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"You go back first."
"We'll talk tomorrow."
"Okay."
Without looking back, Naruto replied, holding Hinata's hand as they stepped through the portal and disappeared.
He was a bit surprised that Sasuke came looking for him.
Given Sasuke's previous prideful attitude, Naruto had figured he'd try to become stronger on his own, never coming to him for help.
But Naruto did need a teammate. If Sasuke couldn't keep up with him, he'd have to face the Akatsuki alone, and eventually take on the entire Ōtsutsuki clan by himself.
Why solo the mission when you can team up and make it easier?
Plus, Sasuke was one of the only ones, besides himself, who could become ridiculously overpowered. It wouldn't take long to train him up either.
By the time they were both fully developed, it wouldn't matter how many Ōtsutsuki members—Momoshiki, Isshiki, whoever—they'd all get taken down.
Just after stepping through the space portal and arriving at the Hyūga compound, Naruto spotted Hiashi standing right in the middle of the gate, arms crossed, exuding anger so strong it could be felt from afar.
Hiashi didn't speak when he saw Naruto and Hinata. He just stood there, staring at them.
And it wasn't just him. The moment the other members of the Hyūga clan noticed, they all stepped out and stared too.
From the veins bulging on their foreheads, it was clear everyone had activated their Byakugan.
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy, and Hinata found it hard to breathe.
Naruto felt like he had accidentally wandered into some gang's hideout. The only thing missing was the Hyūga clan members holding machetes.
He was genuinely worried someone might jump out any second and shout, "Boss, let's cut this kid down!"
"F-father…"
Hinata lowered her head, walking nervously toward Hiashi, glancing back at Naruto every few steps.
Naruto could swear the air had gotten even colder.
"Where were you?"
Hiashi's words were directed at Hinata, but his gaze was fixed on a certain blond.
In the eyes of the Hyūga clan...
Their young lady had gone off with some blond-haired kid right after school, staying out until dark...
If this blond was already causing trouble at just six or seven years old, what kind of mess would he create in the future?
If the clan head hadn't ordered them not to touch the kid, they would've beaten him up long ago.
Who cared if he was the Fourth Hokage's son or the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?
"I… I…"
Faced with her strict father, Hinata couldn't muster a response. Today had been the latest she had ever come home.
"She was training with me," Naruto explained, smiling innocently at Hiashi. "From now on, she'll be training with me after school."
Whether Hiashi believed him or not, Naruto didn't know. But he did notice Hiashi had activated his Byakugan after hearing his explanation.
"Go on in," Hiashi said, glaring fiercely at Naruto before leading Hinata inside.
The rest of the Hyūga clan also dispersed, though they all looked disappointed, as if they regretted not having the chance to rough up the blond.
As Hinata followed her father, she turned and smiled at Naruto, giving a small, shy wave goodbye, careful not to make her movements too obvious so her father wouldn't notice.
Naruto smiled back.
Once she was inside, Naruto opened a portal and returned home for dinner.
Later that night, he spent a few hours cleaning up the trash in the small grove, then pulled out oak and spruce trees from his system storage, planting them in the area as part of his future training equipment.
After all, trees had countless uses.
They could serve as punching bags for training, or as a way to practice chakra control by walking up them.
Even if he wanted to make some money in the future, trees were essential.
By the time he finished, the grove had returned to its former lush state, restored to how it had been before.
Due to the system's adaptation to the outside world, the trees Naruto planted blended seamlessly with the rest of the forest.
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage listened as the Anbu reported that Naruto had managed to regrow an entire forest overnight, working at a speed comparable to the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
The Third didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He was glad Naruto had restored the environment he'd previously damaged...
But why did Naruto have to be so obsessed with planting trees?
What was with this kid's strange bloodline limit?
The Third was starting to think Naruto had more talent for farming than being a ninja.
He had already made up his mind: unless there was an urgent matter, he wouldn't use the crystal ball to check on Naruto anymore. He'd rely on Anbu reports instead—it'd be less stressful that way.
If he kept watching Naruto day in and day out...
The Third seriously doubted he'd live to see Jiraiya return to the village.
The next morning, Naruto, as usual, showed up at the classroom and zoned out.
Sometimes he felt pretty hopeless about his ridiculous constitution.
Yesterday, he spent the entire afternoon chopping down trees, fought Sasuke in the evening, and then spent the night planting trees and cleaning up the area.
By the time he got home, he felt like a dead dog, too tired to even lift a finger.
But when he woke up the next morning, it was like nothing had happened. He couldn't even find an excuse to skip training.
Iruka-sensei, seeing him like this, even considered increasing his training intensity...
Hmm?
Lost in thought, Naruto suddenly noticed Sasuke standing in front of his desk.
Looking around, he realized the classroom was empty.
Class had already ended.
But why was Sasuke looking for him now... did he want to skip class together?
"Are you here to ditch class with me?"
"Yeah, the academy has nothing left to teach me."
Sasuke said this casually.
He had already mastered all the academy's courses, including the Three Basic Jutsu and all the theoretical knowledge.
If Naruto wasn't still attending, Sasuke would have already graduated early.
"Alright, let's go."
Naruto nodded, then stepped outside to quickly say goodbye to Hinata before opening a portal and leading Sasuke to the grove by the river.
Sasuke was still thinking about Naruto's technique, hoping to figure out some clue about it.
But to be honest...
When he stepped through the portal, he secretly activated his Sharingan, only to find no chakra fluctuations at all.
In the end, Sasuke could only attribute it to his lack of talent in space-time ninjutsu.
He had read that mastering such techniques required exceptional aptitude.
In Konoha's history, only the Second and Fourth Hokages had managed to do so.
And Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son…
In terms of raw talent, Sasuke knew he couldn't compare to Naruto.
If he wanted to surpass him…
He would have to evolve his Sharingan to the same level as that man's.
However, seven-year-old Sasuke had no idea that Naruto was a complete anomaly.
For now...
Sasuke just wanted to see how Naruto trained.
"What should I do?"
"Punch the trees."
Naruto pointed at a nearby tree, adopting the posture of a senior teaching a junior. Worried Sasuke wouldn't understand, Naruto demonstrated with a couple of punches against the tree—'bang bang.'
Sasuke nodded slightly and, without hesitation, moved to the tree and began imitating Naruto's punches.
Soon, the sound of 'bang bang' echoed along the riverside. If you listened closely, there was even a distinct rhythm to it.
Kakashi, observing Naruto from afar as part of the Anbu, rubbed his temples in frustration.
It was one thing for the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki to punch trees, but now he was dragging other kids into it?
Did Naruto really think everyone had the same absurd physical abilities as him?
Kakashi felt exhausted just thinking about it.
For the first time, he seriously considered quitting his position in the Anbu.
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