Chapter 5: Fair-Weather Friends
"Matsumaru!"
A young boy emerged from the woods.
He had red inverted triangle markings tattooed on his face.
A Ninja of the Inuzuka Clan.
He was slightly stunned when he saw Naruto.
As a member of one of Konoha's great clans, he naturally didn't view Naruto as the so-called Demon Fox like the other residents did.
"Hello, I'm Inuzuka Kiba."
He gave a brilliant smile, his teeth almost sparkling.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
It was rare for Naruto to meet a Ninja who looked at him normally without discriminatory eyes.
He was also one of the future Konoha 11.
A young man who was very skilled at working with dogs.
He possessed a series of Ninjutsu that combined man and beast as one.
But he remembered Kiba's dog was named Akamaru.
Could it be the butterfly effect of his transmigration?
"Sorry, Matsumaru ate all your snacks."
Kiba scratched his head sheepishly, then immediately glared at Matsumaru.
Hmm? dog food?
He saw the text on the packaging.
"Do you raise dogs too?"
Kiba couldn't help but ask.
There weren't many Ninjas in Konoha who raised dogs.
Aside from their Inuzuka Clan, the only famous one was the Konoha technician Kakashi Hatake.
He hadn't expected the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to be interested in dogs as well.
"No, I don't raise dogs."
Naruto answered subconsciously.
Kiba's expression suddenly became strange.
If you don't raise dogs, why did you buy dog food?
For yourself to eat?
Naruto noticed the odd look and reacted immediately.
His answer just now was indeed a bit suggestive.
"I'm not..."
How was he supposed to answer this?
He was a bit stuck.
He couldn't exactly say it was for the Nine-Tailedto eat.
Who would believe that?
Kiba said understandingly, "It's no big deal. I've eaten dog food before, and I've even learned how to make it."
Naruto could only accept the misunderstanding.
He'd have to have a talk with the Nine-Tailed when he got back.
Fortunately, Kiba wasn't a blabbermouth; otherwise, by the next day, rumors would be spreading through Konoha that the evil Demon Fox wouldn't even spare dogs and was stealing dog food.
"How much was this bag of dog food? I'll pay you back."
Kiba took out a coin pouch.
Matsumaru had already eaten it; he couldn't exactly cut him open to see how much he'd consumed.
"It's fine, it's just a bag of dog food. Consider it a gift for Matsumaru. I quite like dogs too."
Naruto waved his hand and said dismissively.
After all, he got it for free.
One bag a day, produced by the system—it was like a dog food perpetual motion machine.
In his past life, he had raised a cat and a dog.
Saying he liked dogs wasn't a lie.
"I've decided, we're friends!"
Kiba put away the coin pouch, patted his shoulder, and said with a look of delight.
As long as someone liked dogs, they couldn't be a bad person.
[Congratulations to the host for achieving the 'Fair-Weather Friends' achievement. Obtained one Common Card Draw.]
What the hell kind of 'Fair-Weather Friends'!?
This system is definitely not serious!
Naruto had nowhere to release his urge to complain.
But for the sake of the reward, he'd let it slide for now.
"Is this your Summoned Beast?"
With an extra card draw and a new friend, Narutowas in a good mood.
"He's my sister's. I don't have enough Chakra yet, so I can't have my own Summoned Beast."
Kiba's explanation suddenly made Narutoremember something.
Dogs don't live as long as humans.
Even if it's a Ninja Dog.
So based on this deduction, Akamaru was probably just a 'tadpole' right now.
Competing with his other brothers and sisters for a chance to be born.
Shortly after, Kiba's sister, Inuzuka Hana, appeared.
A young girl with the same red inverted triangle markings.
In the original work, she was an excellent veterinarian who loved research.
Like Kiba, Inuzuka Hana didn't hold any hostility toward Naruto.
After chatting for a bit, she took Kiba away to continue their previous training.
This was the advantage of a great clan.
Before even entering the Ninja Academy, they began Chakra refinement and control, as well as learning family Ninjutsu or secret techniques, to ensure they maintained a higher level than civilian Ninjas.
To put it bluntly, most Ninjas were just cannon fodder.
Including the large number of children who graduated early and died on the battlefield during the previous Ninja World Wars.
