In the early morning, a ray of sunlight fell on Naruto's face.
Accompanied by the noisy sound of the alarm clock, he let out a lazy yawn. Because he had practiced too late yesterday, Naruto rarely failed to complete the E-rank task "Health Preservation" today. Naruto then moved his body a bit, feeling that the presence of the [Turtle Hermit Style Weight Bracers] had decreased significantly. Unknowingly, he had adapted somewhat to this weight, as if it had become a part of his body.
"Whew..."
Naruto exhaled a long breath of turbid air. Then, he began his training in Total Concentration Breathing. As a large amount of air flooded into his lungs, the fatigue of the night was quickly dispelled, and his whole being felt much more refreshed.
"The power of Fuuton: Daitoppa is sufficient, but the preparation time is too long, and it makes too much noise."
Naruto put on his glasses and began to analyze.
"In a real battle like the Monthly Exam, it can only serve as a final trump card; it's hard to use as a regular technique."
Thinking of this, Naruto's mind moved, and he summoned the system interface. The C-rank treasure chest he had obtained after mastering tree climbing and Ninjutsu was floating there quietly.
"Open!" Naruto thought to himself.
[C-rank treasure chest opening...]
[Obtained Passive Skill: Universal Feat - Skill: Nimble Hands]
[Description: Your hands have received the blessing of the God of Rogues. The dexterity of your fingers has been greatly increased, and your hand joints are more flexible.]
[Effect: Hand seal speed increased by 50%, throwing accuracy of Ninja Tools increased by 20%, and theft success rate increased by 100%.]
"Skill: Nimble Hands?"
Naruto was stunned for a moment, then tried moving his fingers. An unprecedented sense of smoothness came over him. The previous feeling of fingers getting tied in knots and the awkwardness of forming hand seals had completely disappeared. It was as if the invisible shackles between his fingers had been unlocked; his ten fingers responded to the hand seal commands from his brain with incredible speed and precision.
"Let's try it."
Naruto got a bit serious and experimented with the three seals for Fuuton: Daitoppa.
Dog-Horse-Bird.
Swish, swish, swish!
Afterimages flashed by. Almost at the instant the thought arose, his hands completed the seals. The speed was so fast that even Naruto himself was startled.
"So fast!"
Naruto looked at his hands, his eyes shining with excitement. If combined with the reaction speed provided by the Breathing Technique, plus the hand seal speed brought by [Skill: Nimble Hands]... he could completely pull away in an instant during a gap in Taijutsu combat and counter with a point-blank Fuuton!
"Sasuke-kun, you're in for it."
Naruto pushed his glasses up, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth. His mind was now filled with the thought of giving Sasuke a good beating, dragging him out of the darkness, and while he was at it... obtaining another B-rank large treasure chest!
...When Naruto once again walked into the classroom with steady, unhurried steps, he could clearly feel that the gazes previously fixed on him now carried a complex and difficult-to-define emotion. There was curiosity, doubt, and even a hint of... apprehension.
The news of him knocking out Inuzuka Kiba with a single punch yesterday had already spread. Although Inuzuka Kiba was usually loud and blustery, his practical combat level was among the top five in the class. Since Naruto could insta-kill him, didn't that mean... there was a high probability they couldn't beat him either?
This felt unbelievable to many people. Naruto was indifferent to these gazes. He remembered Teacher Aizen's words: Only the weak are shaken by the gazes of others. The truly strong only make the world adapt to their own rhythm.
These complex emotions were nothing more than embellishments on his path to becoming stronger. Thus, Naruto didn't care about others' feelings toward him and simply walked straight to his seat. When he passed by Hyuga Hinata, her fair neck flushed red at a visible speed, and her small head almost buried itself into the desk.
She was the only one whose attitude toward him had remained almost unchanged, Naruto thought to himself.
On the other side of the classroom, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino were still engaged in their daily routine war over who could sit next to Sasuke. Being completely undisturbed by the outside world wasn't this also a kind of deep affection in its own way?
Just as Naruto sat down, Nara Shikamaru next to him gave him a lazy glance and let out a yawn.
"You really made quite a splash, didn't you?"
"Naruto, you've been getting more and more impressive lately. Want some potato chips?" Akimichi Choji said from the side.
Naruto greeted the two of them. Shikamaru and Choji's attitudes toward him hadn't changed either. Plus Iruka-sensei, Grandpa Sandaime, Uncle Teuchi... It turned out there had always been quite a few people who cared about him in the past.
Naruto felt a slight warmth in his heart. He took out his book and resumed his deep reading.
The bell for the end of class rang. As soon as Iruka-sensei left the classroom, the atmosphere in the class relaxed. Uchiha Sasuke, who was always like an iceberg, walked up to Naruto and stood still. After standing for a moment, he found that Naruto was so focused that he hadn't noticed his presence at all. Feeling a bit awkward, Sasuke knocked on the desk in front of Naruto.
"Hey, dead last." He spoke.
Naruto looked up at Sasuke and closed the book in his hand. With that long-practiced smile still on his face, he calmly looked up to meet his gaze:
"Sasuke-kun, is something the matter?"
Sasuke's brow furrowed imperceptibly. Naruto's current calm reaction was indeed something he wasn't used to. How could a person undergo such a massive change?
"In yesterday's practical combat class, you didn't use your full strength, did you?" Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes. "You're wearing... weights!"
Naruto still wore that fake smile. "Yes." He admitted it openly.
This reaction was completely unexpected for Sasuke. He had always thought Naruto was practicing in secret just to shock everyone at the end, or even to use the element of surprise to defeat him during the Monthly Exam. And his current warning was meant to expose his little scheme.
But the way things were developing now was completely beyond his expectations.
"Do you think that just with some weights and extra training you can bridge the gap between us?" Sasuke grit his teeth, staring intently at Naruto's reaction.
"I don't think those are enough. Well, Sasuke-kun, if there's nothing else, I'm going to continue studying."
After Naruto finished speaking, he ignored Sasuke and resumed his reading.
This guy... Sasuke looked at Naruto, who completely disregarded him. What was it that gave him the confidence to ignore him? Sasuke only felt that Naruto had somehow filled him with a bellyful of frustration.
Bastard, the Monthly Exam will let you know that the pride of the Uchiha clan is not something a dead last like you can challenge.
Sasuke returned to his seat dejectedly...
After school, at Training Ground Three.
"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"
Another Wind Release, like an air cannon, struck the surface of the lake. The massive wind pressure hit the lake, and amidst the huge roar, the spray of water created a rainbow. Looking at the power of the Ninjutsu, Naruto smiled.
"This Ninjutsu should be enough to bridge the gap between us, right?"
Clap, clap, clap.
A round of applause came from the side. The smile on Naruto's face remained unchanged as he turned around as if he had long expected it.