Naruto's Potential

The Hokage's office was silent.

Everyone was still savoring Naruto and Guy's battle.

After a long while, Danzo finally spoke, his tone filled with greed. "Naruto was born for our Root. His talent should be guided by me. Hiruzen, hand Naruto over to me. I will personally teach him. I won't disappoint you."

Third looked into Danzo's eyes and saw ambition and greed within them.

Come to think of it, Danzo seemed never to have taken a disciple.

He had not expected Naruto's potential to move Danzo.

From the current situation, Naruto's Kekkei Genkai indeed showed considerable potential.

But—

It should be kept under his own control.

He shook his head. "Danzo, you know I cannot hand Naruto over to Root."

"Hiruzen, you're wrong. In just a few short years, Naruto has progressed this quickly. He already possesses strength close to that of a Chunin. Combined with his Kekkei Genkai that creates illusions, his future is limitless. The eyes are the part we rely on most, yet his Kekkei Genkai can completely manipulate them. He will become the nightmare of all ninja."

Danzo wore a crazed expression.

Although there had been no suspense in Naruto's battle with Guy, he had seen Naruto's potential through it.

The limits of that mysterious Kekkei Genkai were definitely far beyond this.

What's more—

"Naruto has not yet fully used his Kekkei Genkai. He can also use ninjutsu activated through incantations."

Third felt every strand of DNA in his body stirring, and he desperately wanted to blurt something out.

But he held himself back.

He rose to his feet and looked out at Konoha beyond the window.

Konoha beneath the sunlight was prosperous and peaceful.

"Do you see it, Danzo? We built this peaceful world. This is the Will of Fire. And I believe Naruto will walk the path I have planned for him. Trust me, Danzo. I am the Hokage, after all."

The battle ended.

"This is youth!! Young man, this is so moving!"

Watching Guy cry tears and snot over youth, Naruto contentedly put away Kyoka Suigetsu.

Though he had not truly gone all out, he had at least used Taijutsu without holding anything back.

Even so, Guy had utterly crushed him.

It seemed he was still far from the truly strong.

"Mr. Guy, may I ask if you're a Jonin?" Naruto asked politely.

"Yes, I'm merely a very ordinary Jonin." Guy raised his head, flashing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. "There are many geniuses in Konoha, young man. You must train even harder. I greatly look forward to fighting you again in the future. I believe our youth will burn scarlet by then."

"Mr. Guy is only an ordinary Jonin?" Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"Of course. Konoha is the cradle of geniuses. But I believe you'll soon become a Jonin too, Naruto. Yosh! For the sake of youth, I must train even harder as well! Today, I'll do another ten laps around Konoha in frog jumps!" Guy's fighting spirit ignited. He raised his fist and shouted, not forgetting to invite Naruto along. After being refused, Guy left the area.

Watching Might Guy's retreating figure as he frog-jumped away, Naruto's eyes flickered.

He had still underestimated Konoha's combat strength.

But it didn't matter. Everything remained within his plans.

After his battle with Might Guy, Konoha's higher-ups surely believed in Kyoka Suigetsu's abilities now.

An illusion-type Kekkei Genkai.

What a marvelous Kekkei Genkai.

Naruto felt the Reiatsu within his body.

Because Guy focused on Taijutsu, his resistance to illusion techniques was not particularly high. Coupled with the fact that Naruto had only manipulated his vision, less than one-fifth of Naruto's Reiatsu had been consumed.

If he wanted to enter a state of perfect control over all five senses, his total Reiatsu was still insufficient.

This made Naruto deeply realize Aizen's strength.

There were no invincible Zanpakuto, only invincible Soul Reapers.

Rather than saying Kyoka Suigetsu was the strongest illusion-type Zanpakuto, it would be more accurate to say that Aizen had made Kyoka Suigetsu what it was.

Now, he had to devote more time to Reiatsu training.

Naruto suddenly recalled something Aizen had once said:

"Naruto, the Reishi in your world's air is far too inactive. This greatly affects your Reiatsu training."

