After returning home, Naruto sat on the sofa while boiling water, chatting with Kyuubi to pass the time.
"Big Fox," he said, "how's the grilled fish? My craftsmanship isn't bad. If you like it, I can share these delicious Chakras with you every day."
Kyuubi didn't respond, but the previous system prompts had already revealed his thoughts.
After a long pause, Nine-Tails snorted coldly. "So-so. I've eaten better before. Don't think you can bribe me with this crap."
Decades sealed… and now this brat tries to bribe me with grilled fish? Kyuubi's scorn was almost tangible.
Naruto didn't expose him. Instead, he thought about how to turn the situation to his advantage. After obtaining the weakened version of "Malicious Perception," he could clearly sense the chakra of nearby ninjas—a first step toward countering surveillance.
Next up: improving it to a level where even Anbu and the Third Hokage couldn't track him easily.
But to grow stronger quickly, he needed new ninjutsu. Right now, all he had was Sanshenjutsu and Soft Fist—the latter still invisible. To get more, he would either have to develop them himself or wait until he officially entered the Ninja School.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Standing there was the familiar figure of the Third Hokage—the same old man whose reputation had nearly been ruined last time.
"Grandpa Hokage! I've already eaten."
The Third Hokage blinked. What? This kid eats before guests arrive? It felt like a critical hit straight to his dignity.
Naruto smirked internally. So he's just an old man who eats without eating. Typical Hokage.
The Third Hokage cleared his throat. "I've eaten too. I came to check on your learning progress, and see if you can grow into an excellent ninja."
Naruto snorted. "Grandpa Hokage, I've learned the Substitute and Transformation Techniques, but the Shadow Clone Jutsu always fails. Something seems to be disturbing me."
"Disturbing?" The Third Hokage frowned, thinking of the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto. Could the seal have weakened?
Yet, standing before him, he couldn't sense any Nine-Tails chakra. The seal seemed intact. Maybe Naruto just lacked talent in this technique—like his father, Minato.
After a moment's thought, he smiled. "Naruto, you're already a young genius. Take your time mastering the Shadow Clone Jutsu. You still have plenty of time."
Naruto tilted his head. "Then between me and Grandpa Hokage, who's stronger?"
The Third Hokage chuckled at his conscience. "Of course I was stronger when I was young… but it's not impossible for you to surpass me someday. You just have to work hard."
Naruto nodded. "I understand. I will become an excellent ninja."
The Third Hokage tilted his head. "Is that all? After becoming an excellent ninja, do you have other ambitions? Like becoming Hokage or earning everyone's approval?"
Naruto shook his head. "No lofty ideals. Just being an excellent ninja and protecting those I care about is enough. I don't need to be Hokage, and I don't need everyone's approval."
The Third Hokage rubbed his forehead. He understands a bit of the Will of Fire… but not enough.
If he truly knew Naruto's inner thoughts, he'd realize this kid's support was all surface-level; in truth, he had his own rebellious streak.
"Who do you care about in the village?" the Hokage asked.
Without hesitation, Naruto said, "Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji… and Grandpa Hokage. The rest don't matter. They're all strangers."
The Hokage smiled. "Seems you've made three friends so far. I believe you'll make more, and then truly understand the importance of recognition."
Naruto didn't want to dwell on that, so he switched topics. "Grandpa Hokage, besides the Three Body Jutsu, I want to learn more ninjutsu. Can you teach me?"
"Of course," the Third Hokage said, "but first, let's test your chakra nature."
He handed Naruto a chakra test paper. Naruto poured chakra onto it, and the paper split cleanly in two.
"Grandpa Hokage, what's my chakra nature?"
The Third Hokage stroked his beard. "Wind. A rare attribute. You're lucky."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Rare… is it strong?"
The Third Hokage nodded. "Wind chakra is excellent, but there aren't many wind ninjutsu for you to practice right now. I'll need to search for suitable techniques."
Naruto frowned slightly. He could feel the limitations already.
The Third Hokage continued, "If you want to learn other ninjutsu, you'll have to wait until you enter the Ninja School. That's where real systematic training begins, where bonds are formed, and where the Will of Fire and love are truly understood."
After a moment, he placed the gold-plated Ninja School admission notice and a scroll detailing the advanced Shadow Clone Technique on the table.
Naruto glanced at the notice. No entrance test… I'm basically recommended straight in?
"Kyuubi," he said, "I'm going to school."
The fox inside him yawned lazily. "Going to school, huh? Congrats. Soon you'll be a primary school ninja."
Naruto picked up the notice, reading the principal's signature and start date, and let his mind wander, imagining his future at Ninja School.
Then he looked at the Shadow Clone Jutsu scroll. I'll master this before school even starts.
With only a few months left, it wasn't enough for the average person… but it was plenty for him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 30+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.