Admission Notice

Admission Notice

After returning home, Naruto boiled water while sitting on the sofa, chatting with the Nine-Tails to pass the time.

"Big Fox, how did the grilled fish taste? My cooking's pretty good, right? If you like it, I'll share Chakra with the flavor of delicious food with you every day."

The Nine-Tails said nothing, but the earlier system notification had already exposed its thoughts.

After a long while, the Nine-Tails finally snorted. "So-so. I've eaten better things before. If you think you can bribe me with this stuff, you're mistaken."

You've been sealed away for decades already... Naruto did not expose the Nine-Tails. Instead, he considered how to change his current situation.

After obtaining the weakened version of Malice Perception, he could now clearly sense the Chakra of nearby ninja. This gave him a preliminary means of countering surveillance.

His next step was to raise his strength to a level where the Anbu and that old Third Hokage could no longer monitor him so easily.

To rapidly improve his strength, he needed to learn ninjutsu. However, the only ninjutsu he had were the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques and Gentle Fist, the latter of which could not be revealed.

If he wanted new ninjutsu, aside from developing them himself, he would have to wait until he entered the Ninja Academy.

Just then, Naruto heard a knock at the door. Standing outside was the same familiar old man—the Third Hokage, who had nearly ruined his lifelong reputation last time.

"Grandpa Hokage, I've already eaten."

The Third Hokage had just been about to greet him when Naruto's words dealt him a critical blow.

So in Naruto's eyes, he was merely an old man who came over to freeload meals?

I'm the Hokage. Why would I need to come to your house for food? Isn't it all to take care of you?

Though that was what he thought, the Third Hokage said, "I've eaten too. I came this time to check on your learning progress and see whether you can become an outstanding ninja in the future."

Naruto gave an "oh" and said, "Grandpa Hokage, I've already learned the Substitution Technique and Transformation Jutsu, but I can never get the hang of the Clone Technique. It seems like something is interfering with me."

"Interfering with you?"

The Third Hokage frowned slightly, immediately thinking of the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. Could the seal have loosened?

However, even standing right in front of Naruto, he could not sense any trace of Nine-Tails Chakra. The seal should not have any problems. As for Naruto failing to learn the Clone Technique, perhaps his talent in that area was not very high, just like Minato's.

After filling in the blanks himself, the Third Hokage smiled. "Naruto, you're already a little genius. You can slowly practice the Clone Technique later. There's plenty of time."

"Then compared to when Grandpa Hokage was little, who was stronger?"

The Third Hokage recalled his own childhood and, against his conscience, said, "Of course I was stronger when I was little. But it's not as if you have no chance of surpassing me in the future. You just need to work hard."

Naruto nodded. "I understand. I'll become an outstanding ninja in the future."

Was that all?

The Third Hokage patiently guided him. "After becoming an outstanding ninja, do you have any other wishes? Such as becoming Hokage or earning everyone's recognition?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't have such lofty ideals. Becoming an outstanding ninja and protecting the people I care about is enough. I don't need to become Hokage, and I don't need everyone's recognition."

The Third Hokage had a bit of a headache. In his view, Naruto understood a little of the Will of Fire, but only a little.

However, if the Third Hokage truly knew what Naruto was thinking, he would probably cry out that Naruto appeared supportive on the surface, but was rebellious to the core.

The Third Hokage asked, "Little Naruto, who do you care about in the village?"

Without hesitation, Naruto said, "Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, and Grandpa Hokage. Other than them, no one else matters. They're all cold, unfamiliar strangers."

The Third Hokage smiled. "It seems you've already made three friends during this time. Grandpa believes you'll make even more friends in the future. Then you'll understand the importance of recognition."

Naruto did not want to discuss this topic, so he deliberately changed the subject.

"Grandpa Hokage, besides the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques, I want to learn more ninjutsu. That's the only way I can become an outstanding ninja. Can you give me more ninjutsu?"

"Of course, but first we need to test your Chakra nature."

As he spoke, the Third Hokage took out a sheet of Chakra testing paper. Naruto accepted it and poured Chakra into it. The paper immediately split down the middle.

"Grandpa Hokage, what is my Chakra nature?"

The Third Hokage stroked his beard and said, "It seems your Chakra nature is Wind. That's a rare nature. You're quite lucky."

"A rare nature? Is it strong?" Naruto had already grown accustomed to speaking like a child.

The Third Hokage nodded slightly and smiled awkwardly. "Wind is a very good nature, but I don't have many Wind Release ninjutsu suitable for you to practice. I'll need to go back and search carefully."

This time, the Third Hokage was not lying to Naruto.

There truly were not many Wind Release techniques in the village's collection. The most advanced Wind Release ninjutsu were all in the hands of his old friend Danzo, making them difficult to obtain.

Hearing this, Naruto was somewhat disappointed. He asked the Third Hokage, "Grandpa Hokage, if I only have Wind Chakra, can I learn other ninjutsu?"

"Of course you can, but that isn't something you need to consider right now. To learn that knowledge, you need to go to the Ninja Academy and become a student."

As he spoke, the Third Hokage took out a Ninja Academy admission notice. This was also the real reason he had come.

Naruto might be a genius, but geniuses still needed systematic education. The Ninja Academy was the best place for that. Only at the Ninja Academy could one cultivate genuine bonds and understand the Will of Fire and love.

After the Third Hokage left, the gold-embossed admission notice lay on the table, along with the advanced form of the Clone Technique, the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Looking at the admission notice, Naruto suddenly wondered whether this counted as being directly admitted to the Ninja Academy without even needing to take an entrance test.

"Nine-Tails, I'm going to school."

Naruto told the Nine-Tails the news, but unfortunately, the Nine-Tails was uninterested. Sounding as though it had not fully woken up, it said, "Mm, you're going to school. Congratulations, you're about to become an elementary school student."

Picking up the admission notice, Naruto looked at the principal's signature and seal, as well as the exact start date, and began imagining his future life at the Ninja Academy.

After putting down the notice, Naruto looked at the Shadow Clone Jutsu. He decided to master this ninjutsu before school began.

There were only a few months left until the Ninja Academy opened.

For an ordinary person, that certainly would not be enough time, but for him, it was enough.