Guidance

After countless cycles of reincarnation, Naruto had already formed his own opinions about Mizuki.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words wouldn't change them.

Even so, Naruto let a trace of lingering fear show on his face and clenched his fists slightly. In a tone of sudden realization, he said, "I see... So that's the kind of person he is. I understand, Grandpa Hokage. I really... almost fell for his lies."

Hiruzen was pleased by Naruto's reaction. His tone softened again, warm with encouragement. "I'm glad you understand."

"Naruto, you're nothing like him. You have a bright future ahead of you and a steadfast desire to protect the village. Don't let a traitor's twisted reasoning steer you off course."

Hiruzen rose from his chair and slowly approached. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and spoke gently. "Forget what Mizuki said."

"Remember, the future of Konoha depends on you. Keep moving forward with the goal of becoming Hokage!"

"Only by becoming Hokage and earning everyone's recognition can you realize your true worth and truly protect this village. That's the real Will of Fire."

Naruto couldn't help feeling a little helpless inside.

Hokage, recognition, worth, protection—those words had been repeated too many times in his previous cycles.

The end of every path where he followed those beliefs didn't seem to bring true release.

In his many cycles, Naruto had already gained the recognition and Hokage Position he'd long needed.

So this time, he needed to observe—not follow Hiruzen's words and become the person Hiruzen wanted him to be.

After all, Naruto could clearly sense the desire for control behind Hiruzen's words.

Naruto raised his head, blue eyes shining with the determination and hint of inspiration Hiruzen hoped to see. "Yes, Grandpa Third! I'll do my best! I'll become a great Hokage, earn everyone's recognition, and protect the village! That's my ninja way!"

A deeper smile appeared on Hiruzen's face. He gently patted Naruto's shoulder. "Good. I knew you wouldn't let me down."

"Go on. Get ready for life as a Genin. You'll have an excellent Jonin Instructor."

"Yes! Thank you, Grandpa Third! I'll be going now!"

Naruto bowed respectfully, then turned to leave.

The moment he turned around, the passion and excitement on his face quickly faded, replaced by calm. Only a hint of thoughtfulness lingered deep in his eyes.

Hiruzen watched Naruto walk away. The kindness slowly left his face as he took a puff of his pipe, his expression growing more complicated.

Good. The reaction was exactly right, just as I expected.

The power of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had to grow along the proper path.

The Will of Fire had to become his only belief.

Only then would he become the village's most powerful weapon.

Naruto left the Hokage Building. The sunlight fell warmly on him, but he didn't stop. He headed straight for Sasuke's house. It was time to see his good friend.

Naruto walked down the familiar street and happened to pass Ebisu and Konohamaru.

He'd barely gone a few steps when he heard a child's voice behind him.

"Teacher Ebisu, that person looks kind of familiar..."

Naruto didn't look back. He knew it was Konohamaru, but kept walking without slowing down.

Although a few things had been said in the Hokage's office that hadn't come up before, Naruto had acted differently from his first life and hadn't fooled around. That had saved him quite a bit of time, so he hadn't run into Konohamaru in the Hokage's office.

Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses and replied in an even tone, "Young Master, that's Naruto Uzumaki, the dead-last who likes to play pranks. I'd advise you not to get involved with him. Only with the help of an elite tutor like me can you become an excellent ninja—or even a candidate for Hokage."

Ebisu said that, but he knew Naruto had dealt with Mizuki all by himself the previous day.

Still, Mizuki was only a Chunin teacher who'd retired from the front lines long ago, while Ebisu was a Special Jōnin. They weren't in the same league.

So Ebisu hadn't taken Naruto seriously.

But when he turned around, Konohamaru had already disappeared.

"Young Master, where did you go?!"

Naruto ignored the little commotion behind him and continued toward Sasuke's house.

Still, he couldn't help giving it some thought.

He remembered what Mizuki had said the night before.

Mizuki had been right. Take Konohamaru, Hiruzen's grandson. Whatever his talent, he'd had a personal tutor educating him ever since birth.

He'd started out ahead of all the civilian ninja—and even some children from powerful clans.

Naruto hadn't gone far when he ran into Sasuke, who was about to head out and train.

Sasuke held the freshly prepared weapons pouch, neatly packed with ninja tools. He looked up and spotted the unmistakable Konoha Forehead Protector on Naruto's brow. He paused.

"You actually graduated?" Sasuke asked, disbelief in his voice. "How?"

Naruto's expression barely changed. "Does it matter?"

Before Sasuke could ask anything else, Naruto grabbed his wrist and led him toward the training ground. "Come on. We still have time today."

Caught off guard, Sasuke frowned, clearly annoyed, but surprisingly, he didn't pull away.

Part of him was also curious to see whether Naruto could make him stronger.

At the start of this cycle, Naruto hadn't had a clear goal. He'd only wanted to pay attention to the details he'd overlooked before.

But now, his direction was becoming clearer. It was important to keep Sasuke in Konoha, too.

So... he had to make Sasuke realize that Naruto's help would be far more useful than Kakashi's, Orochimaru's, and the others'.

The two walked in silence until they reached the familiar training ground.

Few people came here, making it a good place to practice.

Naruto walked to the center of the field and looked at Sasuke. "Show me your best Shurikenjutsu."

For a ninja, getting stronger came down to Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. Sasuke had the Sharingan, so there was no need to teach him Genjutsu.

Sasuke had already made some progress in Ninjutsu, so Naruto planned to start with Shurikenjutsu, a branch of Taijutsu.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, seeming to find it humiliating to be ordered around like that, but he did as he was told.

He quickly pulled the newly purchased ninja tools from his pouch and threw them in rapid succession.

Kunai and shuriken flew out, striking the targets in the distance. Almost every one hit the bull's-eye.

Naruto watched quietly. When Sasuke finished, he said, "Your fundamentals are solid, but there's room for improvement."

"For example, your throwing technique is off. You rely too much on your wrist and neglect the way your shoulders and waist work together. And your stance before throwing is too obvious. An enemy could easily predict your move."

Sasuke's expression darkened.

Being instructed by someone who'd once been the dead-last irritated him, but he couldn't deny that Naruto was right.

"Then show me," Sasuke said stiffly.

Naruto didn't refuse. He casually took out a few shuriken.

His movements were smooth and relaxed, with almost no visible windup.

The shuriken flew through the air in several arcs, every one striking the bull's-eye.

Two of them even overtook the first ones, knocking them aside and changing their trajectories.

Sasuke stared, stunned.

Was this even more polished than Naruto's performance during their Ninja Academy test?

Had Naruto already been hiding his strength back then?

Sasuke had put a great deal of effort into his throwing technique, which was why he'd always been top of the class.

But his skill still fell far short of Itachi's Uchiha-style Shurikenjutsu—and Naruto's throwing technique.

Of course, Sasuke still believed Naruto's Shurikenjutsu was inferior to Itachi's.

What he didn't know was that Naruto had lived through an endless cycle of reincarnation and fought the strongest shinobi in the world many times—including Itachi Uchiha.

After such intense battles and training, Itachi was no match for Naruto.