughts:
"Congratulations on maintaining self-discipline for one year, and for mastering all seven chakra natures. Reward: Flying Thunder God."
Flying Thunder God: Allows the user to inscribe special space-time seals as coordinates, enabling instantaneous teleportation to any marked location.
Knowledge of the technique poured into his mind at once.
Naruto's heart surged with joy.
This jutsu was the perfect combination of coolness and overwhelming strength.
The only drawback was its extreme difficulty.
It required not only comprehension of space-time ninjutsu, but also incredibly fast reflexes.
Otherwise, using Flying Thunder God was no different than a headless fly darting around. Far from killing enemies unseen, one might end up getting killed instead.
"System, open my status panel."
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Age: 8 → 9 years old
Physique: 25 → 33 (average person = 1)
Chakra: 76.6 → 89.6 Ka(Kakashi) units
Kekkei Genkai: Perfect Uzumaki Sage Body
Abilities: Breath of Wind (Intermediate), Transparent World
Ninjutsu: Clone Jutsu, Illusionary Transformation, Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God
In just one year, his chakra had increased by more than ten points, and his body had grown stronger.
Now that he had mastered Flying Thunder God, Naruto felt restless with excitement.
He thought of Minato's tri-pronged kunai and felt the urge to design his own special version.
But when he considered his shriveled wallet, he could only sigh helplessly.
Just then, a black-haired figure walked toward him.
Seeing the newcomer, Naruto's lips curved into a grin.
Hands in his pockets, Sasuke approached with his usual aloof expression.
Standing before him, Sasuke tilted his head coolly and asked, "Naruto, I can already open the breathing technique instantly. But you mentioned Intermediate—what exactly do I need to do to reach it?"
Hearing this, Naruto chuckled softly.
That smile immediately gave Sasuke a bad feeling.
'This guy… he's scheming something again!'
After so long together, Sasuke had come to understand Naruto's personality.
Whenever he smiled like that, it never meant anything good.
With nervous eyes darting, Sasuke asked cautiously:
"You… what are you planning this time?"