Laying a Solid Foundation

In the corridors of the Hokage Building, the ninjas all turned to look, sizing up the tiny blond figure with strange expressions. This was no place for a child, but what was even more surprising was that although their gazes carried distance and wariness, they lacked their usual disgust.

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with a pipe in his mouth, reviewing documents. Ever since his wife had passed away, no one had tried to persuade him to quit smoking.

His thoughts drifted to the surveillance report submitted by the Anbu last night—the conversation between that child and the Uchiha Clan's young lady, those remarks about "talent" and "paths"...

Could that really have been something a three-year-old could say? That understanding of ninja talent, that emotional intelligence far beyond his age...

Had being isolated for so long forced him to mature early?

Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and a childish voice broke his train of thought.

"Thanks, ninja uncle! The old Third Hokage won't punish you. He's not that petty~"

"He visits my house all the time, so it's perfectly normal for me to come see him, right?"

The young guard at the door flushed red. "What do you mean, uncle?! I just became an adult, okay?! And show some respect for Lord Hokage!"

Naruto grinned and laughed it off, slipping through the door with nimble ease before casually closing it behind him. He turned around, his azure eyes staring directly at the Third Hokage behind the desk.

The Third Hokage slowly set down his pipe, a complicated expression appearing on his deeply wrinkled face. "Naruto... You came to see me so early. Did you run into some trouble?"

Naruto put his hands on his hips and puffed out his little chest. "Of course I have something important to ask, Grandpa Third Hokage! My purpose this time is super clear—give me the basic ninjutsu scrolls! I want to train and become a powerful ninja!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

Of course he remembered Naruto making this request before, but he had refused without hesitation back then. It was not because he was stingy, but because there was no suitable teacher. Letting a three-year-old train in ninjutsu alone? What if he mishandled his Chakra and damaged his meridians?

But this time, he hesitated. Recently, the Anbu reports had made Naruto seem less and less like an ordinary child.

The Third Hokage lightly tapped his fingers against the desk. Rather than letting Naruto wander around the village all day with nothing to do, even sneaking near the Uchiha Clan Compound, perhaps...

Naruto looked at the Third Hokage in surprise. The old man was actually seriously considering it?

But he quickly noticed that the Third Hokage's brows were still faintly furrowed, clearly weighing the pros and cons. Naruto immediately changed the subject.

"Oh, right, Grandpa Third Hokage!" he said in an intentionally innocent tone. "I've been reading lately, and I saw that there's something in this world called a 'Kekkei Genkai,' right?"

The Third Hokage froze for a moment, then revealed a kindly smile. He cleared his throat and answered in the gentle tone he used when explaining common Ninja World knowledge to the village children.

"That's right, Naruto. A Kekkei Genkai is a special ability passed down through bloodlines, usually inherited only by specific lineages."

What followed was the standard official answer—

"Our Konoha is the strongest ninja village in the Ninja World and possesses the most Kekkei Genkai clans! For example, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, and..."

Naruto directly cut off the Third Hokage's lengthy explanation.

"Then... Grandpa Third Hokage. You once said that my parents were Konoha's heroes who died during an important mission, right?"

The Third Hokage paused, then nodded. "Yes, your parents were both Konoha's pride."

"I see. Then were they really powerful 'Kekkei Genkai' ninjas?"

What is this child trying to say?

The Third Hokage frowned. Minato Namikaze had been a genius from a civilian background, while Kushina, though a member of the Uzumaki Clan with immense Chakra and formidable vitality, merely possessed the Uzumaki Clan's special constitution. It was not a Kekkei Genkai.

"Naruto, a Kekkei Genkai is a bloodline ability. Although your parents were great ninjas, they did not have—"

"Nope!" Naruto grinned, grabbing hold of the Hokage's desk. "Since it's inherited through bloodlines, then what I awakened can only be a Kekkei Genkai!"

"What?!"

The Third Hokage abruptly rose to his feet, his pipe dropping onto the desk with a clatter. Uzumaki Naruto had awakened a Kekkei Genkai?! How was that possible?!

Calm down... Perhaps this child has mistaken an ordinary ninjutsu for a Kekkei Genkai...

However, in the next second, his thoughts were completely cut off by the sight before him.

"Look!" Naruto spread his arms, a smug smile rising on his lips. "I suddenly became able to use this! Pretty amazing, right?"

Whoosh—!

Several dazzling golden chains suddenly extended from Naruto's back, dancing through the air like spiritual serpents. The Chakra fluctuations made the air tremble faintly.

That is—Adamantine Sealing Chains?!

The Third Hokage recognized the technique in an instant. The image of the First Hokage's wife—Mito Uzumaki—flashed through his mind. Back then, it was precisely through this sealing technique unique to the Uzumaki Clan that she had been able to suppress Kurama's Chakra and become the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Three years old... A child who was only three years old had actually awakened Adamantine Sealing Chains?!

As a Hokage who had lived through two Ninja World Wars, he had seen countless geniuses. But someone like Naruto—he had simply never heard of such a thing.

The Third Hokage's gaze shifted from the chains to Naruto's childish face. Golden hair, azure eyes—though he had not inherited the Uzumaki Clan's iconic red hair, those dancing chains now unmistakably proclaimed it.

The Uzumaki bloodline flowing within Minato's son was far stronger than imagined. No, it was not merely strong.

It was simply... monstrous talent.

He did not dwell on why Naruto, who only possessed half of the Uzumaki bloodline, could master Adamantine Sealing Chains at such a young age. Bloodlines and talent had never been a matter of simple addition and subtraction.

Just like the children of the First Hokage and Mito.

The finest bloodlines of the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Clan had combined. Their father was the God of Shinobi, and their mother stood at the pinnacle of sealing techniques, yet their children had ultimately been nothing more than...

Utterly ordinary ninjas.

The gifts of fate had never made sense. Sometimes, two powerful bloodlines merged only to produce mediocrity, while at other times, an apparently ordinary combination could give birth to a monster beyond all reason.

"Great, I finally got them!"

Naruto returned to his small apartment and impatiently spread out the ninjutsu scrolls he had just obtained from the Third Hokage across the table. He rubbed his hands excitedly, his fingertips gently brushing over the words that recorded the mysteries of ninjutsu.

Didn't expect that old man to be pretty generous.

He had originally only wanted the most basic Three Body Technique—Clone Technique, Transformation Jutsu, and Body Replacement Technique—but the Third Hokage had unexpectedly thrown in a whole pile of other ninjutsu scrolls.

Naruto casually opened the top scroll. Written clearly on it were the words "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough."

"Wind Style, Water Style, Lightning Release..." he muttered softly. "Water Style: Water Colliding Wave, Earth Style: Earth Flow... Shadow Clone Technique... Huh, there's quite a variety."

What surprised him most was the thick Secret Scroll of Sealing Techniques tucked among the pile. Naruto picked it up and flipped through it casually. It was packed with basic theories and training methods for sealing techniques, practically like...

The sealing technique version of Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Mock Tests...

It seemed that the old Third Hokage truly valued the Sealing Jutsu Talent he had displayed. Still, for someone who had already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, did he really need to learn such basic sealing techniques?

The answer was obviously yes.

Naruto had realized that it was like playing the piano—even if he could already perform a difficult piece like Moonlight Sonata perfectly, he still needed to practice in order to learn simple pieces.

"Alright!" Naruto suddenly stood up. "I'll start with the most basic Three Body Technique..."