Chapter 9: The First Technique and a Shifting Shadow
"This is a training scroll for the Three Basic Techniques. You can study it. The Academy will test you on them soon enough."
"Okay! Thank you, Grandpa Hokage!"
Naruto caught the proffered scroll with an expression of awestruck delight, clutching it to his chest as if it were the greatest treasure in the world. His wide, blue eyes shone with manufactured hero-worship up at the elderly leader.
"Good, good. Now, it's getting late," Hiruzen said, his voice gentle but firm. "You should head home, Naruto. It's not safe for a young boy to be out after dark."
With a final, grandfatherly nod, Sarutobi Hiruzen vanished in a silent puff of smoke, leaving behind only the scent of his pipe tobacco and the faint, lingering pressure of his presence.
Naruto didn't move for a full minute. He stood perfectly still, the excited smile still plastered on his face, listening with every fiber of his being. Only when he was absolutely certain the Hokage's chakra signature had completely receded from the area did he allow his shoulders to slump.
"Whoo…"
A cool evening breeze swept through the clearing, rustling the leaves and raising goosebumps on his bare arms. He let out a long, slow breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Acting is exhausting, he thought, a profound weariness settling into his bones. Especially in front of a veteran shinobi and politician like him. One wrong flicker of the eyes, one misplaced inflection…
But he'd done it. He'd played the part of the grateful, starry-eyed, Hokage-obsessed orphan to perfection. The 'grandpa' act, as nauseating as it was, had been the key. He maintained his cheerful demeanor, even whistling a tuneless little song as he gathered his few things. Can't risk him lurking in the shadows for a final check. The happy, obedient puppet doesn't stop smiling just because the puppeteer leaves the room.
He gave the beautiful, star-dusted night sky one last glance, tightened his grip on the scroll—his first tangible step into the world of ninjutsu—and broke into a light jog towards home. Maybe I can figure this out before bed.
Unseen, in the deeper shadows of the trees where the firelight didn't reach, two figures materialized. One was Sarutobi Hiruzen, his earlier benign expression now one of calm calculation. Beside him stood an ANBU in a cat-faced mask, posture rigidly attentive.
"Lord Hokage, are you certain about withdrawing surveillance from the Jinchuriki? His behavior, while currently aligned, could be—"
"Do as I say," Hiruzen interrupted, his voice losing its grandfatherly softness, becoming the flat tone of command. "Continuous overt surveillance is no longer a prudent use of resources. He has taken the first, most important step onto the path we have laid."
"But, Hokage-sama—"
"This is an order." Hiruzen's gaze didn't waver from the direction Naruto had gone. "The seed has been planted. It is being watered with the proper ideals. Now we must give it sunlight and space to grow, not stifle it with constant shadow. A plant that feels watched grows twisted. One that believes it grows towards the sun of its own volition grows straight and strong."
The ANBU operative trembled, a mix of frustration and reluctant understanding. Monitoring the fox-brat had been a morbid, hate-filled pleasure. Now that was being taken away. But an order from the Hokage was absolute. "…Understood, sir."
Click.
The lock on his apartment door slid shut. Naruto flicked the light switch, flooding the sparse room with a harsh fluorescent glow. He didn't bother with anything else; he just walked straight to his bed and flopped face-first onto the thin mattress.
"Mmmph…" He rolled over, stretching his sore muscles against the scratchy sheets. The simple comfort was almost euphoric after the day's physical and mental marathon. "Nothing beats a bed after a hard workout."
He lay there for a few minutes, mentally replaying the day, feeling the subtle, thrilling hum of increased power in his limbs. Finally, he sat up, the scroll from Hiruzen resting in his lap. He untied the simple cord and unrolled it under the lamplight.
"Transformation Technique. Clone Technique. Substitution Technique. Compendium."
The words were neatly inked. Basic. Foundational. The absolute bedrock of Konoha's shinobi education, given to every Academy student. To him, it was a tool, and a key to understanding the system he was now a part of. Let's see if the furball downstairs makes this difficult.
An hour later, the scroll lay discarded on the floor. Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed, his hands moving through a sequence of three simple seals with focused precision. He focused inward, feeling the vast ocean of his chakra—a blend of Uzumaki vitality and something fiercer, warmer—stir in response.
"Clone Technique… these seals… release!"
Poof.
A pathetic, wobbly, vaguely boy-shaped lump of chakra appeared on the bed beside him. It wavered for a second before dissolving into a pitiful wisp of smoke.
Naruto stared at the empty space, a flat look on his face. "...Right. Adjust the output ratio. And the shape. Focus."
Poof. Poof. Poof…
The next ten minutes were a series of muffled explosions of smoke as Naruto experimented, his brow furrowed in concentration. He'd consult the scroll for a detail, then try again. His chakra reserves, far beyond a normal genin's, allowed for relentless trial and error. Finally…
Poof!
A perfect, stable copy of Uzumaki Naruto stood on the bed, mirroring his cross-legged pose. It looked back at him with blank, expectant eyes.
A wide, genuine grin split Naruto's face. "Hah! Got it!" He waved a hand, and the clone vanished in a clean puff. "Not bad. Ninjutsu is… kind of fun when it works."
Emboldened, he moved on. The Transformation Technique, requiring more finesse in reshaping chakra, took him only five minutes to produce a convincing, if basic, transformation into a copy of his bedside lamp. The Substitution Technique, understanding the core principle of instant displacement with a pre-prepared object, took another twenty.
By the end of the half-hour, all three basic techniques were his. He shoved the now-unnecessary scroll under his bed and lay back, staring at the water-stained ceiling.
The fox… stayed quiet. Asleep? Indifferent? Or waiting? He pushed the thought aside. The Nine-Tails was a problem for a much stronger version of himself.
His mind turned to the day's events. The performance for Iruka. The display of "Uzumaki stamina" for the ANBU. The carefully curated meeting with the Third. Every move had been a piece placed on the board, designed to show Hiruzen exactly what he wanted to see: a malleable, talented, loyal weapon in the making, happily grasping the handle they were offering.
And he bought it, Naruto thought, a cold satisfaction settling in his gut. He thinks he's the wise gardener, and I'm the eager sapling reaching for his sun. Little does he know…
His internal smirk was cut short as he mentally summoned his system interface.
[ Host: Uzumaki Naruto ]
[ Bloodline: Uzumaki Clan Vitality. Low-Grade Saiyan Lineage. ]
[ Ninjutsu: Three Basic Techniques (Acquired) ]
[ Chakra Capacity: Elite Chunin Level ]
[ Comprehensive Combat Power: 30.1 ]
[ Note: Power increase detected. Attribute growth from intensive physical training and successful chakra technique integration.]
[ Active Mission: None ]
[ Next Mission Available In: 3999 days, 3 hours, 26 minutes… ]
His eyebrows rose. 30.1. A jump of over three points from the morning. The grueling physical training and the successful neural-pathway formation from learning ninjutsu had both contributed. The number was a cold, hard fact of progress. It was working.
Then his eyes drifted to the mission cooldown. 3999 days. The sheer, absurd length of it was a constant, nagging irritant.
I swear, he thought, closing his eyes as exhaustion finally claimed him, if I ever figure out how to materialize this system, the first thing I'm doing is giving it a good, hard kick.
(End of Chapter)
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