What Is He Doing?

Two months had passed in the blink of an eye. The incident of the Hyuga Clan beating someone to death had not caused much of a stir in the village.

It was the beginning of a new year again, and Naruto was now five years old.

Of course, it was not just his age that had increased by one. Over the past two months, under his father's personal guidance in the Sealed Space, his strength had improved rapidly.

At the very least, he could be considered a genin by Konoha's standards, though his taijutsu was hard to judge.

Since he was constantly being watched, he could only spend these two months learning ninjutsu in the Sealed Space, then repeatedly challenging Puppets in the Mirrored World to hone himself.

The virtual battles felt decent enough, but he had never fought in the real world even once, so he could not be sure of his current strength.

Over the past two months, Naruto had steadily built his foundation. Ever since switching to a new Chakra extraction method, his Chakra had been increasing at an astonishing rate every day. The first thing he learned was the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

In addition, over the past few days, he had been studying the Uzumaki Clan's ability to sense his surroundings using his own Chakra, which his father had taught him.

Because his Chakra had grown, he had time left over every night after challenging the Mirrored World. Several times, he had even exhausted Kotetsu Hagane and won by relying on Shadow Clones.

He also wanted to make use of the daytime, but he could not.

The Anbu who had previously been withdrawn returned after giving him only one day off.

Today, Naruto had just returned home after buying two kunai from Ninja Tool Full Point Hall. The shop had also thrown in a cheap Ninja Tool Pouch, but Kurama immediately warned him that Gekko Hayate had followed him the entire way and was now standing behind him.

Naruto could not help feeling speechless. It seemed he had to master sensory ability as soon as possible.

Even a Transparency Jutsu user like Gekko Hayate, someone who could still be sensed, required Kurama's warning. What would he do if he encountered someone like the Second Tsuchikage, who possessed the terrifying undetectable invisibility ability of Dustless Camouflage?

The kunai were meant for use in the Mirrored World, where the items and equipment he carried could be projected.

Over the past two months, he had constantly challenged Kotetsu Hagane, but the rewards had left him somewhat dissatisfied.

He had received a mountain of rewards, including all the ninjutsu Kotetsu Hagane personally knew, as well as the training experience of genin and chunin.

Other than the training experience, the ninjutsu were completely useless. Naruto could not learn them, including the Great Fireball Jutsu from before.

After testing with five sheets of Chakra Test Paper, he currently only possessed Wind Release Chakra.

Thinking of Gekko Hayate standing behind him, Naruto put the kunai into the Ninja Tool Pouch. Then he walked to his desk, spread out a sheet of paper, picked up a brush, and began writing.

'My sleeping plum faintly smells the flowers.'

'My crouching branch mourns in the lowlands.'

After writing the two lines, he left them on the desk without another thought and went downstairs to prepare his lunch. Gekko Hayate behind him stepped forward, muttered the lines repeatedly several times, then climbed out through the window and left.

~~~~~~~~~

On the rooftop of the Hokage's Office.

"What do these two lines mean?"

The Third Hokage frowned deeply as he looked over Gekko Hayate's surveillance report. The first thing written on it was the two lines Naruto had penned earlier.

He recognized every character in them, yet when they were put together, he could not understand them at all.

"Cough, cough! Lord Hokage, I cannot understand them either. The target wrote them immediately after returning home from Ninja Tool Full Point Hall, where he bought two kunai."

Hearing his superior's question, Gekko Hayate answered in a single wheezing breath. It was unclear how he had managed not to cough aloud while watching Naruto earlier.

The Third Hokage's expression hardened. "Kunai? Could someone in the village have started making a move against Naruto?"

"No!" Gekko Hayate, dark circles hanging beneath his eyes, shook his head firmly. "The target has continued as before. Every day, he follows the same route out and returns home shortly afterward. Also, he has been using the Transformation Jutsu whenever he goes out lately and has not had any conflicts with anyone in the village."

The Third Hokage frowned. If no one had bullied Naruto, why had he suddenly bought offensive ninja tools?

This was not a good sign!

Gekko Hayate's answer did nothing to reassure him.

Naruto had already extracted Chakra and could now be considered a ninja. If an ordinary villager angered Naruto...

He had to know what Naruto was thinking!

Everything concerning Naruto had to be brought under control!

"Have Shikaku come over."

"Yes!"

~~~~~~~

Night fell.

Inside the Sealed Space, under Minato Namikaze's watchful gaze, Naruto held one hand out before him. A visible mass of Chakra rapidly gathered in his palm. Under Naruto's control, the Chakra continuously flowed in different directions while being compressed, soon forming a high-density Chakra sphere spinning at tremendous speed.

Naruto had successfully formed a Rasengan.

With the experience now in hand, Naruto extended his other hand as well. In the blink of an eye, he raised another brand-new Rasengan.

After dinner, Naruto had been sitting in his chair practicing his sensory ability when his father suddenly excitedly told him that he would teach him a Ninjutsu without Hand Seals.

He immediately guessed that it was the Rasengan.

Yet Naruto had spent nearly three hours without successfully grasping the trick.

