Sasuke

It was still that familiar training ground, where Naruto trained with great intensity.

Only this time, it was not just Naruto training, but also his twenty-one Shadow Clones.

The Main Body was undergoing physical conditioning that could not be replaced by Shadow Clones.

Two Shadow Clones sparred with each other, building practical Taijutsu experience.

Two Shadow Clones practiced Ninja Tool Throwing, repeatedly striking the bullseye with all kinds of ninja tools.

Of the remaining clones, eight were practicing the Wind Release Ninjutsu that the Third Hokage had recently taught him.

Another eight held leaves in their hands, concentrating as they controlled their Chakra according to the Third Hokage's instructions, slicing the leaves apart to train their Chakra nature transformation.

The last one stood atop the surface of a nearby stream, fully focused on catching fish in preparation for dinner.

Recently, the insane increase in training intensity had continuously raised Naruto's physical expenditure.

The most obvious consequence was that even his allowance, far greater than that of other orphans, was no longer enough to feed him. He could often spend it all in just ten days.

It was clearly unrealistic to ask the Third Hokage for more. The village's funds were limited, and his allowance was already higher than that of the other orphans.

Because of that, Naruto could only make up the food budget shortfall himself.

His method was simple: live off the land and water. He caught fish in the streams and gathered wild fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and wood ear fungus in the forest. That was more than enough to satisfy his food needs.

Sometimes, he could even gather medicinal herbs such as ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, and goji berries, which could boost qi and nourish the blood, replenishing some of the energy he expended in training.

Sending Shadow Clones to handle those tasks did not delay his training. It merely made him a little more tired.

And fatigue was the least important thing to Naruto.

Whenever he truly could not endure anymore, Naruto would retreat into the Learning Space, where he could continue recovering his mind without sleep, and choose a few books that interested him to read.

Though such a life looked exhausting to outsiders, Naruto enjoyed every moment of it.

Over the course of three months, Naruto could feel himself growing stronger every single day.

Ever since adopting the training philosophy of "if it doesn't kill you, train until it does," both his body and mind had improved at a rate beyond even his own imagination.

The most obvious sign was that the number of Shadow Clones he could create was increasing exponentially.

Aside from the Shadow Clones carrying out various forms of training on the field, Naruto had also kept two Shadow Clones in the Learning Space to study all kinds of subjects and broaden his knowledge.

If he were not afraid that absorbing too much information would drive him insane, Naruto would have made even more.

Although Kurama had previously advised Naruto to focus on mastering his power, saying that fully controlling it would make him a powerful ninja.

But only incapable adults had to make choices. Since he had the ability, he wanted everything!

Therefore, Naruto's path was to grasp Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Kurama's power all at once, make all three formidable, and ultimately become an all-round ninja with no weaknesses.

Immersed in training, time passed quickly.

Before long, it was already dusk.

Naruto dispelled all his Shadow Clones. The enormous flood of information crashed into his mind, leaving him dizzy for quite a while before he finally digested everything the clones had fed back to him.

His practice with the two newly acquired Wind Release techniques—the offensive Wind Release: Rending Wind Palm and the support technique Wind Release: Swift Wind, which increased movement speed—had nearly reached perfection.

His mastery of Chakra nature transformation had also improved considerably. He could barely manage to slice through a leaf now, and his practical Taijutsu experience had improved as well.

"Tomorrow, the Main Body can train a little more and integrate the Shadow Clones' combat experience into the body's instincts. Then it'll be perfect."

"Another fulfilling day."

Naruto sighed contentedly, sat down beside the campfire, and picked up the food his Shadow Clone had prepared, ready to eat and replenish his strength.

Then, just as Naruto picked up a Grilled Fish, he casually noticed a spiky-haired boy about his age approaching from nearby, his face gloomy. The boy wore a gray shirt and white shorts.

Seemingly sensing Naruto's gaze, the spiky-haired boy looked over.

Naruto met his eyes and could not help feeling a trace of irritation.

Mixed into that irritation, however, was a complicated sense of familiarity and closeness whose origin he could not explain.

"Hmph."

As if by mutual agreement, Naruto and the boy both snorted coldly at the same time.

For some reason, Sasuke found the blond-haired boy in black clothing, with his calm expression, intensely irritating.

Though he disliked interacting with strangers, he could not help approaching the other boy. With a cold face, he asked, "Hey, who are you? Why are you staying near my Uchiha clan grounds?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. This is public land belonging to Konoha, you know. And I've been training here regularly since one year and three months ago. Uchiha... are you from the Uchiha of the Military Police Force?"

Faced with the other boy's less-than-friendly tone, Naruto remained calm and did not get angry.

Following his principle of treating others kindly, he answered the question and asked one in return, satisfying his curiosity while also giving the other boy something to talk about.

After answering, Naruto had already prepared himself for the other boy to respond with a cold glare. He had also prepared himself to beat him up, just so he would not waste any more of his time.

He would treat others kindly, but if they did not appreciate it, then he could not be blamed.

Yet the cold glare Naruto expected never came.

The other boy curiously looked around and saw the many traces of throwing practice and Ninjutsu training. They were not the sort of results someone his age should have been able to produce.

Still, it was not entirely impossible. After all, Sasuke's older brother was a genius who had displayed ninja talent beyond ordinary imagination since childhood.

What made Sasuke feel even more at ease was that Naruto did not look at him with disgust after learning he was an Uchiha, unlike the other people in Konoha, as if they had seen a Plague God.

Naruto... the child people called the Demon Fox?

Thinking of Naruto's treatment in the village, it was even worse than what the Uchiha endured.

After all, the Uchiha were at least a powerful ninja clan, while Naruto was merely an orphan with no one to protect him.

They were both alone.

Without realizing it, Sasuke felt a measure of empathy.

Putting away his aggressive manner, Sasuke showed Naruto the fan crest on his back and said with a hint of pride, "In the entire Shinobi World, in all of Konoha, there is only one Uchiha clan.

My name is Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."