Chapter 13: Neji Graduates"Hey, I'm saying, you've been drawing your sword for half an hour now, what's so cool about that?" Hanabi shouted impatiently at Naruto, who was in the middle of the field."What's the rush? And by the way, Sasuke, are you actually capable of this?" Naruto replied impatiently, then frowned as he looked at Sasuke."Quiet, it'll be ready in a second." Sasuke kept his eyes tightly closed, sheathed his sword, leaned his body forward and pressed down, assuming an Iaido stance.Shortly after, the sound of muffled thunder resonated within Sasuke's body, and immediately following that, arcs of electricity began to appear all around him."Thunder Breathing • First Form • Thunderclap and Flash."A sudden crack of thunder startled Hanabi. She looked up at the field, only to see that Sasuke had vanished from his spot and appeared behind a tree a hundred meters away."Wh-what just happened?" Hanabi asked, tugging on Neji's sleeve in a daze. But Neji didn't answer her; instead, he watched the direction of Sasuke with a solemn expression.He hadn't been able to see that last strike clearly; it was simply too fast.Before Hanabi could ask again, she saw the tree behind Sasuke begin to slide downward. A smooth, flat cut had severed it directly at the waist. Accompanied by a loud crash, the entire tree toppled to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust."How about that? Is this move cool or what?" Narutogrinned, showing his teeth, and raised an eyebrow at Hinata."Mm-hmm. But Naruto-kun, can you do this move too?" Hinata looked at Naruto with a gentle smile."Of course, I'm the one who taught him. And I even know an advanced version, too.""There's an advanced version?"These words came from Sasuke, who had walked over to Naruto's side just in time to hear the comment."Come on, come on, let me demonstrate it for you."As he spoke, Naruto pulled his sword out from his system storage and walked to the center of the field."You're not going to spend half an hour drawing your sword again, are you?" Hanabi asked."Don't worry, I'm not a scrub like Sasuke."His fists clenched. Sasuke's fists were clenched. You bastard, just wait until I can beat you; I'm definitely going to vent my frustrations on you!Naruto assumed his stance, took a deep breath, gripped the scabbard with one hand, and placed his other hand on the hilt.Accompanied by rolling thunder, arcs of electricity began to appear around Naruto. Immediately after, the arcs transformed into thick bolts of lightning, scorching the surrounding grass black."Thunder Breathing • First Form • Thunderclap and Flash • Sixfold!"In an instant, Naruto vanished from everyone's sight. Only Sasuke, who possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, could track his movements.Following that, six consecutive thunderclaps rang out. Naruto reappeared in his original spot, while six trees scattered in various locations around him crashed down.This display stunned everyone, and even caused the Third Hokage, far away in the Hokage Office, to drop his pipe."How about that? Cool, right!" Naruto slicked back his hair in a flashy manner, looking at Hanabi with a hint of provocation."Cool, it's so cool! Brother-in-law, teach me!!" Hanabi's eyes were full of stars. She rushed to Naruto's side, grabbed his hand, and spoke with a look of adoration."Haha, easy, easy. Come, come, I have four Breathing Styles: Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Water. Which one do you want to learn?" Being praised by his sister-in-law for the first time, Naruto felt vindicated and spoke generously."Then, Brother-in-law, can you demonstrate them all for me?" Hanabi said to Naruto, a hint of mischief in her eyes."Heh, you're a shrewd girl, aren't you? Alright, watch closely." Naruto ruffled Hanabi's small head, then took his sword and moved away from the group again.Afterward, Naruto demonstrated all four Breathing Styles. Watching the scene filled with flashy effects, Hinata and Hanabi looked at Naruto with adoration, while Neji and Sasuke looked on with longing.The old Third Hokage watched Naruto in the crystal ball with a gratified smile. With Naruto's current strength, an average Chunin wouldn't be a match for him."Have you made your choice?" Naruto sheathed his sword and asked the four people outside the field."Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, I want to learn Wind!" Hanabi trotted up and said excitedly."Alright. How about you, Hinata?" Naruto ruffled Hanabi's hair, then looked at Hinata."I think I'll pass. I've been researching my own version of the Gentle Fist Art recently, so I can't get distracted for now." Hinata smiled, shook her head, and looked at Naruto gently."It's fine. You can still learn the Breathing Style. It speeds up blood circulation, stimulates body cells, and increases the extraction speed of Chakra as well as the power of Ninjutsu." As Naruto spoke, he released a Fireball Jutsu, which was significantly larger and more destructive than a standard Fireball Jutsu."Then, what do you think I should learn, Naruto-kun?" Hinata tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then looked at Naruto to ask.Naruto recalled the Chakra nature Hinata had in his past life and said, "Let's go with Thunder.""Thunder? Then I'll listen to you, Naruto-kun." Hinata lowered her head to think for a moment, then looked up at Naruto with a smile."Neji, how about you?""Me? Hmm, what do you think I'm suited for?" Nejipointed to himself, somewhat conflicted, and threw the question back at Naruto."How do you feel about Water?" Naruto pondered for two seconds, then spoke."Water? That's not bad." Neji thought about it, then nodded with a smile."Then it's settled. Come, let me teach you the Breathing Styles first." Following that, Narutobegan to instruct the three of them, while Sasukepracticed Thunder Breathing on the side."This is the future of Konoha!" The Third Hokagewatched the crystal ball, unable to help but sigh with emotion."I'm in a good mood today, and I haven't taken my blood pressure medication yet. It's the perfect time to watch that show I haven't seen in a long time... Hehehe."The days of training always passed quickly. It took Neji and the others half a month to learn the Breathing Styles. This version of the Breathing Style, which incorporated Chakra, was gentler than the original and caused no harm to the body.As for the Demon Slayer Marks, that thing was essentially a mode like the Eight Gates that damaged the body in exchange for power. The reason people in Demon Slayer died from activating the marks was mainly because their bodies couldn't handle it. However, for people in the Ninja world, their cell count alone was more than three times that of normal humans from his previous life, so their constitutions couldn't be compared on the same level.Instead of bothering with those marks, Naruto felt it would be faster to go find Might Guy and learn the Eight Gates, which was even more powerful.Besides, he had only come up with this stuff to look cool, but after fusing it with Chakra, it became even stronger, which allowed him to continue researching it. He planned to activate the Kurama Chakra Mode in the future and then use the Breathing Style; he wondered how much power a single strike would have then.As for his future father-in-law, Hiashi, ever since he found out that all three candidates for the clan head position had been lured away by the blond kid, he had been so angry he nearly ended up in the hospital with high blood pressure.Later, realizing he couldn't control them, he simply gave up. Whoever wanted to be the damn clan head could have it; even if the Hyuga Clan ended up in the blond kid's hands in the future, he wouldn't care anymore.That evening, Naruto was pulling Sasuke aside to discuss some of his ideas."You mean to say you intend to teach the Breathing Styles to Shikamaru and the others?" Sasuke looked at Naruto, somewhat confused. He was curious about why Naruto would suddenly have such an idea."Yeah. After all, we hang out often, and we're friends. Teaching this to them can make them stronger, and once they become Ninjas, they can be safer while carrying out missions." Naruto scratched his head and said earnestly."Just because of that? You should know that you've been researching this stuff for a long time, and you should know its effects better than I do. To put it a bit extremely, this Breathing Style of yours is a powerful secret technique capable of changing the existing Ninja system." Sasuke looked at Naruto and said with a serious expression."I don't intend to teach it to many people anyway, just to those of us who are always together. I'm not selfless enough to pass this on to everyone.""So? How can you guarantee they won't pass it on?""Haven't Hinata and the others kept it to themselves?"Naruto's words left Sasuke silent. It was true; when he had taught Neji and the others before, he hadn't thought that much about it, and hadn't even told them not to spread it, yet the three of them still hadn't passed it on to anyone else."I don't have many friends. You, Hinata, Neji, and Shikamaru and the others… I hope that when we get old and retire, we can still sit together, drink, and chat, instead of standing in front of the Memorial Stone filled with regret." Naruto's voice made Sasuke's heart tremble. He thought of his own clan members and then said in a low voice, "If you put it that way, then I have no objections."One year later, Neji graduated from the NinjaAcademy. After the twelve of them had a meal together during the day, the five-person group