Naruto looked at Aizen's new reply, his heart pounding.
Analyze others? See through them? Record weaknesses? For some reason, he felt that these suggestions carried a hint of coldness, not quite like something a good person would suggest. Was it just his imagination? How could someone who had been so enthusiastically teaching him how to dress and present himself be a bad person?
More importantly, a voice deep inside Naruto told him: what this man was saying might actually be one of the true rules by which this world operated.
"I'll give it a try for now."
Naruto took a deep breath, firmly etching Tanjiro's "Water Breathing" training method and Aizen's "intelligence gathering" task into his mind.
"One to make my body stronger, one to make my mind sharper... I want both!"
...The next day, early morning.
[Ding! Daily Mission: Wellness, completed.]
[Obtained E-rank Treasure Chest. Opened to receive: Stamina Recovery Pill *1.]
Glancing at the small blue pill in his hand, Naruto tucked it away and headed to school. During the day, he fully implemented Aizen's suggestions at school. No more shouting and screaming, no more sleeping in class. Most of his time in class was spent reading the basic books Iruka-sensei had given him. While reading, he wore those glasses that lowered his presence and sat in the back row. Like an outsider, he silently observed everything.
Naruto's gaze first fell upon that man—Uchiha Sasuke. In the old Naruto's eyes, Sasuke was just an annoying brat who loved to act cool and steal the spotlight. But now, Naruto seemed to see something different. Sasuke seemed to have his nerves on edge at all times. Even in a safe classroom, he was like a startled cat with its fur standing on end, always ready to face an invisible enemy. Combining this with the vague news he'd heard about all of Sasuke's relatives passing away... perhaps... Sasuke had never truly moved on from that day. At this thought, Naruto's original jealousy toward Sasuke dissipated, replaced by a trace of complex pity.
Then, he turned his gaze toward Haruno Sakura. At that moment, Haruno Sakura was resting her chin on her hand, secretly watching Sasuke's back. Whenever Sasuke slightly turned his head, she would immediately strike a ladylike pose. When Sasuke turned away, she would fix her eyes on him again. Naruto was surprised to find that Haruno Sakura only liked Sasuke's handsome looks and his label as a genius. She had never tried to understand Sasuke deeply or empathize with the pain in his heart. She merely performed shallow actions she thought would catch Sasuke's attention, only to provoke his annoyance. How similar this was to his former self...
Subsequently, Naruto focused his gaze on others. Nara Shikamaru was afraid of trouble but extremely intelligent, Akimichi Choji had no resistance to food, Inuzuka Kiba was impulsive and competitive...
Finally, Naruto's gaze landed on the strange person diagonally in front of him who would blush and faint at the drop of a hat, Hyuga Hinata. At this moment, Hyuga Hinata was looking down, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles. From time to time, she would steal a glance at him. The moment their eyes met, she would instantly shrink back like a startled rabbit. Before, Naruto had always thought she was a weirdo. He even wondered if she was afraid to look at him because she hated him. But after a period of observation, Naruto was surprised to find... that look in Hinata's eyes seemed quite similar to Sakura's.
Naruto quickly shook his head, thinking he was overthinking it. "I'm the dead last hated by the whole village, and she's the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan. How could she possibly like me? Maybe... she's just looking at the scenery behind me."
...After school, at a general store.
"Boss, give me a hot water bottle. I want the thick rubber kind, the strongest one you have."
The shopkeeper looked strangely at the refined blond boy in black-rimmed glasses standing before the counter. Why would a young person nowadays buy a hot water bottle in the spring? And for some reason... looking at the boy in front of him, he felt like he'd seen him somewhere before, but he just couldn't place him. Normally, if he saw that noisy Fox Demon come in, the boss would have chased him out with a broom long ago. But facing this polite and tidy boy, the boss couldn't associate him with that troublemaker at all. After all, no one would expect a person to undergo such a massive transformation in just a few days.
"Ahem, that'll be 100 Ryo."
Finally, for the sake of the money, the boss rummaged through his things and found a red rubber bag in the warehouse: "This rubber bag is very durable. Even with a Kunai, it's hard to puncture it all at once."
"I'll take it!"
Naruto paid the money, picked up the hot water bottle, and walked out. Only after leaving the shop did he let out a long sigh of relief. In truth, Naruto's heart had been pounding just now, unsure if he would be recognized and fearing he would be kicked out again. But clearly, the effect of these glasses exceeded his expectations.
"Awesome! I won't need to use Henge no Jutsu to buy things anymore!"
A wave of intense joy washed over Naruto. To buy daily necessities and instant ramen, he had been forced to practice his Henge no Jutsu until it became his most proficient Ninjutsu. But now, he could finally walk openly in the sunlight...
Back home, Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed, tightly clutching the brand-new hot water bottle. Following the instructional video sent by the Charcoal Seller, he didn't rush to blow into it. Instead, he first closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing rhythm. Then, following the Breathing Technique, Naruto began to feel the oxygen enter and expand his lungs, feeling the blood flow through his veins...
As his concentration deepened, Naruto could clearly hear the powerful thumping of his heart. Thump, thump, thump. The Uzumaki clan's immense life force seemed to be activated by this unique Breathing Technique at this moment. His body, which had felt somewhat heavy from reading for a long time, began to feel a slight warmth with the help of this Breathing Technique, and his fatigue quickly faded away.
"Now!"
Naruto snapped his eyes open, pressed his mouth to the opening of the hot water bottle, took a deep breath, and blew.
Whoosh—
His cheeks instantly puffed out, and the air from his lungs rushed into the rubber bag like a high-pressure water gun. However, the rubber bag only swelled slightly, miles away from bursting. Instead, Naruto blew until his vision went dark, nearly passing out.
"Cough, cough, cough."
He let go, coughing violently, his face turning a deep shade of purple. "So tough. Can this thing really be blown up in one breath?"
Looking at the unyielding hot water bottle in his hand and remembering the boy in the video who could blow up even harder gourds, a surge of competitive spirit rose within him. "If he can do it, so can I! Again!"
Naruto adjusted his breathing again and began to practice. Once, twice, ten times... until his cheeks were so sore they were nearly numb, the hot water bottle had only puffed up a tiny bit more. But the system notification sound brought him some comfort.
[Long-term Mission: Water Breathing · Total Concentration]
[Progress: Hot Water Bottle Burst (0/1), Breathing Technique Proficiency (5/1000)]
"As long as there's progress." Naruto rubbed his sore cheeks and carefully put away the hot water bottle. "I'll continue tomorrow!"