"Shut it. Quiet down."
Naruto dug a finger into his ear, visibly annoyed.
Sensing Naruto's displeasure, the beast Go—who had moments ago been snarling and lashing out—immediately fell silent. Not only did it stop making noise, it clamped its steel-ripping claws tightly over its own mouth.
It had no eyes, yet still managed to look… pitiful.
Cute? Ugly-cute? Please.
This thing was just ugly—no cuteness involved.
Naruto had already beaten down Level 3 Go before. A Level 1 like this? Not even a challenge.
He'd tamed it long ago—physically.
(A quick aside: the Box of Ultimate Bliss doesn't contain just one Wu. Each level—1 through 3—is a different entity. Only one can be summoned at a time.)
"No wonder Lord Uzumaki's so revered. Even a monster like that listens to him."
The Uchiha couldn't help but be impressed.
In the spectator stands, Karin, sitting beside Mikoto and a few others, lifted her chin proudly—like a victorious little hen.
That's my big brother (or cousin, technically)!
A powerful summoning beast is often a reflection of a ninja's true strength. When a shinobi and their summon act in perfect sync, their power multiplies—like Jiraiya and Gamabunta, Hiruzen and Enma, Hanzō and his salamander, or Minato and Gamabunta. In those cases, one plus one was definitely more than two.
In fact, with Minato, Gamabunta once sat directly on the Nine-Tails.
But powerful summons are notoriously difficult to control—some even turn on their summoners.
Just ask Orochimaru and Manda.
Yet Naruto only needed a single word to make this malevolent, terrifying summon behave.
The Uchiha were both awed and even more convinced of Naruto's strength.
Respecting power was a cornerstone of shinobi culture—even the proud Uchiha weren't exempt. Especially now, when life had worn down many of their sharp edges.
"Well then, let's begin the test."
Seated casually on the platform, Naruto swept his gaze across the gathered crowd.
"Who's up first?"
"I'll go."
The voice rang out clearly as Uchiha Izumi stepped forward.
That night—the massacre—had taken everything from her: family, friends, clanmates, even the person she loved. She had seen Itachi kill their younger kin with her own eyes. In that moment, everything good in her heart shattered.
Since then, the kind, gentle Izumi had ceased to exist—replaced by someone who threw everything into training.
Hatred had become her fuel. Her reason to move forward.
The Uchiha were a clan that loved deeply, and from that love came power. When that love was lost, it gave rise to the eye that reflects the heart—the Sharingan.
Her love for Itachi had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Her hatred for him awakened the Mangekyō.
She wanted power. She wanted to kill him with her own hands.
And now—was the time to see how far she'd come.
Staring at Go, Izumi slowly drew the short blade at her waist.
She was strong. Her skills with blade, taijutsu, and ninjutsu had all advanced dramatically. Awakening both the three-tomoe and the Mangekyō at age thirteen was nothing short of genius.
Among the entire Uchiha clan, only Sasuke possessed greater talent.
But even so—she wasn't strong enough.
Without using the Mangekyō, she couldn't win.
Go could read minds. Her ninjutsu was useless.
Wu had no eyes. Genjutsu based on her Sharingan wouldn't work at all.
And taijutsu? She wasn't Naruto. No one else is Naruto. Going up against Wu in hand-to-hand combat was like eating poison for fun—asking to die.
Her short blade shattered. Go didn't have so much as a scratch.
Naruto had set the goal at thirty minutes.
Izumi lasted twenty.
In the end, she was pinned face-down by Go's massive claw, held by the head with terrifying ease. No matter how she struggled, Go didn't budge.
Eventually, she admitted defeat.
If even Izumi couldn't pass, no one else stood a chance.
---
Inaho, hailed as the leader of the younger generation, lasted 19 minutes.
Tekkō, 15 minutes.
Yashiro, the longest, managed 25.
Others were all over the place—some only made it a few minutes, some a bit longer.
But not one passed.
---
"You're all too weak."
Naruto didn't bother sugarcoating it.
"You've really disappointed me."
At best, they were equivalent to one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—and even then, lower to mid-tier at best.
That level wasn't exactly weak, but it sure wasn't strong either.
Too many people in the ninja world could kill them with ease. And if they died, their Sharingan would be exposed.
White Zetsu had been scouring the continent for traces of Uchiha for years. If it weren't for Naruto's superior sensory abilities, the clan would've been discovered long ago.
To Naruto, if someone couldn't at least hold their own against a tailed beast, they had no real way to survive.
And he wasn't letting any Uchiha leave the Land of Whirlpools without that.
Faced with Naruto's harsh words, every Uchiha in the crowd instinctively lowered their heads.
Utterly humiliated.
They had been so confident—thought thirty minutes against a summon would be easy.
In the end?
Not a single pass.
Truly disgraceful.
---
"From today onward," Naruto declared, "every Uchiha between the ages of 10 and 50 will undergo my personal special training."
"Each one of you will have to last at least forty minutes against Wu."
Leaving the Uchiha to train on their own would only lead to mediocrity. In the original timeline, by the time the so-called "gods" showed up, most Uchiha would've been wiped out as an afterthought.
So from now on, Naruto would take over.
He was going to build a personal elite unit—the most powerful force in the shinobi world.
He wouldn't let the Uchiha's talents go to waste.
If there were more Uzumaki left, he'd train an elite corps of his own clan too—yin and yang, unbeatable together.
But alas… the Uzumaki were gone.
---
"Anyone who doesn't meet the standard will keep training—until they do."
Naruto's motto was simple: If training doesn't kill you, keep going.
Injuries? Not a big deal.
He'd been working on Yang Release chakra transformation lately—his healing skills were on point.
Minor wounds? Not a problem.
Even a broken arm? He'd fix it—and maybe attach two more for good measure.
---
"This is the bare minimum I expect."
"Understood?"
The Uchiha were stunned—Naruto was going to personally train them?
They'd already seen what his "hell training" looked like—Karin was living proof. Just eleven years old, and her training routine outclassed grown men.
But the results? Undeniable.
Karin could beat up ten Uchiha her age at once. Even older teens with awakened Sharingan didn't dare challenge her.
One punch from her and they'd be coughing up dinner from the night before.
"Understood!"
"…Didn't hear that. Not even close."
"With voices that soft, you think you're gonna revive the Uchiha?"
"One more time. Louder."
"UNDERSTOOD!!"
Their chorus shook the sky.
Naruto grinned.
"Good. That's the spirit."
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