decided to go to Yakiniku Q for another meal in the evening. After all, once Neji got busy in the future, there wouldn't be many opportunities for them to have meals together."Congratulations on finally graduating from being a student to becoming a workhorse." Naruto raised his drink and said to Neji with a smile.Neji's mouth twitched, and he said, "I'm becoming a Ninja, how does that make me a workhorse?""Look, Ninjas have to go on field missions, the pay is low, and there's the risk of death. If that's not a workhorse, then what is?" Naruto said, counting on his fingers."Just shut up. If you keep talking, I won't even want to graduate anymore." Unable to listen any longer, Sasuke directly picked up a piece of grilled meat and stuffed it into Naruto's mouth."Mmph, chew, chew, chew. If it's that bad, then just don't graduate, chew, chew, chew, gulp." Narutoswallowed the grilled meat in his mouth and said with a nonchalant look."Do you even hear what you're saying? Did you forget the reason why I came to find you again?"Sasuke looked at Naruto, speechless. He picked up a piece of meat and was about to eat it, but then, as if he had thought of something, he silently set the chopsticks and the piece of meat aside and picked up a spare pair of chopsticks to continue eating.However, neither he nor Naruto noticed that the way Hinata and Hanabi were looking at them at this moment was all wrong.Hinata looked at Naruto, then looked at Sasuke with a guarded expression, and then continued eating the grilled meat, distracted.Meanwhile, Hanabi had her mouth slightly open, staring at this scene in complete bewilderment. She stood there stunned, as if she had just received some forbidden knowledge.Naruto sensed Hanabi's gaze and finally turned to look. Seeing her expression, he thought for a moment, then picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, and fed it directly into Hanabi's mouth."If you want to eat, just eat. You're so old, and you're still sitting there with your mouth open waiting to be fed?" After saying that, Naruto picked up another piece of meat and held it to Hinata's lips, speaking with a grin."Hinata-chan, come on, eat the meat."Hinata opened her small mouth with slightly flushed cheeks and ate the grilled meat.As for Hanabi, having come back to her senses, her mood was exceptionally complicated. She silently swallowed the meat in her mouth, then picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.Neji watched all of this with a twitching mouth. He felt that the relationships between these people were truly messy, and he indicated that he completely couldn't understand it.
Chapter 14: Three Against OneSix months after Neji graduated.At the training ground for Naruto and his group, several people were sparring: Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Hanabi.The other friends were still in class and wouldn't arrive until the afternoon. Yes, the three of them—Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata—no longer attended morning classes.Naruto stood in the center of the field, while Sasuke, Hinata, and Hanabi stood in a triangle formation, surrounding him.Soon, Hanabi launched the first attack. With a standard Eight Trigrams Palms starting stance, she used a Body Flicker technique to appear behind Naruto and slapped toward his kidney.Feeling the location of Hanabi's attack, Narutocouldn't help but twitch his mouth. If this girl weren't Hinata's sister, he would have grabbed her and spanked her. Who attacks someone's kidney right off the bat?Naruto sidestepped to dodge the attack, but before he could counter, Hinata and Sasuke appeared beside him.Hinata slapped toward Naruto's chest, while Sasukeperformed a sweep kick at his legs.Unfazed, Naruto leaped lightly, dodging Sasuke's attack. At the same time, he grabbed Hinata's wrists, flipped in the air, and threw her away.After stabilizing herself, Hanabi attacked Narutoagain, aiming for the same spot—his kidney. Sasukestood up and threw a punch at Naruto's face.Naruto lifted his leg and used his knee to strike Hanabi's arm, blocking the attack. Simultaneously, he twisted his body to dodge Sasuke's attack and then used a faster speed to punch him away.Then, before Hanabi could react, he grabbed her arm and threw her away as well.On the other side, after landing, Hinata immediately used Body Flicker to appear in front of Naruto and launched another attack.Naruto dodged again and pushed her back, but before he could make another move, a large fireball flew toward him.He immediately formed hand seals, then slapped his hands on the ground, raising an earth wall to block the fireball.The fireball burned a large chunk off the earth wall, but the remaining part was enough to block Naruto. While the flames bombarded the wall, Sasuke used the firelight to get behind it. He now held a long sword, slashing at Naruto's face. The flames burning on the long sword made Naruto feel a hint of threat.Naruto immediately pulled out his own weapon, which was surrounded by a layer of flowing water. He used Water Breathing to block Sasuke's attack. Then, he immediately changed attributes and unleashed three wind blades, forcing Sasuke back. However, soon, three identical wind blades flew from another direction, appearing in front of him instantly.The whirlwind on his blade changed back to flowing water again, and a horizontal sweep dispersed the three wind blades. Yet, just as he dispersed the wind blades, two blue Chakra lion heads appeared before his eyes.Hinata had already begun to develop her Gentle Fist Art: Twin Lion Fists.The fierce lion heads bit toward Naruto's body, and Hinata's palms struck Naruto's chest directly, followed by a series of Gentle Fist attacks.Naruto was instantly beaten into a state with no room to counter. However, before Hinata finished her attack, Naruto exploded into a cloud of smoke."Shadow Clone? When?" Hinata's pupils constricted, and she immediately began scanning her surroundings, searching for Naruto's figure.Although the Byakugan could see other people's Chakra and counter skills like clones, Naruto had too much Chakra. Plus, with the "Fox" power bank, creating a clone with as much Chakra as himself was a piece of cake.Immediately after, Hinata seemed to sense something and looked down sharply. She saw a massive amount of Chakra appear underground and instantly jumped backward.As she jumped away, a pair of hands reached out from the ground, only managing to touch Hinata's shoe; they didn't catch her.However, as she watched the ground vigilantly, those hands exploded into a cloud of smoke again."Hinata-chan, you're about to lose." A smiling voice suddenly sounded behind Hinata."Don't think so!"Before Naruto could make a move, a childish voice accompanied by a long sword with sharp wind blades appeared behind Naruto, aiming for his kidney again.Naruto was so angry he almost jumped up to give Hanabi a knock on the head. However, before he could act, another long sword with lightning light slashed toward his neck.Naruto swung the long sword in his hand, which was covered in raging flames, deflecting both attacks directly.Hinata, having regained her focus, turned around and launched another attack. The four of them immediately became embroiled in a chaotic fight.On the other side, in the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage was watching the four people fight through a crystal ball. He had a gratified smile on his face.Beside him, Hyuga Hiashi looked at his two daughters in the crystal ball with a complex expression. His eldest daughter was fine, but his youngest daughter had completely gone off the rails.But the next moment, his expression became fascinating.He saw Hanabi in the crystal ball holding the sword with one hand, her whole body spinning on the spot. A semicircular wall of Chakra appeared around her, mixed with cyan wind blades.As her rotation speed increased, countless wind blades flew in all directions with her as the center.Hiashi was very familiar with this move; it was their Hyuga Clan's signature defensive skill, Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin. But what on earth was this thing that kept spraying wind blades?Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata in the field were using their own methods to continuously block the flying wind blades, appearing somewhat disheveled."Hanabi, stop!" Hinata shouted while batting away a wind blade.Looking at Hanabi spinning faster and faster, Hinata's eyes held a hint of worry."Hinata-chan, what's going on with this move?" Naruto came to Hinata's side and asked."This move was developed by Neji-niisan. He combined Heavenly Spin with the swordsmanship you taught and figured it out himself, then taught it to Hanabi." Facing Naruto's question, Hinataanswered without hesitation."A genius idea. Being able to integrate swordsmanship into your clan's Gentle Fist Art is truly impressive." Sasuke came to their side and sighed."But this move doesn't really distinguish between friend and foe, does it?" Naruto pointed at Hanabi, who was still spinning and spraying wind blades."Hanabi isn't skilled with this move yet. Neji-niisan can control the direction of the attack. Hanabi hasn't learned Heavenly Spin yet, but she can learn this move of Neji-niisan's. However, without having mastered Heavenly Spin, she can't control the direction of her attacks."Soon, Hanabi stopped, but her face was pale.Seeing her sister stop, Hinata immediately ran over. But before she could get close, Hanabi stabbed her long sword into the ground, used her hands to support the hilt, and vomited."Is this... dizzy from spinning?" Naruto scratched his head, looking at this scene speechlessly. Sasukealso watched with black lines on his forehead."This girl." Hiashi covered his face with one hand, unable to bear watching, while the Third Hokage laughed out loud."Haha, Hanabi is still young. To have such strength at this age, the future is promising.""Hokage-sama is too kind."This one-on-three battle ultimately ended with Hanabi spinning herself dizzy.At this moment, she was lying on Hinata's lap with a pale face, a towel on her forehead, and eating a peppermint candy Naruto gave her to relieve the symptoms of dizziness and nausea.Naruto and Sasuke were conducting their daily training, while several of Naruto's Shadow Clones were cooking nearby."Onee-sama, I feel so sick." Hanabi said weakly."Who told you to insist on using that move? You shouldn't use moves you haven't mastered yet. What if you hurt yourself?" Hinata touched Hanabi's cheek, her tone filled with heartache and a hint of reproach."Woo~ I was wrong." Hanabi muttered in a spoiled tone."Yes, you were wrong. You'll do it again next time, right?" Hinata rolled her eyes at her. This wasn't the first or second time Hanabi had done something like this; every time she would actively admit her mistake, and next time she would do it again."Hehe."Looking at the silly-grinning Hanabi, Hinata was both angry and amused, and in the end, she could only shake her head helplessly."Dinner's ready!"With a shout from a Shadow Clone, everyone stopped what they were doing and came to the dining table to start eating, while the Shadow Clones continued to prepare the next batch of food."Hey, little girl, why do you keep hitting my kidney when we're fighting? Don't you know that a man's area there shouldn't be hit randomly?" Narutostuffed a mouthful of bean sprouts into his mouth and asked vaguely."Huh? Is there such a saying? I don't know. Besides, at my height, that's all I can hit, right?" Hanabilowered her head, eating while muttering, her voice filled with a hint of guilty conscience."Really?" Naruto looked at Hanabi with sharp eyes."Really, I swear!" Hearing Naruto's words, Hanabi's face was almost buried in her rice bowl, and she raised one hand with four fingers up."... I'll let you off this time." Naruto stared for a long while before saying."Come on, Hinata-chan, eat more. This is a new dish I developed. It's a good thing that can increase nerve reflex speed and strengthen physical coordination." Naruto put a serving of Squirrel Mandarin Fish into Hinata's bowl."Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata's eating movements were very refined, just like a young lady from a prestigious family, very elegant, but her eating speed was the fastest of everyone.In just a short while, there were already over a dozen plates piled up behind her.Fortunately, the other three were already used to it. After so many years, they were long accustomed to it.Not long after dinner, the others arrived at the training ground one after another. Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Sakura, Hinata, Hanabi, and Sasuke—the group of nine began to receive training guidance from Teacher Uzumaki. For a while, the whole training ground was bustling with excitement.At night, Naruto went to the Hokage Building alone. During this period, the Third Hokage let him come every night to learn Ninjutsu.At this point, Naruto had already learned quite a few five-element Ninjutsu. The Third Hokage could be said to have taught him everything he knew; except for forbidden techniques, he had basically taught him everything.It was just that Naruto's fighting style made him prefer duels of Taijutsu and swordsmanship, which gave the Third Hokage a headache.After all, in Naruto's view, fighting aliens in the later stages was all about Taijutsu duels. Ninjutsu was just something to use in the early stages. When he taught it all to Konohamaru in the future, it would count as not having broken the old man's legacy.Naruto now had an idea, and he intended to discuss it with the old man, the Third Hokage."Bang!"Naruto kicked open the door of the Hokage Officeand walked in swaggeringly. His first sentence almost choked the Third Hokage, who was smoking."Old man, I want to learn Flying Thunder God!"
Chapter 15: A Bloody Case Caused by a Ninjutsu"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough!"Inside the Hokage Building, the Sandaime was coughing violently.The Sandaime had noticed Naruto coming, and he hadn't felt much when the door was kicked open—he was used to it—but Naruto's words had nearly scared him to death."You, what did you just say?" The Sandaime, having finally caught his breath, looked at Naruto with a shocked expression."I want to learn the Flying Thunder God!" Narutocrossed his arms and spoke again, calm and composed."Where did you hear about this Ninjutsu?" The Sandaime looked at Naruto with a grave expression."He told me." Naruto pointed at his own stomach."The Nine-Tailed? Why would it tell you about that?" The Sandaime's brow furrowed so tightly it could crush a fly."Brat." Kurama's voice appeared in Naruto's mind."Three whole roasted cows." Naruto said calmly in his mind."Ten.""Five.""Deal!""He told me this is the signature Ninjutsu of the Fourth, my cheap old man, and that this Ninjutsucan maximize the effect of my newly developed dishes."After reaching a deal with the fox, Naruto started spouting nonsense."...You know everything?" The Sandaime remained silent for a long while before asking. He didn't pay attention to Naruto's address, assuming it was just the resentment of a son toward a father who had left him behind."Yeah." Facing the Sandaime's words, Narutonodded."How much do you know?" The Sandaime rubbed his temples, feeling a headache."Everything I should know, and everything I shouldn't."The Sandaime fell silent. He leaned back in his chair, smoking silently, looking at the ceiling of the office, lost in thought.Naruto didn't rush him; he simply walked over to the sofa, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.After a long while, the Sandaime finally spoke."I can teach you the Ninjutsu, but you have to wait until you become a Chunin.""No way, old man, are you playing dirty? Waiting until I become a Chunin will take forever!"Hearing the Sandaime's words, Naruto jumped up in anger. One had to know that in the original story, even after the Fourth Great Ninja War ended, Narutowas still just a Genin.If he really followed the old man's words, he would never have the chance to learn the Flying Thunder God in this lifetime."What, do you have that little confidence?" The Sandaime teased Naruto with a smile."Don't pull that on me, I'm not falling for a provocation!" Naruto rolled his eyes and looked at the Sandaime askance."This is the forbidden Ninjutsu of the Second Hokage. Back then, your father only earned the right to learn this Ninjutsu after becoming a Jonin and achieving numerous battle merits. Letting you become a Chunin is already very lenient." The Sandaime's mouth twitched; he really wanted to give this brat a smack—he was just too infuriating."No! Change the condition!""No negotiation, that's the only one!""Old geezer, don't force me!" Naruto slammed both hands on the desk, staring fixedly at the old Sandaime, dangerous light flashing in his eyes."Brat, are you threatening me? You can try!" The Sandaime put down his pipe and looked at Narutowith disdain."Fine, fine, fine, just you wait!""Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"Naruto jumped back and immediately created over a dozen Shadow Clones."Hmph, want to fight me? Do you have the strength...""Transform! Sexy Jutsu!"Before the Sandaime could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Naruto's voice.Naruto, along with his Shadow Clones, transformed amidst a puff of smoke into beauties wearing various sexy outfits, striking all sorts of alluring poses, and firing intense winks at the old Sandaime. One had to know that sometimes, what is hidden is more enticing than nothing at all."Pfft!!!"In an instant, the Sandaime's nosebleed shot up like a rocket launcher, sending him flying into the sky. The ceiling of the Hokage Office was knocked open by the old Sandaime.After waiting for a long while, the Sandaime finally fell from the sky, lying on the ground with a pale face, twitching from time to time.Naruto silently took out a portion of Mao Xue Wang and placed it on the desk, waiting for the Sandaimeto wake up.The system space could store prepared food, but Naruto liked to make things fresh, so he only stored a little for emergencies.After a long while, the Sandaime finally climbed up from the ground, trembling, and very skillfully began to eat with the chopsticks placed on the side."Little Naruto, Grandpa has a favor to ask of you." The Sandaime said weakly, putting a piece of blood tofu into his mouth."Go ahead." Naruto replied, feeling a bit guilty."Can you not use this move on me in the future?""Uh... okay, but about the Flying Thunder God..." Naruto looked at this old man who seemed to have Parkinson's and felt a little guilty, but he still suppressed the pain in his conscience—after all, he really couldn't meet that condition.If there were no written exam in the Chunin Exams, he could guarantee he would pass right now, but in terms of the written exam, there was zero chance he would pass.After all, even during mandatory class time, he was messing around with recipes in the Sealing Space. Although all the system's recipes were unlocked, to possess the effects described in the