Preparing for... the Chunin Exams? Even Naruto himself felt that excuse was becoming a little hard to justify. He had a clear grasp of his current strength: Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Nine Masked Beasts Summoning Jutsu, Adamantine Sealing Chains, a whole series of "ball" ninjutsu in various forms and attributes, as well as two Substitution Abilities that were practically bugs in actual combat.
Looking across the current Ninja World—Nagato was still crippled, Obito had only one Mangekyō Sharingan, and Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju had yet to be revived through Impure World Reincarnation—Naruto could almost declare that he was already nearly invincible in the Ninja World.
However, Naruto, who was deeply familiar with the world of "Naruto," knew very well that this so-called "invincibility" was often merely the calm before the storm. The first part ended with invincibility beneath the heavens, while the second brought enemies from beyond the heavens.
His greatest enemies had always been those so-called Otsutsuki aliens.
Therefore, Naruto did not slack off in the slightest. Over the following days, he kept a regular routine between training and daily life. During the day, he underwent intense training with Jiraiya; in the evening, he picked up Satsuki after her training and brought her home on time; at night, he prepared boxed meals for his companions and the newly joined Jiraiya, preserving that precious everyday life.
At the same time, he noticed that the atmosphere within Konoha was quietly growing tense. The number of ninja patrolling the streets had increased by at least double compared to normal.
Most villagers might have assumed this was to ensure the safety of the Chunin Exams, but after receiving a warning, Konoha's higher-ups had begun secretly deploying defenses to guard against a possible attack by Orochimaru and his