Training

"Thud... thud-thud."

Small stones struck the target with precision as Naruto threw them repeatedly at the surrounding targets using the same technique one would use for shuriken.

Yi Xiang nodded slightly from the side; although he observed that only two or three out of every ten stones hit the bullseye, it was quite impressive for Naruto at this age to even hit the target at all.

"That's enough, take a break," Yi Xiang advised, looking at Naruto, whose face was covered in sweat and whose back was already soaked through.

During this time, Yi Xiang had been teaching Naruto his own throwing methods and techniques, even demonstrating them himself—hitting the bullseye eight or nine times out of ten, with the remaining shots landing well within the inner rings.

Aside from his innate talent, the only thing the original owner of this body could show off was his shuriken throwing technique, which was considered standard for the Uchiha.

Yi Xiang's thoughts drifted as he considered what else he could teach Naruto.

"Naruto, watch closely and pay attention to my feet."

Yi Xiang didn't forget to remind Naruto once more. Below, Naruto nodded earnestly, his eyes locked onto Yi Xiang.

One step, two steps... Yi Xiang's posture remained as upright as if he were walking on flat ground at a 90-degree angle. To make it easier for Naruto to observe, Yi Xiang moved very slowly.

Before long, he reached the top of the tree. Yi Xiang didn't continue upward; instead, he controlled the chakra in his soles to adhere to the thick trunk, hanging upside down.

"Wow... whoa, Big Brother Yi Xiang, I want to learn that!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

Yi Xiang took a Kunai from his ninja tool pouch and tossed it with his left hand to where Naruto stood.

"Naruto, it's not that simple to learn. First, use the Kunai to mark the highest point you can reach, and then keep trying to surpass it."

Naruto gave an "mm-hmm" and couldn't wait to pick up the Kunai to start trying. Yi Xiang walked back down a few steps, then leaped off, landing steadily on the ground.

For Yi Xiang, who possessed near-total knowledge of the Hokage world, the two essential basics of tree-climbing and water-walking were not unfamiliar.

In his spare time over the past few months, Yi Xiang had mastered and applied them through constant trial and error. Now, he was simply copying the method Kakashi used to teach Naruto.

As for potential inquiries from Konoha's higher-ups, the excuse Yi Xiang had prepared was that he had previously seen Uchiha ninjas teaching their own children.

Even if Yi Xiang used the Great Fireball Technique, he could still use this excuse. However, he believed that a genius capable of using ninjutsu at age eight would certainly be closely watched and recruited by Konoha's leadership.

"Thud!" As Yi Xiang expected, Naruto fell heavily after taking only two steps up the tree. Naruto quickly got back up—once, twice... he kept falling and kept trying.

Several hours later, Naruto accelerated into a run, ascended to the middle of the six-meter-tall tree in the blink of an eye, quickly carved a mark into the bark with his Kunai, and then flipped down to land steadily on the ground.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Witnessing Naruto's progress, Yi Xiang did not hesitate to applaud in appreciation, then praised him, "Well done, take a break for a while."

"Rustle~ Whoosh!"

The autumn wind wove through the dense forest, carrying away leaves that had turned slightly yellow, brushing right against the cheeks of Yi Xiang and Naruto.

Yi Xiang felt a hint of chill, while Naruto spread his arms as if enjoying the coolness of a mountain stream.

Yi Xiang was not as diligent as Naruto; training for one hour a day was the limit of what he could handle mentally.

Although there is no academic pressure in this world, the food is decent, and life is stable enough, there is still less entertainment than before.

But I should be content. In this world where ninja strength is supreme, I don't have to worry about food or drink, I have a system at my disposal, and besides, by the time Boruto's era arrives, technology will be so advanced that there will surely be plenty of fun things to do.

Yi Xiang smiled slightly, his thoughts clearing.

The brown tree Naruto used for training had the good fortune of witnessing his growth, covered from bottom to top with scratch marks carved by the Kunai.

Evening dusk descended, and the sky gradually became hazy and mysterious. As the sunset faded, two slightly immature figures walked slowly through the streets.

Before long, inside Ichiraku Ramen, Yi Xiang and Naruto both picked up their chopsticks and spoke in unison, "Let's eat."