recipes, he had to make perfect-grade dishes.For someone who hadn't listened to a single class, he really didn't know the questions on the Chunin Exams. Plus, he had no way to cheat, so becoming a Chunin was something he really couldn't handle."Sigh, how about this: you participate in the Chunin Exams at least once. Regardless of whether you pass or not, I will give you the Ninjutsu." The Sandaime sighed, finally compromising."Alright, but, old man, can you write me a proof? I'm afraid you'll renege on the debt later." Narutogrinned and leaned in toward the Sandaime, saying."What kind of talk is that? I am the dignified Sandaime Hokage, would I renege on a debt to a child?" The Sandaime heard Naruto's words and was so angry he blew his beard and stared."Hehe, isn't this just adding a guarantee? What if?""There is no 'what if', I always keep my word.""Please, old man, I'm begging you. It's just writing a proof, it's not a big deal.""You simply don't trust me at all!"The Sandaime was very firm, but his firmness vanished the moment he saw Naruto forming seals.He finally compromised. There was no other way; he had only just recovered a little bit, and if it happened again, he reckoned he would die right here.After all, the Sandaime Hokage dying from the Sexy Jutsu was just too shameful.In the end, after Naruto put out quite a bit of food for physical recovery and strengthening, he took the Flying Thunder God learning permit written by the Sandaime and planned to go home, feeling satisfied."Little Naruto, have you ever hated me?" Watching Naruto's retreating back, the Sandaime suddenly asked."...Hate isn't the word, at least you have been very good to me." Naruto remained silent for a long while before speaking, and he emphasized the word 'me' heavily."However, I do not agree with some of your actions.""Is that so?" Hearing Naruto's words, the Sandaimeleaned back in his chair and silently took a puff of his cigarette."I'm leaving, old man, take care of yourself." Narutowaved his hand with his back to the Sandaime and left the Hokage Office."Minato, if only you were still alive." The Sandaimelooked at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.Afterward, he looked at the pile of food on the table and smiled."Little Naruto is very excellent."After returning home, Naruto went to the Sealing Space, preparing to fulfill the five whole roasted cows promised to Kurama."Brat, add more chili powder, I love spicy food." Watching Naruto grilling meat, Kurama spoke up to remind him."No, you're a fox, why is your taste so strong? Mustard here, chili powder there." Naruto was speechless, but he still spread another layer of chili powder on it."I am a Tailed Beast, what's wrong with having a strong taste?" The fox glanced at Naruto and snorted disdainfully."Fine, you're the boss. Here, serve the food to Lord Kurama!" Naruto spread his hands, then greeted his Shadow Clones. Two Shadow Clones carried a cow, roasted to a golden brown with some red, onto Kurama's special platter.Kurama directly ignored how Naruto knew its name; this kid had too many secrets, and it couldn't be bothered to investigate. As long as there was food, it was fine.It used its Chakra hand to grab the "Red Cow" on the platter and put it into its mouth, biting off half in one go. Then, it revealed a satisfied look. After swallowing the meat in its mouth, it picked up its special wine cup and took a sip."Refreshing!"Looking at the fox's appearance, Naruto couldn't help but twitch his mouth. A perfectly fine fox had been ruined by him; he didn't know what the Sage of Six Paths would think if he saw a fox like this."Brat, I sensed your malice." The fox, who was just about to continue eating meat, paused, then turned to look at Naruto with an unkind expression."Nothing of the sort, you continue, I'll keep grilling for you."Naruto pulled back his thoughts and silently grilled meat for the fox. The fox's "five meals" weren't five cows, but five full sittings until it was full. With its current size, that was at least one hundred cows."Hmph, I won't lower myself to your level, brat." The fox withdrew its gaze and continued to feast.Regarding what happened at the Hokage Building, neither the human nor the fox mentioned a single word from start to finish. The fox might be tsundere, but after so many years, its level of trust in Narutowas almost catching up to the Sage of Six Paths.Anyway, Naruto wouldn't harm it, so there was no need to get to the bottom of things.As for Naruto, time travel was his biggest secret, a secret to be taken to the grave, a secret only he could know.He didn't want to lie to the fox, so he simply chose not to speak of it.He also knew the fox wouldn't ask, so since entering the space, he hadn't mentioned it. This was the tacit understanding between them."Finally done, Kurama, I'm going to sleep." Narutohad been busy from seven o'clock until twelve o'clock, and he was exhausted."Goodnight, Kurama.""Goodnight, brat. Also, you are simply too weak." The fox had a smile on its face, and added a habitual taunt.Naruto didn't reply, just gave the fox an internationally friendly gesture, then disappeared from the Sealing Space.
WTR-LABThe Naruto Starting System ExplodedCh. 16 / 5827.6%WebWeb+AI#16Chapter 16 GraduationChapter 16: GraduationThe sixtieth year of Konoha was the day Naruto's class graduated.Naruto arrived at the academy early in the morning. He wasn't worried about failing to graduate, unless the Third Hokage forced him to take a written exam.If he really dared to do that, Naruto would dare to make the Third Hokage die from excessive blood loss.Soon, the others arrived at the classroom one after another. Once Iruka saw everyone was present, he announced the content of the graduation exam.Just like in the original story, the test was the Clone Jutsu. Naruto casually created two Shadow Clones and passed. As for Mizuki? None of his business.When receiving his Ninja headband from Iruka, Naruto bowed solemnly to Iruka."Thank you, Iruka, sensei. Thank you for taking care of me all these years.""You must work hard in the future, Naruto. I believe you will definitely become a powerful Ninja." Irukapatted Naruto on the shoulder, his eyes full of gratification."Alright, I'll be going now. Goodbye, sensei.""Don't forget to come to the classroom tomorrow for team assignments.""Okay."Leaving the exam room, Naruto went to the rooftop, the place where graduating Ninja took photos for their Ninja profiles.Hinata was already waiting for him there."Hinata-chan, have you been waiting long?" Narutojogged over to Hinata and said with a smile."No, I just arrived too." Hinata tucked her hair back and smiled gently."Let's go, let's go take the photo. After that, we'll go to my place, and I'll make you something delicious." As he spoke, Naruto took Hinata's hand and began to line up for the photo.This time, Naruto didn't paint his face in a flashy, chaotic way like in the original story, but he didn't do anything normal either."...Student, this is a Ninja ID photo, you need to show your real face." The photographer looked at the blonde, twin-tailed Uzumaki Naruko in front of him, feeling completely numb.Yes, Naruto had transformed directly into UzumakiNaruko, fully clothed, while blowing a kiss and winking at the camera."Hurry up, mister, this pose is really tiring, you know!"The photographer's mouth twitched, but he still chose to press the shutter."Naruto, why did you take the photo like that?" On the way home, Hinata looked at Naruto's profile and asked."Hehe, it was just a simple prank." Naruto smiled and ruffled Hinata's hair as he spoke.He wasn't worried about failing; the original Narutopassed even when he looked like a mess, so what was wrong with just transforming into a girl? It could even confuse spies. As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, what was wrong with hiding his identity? Was there a problem? At most, the old Third Hokage would call him in for a talk, so he wasn't panicked at all.Besides, since he'd come to the Ninja world, wouldn't it be a waste to just take a boring, honest ID photo? That wasn't his style either.Soon, Naruto's ID photo was delivered to the Third Hokage's desk. Looking at the blonde girl blowing a kiss and winking at the camera, the Third Hokagecouldn't help but pop two more blood pressure pills.Sometimes he really doubted whether Naruto's brain was normal, but there was nothing he could do. He knew that with Naruto's personality, if he called him in for a talk, he might end up having to endure a few more rounds of pranks.His old bones really couldn't take this kind of torture.In the end, the Third Hokage could only, extremely reluctantly, let Naruto pass this hurdle.On the other side, just as Naruto was preparing to take Hinata home, he was stopped by SakuraHaruno and Ino Yamanaka."Naruto, Hinata, do you have time later?" InoYamanaka spoke first."Nothing much, just going to my place to eat. Why?" Naruto asked curiously.Hearing Naruto's answer, Sakura Haruno and InoYamanaka exchanged glances and then said."We're planning to get together. We've already notified everyone else; you two are the last ones.""Sasuke is going too?" Naruto asked, surprised."