But where could he find a suitable place to train his Reiatsu?

The battle with Guy lingered endlessly in his mind. It was the first time Naruto had cast off all his weights.

That feeling of sheer exhilaration was unforgettable.

A few days later, Naruto's group of three gathered at the training ground again and trained together.

Naruto also found an opportunity to tell them about his battle with Guy.

The two youngsters' blood boiled as they listened, and they wished they could roll up their sleeves and rush in to help.

Then, at their fervent insistence, Naruto helplessly sparred with them.

The outcome went without saying.

Just the basic Kido and Hakuda left the two of them groaning in misery.

Even after Sasuke activated his Sharingan, he was unable to withstand Naruto's attacks.

Naruto defeated Sasuke and Rock Lee without even using Kyoka Suigetsu.

Only after Sasuke had completely lost his fighting strength and fainted did Rock Lee remove all his weights.

To spare Sasuke's feelings, Rock Lee had also been concealing his true strength.

Under Naruto's influence, Rock Lee was no longer as careless and thoughtless as he had been in the original story. Instead, he had become far more sensitive and considerate.

Sasuke, who had survived the Clan Annihilation, was depressed and sensitive. If even Rock Lee displayed strength far beyond his at a time like this, it would inevitably damage Sasuke's self-esteem.

No one wanted to be dead last, especially not Sasuke, who had survived the Clan Annihilation.

Rock Lee's true strength greatly surprised Naruto, but compared to Guy, Rock Lee was still much too immature.

After an intense exchange of fists and kicks, Naruto defeated Rock Lee, though both his arms had gone numb.

"Lee, I've seen your hard work. You've really grown much stronger." He praised him without reservation.

On Rock Lee's exhausted face, a brilliant smile appeared, his eyes filled with pride.

"Naruto, I'll keep getting stronger and become the companion you trust most." Looking at the bright sun, he spoke softly.

After saying that, Rock Lee felt somewhat uncertain inside.

There were many geniuses around Naruto—Sasuke, Ino-Shika-Cho, and even the Hyuga Clan's prodigies.

Compared to those geniuses, he inevitably fell far short.

Although he could now easily defeat those geniuses.

What about the future?

Training in Taijutsu was incredibly difficult, and progress was slow. Every stage came with a bottleneck.

Rock Lee could already feel that he had reached one.

If he failed to make a greater breakthrough, he would remain stuck for a long time. This was not a problem that simple training could solve.

Those geniuses, meanwhile, would awaken Kekkei Genkai in the future or learn their clan's inherited ninjutsu. Their strength would improve by leaps and bounds, and they would soon surpass him.

"Naruto, I know I'm not talented, but I'll work even harder. I won't let you down." Rock Lee was not discouraged as he spoke with utmost seriousness.

The autumn breeze drifted past, stirring the grass with a soft rustle. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across Rock Lee's youthful face.

Naruto suddenly smiled, his tone firmer than ever before.

"Lee, I believe in you." He extended a hand toward Rock Lee, who was lying on the ground.

Tears glimmered in Rock Lee's eyes, and his heart trembled. Naruto's trust gave him an overwhelming urge to cry.

He took Naruto's hand and stood up.

"Don't underestimate your talent in Taijutsu. I'll take you to meet someone. His Taijutsu may help you improve greatly." Naruto brushed the grass from Rock Lee's body and spoke gently.

Through Naruto's introduction, Rock Lee met Guy and learned new Taijutsu under Guy's guidance.

However, Rock Lee truly could not appreciate Guy's skintight suit, and every time Guy asked him to wear the same style, he found an excuse to refuse.

As for the Reiatsu issue, there would be an opportunity in the future for Naruto to increase his Reiatsu.

Someone posted a picture of Naruto in Chapter One. He looks pretty handsome and fits Aizen's template quite well. Everyone can take a look.

Still asking for votes.

Thanks to F Ze for the 100-point donation.