The rich broth, the tender chashu pork, and the delicious noodles coated in savory soup—just the scent alone was enough to intoxicate anyone.

One bowl, two bowls... eight bowls, nine bowls. Uncle Ichiraku and his daughter Ayame smiled as they added more noodles for Yi Xiang and Naruto, both seemingly happy that Naruto had made a friend.

"Gurgle~ Gurgle!"

As the last mouthful of soup went down, Yi Xiang couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. To celebrate today's training results, Yi Xiang had generously declared that they could eat as much as they wanted tonight.

But only for tonight; otherwise, given their appetites, Yi Xiang felt that it wouldn't be long before he was reduced to eating fish just to survive.

A month passed in a blur of disciplined training and leisure.

Of course, during this time, it was mainly Naruto doing the training while Yi Xiang supervised from the sidelines.

Unable to endure the boredom, Yi Xiang trained for at most one hour a day, spending the rest of his time fishing or finding a spot to nap.

Occasionally, he would take Naruto out for grilled meat or to soak in the hot springs.

As the two grew closer, Naruto followed Yi Xiang wherever he went, sticking to him like a shadow and listening to his every word.

At night, after Yi Xiang and Naruto finished dinner together, they said their goodbyes and returned to their respective lodgings.

Closing the door, Yi Xiang found a blind spot hidden from outside view, lowered his head, and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He quickly unfolded it to reveal two names and routes marked in red and black ink.

Beside the name Jing Tianjinya were three small red stars, while "Nonaka Family" had one small red star—these were his targets for tonight.

At two in the morning, Yi Xiang, who had been glancing at the clock every so often, sat up. Having spent the last few hours resting his eyes, he could barely suppress his drowsiness. "System, open inventory."

Yi Xiang lightly tapped a white card featuring an image of Naruto Uzumaki as he appeared just after graduating from the Ninja Academy, and a notification window instantly flashed before him.

[Ding! Fusing with ninja Naruto Uzumaki, remaining duration: 23:59]

In a trance, Yi Xiang felt a surge of energy pour into his body, filling him with strength. His previously sleepy body felt no trace of fatigue, feeling even more energized than he had during the day, while a wealth of combat techniques and ninjutsu flooded his mind.

This was Yi Xiang's trump card for the night, and the first Common-grade ninja he had drawn: Naruto Uzumaki.

Aside from lacking Naruto's memories, his combat instincts and experience seem to have merged with my own as a reference. If I use the Transformation Technique to take on his appearance to fight the enemy, I doubt anyone would suspect I'm a fake Naruto.

Still, it actually includes the Rasengan. I thought a Naruto from this period would have just graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Thankfully, it doesn't affect my intelligence; otherwise, if I'd drawn an idiot, there would be no way to return the product. Yi Xiang grumbled to himself before beginning to weave hand seals.

"--Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Poof!"

The white smoke dissipated instantly, and two clones identical to Yi Xiang appeared in a flash. Without needing a word from Yi Xiang, the two clones performed hand seals to transform into tiny mosquitoes, immediately flying out the window.

Jing Tianjinya, male, aged around 30 to 45, was a well-known local drunkard and thug. Lazy and gluttonous, he relied on his large, obese frame to dine and dash or bully those weaker than himself.

Back when Yi Xiang was training with Naruto, this man had mocked them both as orphans and jinxes, spitting in front of them with a look of disdain and malice. He was suspected to be one of the first to spread the rumors that Naruto was a demon fox.

Upon arriving at the target's residence, Yi Xiang's clone recalled the target's identity—information Yi Xiang had easily gathered in his spare time—and then found a gap in the wooden door to fly inside.

It was a typical wooden shack with a slanted roof common in Konoha, and as soon as he entered, the stench of stale alcohol assaulted the clone's senses.

The room was sparsely furnished with liquor bottles scattered in a chaotic mess, and Jing Tianjinya was fast asleep on the floor, snoring loudly.

Enduring the wretched environment, Yi Xiang's clone transformed into the attire of a Root operative and slowly approached the target. When he was half a step away, a hand quickly clamped over Jing Tianjinya's nose and mouth, and then he stomped down hard, precisely pinning the man's fat hand to the floor.