The System's voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
[It's very necessary for you to meet legendary warriors in their youth. You need to understand that your current strength isn't the peak—there are people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens. Your training journey is far from complete.]
A Certain Realm
Amid a cluster of rocky waterfalls, a small boy lifted a massive boulder weighing tens of thousands of pounds with one arm. He climbed upward with his free arm and both legs, resisting the tremendous pressure of the cascading water and falling debris.
The obstacles didn't faze him in the slightest. Even when rocks struck his body, he remained unmoved—they might as well have been scratching an itch for all the effect they had.
Eventually, he reached the summit. Standing at the peak, he hurled the boulder down into the pool below with explosive force. The impact created a deafening boom.
The small figure stood there, gazing into the distance. After a year of intense training, he was now seven years old, his body having undergone a terrifying transformation.
With a mighty roar, the tiny silhouette atop the vast waterfall raised a massive boulder overhead with both hands. Facing the morning sunlight, he showed a brilliant smile.
His entire body glowed golden, radiating precious light.
This scene frightened nearby beasts and birds into fleeing in all directions. They'd learned to fear this small figure—he was too dangerous. Even more terrifying was his appetite, which had multiplied several times over. If they stayed any longer, they might become his next meal.
After all, the little one had already eaten quite a few of their companions.
Suddenly, the small boy whirled around. His eyes flashed like lightning, radiating terrifying divine light as he locked onto an unexpected arrival.
The newcomer was, naturally, Uzumaki Naruto.
The System had twisted time and space, bringing him to meet this legendary warrior through accessing ancient memories. The moment Naruto arrived, he saw the small figure lifting the enormous stone like a divine being.
Watching the display, Naruto felt a twinge of envy. Although his Ultimate Taijutsu method could achieve such tremendous strength, his body didn't possess the same radiant quality as the boy before him.
The small warrior studied the newcomer—a face as youthful as a child's, but standing at an adult's height. Without hesitation, he threw the boulder in his hands directly at Naruto.
Facing a legendary warrior, Naruto didn't dare underestimate the threat. In an instant, his Iron Body activated at full power. He grew to five meters tall and met the boulder head-on.
"Thousand Buddhas Ascend to Heaven!"
BOOM... CRACK... CRASH...
In moments, Naruto unleashed thousands of ascending punches, finally shattering the boulder before him and revealing the small figure beyond.
The young warrior's expression grew serious. The person before him had also reached the extreme pinnacle of physical strength, and his techniques were unlike anything he'd encountered before.
"Who are you?" the small boy asked.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I come from the ninja world." Naruto spoke kindly. "I've heard tales of legendary warriors for a long time, and I want to make friends with those who walk the path of strength."
"Legendary warrior?" The small boy looked puzzled. This person who seemed from an entirely different world was calling him by such titles.
However, he couldn't sense any malice from Naruto's body, so he replied, "My name is Shi Hao. I'm seven years old."
Hearing the age, Naruto gasped. Is this what a legendary warrior looks like in youth? Only seven years old, yet possessing tremendous physical strength!
When he'd been seven, he was still in the body conditioning phase, with only a few thousand pounds of strength.
"I'm nine years old," Naruto admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed.
The small warrior couldn't sense Naruto's malice, and Naruto genuinely aimed at friendship, so the two sat together and began talking.
Shi Hao spoke about how his supreme bone had been stolen by family members, sharing pieces of his painful past.
Naruto felt deep sympathy. He shared his own story—how he'd been treated with cold indifference since childhood in his village, how other children avoided him like a plague.
Happiness might come in many forms, but pain and loneliness shared a universal language.
The relationship between the two gradually deepened. After all, they recognized kindred spirits in each other, creating a natural sense of understanding.
"Later, I learned to train," Naruto said excitedly. "I wanted to become strong because only the strong can make true friends. I didn't want to suffer that indifference anymore. Now, I've made many friends."
He was sharing his story but also encouraging Shi Hao.
The small warrior immediately responded, "Yes! I want to become strong too! I want to prove to them that even without the Supreme Bone, I can still become powerful enough to shake the foundations of the world!"
Both burned with fighting spirit. They looked at each other and smiled.
"By the way, Naruto—earlier you mentioned that when making friends, you need to have friendly exchanges with each other. Let's spar! I really want to be your friend." Shi Hao stood, his expression eager for battle.
He understood that only through combat could he discover his own weaknesses. Fighting strong opponents was the best path to improvement.
Naruto stood as well. The two locked gazes. Fighting spirit crackled between them like electric current, as if countless sparks were flying.
Naruto didn't hesitate. He activated his full Iron Body transformation. The scene of Shi Hao casually throwing that boulder had completely convinced him—the person before him was absolutely not weaker than himself.
"Divine Beast Technique!"
"Heavenly Ascension Fist!"
In an instant, the two clashed. Naruto's Heavenly Ascension Fist struck with tremendous force. Shi Hao responded with various mystical techniques—divine beast powers that scattered radiant light in dazzling displays.
The two exchanged martial techniques in rapid succession. For a time, the battle remained completely even.
Suddenly, Shi Hao closed the distance, attempting hand-to-hand combat. This was exactly what Naruto wanted. Both immediately abandoned their special techniques and engaged in pure physical exchange.
Crack. Smack. Thud.
Crisp impacts echoed through the waterfall clearing.
Shi Hao had fought countless beasts and birds since childhood, developing extremely high combat awareness. Moreover, his control over his body was exceptional—like a ruthless fighting machine.
As for Naruto, he'd studied the System's teachings on using the body as a weapon extensively. He didn't yield an inch, utilizing various joints, muscles, and tendons to shock, deflect, and counter.
The two remained evenly matched.
Seeing Naruto fighting on equal terms with him, Shi Hao felt genuine joy. Finally, he'd met a comparable opponent! "Naruto, I'm going to get serious now!"
"I've been serious this whole time," Naruto replied calmly.
After speaking, Shi Hao spun around and appeared behind Naruto in the blink of an eye. He dropped low, clenched his hands into blade shapes, and struck toward Naruto's posterior.
Based on his past experience, even beasts with thick hides and tough flesh had always been vulnerable in that area.
Understanding Shi Hao's intent, Naruto sneered. There were no weak points on his body. Instead of dodging, he sat down hard, attempting to shatter the small warrior's fingers.
CLANG.
Like metal striking metal, when Shi Hao's hand-blade met Naruto's reinforced posterior, a crisp sound rang out. Both remained unharmed—Shi Hao achieved nothing, and Naruto's counter naturally failed as well.
Seeing this, Shi Hao was shocked. He immediately gave up that approach.
This guy's rear end is incredibly hard!
The small warrior abandoned targeting Naruto's vulnerable areas and instead planned to use overwhelming force to completely subdue him.
As if shackles had been released from his entire body, Shi Hao's form glowed with precious light. Like a divine beast cub, he launched punches and kicks—not loudly, but with devastating power—directly confronting Naruto.
Naruto suddenly felt an intensified assault, at least eight thousand pounds more powerful than his own strength.