"Naruto, why are you so strong?" Sasuke gritted his teeth as he watched Naruto walking ahead, but he couldn't help asking.
"You're asking why I became so strong even though we did the same training?"
Naruto glanced at Sasuke, whose face had gone red, and answered for him.
Sasuke nodded.
"Honestly, Sasuke, you still don't get it!" Naruto scratched his head. Now that they were teammates, he figured he might as well offer him some pointers.
Hinata stayed quiet beside them.
"What don't I get?"
"Training isn't just about pushing yourself blindly. You have to train according to your own circumstances and adjust as you go."
"For example, you've seen me training Taijutsu and the like. That's because I'm from the Uzumaki Clan, and my body recovers quickly, so I'm suited to Taijutsu. On top of that, I don't have any Ninjutsu to train in, so Taijutsu is all I can work on," Naruto explained after a moment's thought.
Hinata listened attentively.
"Then what should I train?"
Sasuke was confused.
He had tried Naruto's training method, too, but couldn't keep it up for long. It wasn't that Sasuke was especially weak; this kind of training simply didn't suit him.
"You saw Kakashi-sensei just now, right? He's like you. Well, he isn't from the Uchiha Clan, but he does have a Sharingan," Naruto said patiently.
Sasuke nodded. "I could tell he isn't a Taijutsu specialist. His Taijutsu is strong, but strictly speaking, he's a speed-type ninja. Even if he might not be able to take the full force of one of my punches, that doesn't mean I could beat him."
Thinking about their earlier spar, Sasuke nodded. If Kakashi had taken Naruto's punch head-on, he would definitely have been sent flying.
"Hatake Kakashi is known as Konoha's Copy Ninja. He has several titles," Naruto explained briefly.
"You mean I should focus on the Sharingan?" Sasuke frowned. He knew how powerful the Sharingan was; his older brother had already shown him. But the Sharingan couldn't be strengthened through training alone. As for how to develop it, no one had taught him, and he didn't know himself.
"Exactly. You can keep training Taijutsu, but you don't have to train the way I do. You can follow Kakashi-sensei's example and ask him about how to use the Sharingan whenever you have the chance. He's far ahead of you in that regard," Naruto advised.
Sasuke considered his words.
The three of them soon returned to the riverbank. Hinata began training, while Sasuke sat on a rock, thinking over what Naruto had told him.
Naruto sat cross-legged on the water and started fishing as his Shadow Clones trained.
Watching Naruto's Shadow Clones practice, Sasuke couldn't help feeling envious. Still, he knew his chakra reserves weren't suited to that method.
In the Hokage's office, Kakashi was reporting the day's events to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"So that's how it is. I never expected Naruto to be so good at the Three Basic Jutsu," the Third Hokage said, taking a puff from his pipe.
"That's right, Lord Hokage. I even have a feeling that Naruto Uzumaki is hiding his true strength." Kakashi had kept his Sharingan active the whole time. He could tell Naruto hadn't gone all out, but he had no way of knowing just how strong Naruto was.
"I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Kakashi." Even the Hokage had to show respect to an elite Jonin like Kakashi.
Kakashi understood, then turned and left.
"Naruto... What exactly are you hiding? I hope you don't disappoint me." The Third Hokage felt troubled. Ever since Naruto's personality had suddenly changed a year ago and he had become well-behaved and sensible, the Hokage had felt not reassured but deeply worried.
No matter where they were, those in power tended to favor carefree people without ulterior motives, because they were easier to control.
But Naruto Uzumaki had become well-behaved and sensible, and that only made the Hokage uneasy.
If Naruto knew what he was thinking, he would have scoffed. He might no longer dream of becoming Hokage, but he was still perfectly content to be an ordinary ninja.
Early the next morning, the three of them arrived at the Hokage Building. The first floor was where ninjas accepted missions; the second and third floors housed the Hokage's offices.
Sasuke and Hinata were both a little excited. It was their first time accepting a mission, and they were both wondering what kind they would get.
"Naruto, aren't you excited?"
Hinata looked at Naruto's calm expression, puzzled.
"We're Genin. What kind of decent mission do you think we'll get?" Naruto wasn't excited in the least.
Hearing that, Sasuke's enthusiasm immediately faded.
Before long, Kakashi arrived.
The three of them entered the mission hall, where many ninjas were accepting missions.
Some of their classmates were there, too. As soon as Ino and Sakura saw Sasuke arrive, they hurried over again.
Naruto quickly moved away from them and pulled Hinata along with him.
"Sasuke really is popular," Hinata said with a smile.
"Forget it. It's such a pain," Naruto said, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"Yeah, I'd much rather be like Naruto," Shikamaru said teasingly as he walked over.
Hinata's face instantly turned red, and she lowered her head.
"Shikamaru, you..." Naruto said helplessly.
They chatted and joked while the Jonin selected missions nearby.
"Naruto Uzumaki, I never thought a jerk like you would actually graduate," a sharp voice called from behind him.
"Neji-nii-san," Hinata said timidly. If anything, she felt guilty toward Neji.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto said, his tone turning sour when he saw Neji.
"You jerk, stay away from Lady Hinata. I'll take you out if you don't," Neji whispered threateningly as he leaned close to Naruto's ear.
"Come try it if you think you can beat me." Naruto snorted and led Hinata away.
Having read the original story, Naruto knew Neji genuinely cared about his cousin. But because of what had happened to his father, he acted as if he hated Hinata. It wasn't so much that he hated her as that he hated her personality—and, even more, the clan's system.
Through Hinata, Naruto had gotten to know this obnoxious brother-in-law. The two of them seemed to have completely different outlooks on life, and they argued whenever they met. But because of Hinata, they could never actually come to blows.
"Don't worry. If I get the chance, I'll teach him a proper lesson. I can't stand that smug look on his face."
"Neji-nii-san is actually a good person, too," Hinata said helplessly.
"Don't worry. He's just asking for a beating. One good thrashing will sort him out." Naruto knew what Neji was like at this point. What was strength for, if not to make people like Neji listen to reason? If you couldn't beat someone into submission, then even the soundest argument wouldn't help. The strong had never listened to the weak.