The night after Kushina successfully mastered the Nine-Tails' chakra, the Third Hokage arrived at the Namikaze residence despite the late hour. News of this unprecedented achievement had reached him promptly through Minato's secure channels, and Hiruzen considered it too significant to wait until morning for a full briefing.
Throughout Konoha's history since its founding, no jinchūriki had ever fully controlled the Nine-Tails' immense power. Even Mito Uzumaki, revered for her sealing prowess, had primarily focused on containment rather than harnessing the bijuu's chakra as an accessible resource.
While Konoha's military might already stood as equal to any of the other major shinobi nations, Kushina's breakthrough represented a substantial advancement in the village's strategic capabilities. The power of a controlled Nine-Tails, even in its divided state, added a formidable new dimension to Konoha's defensive and offensive options.
A month passed swiftly, marked by routine village operations and the continued absence of any sightings related to the masked man and his organization.
"Knock! Knock!"
The sound of knuckles rapping against wood echoed through the Hokage's office one afternoon, briefly interrupting Minato's concentration as he reviewed mission reports.
Before he could offer permission to enter, an enthusiastic voice called out from the other side of the door. "Dad, we're back!"
The office door swung open with unnecessary force as Naruto strode in, his face bright with the exhilaration that always accompanied his return to the village. Behind him followed the remaining members of both Shisui's and Kakashi's teams, their expressions noticeably more reserved than their boisterous companion's.
Minato rose from his chair, a warm smile spreading across his features. "Your first C-rank mission—did everything proceed smoothly?"
"With me on the team, how could there be any problems?" Naruto declared with characteristic confidence, thumping his chest for emphasis.
Despite his son's assurances, Minato couldn't help but notice the peculiar expressions worn by the other team members. Even Sasuke, typically stone-faced, seemed to be suppressing an unusual reaction.
"What happened?" Minato asked, his gaze shifting past Naruto to meet Shisui's eyes.
The Uchiha jōnin offered an awkward smile, clearly uncomfortable with what he needed to report. "It's nothing particularly serious," he began diplomatically.
"While traversing a mountain region during our mission, we encountered several black bears that apparently belonged to local villagers. Naruto, ah... inadvertently injured them during what he believed was self-defense."
Minato's expression immediately shifted to one of concern.
Sensing the Hokage's alarm, Shisui quickly continued, "They sustained only minor injuries. I've already compensated the owners for any damages and issued formal apologies on behalf of the village."
"You handled the situation appropriately," Minato acknowledged with a nod before turning his attention to Naruto. His voice took on a more stern quality as he addressed his son directly. "Exercise greater caution in the future. Such incidents reflect not just on you, but on Konoha as a whole."
"How was I supposed to know people would keep bears as pets?" Naruto protested, his lips curling into a defensive pout. After a moment of meeting his father's steady gaze, however, his shoulders slumped slightly in resignation. "Fine, I was careless. I'll definitely be more careful next time. I've decided to forfeit my payment for this mission and give it to Shisui-sensei to help cover the compensation costs."
This surprisingly mature response caught Minato's attention. He glanced briefly at Chiharu, who stood quietly beside her brother, her expression carefully neutral. Given Naruto's typical impulsiveness, it seemed unlikely he would independently propose such a responsible solution. More probably, Chiharu had coached him on the appropriate way to handle the situation.
Nevertheless, seeing that Naruto had acknowledged his mistake and proposed a reasonable atonement, Minato saw no reason to press the issue further. First missions often involved learning experiences, sometimes uncomfortable ones, and this appeared to be precisely that kind of valuable lesson.
After both Shisui and Kakashi submitted their detailed mission reports, confirming that despite the bear incident, both assignments had been completed successfully, Minato addressed the gathered shinobi once more.
"You've all been in the field for a month. Well done on completing your assignments. Take some time to rest and recover," he instructed, his voice carrying the dual tones of both Hokage and father.
"Yes, sir!" the assembled genin and jōnin responded in unison before filing out of the office.
Once the younger ninja had departed, Minato retained Shisui and Kakashi briefly to discuss matters unsuited for genin ears. Throughout their month-long deployments, neither team had encountered any sign of the masked man or his associates—a fact that brought mixed feelings of relief and unease. Such prolonged silence from an adversary could mean many things, few of them reassuring.
"Kakashi, were you able to pass along the jutsu scroll to Sai?" Minato inquired, changing the subject to a more immediate concern.
"Yes, I delivered it as instructed," Kakashi confirmed with a nod. "He seemed quite intrigued by the techniques, though he's characteristically reserved about showing enthusiasm."
"Good," Minato replied, satisfied that at least one of his ongoing initiatives was proceeding as planned. "I won't be assigning new missions to either of your teams in the immediate future. The genin could benefit from some dedicated training time to refine their skills."
This pause in missions would serve multiple purposes. It would allow the young ninja to process their experiences and grow from them, while also enabling Minato to reallocate more experienced teams to investigate the masked man's possible whereabouts.
"Becoming a genin is merely the first step in a shinobi's development," Minato reminded them. "The real growth occurs in how they respond to these early experiences."
Both jōnin acknowledged his wisdom with respectful nods before taking their leave, each already formulating training regimens for their respective teams.
Later that afternoon, Sasuke Uchiha stood beneath the spreading branches of a tree at the edge of the training forests. His posture was rigid with impatience, dark eyes scanning the surrounding area for any sign of the person he'd arranged to meet.
A subtle displacement of air was his only warning before Kakashi materialized before him, appearing with the casual nonchalance that so often irritated his more serious students.
"You asked me to wait for you here," Sasuke stated flatly, his tone betraying no emotion beyond mild annoyance. "What's this about? If there's nothing urgent, I'd prefer to return to my training."
