"Sensei Kakashi!" After training, Naruto ran to catch up with Kakashi, his eyes filled with determination.
"Sensei Kakashi, could you give me some one-on-one guidance? I really need help with building up my strength. Right now, I can't even pull off any ninjutsu, and my physical endurance is terrible."
Kakashi turned around, his visible eye half-closed in a tired look, and responded slowly, "Sorry, Naruto, I don't have time."
Naruto's face fell, but he quickly responded, "Just five minutes! You could teach me one jutsu! I swear, I'm really talented!"
Kakashi scratched his head and looked up at the clouds, hesitating before he finally said:
"Fine. But I didn't bring chakra paper today, so I don't even know your chakra nature. I wouldn't know what kind of jutsu to teach you."
Naruto opened his mouth, ready to mention that he had earth and water natures (thanks to his Uzumaki clan heritage), but he stopped himself, unsure of how to explain it.
Seeing him hesitate, Kakashi turned around and started walking again, waving him off. "Maybe next time."
"Sensei Kakashi, can't you see how hard I'm trying? I've been training all morning!" Naruto's voice rose as he called after him.
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, a faint look of weariness in his eye. "Just this morning? What about all the years before? What were you doing all that time?" His voice was calm but had an edge that cut deep.
Naruto clenched his fists, feeling both anger and frustration bubble up inside as Kakashi's words hit him hard.
He wanted to yell, but he held back, noticing the ANBU nearby, keeping watch.
All he could do was think to himself, his thoughts bitter and sad:
"Those ten years... that Naruto was just trying to survive, chasing the dumb dream of making people recognize him by playing pranks."
"And you, Kakashi? If you knew Naruto was struggling, why didn't you help him sooner?"
"Why? Because you're powerless?"
"When your father died, you were powerless. When your best friend Obito died, you were powerless. When Rin, the girl you secretly loved, was lost, you were powerless. And when your teacher's son was left alone, you were still powerless!"
"And now, when I ask for a few minutes of your time, you still won't help!"
"Kakashi, what can you even do?"
Naruto's heart was full of things he wanted to say but couldn't.
A dark, red-orange chakra started to seep out, pulsing with a menacing energy.
Kakashi quickly turned to look at him, and the nearby ANBU ninja stepped forward, placing a sealing talisman on Naruto's back.
The talisman suppressed his chakra and temporarily sealed away the negative energy. Although it wasn't powerful, it was enough to hold until the Third Hokage could step in.
In that moment, the Uzumaki clan's natural ability to contain the Nine-Tails chakra within him kicked in, and Naruto regained control over himself.
He snapped out of it, stunned for a second as he realized what had just happened. Cold sweat ran down his back in lingering fear.
But almost instantly, his heart grew colder. He looked at Kakashi, who was watching him from a distance, and the ANBU ninja who had stepped in. He turned away, lowering his head as he walked off without another word.
"There's no one in this world I can rely on. Only by depending on myself can I find the strength to shape my destiny."
Naruto's heart felt hardened, but his mind was clearer. Kakashi's indifference had shown him the true nature of the world he lived in. He realized that, deep down, most people were just trying to protect themselves.
Maybe somewhere, there was a spark of kindness and genuine friendship, but would Naruto ever find that?
Looking back at his life, he could only count two people who truly cared for him.
One was Iruka-sensei, who showed Naruto a warmth that went beyond a teacher-student relationship. Many believed that without Iruka, Naruto could've ended up like Obito, descending into darkness.
The other was Hinata. Though shy and reserved, she always quietly supported Naruto, working hard to become stronger for him.
And Sasuke? He was too wrapped up in revenge to care, though Naruto still cared about him deeply.
As for Jiraiya? What had he done in all those twelve years? If Naruto hadn't been the "Child of Prophecy," would Jiraiya have even looked his way?
"In this life, besides Iruka-sensei and Hinata, there won't be a third person worth my trust."
"Friends? Hmph..."
...
Naruto didn't care how the ANBU reported the incident to the Third Hokage or whether the Hokage would talk to him about it later.
Right now, all he cared about was getting stronger, and he was looking intently at a stack of scrolls he had borrowed from Sasuke's place.
After the fall of the Uchiha clan, much of their accumulated jutsu had been taken by the Leaf or hoarded by certain families.
But Sasuke had managed to keep a few pieces, just a handful of scrolls lying in front of Naruto now.
To keep Sasuke's power in check, these scrolls only contained C-rank and D-rank techniques—basic ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu that were low-level and not particularly powerful.
But to Naruto, these scrolls were a goldmine!
"Here, this is a chakra paper," Sasuke said, handing Naruto a thin piece of paper. "Just focus your chakra into it."
"Thanks!" Naruto took the paper and channeled his chakra into it, eager to see the results.
Although he knew his chakra attributes from his own system panel, he needed this confirmation if he wanted to openly start using elemental jutsu.
As he infused his chakra, the paper first became wet, then split down the middle, before crumbling into pieces on the ground.
"Water, wind, and earth—Naruto, you actually have three chakra natures!" Sasuke said, genuinely surprised.
The more chakra natures a person had, the more jutsu they could potentially master, which usually meant they could grow even stronger.
Naruto scratched his head with a bashful grin. "It's no big deal. Don't go shouting it out or anything."
"The jutsu scrolls are here. Just read through them on your own."
With that, Sasuke returned to his training. Feeling the pressure of Naruto's potential, he knew he had to work harder if he ever wanted to surpass him.
Naruto, treating the wind, earth, and water scrolls as rare treasures, laid them in front of him and began studying them.
This was his first time seriously learning elemental jutsu. Apart from asking Sasuke about hand seals, he had to figure everything else out on his own.
He remembered how in the original story, he hadn't really mastered elemental jutsu, relying instead on Rasengan, Shadow Clones, and Sage Mode. But now, he was driven to learn these jutsu properly. The thought filled him with a strange excitement.
Naruto's desire to grow stronger was urgent. He no longer wanted to follow the original story's path to power. With the [Fate Selection System], he knew he had the chance to surpass the Naruto of legend.
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