He was not in a hurry, because he had seen the Original Work.

His father had spent three years developing this ninjutsu, while that Sage of the Toads, Jiraiya, had taken three whole days to learn it.

Unlike the Uchiha Clan and Kakashi, he could not use the Sharingan to copy it. It was only natural that he learned slowly.

So Naruto planned to go out tomorrow and buy balloons to practice according to the plot.

At this point, Kurama could no longer stand watching. With a single glance, it knew that Minato Namikaze had developed the Rasengan based on the Tailed Beast Bombs of Tailed Beasts like itself.

Kurama first mocked Minato Namikaze for not knowing how to think flexibly, then directly had Naruto bump fists with it. In an instant, it completely told Naruto the process by which Tailed Beasts successfully condensed a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Then it replenished some Chakra for Minato Namikaze, gave him a look that said he should understand, and lay off to the side with its eyes closed in feigned sleep.

Naruto knew the plot, so naturally he knew that Kurama's Chakra could link other people's hearts and minds with his own. He simply could not say it. Now that Kurama had demonstrated it itself, Minato Namikaze immediately understood with his intelligence.

Naruto could not help wondering whether his father within the Reaper Death Seal and the other half of Kurama had already become companions.

However, Minato Namikaze, who was only a portion of Chakra sealed here, had truly never imagined that Kurama's Chakra could accomplish something so miraculous.

Coming back to his senses, he immediately bumped fists with Naruto within the seal and stuffed everything about how he had developed the Rasengan, as well as all his experience using it, into Naruto's mind in one go.

With that, Naruto naturally did not need much time to successfully learn the Rasengan.

Moreover, without using a Shadow Clone, he could directly form the sphere one-handed.

Standing before the iron gate, Naruto held a Rasengan in each hand. For some unknown reason, he directly pressed both spheres against the iron gate.

Bzzz! Bzzz!

After two faint vibrations, the Rasengan vanished, while the iron gate did not move in the slightest.

Minato Namikaze stared blankly. "Naruto, what are you..."

Naruto examined the completely undamaged iron gate. "I was just testing whether the Rasengan could blow open the seal."

"Heh! Forget it, Naruto. I've used Tailed Beast Bombs inside that gate more times than I can count." Kurama had opened its eyes the moment Naruto made his move, though its gaze appeared deeply disheartened.

"Then I'll try it from outside the gate with the Rasengan. Maybe—"

"The Third Hokage is downstairs!"

Before Naruto could finish, Kurama suddenly warned him.

"What could he want at this hour?"

Knocking had already sounded outside. Naruto went downstairs and welcomed the Third Hokage in.

After inviting the Third Hokage to sit, Naruto casually poured him a cup of cooled boiled water, then sat down as well and waited for the Third Hokage to speak.

"Naruto, I specifically took some time to come and see how your training has been going."

The Third Hokage asked kindly, "I've been a little busy lately. How has it been? Have you encountered anything you don't understand?"

"Lord Hokage, I've already mastered the Transformation Jutsu!" Naruto stood up directly, then formed a textbook-perfect Hand Seal.

Poof!

Naruto transformed into someone he did not recognize.

Without anyone teaching him, Naruto had already made his Transformation Jutsu flawless.

A sharp glint flashed through the Third Hokage's eyes. One hand shot out like lightning and grabbed Naruto's arm, then immediately released it.

The instant his arm was seized, Naruto felt a burst of Chakra from the Third Hokage sweep across his body before disappearing.

"Hehe! Very good! Little Naruto is indeed diligent. Since that's the case, I'll teach you other ninjutsu the next time I come."

"Alright, thank you, Lord Hokage!"

After saying that, the Third Hokage smiled as he said goodbye and left, as though he had truly only come to check on Naruto's training.

"Hmph! Naruto, that old man is up to no good!"

The moment the door closed, Kurama spoke up.

"Naruto, when the Third Hokage grabbed your arm just now, he recorded the characteristics of your Chakra!" Minato Namikaze also warned him with an uncertain expression.

Hearing this, Naruto's gaze turned ice-cold. He knew his father had not finished speaking.

Sure enough, Minato Namikaze continued gravely, "The Third Hokage knows the Scrying Jutsu. That technique allows him to use a specially made Crystal Ball in his office to monitor a specific person from afar, but the prerequisite is that he must know that person's Chakra characteristics."

Naruto's expression suddenly darkened.

He knew about that Crystal Ball. In the original anime plot, the Third Hokage often used it to monitor Naruto's movements.

He had thought that keeping as low a profile as possible would be enough, but he had still reached this point. Once the Third Hokage returned, he would probably use the Crystal Ball to spy on him immediately.

Moonlight streamed through the window and fell beside him. Naruto stepped out of his second-floor room and climbed the ladder on the wall at the side rear of the house to reach the roof.

He casually dragged over a reclining chair, stared into the night sky, and lay down.

~~~~~~~

Back at the Hokage's Office, after reviewing several documents, the Third Hokage took a Crystal Ball from a drawer.

Soon, Naruto's image appeared in the Crystal Ball.

"What is Naruto doing? Is he looking at the moon?"