harleyscars Page 4
Page 4
Madara explained, "An ordinary ninja would need at least half a day to recover from this level of exhaustion, but you only took less than an hour."
Naruto nodded, seemingly understanding, but quickly became excited again: "Does that mean I'm really strong?"
Ban gave a light snort: "Barely passing."
Although he said that, he was also somewhat surprised.
Naruto's chakra recovery speed is far beyond that of ordinary people. Is this the physical ability of the Uzumaki clan?
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, the sparks in his pipe flickering.
His gaze, peering through the crystal ball, landed on the small figure on the training field.
"We've been observing them for three days now."
The Third Hokage muttered to himself, "The chakra mark left by Minato... can it really achieve this level?"
Naruto's recent changes are too obvious.
From identifying poisons to controlling chakra, and even taijutsu movements, there is a subtle, sharp style to it all.
It doesn't resemble Minato's style at all; it's more like the style I had when I was a child.
"Hiruzen, what are you worried about?"
A cold voice came from behind.
Danzo Shimura appeared at the doorway at some point, tapping his cane lightly on the ground.
The Third Hokage's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly: "Danzo, what is it?"
"I've heard that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has been acting strangely lately."
Danzo slowly walked in, his one eye fixed on the Third Hokage. "The Anbu report that he is learning dangerous survival skills."
The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke, his expression calm: "Just some basic self-defense knowledge, left behind by Minato within the seal."
A flicker of doubt crossed Danzo's eyes: "The Fourth Hokage would teach a three-year-old to identify highly poisonous mushrooms?"
"Just in case," the Third Hokage said calmly. "Besides, Naruto will have to face these things sooner or later."
Danzo was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered: "You're too soft-hearted, Hiruzen. If a Jinchuriki gets out of control, the consequences will be unimaginable."
“So I’m monitoring it myself.” The Third Hokage’s gaze returned to the window. “No need for Root to interfere.”
Danzo stared at his retreating figure, then finally let out a cold snort and turned to leave.
The third generation took a deep drag on his cigarette, his brow furrowed.
He knew Danzo wouldn't give up easily, but if he reported Naruto's current unusual situation to the advisory group...
Naruto will only face tighter surveillance, and may even be taken away by the Root organization.
“Minato…” The Third Hokage leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. “What exactly did you leave in the seal?”
Nighttime, the sealed space.
Naruto was curled up in a corner of his consciousness space, already exhausted and asleep.
Madara's phantom stood to the side, his gaze fixed on Kurama.
"Madara, you've changed." Kurama lay lazily, its tail swaying gently. "You've actually become soft-hearted."
Spotted looked at it coldly: "What are you trying to say?"
"That ruthless Uchiha from back then," Kurama's vertical pupils narrowed slightly as he chuckled, "is now working as a babysitter."
Upon hearing this, Ban rolled his eyes at the other person: "Say what you want..."
"So, do you remember how you died?"
Madara's soul chakra suddenly froze: "What do you want to ask?"
Nine-Tailed Fox flicked its tail: "Although my senses aren't very strong, I can clearly feel that your soul is incomplete."
Madara did not refute Kurama's words.
After he came into Naruto's body, he realized that his memories were incomplete.
From childhood to adulthood, the war between the two clans, the bond with Hashirama, the creation of Konoha together, witnessing the truth about the Uchiha clan, and the great battle with Hashirama at the Valley of the End.
He remembered all of this, but he remembered that after the battle at the Valley of the End, he did not die; he survived and lived for a long time.
But how did he avoid Hashirama's fatal blow? How did he escape? How long did he live?
He doesn't remember any of these things.
Nine-Tailed Fox chuckled: "What? Starting to panic when you realize you've lost your memory?"
He looked at the sleeping Naruto, a complex emotion churning within him.
Why did I end up in Naruto's body? That mystery alone was already a headache, and now there's the added question of why I have amnesia.
Too lazy to think, Ban coldly replied, "These are all things of the past. They have nothing to do with me anymore. I will only live according to my own will."
Nine-Tails gave him a meaningful look and said nothing more.
In the real world, the Third Hokage still stands by the window, gazing at the moon in the night sky, unable to sleep for a long time.