...Because Nara Shikamaru said you would definitely go, so Sasuke agreed."Hearing Naruto's nickname, both girls had black lines on their foreheads. They were silent for two seconds before speaking up."Fine, let's go together. It just so happens I have some new dishes, you can all try them." As he spoke, the four of them walked together toward Naruto's training ground.This place was originally just an ordinary forest with a stream, an excellent spot for fishing. However, because Naruto often trained here, the Third Hokage, fearing Naruto might accidentally hurt someone, fenced off the area, making it Naruto's exclusive territory.When Naruto was free, he built a villa here; after all, the materials in the system space were just sitting there.For this, he specifically asked the Third Hokage to run cables and connect water lines. His original house was left vacant, and Sasuke shamelessly moved in as well.For this, Hinata was jealous for quite a while, and it took Naruto a long time to coax her. Afterward, Sasuke was beaten up by Naruto several times, but he refused to leave no matter what. Naruto, feeling helpless, could only let him stay.This gathering was held here. Naruto created a few Shadow Clones to start working. Because he was experimenting with new dishes, all the ingredients were from the system space.Plus, considering the effects, all the work had to be done by Naruto alone.This meant the others could only watch from the side, and the bored group could only chat.Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno were still chattering around Sasuke. Although Sasuke wasn't as cold as he used to be, he was still annoyed by this. Even after training together for two years, he still couldn't get used to it. But as a companion, he couldn't get angry and could only silently endure it.Nara Shikamaru was lying on the grass, staring blankly at the sky. Akimichi Choji was sitting beside him, occasionally looking toward Naruto, his mouth involuntarily watering.Inuzuka Kiba was feeding Akamaru some raw beef given by Naruto, while Shino Aburame was observing the insects in the forest.Hinata was pulled away by Hyuga Hanabi to play in the water, while Hyuga Neji and the other two had left the village on a mission.At this moment, the Third Hokage was watching this scene through a crystal ball. Standing in front of him were Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, and AsumaSarutobi."Are these the students we are going to lead?" Asuma Sarutobi said, biting on his cigarette while looking at the scene in the crystal ball."They are all very energetic children." Kurenai Yuhi said with a light smile.Kakashi Hatake stared with dead-fish eyes, saying nothing, only sighing inwardly that the teacher's child had grown up."The reason I called you here this time, besides letting you see your future students, is to remind you not to underestimate them, especially you, KakashiHatake."The Third Hokage said with a serious tone, his hands folded in front of his mouth."Well, regarding that, I have a rough idea." KakashiHatake scratched his head and said in a lazy tone.Seeing Kakashi Hatake like this, the Third Hokageknew he hadn't taken his words to heart. He rubbed his forehead with some helplessness, but he didn't intend to give any more warnings.Kakashi Hatake had been too lazy recently and really needed some stimulation. Taking a tumble with these kids was better than taking a tumble outside.Thinking of this, the Third Hokage stopped speaking and continued to watch the crystal ball quietly.Asuma Sarutobi exchanged glances with Kurenai Yuhi and then shrugged, not saying anything. Kurenai Yuhi, however, had a serious expression.As a female and Genjutsu-type Ninja, she had an advantage in observing things and people. She had seen the Third Hokage's expression just now.At the same time, she had heard quite a lot of news about Naruto and his group.Throughout the six-year confrontation, the teachers had mostly been losing. After all, the main goal was to catch the three of them, and it could almost be said that the failure rate was as high as ninety-eight percent. Although it became catching six people in the following two years, the win rate dropped directly to zero.As for why it was six people, it was because the three of them would just clock in in the morning and then run away; sometimes they wouldn't even show up. Iruka Umino went to complain to the Third Hokage, but the Third Hokage knew Naruto was researching Breathing Style, so he just told IrukaUmino not to worry about those three anymore. After all, on the Hyuga side, Hiashi had already given up.This kind of loss rate was actually quite outrageous. The school teachers, at their worst, were still solid Chunin, and many had even been on the battlefield. Under these circumstances, they still couldn't catch this group.Their strength definitely wasn't as simple as ordinary Genin. It seemed she would have to pay more attention to these children during the test.Thinking of this, Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but glance at Kakashi Hatake. Two of the trio, and the two strongest ones at that, were assigned to Kakashi Hatake.Although Kakashi Hatake looked lazy and indifferent, he would probably still be somewhat vigilant, right?But this had nothing to do with her; she should just think about how to test her own students.Withdrawing her thoughts, Kurenai Yuhi continued to stare at the crystal ball.On Naruto's side, he wasn't sure if the Third Hokagewould bring the Jonin team leaders together to peek at their students like in the original story. Even if he did, he didn't really care.With that old salted fish Kakashi Hatake, even if he wasn't too slack, at least he wouldn't take it too seriously.He knew exactly how many Anbu were around him. He didn't know if the Nine-Tailed had eaten too much and evolved, but its sensory ability had improved by a large margin.Besides sensing malice, it had gained the ability to sense Chakra, somewhat similar to the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, but it was a passive skill, just like the malice sensing—the kind that couldn't be turned off.However, the Nine-Tailed had a lot of Chakra, and this thing didn't consume much; the daily consumption wasn't even as much as what the Nine-Tailed recovered from eating a bite of meat.Naruto expressed his dissatisfaction with this. He was the authentic half-Uzumaki Clan member; if the Mind's Eye of the Kagura was to be awakened, it should have been on him. Why give it to the Nine-Tailed?For this, he was depressed for a long time, and the Nine-Tailed mocked him for half a month because of it. However, when Naruto learned that he could use this ability through the Nine-Tailed's Chakra, he was immediately happy.Whose it was didn't matter; as long as he could use it, that was fine. After all, he and the Nine-Tailed were one; they shared glory and shared ruin.From then on, the Nine-Tailed could sense whoever was around Naruto. Although it hadn't seen them and didn't know exactly who they were, it could distinguish Kakashi Hatake's Chakra, which was constantly leaking due to the Sharingan, at a glance.Since he started school, Kakashi Hatake had never appeared around him again, so he could be certain that Kakashi Hatake didn't know his true strength.So he planned to discuss it with Sasuke in the evening and ambush Kakashi Hatake when the time came.
Chapter 17: Team AssignmentsNaruto kept the party going late; he did this on purpose.Not knowing if the Third Hokage was watching, not exposing himself was the optimal solution, so he dragged out the party time to avoid others getting bored and sparring.If his strength were exposed, Kakashi would become vigilant, and it wouldn't be easy to plot against him later.In the evening, after taking Hinata and Hanabihome, Naruto deliberately kept Sakura behind."Naruto, is there something you need?"Inside the villa, Sakura and Sasuke each had a cup of hot milk, sitting on the sofa and watching Narutoenter, asking."It's about the team assignments tomorrow." Narutosaid while changing his shoes."The assignment list hasn't been released yet, has it?" Sasuke looked at Naruto with some confusion."Hehe, I have internal channels." Naruto smiled, gave a thumbs-up, and flashed his white teeth."So you mean, the three of us are teammates?" Sakura understood Naruto's meaning immediately; she turned to look at Sasuke, her eyes lighting up instantly.Seeing Sakura like this, Sasuke couldn't help but twitch his mouth. He silently took a sip of milk, avoiding Sakura's intense gaze."Right, according to the old man's scheduling, the three of them—Shikamaru and the others—are bound to be a team; the Ino–Shika–Chō team is quite famous in Konoha. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino are all more functional-type Ninjas, so putting them together saves manpower for teaching."Naruto plopped down next to Sasuke, picked up the milk Sasuke had heated for him, drank it in one gulp, and then continued."Sasuke and I have unquestionable strength, but our theoretical knowledge is extremely lacking. Among the remaining people, only you, the top student in theory, can make up for this shortcoming."Although he said that, Naruto didn't actually think theory was useful; after all, his idol had always been Uchiha Madara, a powerhouse who would rush into a crowd and go on a rampage."Since you know the team assignment list, what are you planning to do?" After coming out of her excitement, Sakura frowned and asked.She didn't think Naruto was just telling her about the team assignments; everything Naruto did had a purpose."Tomorrow, I plan to test what our team leader is made of, so I need you and Sasuke to cooperate." Naruto pulled out a pair of sunglasses from somewhere, put them on, and said with a deep expression.Seeing Naruto like this, Sasuke and Sakura were already used to it; after all, the fact that he was a bit crazy from time to time was common knowledge."Does that teacher have a grudge against you?" Sasuke asked, not understanding.Based on his understanding of Naruto, although this guy skipped class, played pranks on teachers, and even had a disrespectful attitude toward the Hokage, he was essentially someone who respected teachers and principles.Not to mention skipping class, the pranking only lasted half an hour; usually, when he met teachers, he would greet them, and if they needed help, he would lend a hand.As for the Third Hokage, honestly, the way the two of them interacted was more like grandfather and grandson, rather than Hokage and villager.So, since Naruto proactively suggested targeting the team leader this time, Sasuke could only think that the teacher had a grudge against Naruto."No, I just want to spar with a strong person." Naruto denied it directly, his eyes unconsciously glancing to the right.'These two definitely have a grudge.' Sakura and Sasuke both concluded in their hearts simultaneously.Every time Naruto lied, he would pretend to be nonchalant while performing a small action, like glancing away, scratching his head, or touching his face."Fine, what do you plan to do?" Sasuke rubbed his temples and asked."Hehe, we'll do this and that, and then that and that."The three talked until very late before Naruto had Sasuke walk Sakura home; for this, Sakura even secretly gave Naruto a thumbs-up.Naruto began preparing the props he needed. In the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tailed watched this series of operations and couldn't help but mourn for two seconds for the poor bastard tomorrow; being targeted by this kid would be quite an ordeal.The next day, Naruto deliberately put on the orange outfit from the original story, repeatedly adjusting his facial expressions in the mirror until Sasukecalled him, at which point he came out of his room."..." Looking at Naruto's attire, Sasuke fell silent."How is it?" Naruto flashed a goofy smile."It's incredibly stupid." Sasuke's mouth twitched, and he immediately covered his face, unable to bear looking at it."That's the effect I wanted." Naruto was very satisfied with Sasuke's reaction."...Let's walk separately later; I don't want people to mistake me for hanging out with an idiot." Sasukethrew breakfast at Naruto with a look of disgust, then turned and walked away."Hey, you guy, you eat my food, live in my place, use my stuff, and now you're disgusted with me? You heartless scoundrel." Naruto pointed at Sasuke, putting on a tearful expression, like a young girl who had been used and then abandoned by a scumbag.Hearing this, Sasuke didn't even turn his head, walking even faster, his face full of disgust.In the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage, who was watching this scene through a crystal ball, had no expression, but silently took out a bottle of blood pressure medication and swallowed half the bottle in one go, making the three Kakashi team members twitch.Sasuke rushed to school at the fastest speed of his life, as if something dirty was chasing him.Seeing Sasuke alone, the other students in the classroom gathered around."Sasuke-kun, why did you come alone? Where is Naruto?" Ino walked up to Sasuke casually and asked."Aren't you two usually inseparable?" Kiba said teasingly.Sasuke gave Kiba a look of disgust."Don't talk to me about that super idiot."Hearing Sasuke's answer, everyone was puzzled, only Sakura silently lowered her head; she and Sasuke were the only ones who knew the inside story.Judging by Sasuke's expression, Naruto's outfit today must have been terrible."Yo, good morning everyone!" At this moment, a vibrant voice sounded from outside the door.Everyone turned their heads towards the door at the same time, and the whole classroom instantly went quiet.Naruto was wearing a yellowish outfit, with a goofy smile on his face, greeting everyone."Pfft!" "Chuckle! Hahahaha"After a long silence, a deafening roar of laughter erupted in the classroom; everyone pointed at Naruto and laughed wildly, and many were even lying on the floor, pounding it frantically."Enough! What do you guys mean? Is it that funny?" Naruto roared at the crowd, looking unhappy.Upon hearing Naruto's words, everyone stopped, then looked up at Naruto, and then burst into wild laughter again in unison."You guys!" Naruto was so angry his hands shook; he looked at Hinata, who was dazed, and immediately ran over, throwing himself into her arms."Hinata-chan, they're bullying me." Naruto looked up at Hinata with a wronged expression.But the next second, Naruto petrified.Hinata's hands were nowhere to put; she looked around, her face wearing an awkward smile, and the eyes glancing at Naruto carried a hint of disgust that she herself hadn't even noticed.Naruto froze in place as if struck by lightning, his whole person turning greyish-white.Then he silently let go and lay on the table, motionless.Actually, Hinata wouldn't care too much about how Naruto was; after all, she was used to Naruto acting crazy from time to time, but this time it was truly a bit outrageous.After all, although Naruto wasn't good at dressing before, after being with Sasuke for so long, he had learned a thing or two.Even if he wasn't as handsome as Sasuke, he was definitely an 85-point handsome guy overall. But today's outfit dropped him from 85 to 50 points, plus the deliberately created silliness, which completely crashed Hinata's brain; that moment just now was purely subconscious behavior.By the time Hinata came to her senses, Naruto was already emo.Sasuke watched all this from afar, feeling refreshed, thinking the kid deserved it.What Naruto couldn't stand the most was the fox in his stomach; the Nine-Tailed was laughing so hard it rolled on the ground, its round body rolling around like a ball.The others in the class laughed even louder until Iruka arrived and things quieted down.Iruka looked at the yellow blob on the table and couldn't help but twitch his mouth, but his professionalism as a teacher kept him from laughing on the spot, and he began to announce the team assignments.When she heard she wasn't in a group with Naruto, Hinata felt a bit disappointed; she reached out her little hand and silently held the back of Naruto's hand.Naruto had recovered by now; he turned his wrist and held Hinata's soft little hand, though he remained lying on the table.After the assignments were finished, Iruka said a brief goodbye to all the students and left the classroom with his notebook.Then, the team leaders appeared one by one and took their students away.Until only the three members of Team 7 remained.Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were sitting in their spots, dazed; Sasuke looked out the window, Sakuralooked at Sasuke, and Naruto looked at the ceiling.Kakashi was hiding in the shadows observing the three, but as he watched, time began to slip away."Ahhh! Too slow! What is the deal with this teacher?" Sakura couldn't take it anymore; yesterday she thought Naruto's suggestion was a bit bad, but now it seemed Naruto was still too gentle!"Indeed, how about we prank him?" Naruto took the blackboard eraser from the classroom, went to the door, and wedged it into the door gap."Super idiot, the team leader is a Jonin; how could he possibly fall for this trick?" Sasuke looked at Naruto, speechless."He fell for it!""Nani??"Looking at the white-haired masked man with the eraser on his head, Sasuke and Sakura were in disbelief. Was this guy really a Jonin? He couldn't even dodge such a simple prank?Only Naruto knew that this person was doing it on purpose, so that he could feel justified when pranking the three of them later."Hmm, how should I put it? My first impression of you guys is, quite annoying." Kakashi stroked his chin, thought carefully for two seconds, and reached a conclusion.Looking at this white-haired Jonin who was so late and was still here expressing his thoughts, completely lacking any self-awareness of being a latecomer, Sasuke and Sakura both unconsciously thought in their hearts: 'Yeah, the feeling is mutual.'
Chapter 18: The Second Miss is Generous!At the Ninja Academy, Kakashi led the three of them—Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke—to the rooftop."Alright, let's start with self-introductions," Kakashisaid, sitting on the railing and looking at the three of them."Self-introductions? What are we supposed to say?" Sakura asked."Things like what you like, what you hate, your dreams for the future, and your hobbies. That's about it," Kakashi said with a shrug, his tone lazy."Shouldn't the teacher start first?" Naruto asked, feigning innocence."Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. As for what I like and hate… I don't feel like telling you that. Regarding my dreams for the future…"He paused for a long moment before continuing."As for hobbies, I have many."'You might as well just admit you like reading your smutty books,' Naruto thought to himself."In the end, we only learned his name," Sakuraremarked, looking at Naruto and Sasuke with a deadpan expression."Yeah," both boys nodded in unison."Next, it's your turn. Let's start with you," Kakashisaid, looking at Naruto."I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I have a lot of things I like and a lot of things I hate. As for my dreams… my hobby is training." Naruto perfectly demonstrated what it meant to give someone a taste of their own medicine.Kakashi's face darkened with annoyance, then he looked at Sakura and said, "Alright, next.""Sakura Haruno. The person I like is Sasuke. I don't have anything I hate. My future dream is… and my hobby is reading." Having spent so much time with Naruto, Sakura's personality had changed somewhat; at least she now dared to express her preferences openly.Sasuke's mouth twitched, and Kakashi was rendered speechless. He already had two problem children in his class; he figured the last one wouldn't be very normal either."Alright, the last one.""Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things, and I don't really like anything. My dream—or rather, my ambition—is to kill a certain man, and also, to defeat Naruto. My hobby is training."Hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto couldn't help but turn and glance at him.'Good grief, do you hate me that much? Reviving the Uchiha Clan isn't even important anymore, you just want to beat me up, right?''So, Naruto is much stronger than Sasuke? Interesting, this kid.' Kakashi gave a subtle glance at Naruto, who was still trying his best to act, and the corner of his mouth beneath his mask curled up involuntarily."Alright, you three are quite the unique bunch. Very interesting. Starting tomorrow, we'll carry out missions.""What kind of missions?" Naruto asked with a goofy expression, giving a salute.This cringeworthy acting made Sakura and Sasukebeside him want to curl their toes in embarrassment, and even Kakashi felt awkward enough to want to run away. But there was no help for it; he had to play along with the performance."Let's start with a mission that only the four of us can complete.""A mission only the four of us can complete?" Sasuke and Sakura's curiosity was piqued by Kakashi."A survival exercise," Kakashi said with a straight face.The three of them went silent instantly, staring straight at Kakashi, which left Kakashi—who had already prepared his next lines—frozen in place, feeling awkward."Ahem, you guys… don't you have anything to say?" Kakashi cleared his throat twice to cover the awkward silence."Huh? We were waiting for you to continue, sensei," Sakura said, tilting her head and looking at Kakashiwith some confusion."…Fine, fine. Out of the 27 graduates, only 9 will be successfully recognized as Genin. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a super difficult test with a failure rate of over 66%."Watching Kakashi try to intimidate them with a gloomy expression, Naruto and the others were left speechless."? No, what's with those expressions? A 66% failure rate, you know. Isn't that scary?""Ah… so scary. If we fail, we have to go back to the academy? No way!" Naruto started shouting and making a scene, giving him the face."Ah… no way, I finally got into the same class as Sasuke-kun, I don't want to go back to the academy!" Sakura also started acting all over-the-top."Ah… right, right, ah, forget it." Even if Sasuke had been infected by Naruto's virus, it wasn't that severe; he really couldn't pull off this kind of acting."…A bunch of brats, truly unlovable. Forget it. Meet at the training ground tomorrow morning at five. Remember to bring your Ninja gear. I will judge whether you pass based on the actual situation."Kakashi waved his hand helplessly. Just as he turned to leave, he looked back and added:"Oh, right, remember not to eat breakfast, or you'll throw up."After saying that, he vanished from the rooftop, leaving the three of them to look at each other."Well? You super idiot, your acting was terrible. I bet he's already caught on," Sasuke said, elbowing Naruto."Isn't that because you exposed me first?" Narutorolled his eyes at Sasuke."Where did I expose you?" Sasuke asked, confused."Um, Sasuke-kun, you said your dream is to defeat Naruto. Things that can be called dreams are usually things that are currently hard to achieve, so one can tell from that that Naruto's strength is much greater than yours," Sakura explained, raising her hand."…Uh, well, I didn't think that much about it, I just said it in the moment. What do we do now?" Sasukescratched his head, feeling awkward."No big deal. There's a tactic called 'counter-strategy.' He knows I'm acting, and I know that he knows I'm acting, but he doesn't necessarily know that I know that he knows I'm acting. So, we can still catch him off guard tomorrow."Naruto adjusted his forehead protector, looking like everything was under control."…As long as you're happy." Sasuke covered his face, while Sakura asked:"What do we do now?""We definitely can't train today, otherwise it won't be good if we're discovered. If we're going to act, we have to do it all the way. Let's treat the rest of the day as a vacation. Go find something to do."After saying that, Naruto slipped away, leaving Sakura and Sasuke looking at each other.Having ditched his teammates, Naruto went home to change his clothes, then headed straight for the back door of the Hyuga Clan compound and pulled out a homemade bird whistle, blowing it.At that moment, Hiashi, who was busy processing documents, heard the sound and nearly snapped his pen in anger.'This brat! He doesn't use the front door, he insists on going to the back. Going to the back is one thing, but he even uses a secret signal? Does he really think the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan is just for show? Does he really think I can't see that massive, sun-bright lump of Chakra?'In fact, a year ago, Hinata had told Naruto that Hiashi allowed him to come visit her. It was just that Naruto was a bit peculiar; he enjoyed the feeling of sneaking around and using secret signals at the back door. It was thrilling.Not long after, a little girl with long hair snuck out of the back door."Hanabi? Why is it you? Where's your sister?" Seeing that it was Hanabi who had snuck out, Naruto asked, puzzled."Big sister hasn't come back yet. Didn't you go to the class assignments together?" Hanabi asked, also looking puzzled."That's not right. She left an hour earlier than me; she shouldn't have been gone this long." Narutoscratched his head, suddenly thinking of something."Could it be that they started the test today?""Test? Test what?" Hanabi asked curiously."Nothing, you'll know later." Naruto waved his hand. This was somewhat of a classified matter; better not to talk about it."Tch, brother-in-law is so stingy." Hanabi pouted, looking displeased."Since your sister isn't here, I'll be going then." Naruto turned to leave, but Hanabi grabbed the corner of his clothes."Wait, wait, wait, wait! Brother-in-law, don't go yet.""What? What is it?" Naruto, having been stopped, turned his head to look at Hanabi."Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, take me out to play!" Hanabi looked at Naruto with stars in her eyes."Huh? Why?" Naruto tilted his head, asking with some confusion."Oh, I train every single day. I want to take a break occasionally, too," Hanabi said, twisting a bit in embarrassment."…You're skipping class again? That's not very good, is it?" Naruto glanced at the Hyuga compound and said carefully."What are you saying? What kind of talk is that? How can a Ninja's business be called skipping class? I'm just balancing work and rest.""Heh, let's see if my old father-in-law believes that.""Oh, brother-in-law, please, you're the best! Pretty please!" Hanabi pressed her palms together, begging Naruto incessantly.Naruto looked at the back door. The old father-in-law hadn't appeared for so long; he must have tacitly approved, right? Probably?"Alright, let's go.""Yay! Brother-in-law is the best!"Hanabi was so happy she leaped onto Naruto's back, then climbed up to sit on his shoulders, waving her hand and pointing forward."Let's go!"Naruto resigned himself to it, grabbing Hanabi's feet to steady her, and strode forward."Snap!" The pen in Hiashi's hand met its end. Seeing through his Byakugan that the blond brat had kidnapped his second daughter, Hiashi was so angry he nearly went to fight him to the death, but he held back.After all, he didn't want a fox to suddenly pop out and run wild in their Hyuga home."Sigh, what a sin!""Oh right, Hanabi, did you bring money? You know, your brother-in-law is dirt poor." Walking halfway, Naruto suddenly looked up and asked."I brought it! Don't worry, all expenses today will be covered by yours truly!" Hanabi patted the pouch at her waist, speaking with great bravado."The Second Miss is generous! Let's go!"