"Planning another solitary training session?" Kakashi observed with a knowing smile beneath his mask. "While I'm your assigned sensei, I must admit there are aspects of your development in which I can offer little guidance—particularly regarding those eyes of yours."
"If you're aware of your limitations, then stop wasting my time," Sasuke replied coolly.
As he spoke, his eyes underwent a striking transformation—the ordinary black irises shifting to a brilliant crimson. Within this new coloration, a single tomoe mark swirled slowly, evidence of his recently awakened Sharingan.
Such a competitive spirit, Kakashi thought to himself. Witnessing Naruto's rapid advancement seems to have accelerated his own development. The rivalry has pushed him to activate his Sharingan far earlier than expected.
Over the past three months, Naruto's growth had been remarkable by any standard. His progression from dead-last at the Academy to a genuinely competent genin represented a dramatic evolution of skill. Kakashi didn't find this particularly surprising—being the son of both the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Naruto had inherited exceptional potential. With Minato's guidance and his own determined personality, such advancement seemed almost inevitable.
"Don't be so quick to dismiss my assistance," Kakashi advised, his visible eye crinkling in a smile. "I understand your brother Itachi is currently away on a long-term mission outside the clan compound. In his absence, I can offer you specialized training."
"Train me?" Sasuke echoed, a flicker of interest momentarily displacing his usual stoicism. Though he tried to maintain his indifferent facade, the slight widening of his eyes betrayed his curiosity.
That evening, in the front yard of the Namikaze family home, Naruto stood alone beneath the deepening twilight sky. The peaceful setting belied the intensity of his concentration as he prepared to attempt a technique that had thus far eluded his mastery.
"Haaah!"
He exhaled deliberately, centering himself as he raised his right hand, palm upward. With careful positioning, he brought his left hand over it, fingers curved as though grasping an invisible sphere.
"This time for sure!" he declared to himself, his face set with determination.
The movements of his left hand accelerated, fingers making rapid grabbing motions while maintaining their curved formation over his right palm. As his concentration deepened, azure chakra began to materialize between his hands, gradually coalescing into a spinning orb of energy.
"There!" Naruto exclaimed as the distinctive sphere of the Rasengan formed fully in his palm.
Without hesitation, he thrust the technique forward into the trunk of a nearby tree. The Rasengan connected with the wood, immediately carving away bark and creating a spiral pattern in the exposed surface before dissipating into scattered wisps of chakra.
"Hmm," Naruto sighed, examining the result with disappointment. While he had successfully formed the technique, it still lacked the devastating power he'd witnessed when his father performed it.
"Brother, dinner's ready!" Chiharu called from the doorway, interrupting his self-criticism.
"Coming!"
The prospect of his mother's home cooking after a month of field rations instantly pushed aside his frustration. With characteristic speed, Naruto bounded toward the house, the scent of Kushina's specialties drawing him like a magnet.
Another month and a half passed, during which Minato assigned several additional missions to Shisui's team. These assignments were strategically selected to remain within the borders of the Land of Fire, allowing the team to gain experience while staying within relatively safe territory.
Throughout these missions, Naruto's impulsive nature continued to manifest in minor complications—nothing as dramatic as the bear incident, but enough to cause occasional headaches for both his sensei and parents. Despite numerous discussions about thinking before acting, Naruto's instinct to charge headfirst into situations remained remarkably resistant to change.
By midday on a particularly bright afternoon a few days after completing their most recent mission, Naruto was once again in the front yard, focused intently on his ongoing attempt to perfect the Rasengan.
"YES! I finally did it!"
His triumphant shout echoed through the yard as he stared at the fully formed Rasengan spinning rapidly in his palm. Unlike his previous attempts, this version of the technique whirled with extraordinary intensity, causing the air around it to distort with unleashed power.
Without fully considering the consequences, Naruto thrust the perfected Rasengan into the same tree he had been using as his practice target for weeks. This time, instead of merely carving away surface material, the technique bored deeply into the wood with devastating effect.
"CRACK! CRACK!"
The tree shuddered violently under the impact, deep fissures spreading through its trunk. So absorbed was Naruto in his achievement that he failed to register the warning signs of imminent collapse.
The commotion immediately drew Kushina and Chiharu from inside the house, their expressions shifting from curiosity to alarm as they assessed the situation.
"Naruto, stop the jutsu now!" Kushina shouted, already moving toward her son with urgency.
Her warning came too late.
"CRACK! BOOM!"
With a final, resounding crack, the severely damaged trunk gave way completely. The massive tree toppled forward, crashing through the yard's boundary wall before coming to rest half in and half out of the property.
Kushina quickly cleared the damaged area, her shinobi reflexes allowing her to confirm that no passersby had been injured by the falling tree or collapsing wall sections. Though property could be repaired, civilian casualties would have represented a far more serious consequence of Naruto's recklessness.
Chiharu approached her brother, whose expression had transformed from jubilation to horrified realization as the extent of the damage became apparent.
"Brother," she said quietly, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "you're in serious trouble this time."
The tree that now lay destroyed across their father's wall wasn't just any tree. It had been planted by Minato's parents shortly after his birth—a living connection to grandparents that neither Naruto nor Chiharu had ever known. The tree had quite literally grown alongside their father throughout his life, serving as a silent witness to his journey from infant to Hokage.
And now, in his moment of triumph with the Rasengan, Naruto had inadvertently destroyed one of the few remaining links Minato had to his own parents. The realization settled over him like a physical weight, dimming the pride he had felt in finally mastering his father's signature technique.
Some victories, Naruto was learning, came with unexpected costs.