"How strange!"
"Why can't I find that guy anywhere...?"
Naruto sat atop the Fourth Hokage's monument, his small face full of confusion.
He had spent a whole week searching the village but still hadn't found Might Guy. He clearly remembered seeing that green-clad man at the school gate not too long ago.
Naruto dangled his legs, propped his chin up with one hand, and gazed over the entire village of Konoha.
He had to admit, the view from up here was quite nice. The sound of children laughing, the shouts of vendors, and the smoke rising in the distance all made the village feel lively and warm.
He was starting to get used to life here.
After a moment, Naruto sighed, feeling sentimental.
"Such a peaceful scene..."
But he knew that this peace was only temporary.
In a few years, the Village Hidden in the Leaves would face the terrifying Pain, the self-proclaimed god of the ninja world. When that time came, everyone would feel pain... literally. The whole village would be reduced to a massive crater.
Recalling these memories from his previous life, Naruto couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. Sure, he was a lot stronger now than in the original timeline, but Pain was just a mid-level boss. After him came the true threats: the Uchiha clan's resurgence and the Otsutsuki clan's invasion.
If he didn't keep improving, he'd never make it through what lay ahead.
"Where the hell did that guy go?!"
Naruto clenched his teeth, growing impatient.
With his training done for the day and nothing else to do, he figured he might as well wander around the village.
Whoosh—
Leaning forward from his perch atop the Hokage monument, Naruto leaped into the air, shouting mid-flight, "Woo-hoo—!"
The Third Hokage, standing in the Hokage office, nearly pulled out his beard when he saw Naruto jump from the monument.
"That kid's only six years old!"
Sure, Naruto had mastered chakra control, but he was still just a child. The Hokage monument was over a hundred meters high—no normal kid could survive a fall from that height!
Even Kakashi, when he graduated early from the academy, wasn't this reckless. The Third Hokage couldn't help but worry that if Naruto kept this up, disaster was bound to strike one day.
Thud—
A loud crash echoed from the base of the monument, followed by a cloud of dust rising into the air.
Naruto, gritting his teeth, limped out of the dust, clutching his backside.
"Hiss—That hurt…"
He had been so deep in thought while sitting up there that he forgot he wasn't in the sealed space of his mind. It wasn't until he was halfway down that he realized his mistake.
When he hit the ground, he could've sworn he heard his bones crack.
Thankfully, the enhanced healing powers of his Uzumaki bloodline, combined with the Nine-Tails' chakra, had prevented any serious injury.
Looking at Naruto's sorry state, Kurama, the Nine-Tails, couldn't resist mocking him.
"Pathetic brat! If it weren't for me, you'd have been a goner!"
If this kid had really died from that fall… Kurama would've lost all face. Imagine the strongest tailed beast's host dying from a jump.
Naruto didn't bother responding to the giant fox's taunts. Here he was, battered and bruised, and the fox that relied on him every day couldn't show even a hint of gratitude.
If he died, what would happen to Kurama?
Limping through Konoha's streets for a few minutes, Naruto suddenly noticed that the pain in his body was already fading away.
Not bad for someone like him!
If this were his previous life, a fall like that would've turned him into a pancake.
"Naruto?"
Kakashi, just stepping out of a bookstore, turned to see the boy limping along the street.
Noticing Naruto's awkward gait, Kakashi hesitated for a moment before deciding to check on him.
"What happened to you?"
With his usual dead-fish expression, Kakashi walked over to Naruto.
"Hey, White-Haired Uncle… It's nothing. I just jumped off the Hokage monument and got hurt a bit. I'll be fine in a bit."
Kakashi: ?
'Wait… what?'
'Did this kid just say he jumped off the Hokage monument?'
Kakashi was completely stunned. A child this young jumping from that height and surviving? Even a regular ninja would need to be hospitalized after a fall like that!
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets in disbelief. He couldn't help but think of his sensei's wife...
And then Naruto's nonchalant attitude… "I'll be fine in a bit."
What in the world did Sensei's wife give birth to?!
Kakashi was rendered speechless by this six-year-old.
At that moment, Naruto realized that his twisted ankle had already healed. Just as he was about to walk away, a thought crossed his mind—didn't Kakashi also know the Eight Gates technique?
Since his father had been Kakashi's teacher, Kakashi should be willing to help him out, right?
Naruto pondered for a while, but there was a problem. How was he supposed to ask Kakashi to show him the Eight Gates technique?
The Third Hokage was probably still monitoring him with his crystal ball. It wouldn't be a good idea to ask too directly.
After thinking it over for a long time, Naruto looked up at the dazed Kakashi.
"White-Haired Uncle, could you help train me in taijutsu?"
Kakashi squatted down in front of Naruto, assuming a lecturing tone. "Next time you ask someone for help, try to be more polite."
The Third Hokage had previously instructed them to steer Naruto away from focusing solely on taijutsu. Kakashi had initially planned to refuse the request, but seeing the hopeful look in Naruto's eyes, he hesitated.
After all, Naruto was his sensei's son. He felt some obligation as a former student of the Fourth Hokage. Besides, it's not like he was Might Guy—there was no way he'd lead Naruto astray.
"But you haven't even asked for my name yet," Naruto said, scratching his head with an innocent smile.
At the same time, he marveled at his self-control. Every time he saw Kakashi, he barely resisted the urge to call him "50-50 Hatake."
Kakashi's eyelid twitched, feeling a bit embarrassed. Now that he thought about it, neither he nor Guy had introduced themselves to Naruto properly before.
"Kakashi, Hatake Kakashi. And stop calling me 'White-Haired Uncle.'"
He then added, "Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"
Honestly, Kakashi was worried. What kind of kid gets injured from a fall and immediately asks for training?
"I'm totally fine, Kakashi-sensei! Let's start right away!"
Now that he had Kakashi's approval, Naruto jumped twice on the spot, showing he was perfectly fine, and casually opened up a space-time portal.
A glowing purple vortex appeared in front of Kakashi.
The sight instantly put Kakashi on high alert. He lifted his headband, revealing his Sharingan, and carefully observed the strange portal.
At that moment, he recalled the rumors about Naruto…
The Fourth Hokage's son… with a space-time Kekkei Genkai.
Kakashi was both shocked and filled with nostalgia. Ever since his teacher's death, no one in the village had mastered space-time ninjutsu.
"Kakashi-sensei, c'mon!" Naruto called, noticing Kakashi spacing out. He grabbed the older man's sleeve and pulled him toward the portal.
Kakashi instinctively tried to resist, but Naruto's grip was surprisingly strong, and he was dragged into the portal.
'How is this kid so strong?'
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