Chapter 5 Ninja Academy Enrollment
Six-year-old Naruto stood in front of the mirror, tightening his brand-new goggles.
His dark green glasses gleamed coldly in the morning light, reflecting his face, which had lost its baby fat.
Three years is enough time for a toddler to grow into a mischievous child who can easily climb over the Hokage Rock.
"It's crooked," Madara's voice echoed in his mind. "Even if it's just a replacement headband, you still have to follow the Uchiha clan's rule of wearing it at a 15-degree angle."
Naruto stuck out his tongue and deliberately pushed his goggles further to the right: "No way! I'm going to be Hokage, so my goggles-wearing style has to be original!"
Inside the sealed space, Madara's phantom crossed his arms and snorted coldly.
If it were three years ago, he would have forcibly controlled Naruto's hand to correct this mistake.
But now, he just watched the blond boy skip and hop out of the apartment, his orange jacket billowing behind him like a flame.
The streets of Konoha were busier than usual.
Parents led their children toward the ninja academy, while shops along the way displayed banners advertising "Special Offers for Enrollment Season".
Naruto walked through the crowd with his hands in his pockets, keenly noticing several familiar gazes—the ANBU surveillance that had continued uninterrupted for the past three years.
"Two people on the roof to the left rear, and one person disguised as a meatball seller to the right front."
Madara lazily reported the location of the monitor, "Hiruzen Sarutobi is certainly persistent."
Naruto pretended to tie his shoelaces and took the opportunity to make a face at the dumpling stand.
The stall owner's hand trembled, and the three-colored meatballs almost fell into the charcoal fire.
"Don't cause trouble," Ban warned, but with a hint of indulgence. "Today is important for you."
It is indeed important.
This was the first time in three years that Madara had allowed Naruto to display his true strength in front of others.
Of course, this is a strictly limited form of "truth".
"Remember, keep your physical skills test score 10% above the passing mark, and deliberately miss two shuriken throws."
Ban patiently repeated the precautions, "The most important thing is..."
"We absolutely must not reveal our chakra control abilities!"
Naruto answered quickly, then put his hands behind his head and whispered, "Dad, you've been nagging me for three years now, I can recite it by heart!"
Madara's chakra stirred up a small storm in the sealed space.
The term has gone from being absurd at first to being commonplace now, to the point that even the Nine-Tailed Fox has stopped mocking it.
The flow of people at the school gate suddenly came to a standstill.
Naruto stood on tiptoe and saw Uchiha Sasuke being surrounded by a group of parents taking pictures.
The dark-haired boy was wearing a dark blue stand-up collar shirt, and his expression was as cold as ice.
Upon seeing Sasuke, Madara couldn't help but show a rather interested expression: "Wow, the Uchiha clan of this era is quite to my liking."
Naruto pursed his lips.
Over the past three years, he and Sasuke have bumped into each other on the street countless times, and each time it ends with them glaring at each other.
But today is different; today they are alumni of the same school!
"Hey! Sasuke!" Naruto waved his arms and squeezed through the crowd. "I got here early today, you lost!"
Sasuke turned his head, his dark eyes sweeping over Naruto's askew goggles, and his lips twitched: "Idiot."
"Who are you calling an idiot!"
"Whoever answers first, that's who."
The two children pressed their foreheads together, like two little animals with their fur standing on end.
The surrounding parents laughed good-naturedly.
"Control your emotions."
Ban's voice was unusually tense, "You want to be invited into the ANBU interrogation room on your first day of school?"
Naruto took a deep breath, then suddenly grinned: "Just you wait, I'll beat you to a pulp in taijutsu class!"
Sasuke's Sharingan activated instantly, the single tomoe slowly rotating: "I couldn't have asked for more, you loser."
For the past three years, Naruto could be seen training hard every morning, which fueled Sasuke's competitive spirit as he worked hard to catch up with Itachi.
Driven by his competitive spirit, Sasuke recently awakened his Sharingan.
Although it only had one tomoe, Madara was startled when he saw those eyes.
Is this kid cheating? He awakened the Sharingan at six years old; he's even more powerful than me.
The entrance exam was much simpler than Naruto had imagined.