One Year Later

With Rock Lee stepping forward, the bond between them seemed to grow closer.

"Naruto, in my eyes you're not that Nine-Tails Fox Demon—you're my friend! A friend who acknowledges me!" Afterward, Rock Lee said to Naruto with great solemnity.

"Thanks."

Rock Lee was the first person to stand up and speak for Naruto.

It was impossible not to be moved.

But according to Aizen's words: sympathy and emotion are the most pitiful, the feelings that should be abandoned first.

So Naruto quickly cast that gratitude aside.

Looking at Rock Lee through reason.

These simple-minded hot-blooded youths were often the best 'comrades.'

"Same time tomorrow, training ground." After dinner, the two set a time to meet again.

In the days that followed, Naruto gained a training partner.

Rock Lee followed Naruto and bought weights. He wasn't interested in blades, so most of his training time was spent tempering his body and practicing fist techniques.

Though still rough, at least he was starting to look the part.

Meanwhile, Naruto had begun his blade training.

Holding the dark green Kyōka Suigetsu, he swung the blade repeatedly under Aizen's guidance.

"Slashing is divided into Kendo and Zanjutsu. Kendo is the martial art of the Zanpakuto, forging strong spiritual power by honing the mind and will."

"Zanjutsu is akin to Iaido—one strike to kill, one blow to end. Zanjutsu can be honorable or despicable; its only goal is to defeat the opponent. In other words, Zanjutsu is a killing technique that exists solely for battle."

Aizen's voice echoed in Naruto's mind.

In the world of Bleach, when Kenpachi Zaraki first joined the Gotei 13, Captain Commander Yamamoto had tried to teach him Kendo, hoping to replace his raw, bloody fighting style with standardized combat techniques and the spirit of Kendo, wanting him to grasp something on a spiritual level.

Unfortunately, the latter had no interest in learning at all.

Looking back at the history of the 13th Division, Yhwach had once described them as "Sword Devils," because the members of the old 13th Division all used Zanjutsu, not Kendo.

It wasn't until later, when Captain Commander Yamamoto and the first Kenpachi, Unohana, both turned to Kendo, that the entire 13th Division's outlook on life and the world changed.

Aizen knew the history of the 13th Division and scoffed at Kendo.

In his view, the Zanpakuto was a weapon for killing; the so-called spirit of Kendo was nothing but a burden in battle.

The current 13th Division was too weak, posing no threat to him at all.

"Decide for yourself—whether to learn Kendo or Zanjutsu."

Aizen left the choice to Naruto.

"I choose Zanjutsu." Unsurprisingly, Naruto didn't hesitate to pick Zanjutsu.

'Zanjutsu? I look forward to the scene of your first kill. The first time is always faced with fear and dread, like a flower blooming on a cliff's edge—we all stop before the precipice, unlike the flower that steps fearlessly into the sky. Once you successfully take that step, you will no longer be the same Naruto Uzumaki.' Aizen's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes full of amusement.

One year later.

Year 53 of Konoha.

Today was also the day Rock Lee entered the Ninja Academy.

The day before enrollment, Rock Lee dragged Naruto into an afternoon-long chat.

The gist was that he was nervous, hoping his ninja talent would be decent. He wanted to become a ninja with outstanding Taijutsu but decent Ninjutsu too.

He had high expectations for himself.

Naruto didn't see Rock Lee off to the Ninja Academy. He didn't want Rock Lee to suffer cold stares because of him.

Offering Rock Lee his sincere blessings, he swiftly leaped between the trees.

By gathering Reiatsu at the soles of his feet, he could accelerate his forward speed—this was also the basic application needed before learning Shunpo.

Over the past year, Naruto had also gained a general understanding of the Bleach world Aizen came from.

In the worldview of Bleach, there were two concepts: Reiatsu and Reiryoku.

Those with high Reiatsu could wield higher Reiryoku.

Reiryoku was the primary substance that made up a soul.

A qualified Shinigami could use the Reiryoku within their body to leak out and generate Reiatsu, which could intimidate enemies, or solidify Reiryoku into various weapons or barriers.

Naruto's talent was good; over the year, he had already mastered the basics of Reiatsu manipulation.

This shocked Aizen.

For a novice Shinigami, the hardest part was controlling Reiatsu.

But Naruto handled it all perfectly.

Naturally, Naruto felt proud inside, his imagination running wild about his future ninja career.

"My talent as a Shinigami is this outstanding—my ninja talent should be no different. I'll become a ninja skilled in Ninjutsu and a Shinigami skilled in Kido."

Naruto returned home. He didn't train today, because he was about to start something extremely important in his life: Chakra extraction.

Five-year-old Naruto was already able to begin training his Chakra, and the Third had also promised to send him relevant books on the day school started.

According to the rules of the Konoha Ninja Academy, children who were six years old and possessed ninja talent could attend the academy to study.

Naruto was still one year shy of turning six, but he had already prepared to start learning the related knowledge ahead of time.

The children of the major clans in Konoha also began Chakra training before enrollment. On one hand, their clans had the resources; on the other, they hoped their children would stand out after entering the academy and not disgrace the clan's name.

The Konoha higher-ups had engaged in fierce debate over Naruto's Chakra training.

The main characters were naturally the Third and Danzo, those two old friends who loved and hated each other.

In Danzo's words: "Hand Naruto over to Root, and I can forge him into the most perfect weapon Konoha has ever seen. He will become a deterrent to the other ninja villages."

The Third, however, believed that Naruto could perfectly inherit the Will of Fire, and that letting him enter the Ninja Academy to form bonds with other students was the right path.

After all, there was the successful precedent of Kushina Uzumaki. During her time at the academy, she found true love, became one of Konoha's top combat forces, and even gave birth to Naruto Uzumaki.

This proved that the Third's theory was workable.

In the end, despite Danzo's strenuous arguments, the Third once again invoked the Hokage's authority, successfully "debating" Danzo into silence, who then stormed off in fury.

"Since you've already made up your mind, why ask for my opinion?" Danzo's resentment toward the Third deepened, and his desire for the Hokage's seat grew by one more notch.

But regardless, Naruto was the biggest winner of this dispute.

He had earned the chance to learn Chakra ahead of time.

Naruto sat on the bed in his room, holding Kyōka Suigetsu in his arms, waiting excitedly like a child about to receive a beloved toy.

Would he be able to use ninjutsu once he learned Chakra?

How was Chakra applied?

What was the difference between Chakra and Reiatsu?

His mind was filled with a thirst to explore the unknown.

"Knock knock." A sudden knock at the door. Naruto immediately rushed over excitedly, opened it, and found no one outside—only two books lying on the cold stone steps.

"Thank you." Naruto nodded slightly toward the trees, then hugged the books and returned inside.

The door closed tightly again, and the leaves rustled faintly.