Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
The winter sun shone brightly, its warmth spreading across the land. Deep within the silent Forest of Death, several squirrels leapt between thick branches, sometimes foraging, sometimes playing—unaware and unafraid.
Whoosh!
Two figures flashed past in an instant, coming to a halt on the trunk of a massive tree, facing each other.
One squirrel, clutching a pinecone, flicked its tail and vanished into the canopy. The rest scattered just as quickly.
The next moment, the two figures lunged at the same time.
Thud!
With a dull impact, one of them was slammed into the ground.
"Damn it—my left cheek again!"
The figure sprang back to his feet, revealing a pair of scarlet eyes—Uchiha Sasuke. Anger flared as he began forming hand seals, but disbelief suddenly crossed his face, and he forcibly changed them.
Boom!
A gigantic hand—large enough to cover a door—smashed down, pulverizing the ground.
A few breaths later, as the enormous hand rapidly shrank, a blond figure muttered thoughtfully:
"The timing on that Body Flicker was perfect… and the nature transformation of Yang chakra is pretty interesting."
"What kind of ninjutsu was that?"
Sasuke emerged from behind a tree, Sharingan spinning as he stared at Uzumaki Naruto's now-normal-sized hand.
Naruto had brought him to the deepest part of the Forest of Death early that morning to train. Yet despite using every ninjutsu Naruto had taught him, Sasuke hadn't managed to land a single hit.
Naruto dusted off his hands.
"The Expansion Technique. A secret jutsu of the Akimichi clan. Want to learn it?"
Sasuke glanced at the massive crater and nodded without hesitation.
"But you can't learn it right now."
"Why?" Sasuke asked immediately.
"You already know about chakra natures," Naruto explained, pulling out a scroll and handing it over. "This technique requires Yang Release. This one suits you better."
Sasuke understood at once. He had tested himself in secret—chakra paper confirmed he still possessed only the three attributes Naruto had mentioned.
Reluctantly, he opened the scroll.
"Shadow Imitation Technique?"
Moments later, Sasuke incinerated the scroll with Fire Release and looked up in confusion.
"This is just a support-type secret technique. And I can't even move while using it."
Naruto looked at him calmly.
"Are you saying it's useless?"
Sasuke didn't answer—but his expression said enough.
Naruto pointed at Sasuke's eyes.
"This is a Yin Release secret technique passed down by the Nara clan. It may help your Sharingan evolve."
Sasuke froze.
Another New Year was approaching… and he was still stuck with a single tomoe.
Naruto used Earth Release to erase the battle marks, then said evenly,
"Uchiha Itachi awakened his double-tomoe Sharingan at the age of eight."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
"I'll master it quickly."
"That's not the point," Naruto replied. "You need more Yin-Release practice. And this jutsu isn't easy."
Without another word, Sasuke formed seals and created three Shadow Clones.
Before they could move—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
All three exploded into smoke.
Sasuke spun around, Sharingan blazing.
"What did you do?!"
He hadn't even seen Naruto move.
Naruto pointed up at the sun.
"I admire your work ethic, but it's already noon. Today's the Academy anniversary—Third Hokage is giving an important speech."
Sasuke flushed, then asked quietly,
"What was that speed just now?"
Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Train Lightning Release more. No matter how hard you push Fire Release, you'll never surpass Itachi that way."
Whoosh!
They vanished.
"Life is lived only once. Don't force yourself onto a path you hate. Whether you live or die freely is your choice—but whatever path you take, never forget to protect those you cherish."
"Only by protecting what matters most will you understand the true source of your greatest power. I believe you will all understand this after graduation."
The Third Hokage's voice echoed across the training grounds, followed by thunderous applause.
Nara Shikamaru yawned and nudged Naruto.
"Were you even listening?"
Naruto nodded calmly.
"It was an interesting speech."
Akimichi Choji scratched his head.
"I didn't understand any of it."
Naruto stared at a white-haired, masked figure standing behind the Hokage—Hatake Kakashi—and said,
"Read more books. Then you will."
Choji shook his head violently.
"No way!"
Shikamaru yawned again.
"Books are troublesome enough. Training and classes already suck."
Naruto's eyes flickered.
"You're right."
He had nearly forgotten—most shinobi in this world barely had an elementary-level education.
Outside wartime, the six years at the Ninja Academy focused almost entirely on combat. After graduation came missions, killing, and survival. Those who lived grew up numb to war.
The ninja village system itself was deeply distorted.
Villages operated independently from national governments—essentially mercenary organizations. The great nations, ruled by daimyō, controlled production and resources. Shinobi produced nothing. Their livelihood depended on missions and stipends.
They understood war's cruelty—but not that they themselves were its root.
And these ill-educated people stubbornly sought peace through endless suffering.
The most obvious example was Nagato, who believed pain alone could bring salvation.
Another was Uchiha Madara, who decided the world should simply dream forever under the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Naruto couldn't help thinking that Konoha's only writer known across the shinobi world specialized in adult novels—so the Third Hokage managing to articulate even a passable Will of Fire was already impressive.
"Naruto… can we go to the Mirror World?"
Kurama's impatient voice echoed from the seal.
Naruto shifted his consciousness inward and saw Kurama sitting cross-legged, clearly bored.
"How about I grant you challenge privileges?" Naruto smiled. "The combat experience there is realistic."
Kurama's crimson eyes lit up.
"Fine. I'll use it to kill time."
A short while later, Naruto exited a battle—only to find Kurama still fighting.
He opened a pop-up window.
Kurama had already fought several rounds and was now forming a Tailed Beast Ball, his target locked on Uchiha Shisui.
"Kotoamatsukami!"
Naruto immediately waved the window closed, selected Akimichi Choza, and vanished.
"Damn Sharingan!"
With a furious roar, Kurama's massive form appeared at the gates of Konoha. Finding Naruto gone, he reopened the pop-up window—
—and selected Uchiha Shisui again.
(End of Chapter)
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