This was the happiest day of his life!
Not only did he have a partner to train with, but he also gained the recognition of that man… Might Guy!
"Naruto, Teacher Guy..."
"I will definitely work even harder!"
Under the moonlight, Rock Lee continued his arduous training, again and again...
Back home, Naruto had already begun to skillfully prepare his own dinner, wolfing it down to quickly fill his stomach.
Afterward, the system notification he received was... Chakra Refining Technique a hundred times!
Clone Technique two hundred times!
Naruto dared not disobey and immediately continued his training.
In the mental space.
The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox witnessed all of this and couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart.
"Although it's to avoid being electrocuted, still..."
"This brat actually has quite a bit of perseverance..."
"Hmph."
He shook his head, his long fox ears twitched, and then, as if realizing his emotional fluctuation, he scoffed and closed his eyes again...
Late night.
Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
After a day of busy work, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his eyes, looking somewhat exhausted.
"I really am getting old..."
"To be so tired by these mundane daily tasks..."
He lit his pipe, took a deep puff, and exhaled a large smoke ring, feeling much more at ease.
"Cough cough..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed, his gaze subconsciously falling on the crystal ball at the corner of his desk.
"Hmm?"
"Oh right, I haven't checked on Naruto for a few days..."
"Let's take a look now."
"But it's so late, he must be sound asleep already, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a wry smile and activated his Ninjutsu.
"Telescope Technique."
Immediately, the scene in Naruto's room appeared in the crystal ball.
"Hmm? It seems a bit different, is it my imagination?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly, feeling that Naruto's room seemed much tidier and cleaner.
Aside from Naruto tidying up a bit himself, it was also partly due to Hinata's efforts.
She helped Naruto clean his room while he was doing his homework.
However, for Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was certainly not the main point.
Soon, the main subject, Naruto's figure, appeared in the crystal ball...
"Hmm?"
"This, this is..."
At this moment, Naruto was actually still practicing his Clone Technique diligently in front of the mirror!
"Clone!"
"Damn it..."
"Clone!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's jaw nearly dropped in surprise.
"Did I see wrong?"
He rubbed his eyes, squinted again, and leaned closer to the crystal ball to look.
However, he still saw Naruto's figure diligently training late into the night.
"What's gotten into Naruto?"
"Is this still the Naruto who was always mischievous, playing pranks, and neglecting his duties?!"
Chapter 17 Regret! Shadow! Bang!
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Naruto training late into the night, displaying an expression of utter shock.
This was too far from the Naruto he remembered...
One must know that the previous Naruto would be reported by Ninja every now and then for causing trouble in the Village...
Come to think of it, it had been several days since anyone had reported Naruto...
Hiruzen Sarutobi scratched his head, and a few more strands of his sparse, old hair fell out.
"Anbu."
"Present, Hokage-sama!"
Swish swish swish... Several figures wearing eerie masks immediately appeared like lightning before Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"You are to monitor Naruto; these past two days, he..."
"Has there been anything different about him?"
The Anbu members exchanged glances, looking at each other.
"Hokage-sama, well, how should I put it..."
"It's not just different; it's like he's seen a ghost!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned: "Oh? What happened?"
The Anbu detailed Naruto's changes one by one, making Hiruzen Sarutobi more and more surprised as he listened.
"Is that so?"
"He's changed so much all of a sudden?"
"What exactly happened to him..."
The Anbu members also shook their heads.
"It doesn't seem like anything happened..."
"However, Hokage-sama, this isn't necessarily strange; boys at this age might suddenly become motivated for various reasons."
"Of course, most people are just intermittently ambitious and consistently content to muddle through."
"Few can persevere; it's usually just a three-minute burst of enthusiasm..."
"Indeed, given Naruto's personality, I don't believe he can keep it up for long..."
These Anbu were not looking down on Naruto.
In fact, no one knew Naruto better than them.
After all, they had always been secretly monitoring and protecting Naruto.
These conclusions were entirely based on their deep understanding of Naruto from the past.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also nodded: "That's true..."
But just then.
From the shadows of the Hokage Office, a figure quietly emerged.
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head slightly and immediately guessed the identity of the newcomer.
"Is there something you need?"
"Danzo."
The man lurking in the darkness was none other than Konoha's Darkness, known as Pot Shadow, the Third Hokage's old partner... Danzo Shimura!
Seeing this, the Anbu members also fell silent.
Danzo Shimura said coldly: "Hiruzen, how do you plan to handle this matter?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed.
"Handle?"
"Are you talking about Naruto?"
"Precisely!"
Danzo Shimura's tone had a desolate yet sharp quality.
"Even though he is still a child, he is ultimately the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails!
"Now that these sudden changes have occurred, shouldn't we investigate thoroughly by all means?"
"Or do you want to repeat the Nine-Tails' attack?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice: "Danzo, just because Naruto suddenly started working hard, you've thought of all this?"
"Aren't you being overly worried?"
"Overly worried?"
"Hmph, it's you, Hiruzen, who is too naive!"
Danzo Shimura declared loudly: "Go and see how Sunagakure treats the One-Tail Jinchuriki!"
"He's also a child, also a child of a Kage, but Kazekage Rasa has never shown any mercy to Gaara!"
"A Jinchuriki is both a strategic weapon for the Village and carries immense danger; they should never be managed so loosely!"
"If you hand that brat Naruto over to me..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly changed drastically.
"Shut up, Danzo!"
"I will never hand Naruto over to you!"
A sinister and ruthless glint flashed in Danzo Shimura's eyes.
"Hiruzen, what you're doing is a sign of naivety and weakness!"
"I must warn you..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone also became stern.
"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
Danzo Shimura froze, displaying an even more sullen expression.
"You will regret this, Hiruzen!"
His figure re-entered the darkness, and then...