Chapter 19: The Night Before the AssessmentAfter playing wildly with Hanabi all afternoon until dusk, Naruto finally sent Hanabi back. However, waiting at the back door for the two of them were not only Hinata but also the old father-in-law, Hiashi.The two, who had been chatting happily, straightened up instantly upon seeing Hiashi's face, which was so gloomy it could drip water. Hanabialso jumped down from Naruto."Father, I'm back." Hanabi approached Hiashisomewhat nervously."You still know how to come back?" Hiashi snorted coldly, then looked at Naruto."Hello, Father-in-law!" Naruto, not knowing if it was because he had called him Father-in-law too many times today, blurted it out directly to Hiashi.Hiashi was so angry he almost activated his Byakugan to slap this blond kid to death. He stared at Naruto for a long time before snorting heavily and turning back into the Hyuga Clan compound."Naruto-kun, you..." Hinata's face was already flushed red. Naruto's use of "Father-in-law" had almost scared her to death, followed by a surge of shyness."Uh, hehe, it's inevitable sooner or later. Calling it early makes it easier to change later." Narutoscratched his head. He couldn't say he just blurted it out on a whim, right? If he said that, Hinata would definitely be angry."Then we'll go in first. Be careful on your way, Naruto-kun." Hinata adjusted her emotions and said."Alright, see you next time, Hinata-chan.""Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, don't forget our agreement." Hanabi trotted up to Naruto and whispered."Got it, go back now." Naruto rubbed her little head, waved at Hinata, and turned to leave.Hinata looked at her sister with a strange expression, didn't say much, just held Hanabi's hand and walked into the Hyuga Clan compound.Returning from the Hyuga Clan, Naruto gathered Sakura and Sasuke again, planning to study the survival test for the next day."Let me say this first, I looked up our team leader's information today." (Actually, it was memories from his previous life.)"Kakashi Hatake, known as the Copy Ninja of Konoha, possesses a Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, though only one.""What? How could he have a Sharingan?"Upon hearing Naruto's words, Sasuke was instantly unsettled. He knew only Uchiha could possess Sharingan."Don't be agitated. It was a gift from a comrade, not obtained through any dishonorable means." Narutopressed Sasuke back onto the sofa and continued explaining."This person is powerful, once entered the KonohaAnbu, and it is said he has copied thousands of Ninjutsu. He is a very formidable Ninja."Hearing Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke recalled Kakashi's lazy demeanor and couldn't imagine his strength."Hmm, this guy is indeed a bit outrageous. Anyway, it's best to be careful during tomorrow's test." Naruto guessed their thoughts by looking at their expressions."By the way, are we fighting him in tomorrow's test?" Sasuke asked, eager to try."Pretty much. Hinata and the others already finished their assessment today. The so-called survival test is actually a baseline check of our strength and a test of our teamwork."Naruto said while writing and drawing on a piece of paper."Did Hinata tell you all this?" Sakura asked."Not really, I observed it myself."Naruto spouted nonsense with a straight face. If the Third Hokage hadn't gone home, and Naruto hadn't specifically gone to the Hokage Building to take a look, he wouldn't have dared to say that."Team 8 clearly had signs of battle, so I'm sure we will definitely fight Kakashi-sensei. As for teamwork, isn't that obvious? Three-person groups are meant to look out for each other. But we don't need to worry about that.""Indeed, after all these years, our coordination is quite good." Sakura said happily.As the only civilian Ninja family in the small group, Sakura was initially a bit insecure. It was Ino who brought her into this circle, let her meet Naruto, and allowed her to grow.Although Naruto was a bit of a homebody, he was very good to his friends. Everyone in the small group had eaten his magical recipes, and quite a lot of it.And regarding cultivation, Naruto never kept secrets. He passed on everything he figured out to everyone without reservation.However, most only learned the Breathing Style. This thing could accelerate the flow of Chakra, improve control over Chakra, and increase the power of Ninjutsu, so everyone learned at least one.As for swordsmanship, not many learned it.Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji all had their own family traditions and didn't like playing with swords.Kiba wanted to learn, but unfortunately, his family's Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu didn't support him learning Naruto's swordsmanship. After all, you can't fight with a sword in your mouth.Shino did something fancy, using insects to condense into a sword. Naruto was stunned when he first saw it; wasn't this equivalent to the Thousand Blades?This made Naruto suspect Shino was a fellow countryman from his previous life, but tests later proved otherwise.Rock Lee couldn't use a sword, Neji had already started developing his own moves, and Tentenpreferred manipulating bladed tools and wasn't interested in swordplay. For this, Naruto reminded her she could study puppet techniques.Although this is a Ninjutsu of the Land of Wind, Konoha had captured basic puppet techniques on the battlefield.As for Sakura, Naruto didn't actually dislike her. Although she did have many inappropriate behaviors in the original work and spoke without thinking, during the Chunin Exams, she was also desperately protecting her companions.Her changes in the later stages were visible to the naked eye. Besides, Naruto had seen many women worse than Sakura in his previous life. Sakura was just a little girl with a bit of a "love brain," so he still intended to help her.Naruto thought of Sakura's image in his previous life, and since she actually had considerable strength, he recommended Sakura to fight with her fists. Later, he helped her research fist techniques. Neji and Hinata also helped. Although they couldn't teach the Hyuga Clan's fist techniques, some basics were no problem. For this, Sakura specifically cut her hair short for convenience, and her clothes changed from "pretty" styles to "practical" ones.As for the rumor that Sasuke liked long hair, it had long been dismissed by Naruto. Sakura trusted Naruto, who was with Sasuke every day, and then Naruto told Sakura that Sasuke liked powerful women. Sakura's motivation for training was instantly maxed out."By the way, Sakura, can you skillfully control the arm guards Tenten helped you craft?" Narutostopped his pen and turned to look at Sakura."I can already. I have to thank you and Tenten-senpai more. Relying on myself, I really couldn't afford the price of those arm guards."Speaking of this, Sakura said embarrassedly. Because those things contained Chakra metal, they could be considered astronomical in price. If it weren't for Naruto providing a large amount of ordinary metal, and Tenten agreeing to let Sakurawork in her shop to pay off the debt, Sakuraprobably wouldn't be able to afford them until she became a Jonin.However, thanks to working in Tenten's shop, her strength had become even greater. Among everyone, she was only a little inferior to Naruto."That's good. Tomorrow you will be responsible for close-range containment, Sasuke will be responsible for supporting you from the side, and I will be responsible for the main attack. Of course, this is not absolute; we must adjust according to the actual situation on the battlefield.""Understood." × 2"However, don't hold too much hope. The opponent is a Jonin after all." Naruto poured a bucket of cold water at a very inappropriate time."Can't we beat a Jonin?" Sasuke said with some dissatisfaction."We might have a fighting chance against an ordinary Jonin with the three of us, but the opponent is an Elite Jonin, meaning a leader among Jonin, belonging to a presence close to Kage-level.""Is, is it that exaggerated?" Sakura said with some worry."Hard to say, this person's strength is very mysterious. You never know where his limit lies." Naruto bit the end of his pen, looking solemn.He actually wanted to defeat Kakashi, but the reputation of "Kakashi the 50/50" was too loud. Who knew if he really had some weird buffs.Moreover, as of now, he hadn't even figured out the Third Hokage's strength. Every time he fought that old man, the other party was calm and indifferent."Enough small talk. Tomorrow I'll pretend to try and see if I can sneak attack him. If I succeed, we'll all attack together. If it fails, you two find your own opportunities to enter."Naruto circled Kakashi's name on the paper and then said."Alright, let's confirm tomorrow's tactics again."The three talked until very late before separating. Then Sasuke sent Sakura home, while Naruto took a shower and lay on the bed, entering the Sealing Space."Kurama, do you think we can win tomorrow?" Naruto lay on Kurama's round belly, looking at the ceiling and saying."How would I know." The fox grabbed a skewer of grilled meat and put it into his mouth, then pulled. The steel skewer rubbed against the fox's teeth, sparking, which made Naruto's teeth hurt just watching."I'm saying, besides eating, what else can you do?" Naruto looked at the fox with some disgust."Can drink too." Saying that, the fox grabbed his wine glass and drank it in one gulp, then let out a satisfied burp.Naruto's expression became even more disgusted."I'm telling you, you told those two brats not to think about winning, yet you start worrying about this yourself?" The fox looked at Naruto and said."Hmm, after all, the opponent is him. I still want to try a bit." Naruto turned over, lying on the fox's stomach, his voice muffled."With me here, you won't lose." The fox's words made Naruto's body pause."This time, I want to try fighting with my own strength."Naruto's words made the fox's action of eating skewers pause. He rarely put down the meat skewer in his hand and said in a serious voice."Kid, did you forget what you said before?""What I said before... Ah, is that so? Ha, hahahaha." Naruto sat up, whispered softly, and then laughed loudly."Sorry, Kurama, I was overthinking. Also, we are one. If one prospers, both prosper; if one suffers, both suffer."Naruto raised his head, his eyes glowing with spirit again, and raised his right hand towards the fox."Hmph." The fox snorted lightly, the corners of his mouth curling up unconsciously, and then stretched out a claw to bump with Naruto."Kakashi, oh Kakashi, I can only say you are unlucky to meet a Kurama with evolved abilities. Tomorrow you'll have a tough time."Subsequently, after Naruto and the fox said goodnight to each other, he lay on the fox's belly and fell fast asleep. The fox covered Naruto with one of his tails and continued to eat skewers and drink wine.