Mind's Eye of the Kagura

"Waaah!" Naruto suddenly burst into tears for no apparent reason, leaving both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uncle Teuchi at a loss.

"What's wrong, Naruto? Was Uncle's ramen not to your taste?" Uncle Teuchi asked with concern.

From Naruto's performance just now, he had even finished the broth. It was obvious that Naruto genuinely liked his ramen. Seeing his ramen so appreciated, Uncle Teuchi had begun to like Naruto as well.

For a chef, what could be more moving than having someone recognize his cooking?

"That's right, Naruto. Tell Grandpa, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly start crying?" Though Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat baffled too, he patiently asked Naruto what the reason was.

Why was he crying out of nowhere?

"Waaah, it's nothing, Uncle Teuchi, Grandpa. It's just that this ramen is so delicious that I wish I could eat it every day. But I only have so little money, and I can't come here many times in a month, so I'm so sad I want to cry!"

Naruto said tearfully as he wiped his eyes.

Hearing that this was the reason he was crying, Uncle Teuchi and Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Uncle Teuchi was quite proud of Naruto's approval.

He generously said to Naruto, "It's fine, Naruto. How about this? You can come eat here for free once a week. Eat as much as you want, however many bowls you want. How does that sound?"

"Really? Thank you, Uncle Teuchi! You're such a good person, Uncle! I hope you become Konoha's number one ramen shop!" Naruto instantly beamed.

Ichiraku Ramen tasted so good, and its prices were not exactly cheap. For Naruto, getting to eat there even once was rare.

If he could come mooch a free meal once a week, he could save quite a bit of money.

Naruto did not forget his goal for today. He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi as if asking, You old bastard, why aren't you offering anything?

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood what Naruto meant and was still considering how to answer him.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi still hesitating, Naruto felt irritation rise within him. You're this stingy over treating me to ramen? You old bastard, no wonder Orochimaru will stab you to death!

At this point, he could only use the art of rhetoric to make Hiruzen Sarutobi obediently give in!

"It's okay, Grandpa. I've had no father or mother since I was little, and you're the only one who treats me well. I shouldn't push my luck, but the other shop owners won't accept my money. They sell me expired food at inflated prices. Only Uncle Teuchi doesn't look down on me, so I just thought how nice it would be if I could come eat at Ichiraku Ramen every day."

Tea. The pinnacle of tea artistry.

After hearing Naruto's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face twitched uncontrollably, and dark lines appeared over his head.

"Say no more, Naruto. From now on, whenever you eat at Ichiraku Ramen, put it on my tab. Grandpa can afford your ramen. Just make sure you study hard at the Ninja Academy and make a few good friends!"

Hearing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had actually agreed to put it on his tab, Naruto had smoothly achieved his objective.

"Thank you, Grandpa! You're a good person too, Grandpa! You'll definitely live forever!" Naruto immediately smiled brightly and said gratefully to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But what he thought was, You old bastard, when Orochimaru sends you on your way, I'll definitely watch from the sidelines. I'll burn some extra paper offerings at your grave!

After Hiruzen Sarutobi paid for this meal and sent Naruto back to his home, he left.

After this incident, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that Naruto's current attitude toward Konoha was still quite positive.

And even though the villagers hated him so much, he had not shown much anger or resentment.

All along the way with Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been secretly observing him. He found that Naruto barely had any expression at all. Perhaps he had gotten used to it.

That was exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to see. He felt that his arrangements had been good, which was why Naruto had become so sensible, taking all the credit for himself.

Furthermore, through treating Naruto to ramen, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Naruto seemed to admire him greatly, which put him at ease.

After returning to the Hokage's Office, he waved both hands, and an Anbu instantly appeared from afar.

Sitting in his chair, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "There's no need to monitor Naruto so intensely from now on. Just arrange for two Anbu to take turns regularly and ensure his safety. Also, inform Danzo's ninjas. As for the specifics, have Danzo come speak with me himself."

"Understood, Hokage-sama!" The Anbu nodded and went off to relay Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders.

Previously, Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned so many Anbu ninja to work with Root in monitoring Naruto because he was worried Naruto would lose control under the villagers' emotional venting.

If he did lose control, they would have sufficient force to suppress Naruto immediately and detain him.

But now, it seemed that Naruto controlled his emotions well and showed no resentment toward the villagers, which satisfied Hiruzen Sarutobi greatly.

Not long after the order had been issued.

The door to the Hokage's Office was forcefully pushed open again. No knock—just from the sound, it had to be Danzo.

