"Lord Third, Naruto did pretty well today. He didn't skip class this morning, and spent the afternoon training outside with Shikamaru and the others."
Iruka was one of the few people who knew Naruto was a Jinchūriki, so he wasn't surprised that the Third Hokage had asked. He answered honestly. As for Naruto's unusual behavior, he'd already forgotten about it.
"Hahaha, little Naruto is as full of energy as ever. Mm-hmm, not bad."
"Not bad at all. It's good that he's made friends."
As far as the Third Hokage was concerned, it was already good that Naruto had managed to attend class instead of skipping it. And the fact that he was spending time with Shikamaru and the others could strengthen Naruto's bonds, which made the Third Hokage even happier.
Iruka wore an exasperated expression. He knew that most ninja were tempered on the battlefield, so they didn't pay much attention to theory. Even the Third Hokage was no exception. That was why, despite Naruto being the dead last, the Third Hokage had never taught him anything.
"All right, it's getting late. You should head home, Iruka." Satisfied with the answer, the Third Hokage felt reassured.
"Yes, Lord Third." Iruka was used to this. He took his leave and departed.
The reassured Third Hokage also went home to rest. Naruto's situation had made him feel especially worn out today. There was no such thing as a minor matter when it came to a Jinchūriki. Most important of all, if something happened to the Nine-Tails, no one in Konoha could suppress it now. As for using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal himself? He had to be kidding.
The older people got, the more afraid of death they became. Few could truly take it in stride.
Meanwhile, Naruto—
After training for a little while, he realized he didn't need to practice the Six Thief Immortals. It trained itself, leaving Naruto a little bored.
Lying on his bed, he desperately wanted to grow stronger. But all Naruto knew right now were the Three Basic Jutsu, and he wasn't even proficient in them.
There was no way he could come to the Ninja World and not train in ninjutsu. But if he wanted to learn ninjutsu...
Naruto furrowed his brow. He had no way to get his hands on any ninjutsu right now. Going to the Third Hokage was out of the question, and asking anyone else was even less likely to work.
Ninjutsu wasn't something you could just buy; there was no way to get it. People might have seen powerful ninja in the later story casually throwing around advanced techniques, but in ordinary circumstances, even a Jonin might not know a single S-rank jutsu.
"The Third Hokage doesn't seem like someone who'd train me. Sasuke only knows one Fire Style jutsu, the Great Fireball. The Uchiha were a prestigious clan, so I bet the Third Hokage and Danzo divided up all their advanced techniques."
Sasuke was pretty unlucky, too. Every other Uchiha knew a whole lot of jutsu, but the line of inheritance had been cut off by the time it reached him. Before graduating, he only knew the Great Fireball. Later, Kakashi taught him Chidori. After he defected, things went pretty well for him—the jutsu Orochimaru taught him were no joke.
At the thought of Chidori, Naruto froze. Right, he'd almost forgotten his signature jutsu: the Rasengan. It didn't require Hand Seals, and with his current abilities, he could probably work it out in a short time.
That one jutsu would be enough for him. Thinking this way, Naruto started to break free of the limits of his own assumptions. He'd been thinking entirely within the plot and had forgotten that he was no longer the original Naruto. He had the Six Thief Immortals now, and Taijutsu was actually what suited him best. With an immortal body, he could train in Taijutsu without holding back.
"I seem like a good fit for the Eight Inner Gates."
When he thought about Taijutsu, the strongest style in the Ninja World came to mind. If he wanted to learn it, Might Guy would surely teach him, given his personality. But although the Eight Inner Gates were powerful, they were difficult to master. And while Naruto respected Might Guy, he didn't want to train in the Eight Inner Gates.
The Eight Inner Gates had a drawback that wasn't exactly a side effect: while they were open, the chakra in your body became turbulent, making it impossible to use ninjutsu.
"I've already reincarnated into this world. Training in that just doesn't seem right."
At least for now, Naruto wasn't fond of the Eight Inner Gates' training method. He'd watched plenty of anime, and there was no need to find someone else to teach him. He hadn't had the chance before, but now that he had time, Naruto wanted to try developing his own Taijutsu.
With an immortal body and an endless supply of chakra, he was perfectly suited to the task.
It was a shame he couldn't use Shadow Clones yet. Otherwise, he could train even faster.
Thinking about his future plans, he drifted off to sleep before he knew it.
Drip, drip, drip.
In a dim underground sewer, Naruto frowned. Why had he ended up here?
He recognized the familiar surroundings and knew where he was.
"Over here, kid. Come closer. Do you want power? Come here."
At that moment, a voice rang out, laced with temptation.
Naruto knew it was the Nine-Tails. He wasn't afraid, and walked deeper inside.
Looking at the surroundings, Naruto couldn't help frowning. Honestly, if he'd been locked up in a place like this, he wasn't sure he wouldn't have gone mad. But then he froze.
"Damn, Sealing Jutsu!"
Thinking of the Nine-Tails' miserable state, Naruto finally remembered a detail he'd been overlooking.
If you asked what was strongest in the Ninja World, it wasn't ninjutsu or special eyes. It was Sealing Jutsu. It could seal anything from Kaguya Otsutsuki to a person's chakra.
Not everyone knew this, but Naruto had watched Naruto. He knew Sealing Jutsu had existed even before Kaguya came to the Ninja World. Moryo and the Shinigami, among others, had also appeared in this world long ago.
What if he got sealed, too?
Thinking of the Nine-Tails' fate, Naruto shuddered. He didn't want to end up sealed like the Nine-Tails. It looked like he'd have to learn some Sealing Jutsu if he got the chance.
After pausing for a moment, Naruto continued forward.
Soon, he reached a huge gate. He couldn't see the top even when he looked up. Through a crack in the gate, deep in the darkness, he could make out a pair of eyes as big as lanterns.
Gulp.
Naruto couldn't help swallowing. No matter how often he'd seen this in the anime, it had only been two-dimensional. Now, in the real world, the creature's size and sheer oppressive presence made him feel like he couldn't breathe.
"Oh, kid. Do you want power? If you do, tear off that paper. All my power will be yours."
The Nine-Tails' tempting voice rang out. Naruto's heart gave a hard thump. Others might not know just how powerful the Nine-Tails was, but Naruto did. And knowing that, he couldn't help being tempted.
"You're the Nine-Tails, aren't you?"
It was his first time facing a supernatural creature like this, so he was still a little nervous.
"Just so you know, I'm not afraid of you."
Though he said that, he couldn't help taking a few steps back. The crack in the gate was pretty big, and he was genuinely afraid the Nine-Tails might burst out. Of course, Naruto knew that the seal formed a barrier, making it impossible for the Nine-Tails to get through. But the sight of it was still terrifying.
Seeing the kid's expression, the Nine-Tails nearly burst out laughing. Luckily, he managed to hold it in. He couldn't ruin his image.
Of course, this time the Nine-Tails hadn't pulled Naruto inside. Naruto had entered on his own, desperate for power.