The more you look forward to something, the more embarrassed you are when it ends.
After Naruto sent him out, the Third Hokage walked alone down the alley, his shadow stretching long under the streetlamp until it vanished at the end of the road.
Inside the house, Naruto busied himself cleaning the dishes. Thinking back to the old man's displeased expression, he couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, big fox, would you say I just fought with the Hokage and got away unscathed?"
Kyuubi's face remained expressionless, as he struggled to comprehend Naruto's self-sabotaging victory. However, seeing Naruto's happy smile brought Kyuubi a sense of relief, and his usually fierce eyes softened. It seemed Naruto was different from the previous Jinchuriki; he was actually opening up to him.
---
The Next Morning
Naruto returned home from his morning exercise to find a cardboard box at his door. Looking around, he was quite satisfied with Anbu's delivery service—at least they didn't damage the goods.
Opening the box, he found books on ninja training: "Naruto's Selected Edition." The covers featured titles like How to Properly Extract Chakra, Key Points of Taijutsu Training, and Sanshenjutsu Practice and Experience, covering the foundational aspects of Ninjutsu.
Naruto's heart leapt with excitement. Having experienced a different life before this, he could finally start harnessing extraordinary power and achieve his dream of leaping across rooftops.
He grabbed the book on chakra refinement, sat on the sofa, and read intently. Although some parts were a bit difficult to understand, he pushed through and combined the knowledge with his memories from a past life to grasp what chakra really was.
Chakra, it seemed, was the blend of spiritual and physical energy in equal parts. Together, they formed the cornerstone of a ninja's power system—an advanced energy called chakra. However, mixing spiritual and physical energy was no easy feat.
For most beginners, it took over two weeks to successfully extract chakra, and many never succeeded at all, dooming them to a life without becoming true ninjas.
Naruto, however, managed it within a few hours.
A warm current surged through his body, traveling comfortably along his meridians. With effort, he could direct it at will. Excited, he channeled the chakra into his arms, bent down, and lifted the heavy sofa above his head—until his chakra ran out and the sofa came crashing down, pinning him to the floor.
Crawling out from under the furniture, Naruto realized that chakra control was no joke. There were risks at every step.
After several cautious attempts, Naruto's actions drew attention from his downstairs neighbors, who yelled about the noise.
Once the initial excitement wore off, Naruto rushed into his mindscape to share his success with Kyuubi. The giant fox raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. His expression seemed to say, So what if you extracted chakra? There are thousands of people in this village who can do that. Shall I throw you a party?
Despite Naruto's remarkable chakra reserves—comparable to a Genin—Kyuubi paid it no mind. From his perspective, there was no real difference in chakra levels between a Genin and a Jonin.
Naruto, catching the drift of Kyuubi's indifference, left the mindscape, knowing it was pointless to try and impress him. However, he did take comfort in knowing his chakra levels were higher than most, roughly equivalent to a small reservoir of strength.
Feeling drained, Naruto fixed himself some lunch. After eating, he grabbed the remaining books, ready to test some of the basic techniques, starting with the Three Basic Jutsu: Clone, Transformation, and Substitution.
Although these were considered beginner techniques, they were essential. The Clone Jutsu could mislead enemies, the Transformation Jutsu was vital for espionage, and the Substitution Jutsu, while rarely used, was a critical lifesaver in dangerous situations.
Naruto had admired these techniques for a long time. Memorizing the hand signs was easy enough, but coordinating chakra properly was the real challenge.
He tried his first clone, but with a puff of smoke, a twisted and malformed copy appeared beside him, frothing at the mouth.
It didn't take long to figure out the problem—Kyuubi's chakra was interfering with his control. Annoyed, Naruto returned to his mindscape, only to be greeted with Kyuubi's mocking smirk.
"Struggling with basic ninjutsu already?" Kyuubi teased. "Maybe you should give up on being a ninja. It's clearly not for you."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Don't think I don't know what's going on. My chakra control was fine until your chakra started mixing with mine."
"Is that what you think?" Kyuubi responded lazily. "I didn't deliberately interfere. But if you can't control your own chakra against external forces, maybe it's time to reconsider your path. If you beg me, though, I might lend a hand."
Naruto ignored Kyuubi's smug attitude, left the mindscape, and began considering a solution. It was clear he couldn't avoid the influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra. But he refused to submit to the fox's demands.
Unless he could perfectly control every bit of his own chakra, he would remain under Kyuubi's influence. But precise control required rigorous training—something Naruto didn't have time for right now.
On the other hand, maybe Kyuubi's offer wasn't so bad. All he needed to do was call Kyuubi "master" and act respectfully. In return, he'd gain the immense power of the Nine-Tails, including the potential to unlock the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode in the future.
But Naruto wasn't interested in taking shortcuts. He had his own ace up his sleeve: the Soft Fist Training Experience he'd acquired not long ago. This training involved the exact kind of chakra control he needed right now.
With renewed determination, Naruto activated the training experience, and memories of the Soft Fist technique flooded his mind. He now had a much deeper understanding of chakra control and the ability to use taijutsu more effectively. However, mastering these techniques would still take a lot of practice.
For now, though, dinner was his top priority. After all, no one can focus on training on an empty stomach.
---
Naruto's food intake had increased after a day of intense practice, and he realized his food supply, which was supposed to last fifteen days, would be gone in ten. He'd soon face a new battle—negotiating with local shopkeepers for more food.
As he lay in bed, staring at the moon, his mind wandered. The Third Hokage was stingy. The monthly allowance he gave Naruto barely covered his living expenses. If Naruto were in a different world, he thought, maybe the Hokage would be plotting to eliminate him right now.
Smiling at the absurdity of it all, Naruto drifted off to sleep.