Cultivating Feelings

For Naruto, the Nine-Tails was currently nothing more than an accelerated training period and a portable power bank.

He felt no hatred, but he also couldn't bring himself to befriend the beast or offer it well-intentioned guidance. Their relationship was akin to that of casual acquaintances: they weren't at each other's throats, but they certainly weren't soulmates either.

"Alright, Naruto, I believe you. Just come over here!" The pressure radiating from the Nine-Tails was immense; Jiraiya didn't even dare to look as he watched the interaction between Naruto and the beast, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Nine-Tails, I'll come see you another day," Naruto said to the beast.

Since you're being so cooperative, I won't suppress you. But you'd better stay put and not cause any trouble for yourself. At the same time, a voice echoed within the Nine-Tails' mind.

The seal on the Nine-Tails' neck vanished quietly. The beast itself was stunned; it hadn't expected that by simply cooperating, the other party would trust it enough to remove the seal entirely.

The Nine-Tails was almost moved to tears. It was the first time it had ever experienced life without that seal.

Without the seal, it meant the Nine-Tails could fight Naruto for control of the body, but having the opportunity and having the strength were two different things.

Others might not know how strong Naruto truly was, but the Nine-Tails knew all too well.

Given Naruto's current strength, he could suppress the Nine-Tails in a one-on-one fight using only one hand.

It was primarily because Naruto's abilities were the perfect counter: chakra absorption and sealing techniques.

Thus, the Nine-Tails stayed obediently curled up and went back to sleep, though this time, it slept much more soundly.

The two disappeared, and in the room, both opened their eyes.

"Naruto, are you sure you don't need me to reinforce the seal?" Jiraiya was still uneasy. After all, this was the Nine-Tails, the Tailed Beast that the Fourth Hokage had sacrificed his life to seal.

"No need, Jiraiya-sama. I don't like trouble, so I don't want anyone else to know about this." Naruto looked Jiraiya in the eyes and said with great seriousness.

Jiraiya froze. He understood perfectly well who this "anyone else" referred to—most importantly, the Third Hokage.

This put Jiraiya in a difficult position, as the threat posed by the Nine-Tails was enough to keep anyone on edge.

"Fine, I'll stay and observe for a while. I'll consider it once I'm sure you're safe." After some thought, Jiraiya agreed, while also making it clear to Naruto that he would be staying behind to monitor him and ensure his safety.

Naruto frowned. This was his golden time for training; how was he supposed to train with someone watching him? But refusing outright would likely cause even more trouble.

Forget it, I'll just treat it like a vacation. It wouldn't be bad to spend some time cultivating my relationship with Hinata.

After a moment's thought, Naruto agreed.

Even if he wanted to refuse, he didn't have the chance.

Besides, he genuinely felt Jiraiya was a decent guy, so he had no intention of making things difficult for him.

In the days that followed, Naruto's life returned to normal. Perhaps because he hadn't lived such a normal life in so long, he felt a bit aimless for a while.

"Naruto, you actually came to school in your real body." Sensing that this was Naruto's true self, Hinata was somewhat surprised.

"Since graduation is coming up, I want to properly experience school life." He had originally wanted to tease little Hinata, but considering her personality, he decided against it.

"Don't you need to train?" Being able to stay with Naruto normally was naturally very happy, and little Hinata asked with a hint of anticipation.

"Don't worry, I'm just taking a break to rest up," Naruto said with a smile.

Both were in high spirits. Jiraiya, having observed Naruto's situation and finally returning to the village after so long, naturally wanted to go to the places he had dreamed of to "gather inspiration."

Feeling that the man wasn't watching him every second, Naruto's impression of him improved a little more.

Being monitored felt terrible. It would be one thing if he didn't know, but Naruto had keen senses and the Mind's Eye of the Kagura; the thought of having several people watching his every move was just awkward.

The morning theory classes were spent cultivating his relationship with Hinata and chatting with Shikamaru and the others.

The afternoon session was combat practice. Naruto didn't show off this time, but he was still paired up against the Uchiha Sasuke, which was naturally arranged by Iruka.

Iruka was doing a good job following the Third's instructions and understood the Third's intention: he hoped Naruto could forge a strong bond with the boy.

Sasuke's fan club immediately started cheering, as in their eyes, Sasuke was number one.

But the Uchiha Sasuke, who knew Naruto's true strength, felt no joy at all. The two had a tacit understanding; they didn't use ninjutsu, relying only on taijutsu.

At the same time, Naruto held back more than he could count, eventually fighting the Uchiha Sasuke to a draw.

Even so, it was undoubtedly a shock to everyone else. They already knew Naruto's chakra levels, but now that he could fight Uchiha Sasuke to a draw in taijutsu, many people's jaws hit the floor.

Sakura also seemed to realize Naruto's strength for the first time, and was even more surprised by his low-profile, unassuming personality shift.

As for Jiraiya's return, it didn't change much for Konoha. In the Third's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was using a crystal ball to peek at the village, spotted Jiraiya hiding in a tree not far from the bathhouse.

That iconic white hair and lecherous grin made the Third furrow his brows.

"Why is Jiraiya back?" The Sannin hadn't returned once since leaving the village, and with nothing going on in Konoha, it was even less likely for him to return.

"Someone come in." The Third Hokage immediately summoned the Anbu member monitoring Naruto.

"Hokage-sama." The masked Anbu appeared.

"Has there been any trouble with Naruto lately?" the Third Hokage asked directly. The only issue that could bring Jiraiya back was Naruto.

"Reporting to Hokage-sama, no. The jinchuriki has been very well-behaved lately, though he has been spending a lot of time with the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan," the Anbu replied truthfully.

Monitoring Naruto was an easy job that basically every Anbu had done, and since Naruto's life was very routine now, it was even less of a hassle.

"Hmm. You may go," the Third Hokage said.

"Yes, I take my leave." The Anbu vanished.

The Third frowned. It wasn't Naruto's doing. Could Jiraiya have really come back on his own?

Ever since the Sannin left, they hadn't returned, and this first visit from Jiraiya still left the Third feeling suspicious.

As for Naruto, having completely set aside his training, he spent his days going to school and hanging out.

Their relationship progressed quickly, but Naruto's Frog Wallet also depreciated just as fast.

"It really is impossible to live without money in any world." At home, Naruto held his empty Frog Wallet in his hand.