Naruto snapped back to reality.
Taijutsu training, or rather, physical exercise.
He had read the basic books Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him.
Simple and crude.
Ever since Might Duy fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist alone and turned them into the 'Lucky Three Treasures,' Taijutsu had finally received the attention it deserved.
The training methods he obtained came exactly from Might Duy or rather Might Guy.
But simply running was a bit boring.
Naruto called over Clone No. 1, who was building the Treehouse, and spent an hour setting up horizontal bars, parallel bars, a parallel ladder, a seesaw, and such around the rice fields.
When Hinata arrived, she saw Naruto practicing high jumps.
His small body seemed to possess immense power as he leaped three meters high, flipped over the horizontal bar, and continued running forward.
This scene repeated constantly.
Naruto's face showed determination and strong self-confidence.
It made her feel strangely shaken.
What exactly was the reason?
She glanced past the unfamiliar and strange equipment and saw his other two clones.
No. 1 was pruning branches on a massive tree.
No. 2 was carefully controlling Chakra while slowly watering the rice fields.
The division of labor was clear and filled with a certain upward momentum.
She thought of herself.
For a moment, a change occurred in her mindset.
After ten minutes or so, Naruto, who was immersed in training, noticed Hinata.
He stopped, feeling the fatigue radiating from every part of his body.
If he didn't possess the Uzumaki Clan bloodline, his young body would definitely not be able to withstand such high-intensity exercise.
But he felt pretty good.
Knowing the power of the future and sensing clear progress only made him work harder and harder.
The reason some people are lazy is because they can't see results.
If there were a digitized system in his past life, everyone would be a workaholic.
"Hinata."
Naruto wiped away his sweat, walked up to her, and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"I... I... I'm just lost..."
Hinata spoke haltingly, lowering her head again after finishing.
Getting lost, huh?
It was quite a feat to get lost all the way from the Hyuga Compound to this stream.
Naruto couldn't help but smile: "I'll take you to eat ramen."
Under the setting sun, two figures side-by-side flickered with the beauty of youth... Kiba watched the sun about to disappear from the sky.
He couldn't help but have tears streaming down his face.
It's finally over!
This devilish training.
Wilderness survival skills, understanding dog language, observing dog expressions, checking dog bodies, and so on.
He always felt like he wasn't undergoing Ninjatraining, but rather dog training.
If this continued, he was going to stop being human.
"Matsumaru, time to go home."
Kiba looked at Matsumaru lying on the ground, a bit surprised.
Usually, he was full of infinite energy.
Why was he out of it today?
"Matsumaru?"
Kiba called again, but received no response.
His expression changed slightly as he ran to him in a few steps.
The originally white fur was tinged with a faint red.
His body temperature was burning hot.
"Sis, come look quickly, Matsumaru seems sick!"
Kiba waved while shouting.
"Sick?"
Inuzuka Hana was a bit confused; he was fine just a moment ago, how could a problem suddenly arise?
She knelt down, pressed her palm to Matsumaru's belly, and poured in Chakra.
A moment later, she let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
"Sis?"
Kiba asked nervously.
"It's not a bad thing; on the contrary, it's a good thing."
Inuzuka Hana withdrew her right hand and said thoughtfully, "He absorbed an excessive amount of Yang Power, causing his body to be unable to digest it in time. He'll be fine in a couple of days."
"Yang Power?"
Kiba was a bit dazed by the unfamiliar term.
"Yang Power, also known as Yang Release, represents life and is usually related to the body. For example, Medical Ninjutsu is a type of Yang Release."
Inuzuka Hana looked puzzled and asked, "Did Matsumaru eat anything today?"
"Normally he shouldn't have... oh, the dog foodNaruto gave him!"
Kiba suddenly perked up and said, "Matsumaruusually only eats the dog food provided by the clan. Today the only thing he ate was Naruto's dog food. That has to be the reason."
Inuzuka Hana's expression turned solemn.
If this was confirmed to be true, it would be of immense significance to the Inuzuka Clan.
dog food that directly replenished Yang Power had never existed before.
It would have a tremendous boosting effect on Ninja Dogs.
Take Matsumaru for example; if he absorbed it all, it could save nearly a month of growth time.