Setting aside his paperwork, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and saw that it was indeed Shimura Danzō.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, Shimura Danzō launched into an impassioned tirade. "Hiruzen, what are you thinking? How can you be so careless with the monitoring of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? You have to understand, he is a Jinchuriki—the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, the strongest of all the Tailed Beasts.

"If he loses control, how great will Konoha's losses be? Have you really thought this through? If you're trying to save Anbu resources, Root can supplement them. Root ninja can take the lead, with your Anbu ninja assisting."

Danzo immediately raised what he saw as the issue, then conveniently offered a solution.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep pull from his pipe, slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, and said to Danzo, "Enough, Danzo. Knowing you, if your people have too much contact with the Jinchuriki, one day my people might report to me that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has disappeared.

"By then, you might have brought him back to Root and secretly brainwashed him without anyone knowing.

"Don't worry. This time, it isn't a manpower issue. I've already met Naruto. He's an obedient, sensible child. He won't lose control."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with absolute certainty.

"You say he won't, so he won't? I don't believe it. No, Root ninja cannot be reduced!" Danzo persisted. Hiruzen Sarutobi knew his little scheme perfectly well.

"Danzo, I am not discussing this with you. I am informing you in my capacity as Hokage. You will do it whether you can or not!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone instantly turned forceful.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki should be placed in Root's hands!" Danzo immediately became agitated.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the desk and rose to his feet.

Under the tremendous force, the desk instantly split in two.

"Hmph!" Unable to argue against Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō could only leave with resentment filling his body, slamming the door behind him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood Danzo too well. That reaction meant he had silently accepted it.

By then, Naruto had been home for a while.

Lying on his bed, he muttered to himself, "This Hiruzen Sarutobi keeps watching me. Is he afraid his intentions aren't obvious enough? Luckily, I noticed long ago that he was observing my behavior, so I acted like I didn't care about those villagers. Looks like he believed it too."

"Having to act with him every time is exhausting. Strength—I lack strength too much. Once I have strength, I won't need to hide everything or watch other people's expressions. Get stronger. I have to work hard and get stronger!"

As he thought this, Naruto suddenly felt that the watchful gazes outside the window seemed to have decreased considerably.

It seemed his performance today had pleased Hiruzen Sarutobi greatly. The surveillance had been reduced, and he had become freer as well.

Finally, he no longer needed to be so timid and cautious. With so many fewer watchers, it meant he was now in a trusted phase. The people monitoring him probably would not watch him as carefully as before.

This was his opportunity. He had to seize this time to train.

Right, he had not yet claimed the reward Hiruzen Sarutobi had covered for him today!

System, claim today's mission reward!

Congratulations, Host. You have completed the mission of making Hiruzen Sarutobi cover the ramen bill. You have awakened the Uzumaki Clan bloodline ability, Mind's Eye of the Kagura!

Mind's Eye of the Kagura: A mind's eye that can see through others and perceive distant locations. It is one of the strongest sensory ninjutsu to have appeared in Naruto thus far.

It is known to be an exclusive ninjutsu existing within the Uzumaki Clan bloodline. Because the Uzumaki Clan possesses exceptional sensory abilities, they can master enemy-detection techniques over an enormous range.

Like Adamantine Sealing Chains, it is a unique bloodline ability of the Uzumaki Clan!

After closing one's eyes and opening the mind's eye, one can sense abnormal movements through Chakra within a radius of several dozen kilometers.

Furthermore, if one knows a specific Chakra signature, one can sense its precise location and movements, the opponent's numbers and characteristics, even their movement speed in great detail. It is the strongest sensory technique.

Listening to the system's introduction, Naruto had originally only known that this was a ninjutsu Karin Uzumaki had once used. He had not expected its origins to be so impressive.

After claiming the system reward, Naruto instantly learned Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

He formed a special hand gesture and closed his eyes.

Mind's Eye of the Kagura had not required this in the original work, but this was Naruto's first time using it, so he was not familiar with it yet. Once he became proficient later on, he could activate Mind's Eye of the Kagura without anyone noticing!

Mind's eye activated!

Naruto instantly sensed everything around his house.

About one hundred and two hundred meters from his home, there were two groups of ninja. Their Chakra quantities were both considerable. They were likely the ninja assigned to monitor him.

He closed the mind's eye, returned his hands to their normal position, and exited the state of Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

"This move is really good. With it, anyone watching me will be discovered clearly. I can also use it to investigate the surrounding environment. Once I leave the village for missions in the future, this move will be extremely useful too."

Previously, when there had been many people around, no one had noticed him training and extracting Chakra.

Now that there were far fewer people, Naruto could safely hide beneath his blanket and pretend to sleep while actually extracting Chakra.

Get stronger, get stronger. I have to work hard and get stronger!

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