Sasuke: Is that bastard Naruto trying to kill me?!

Bang!

The sound of a door slamming rang out.

Only after Shimura Danzō disappeared from sight did the Anbu finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Such a heated verbal clash between Konoha's two most powerful figures was a rare sight, even for Anbu who served at the Hokage's side.

For a moment, no one dared even breathe too loudly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent for a while.

The only thing in the Hokage's office was the occasional glow of his pipe, followed by thick smoke slowly filling the room...

"Keep protecting Naruto."

"Report to me immediately if you notice anything unusual."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The Anbu vanished into the moonlit night.

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his head and gazed at the full moon outside the window.

His memories seemed to drift back to that blood-soaked night ten years ago...

A long sigh echoed through the silent office.

By the time Naruto had finally completed a hundred repetitions of the Chakra Refinement Technique and two hundred repetitions of the Clone Technique,

he was so exhausted he couldn't even yawn anymore.

Without waiting for a prompt from the system, he immediately sank into a deep sleep.

Still,

the day had been incredibly rewarding for Naruto.

That morning, he had studied with Hinata, greatly improving his proficiency in his academic subjects.

In the afternoon, he had trained hard in Taijutsu with Rock Lee. Not only had his stamina broken through 90 points, but he had also run into Might Guy and learned a powerful secret Taijutsu move...

Leaf Whirlwind!

And practicing the Chakra Refinement Technique and Clone Technique that evening had also improved his mastery of both jutsu.

If things kept going like this, then passing the assessment a month from now and making the top ten in his class might...

not be a completely impossible dream after all...

Early the next morning,

Naruto got up early as usual, washed up, and prepared breakfast for himself.

He glanced out the window, but Hinata was nowhere to be seen.

Looks like she couldn't get permission to come out today...

Naruto sighed, feeling a little disappointed.

"Whatever. I can study by myself, too!"

After listening carefully in class these past few days, getting tutored by Hinata yesterday, and benefiting from his Knowledge Absorption trait—not to mention his improved proficiency in all his subjects...

though he was alone, he found that he could understand some of the material now.

The textbooks that had once looked like gibberish were now merely a little difficult to follow.

For Naruto, that was a huge step forward.

He didn't waste a single moment all morning.

His progress wasn't as great as it had been with Hinata's tutoring, but he had still learned quite a bit.

After eating a hearty lunch, Naruto headed toward the Konoha Training Ground again, as promised.

He hadn't even gotten close when he heard a familiar voice.

Thud, thud—

Thud, thud, thud!

It was Rock Lee!

Naruto couldn't help admiring him.

"Lee... You really are a hard worker..."

Rock Lee spotted Naruto and was overjoyed, breaking into his trademark radiant smile.

"It's Naruto!"

"I've prepared a new training plan for today!"

"It's much more intense than yesterday, and I've added special training for that move!"

"That's right, the Leaf Whirlwind Teacher Guy taught us!"

"Three thousand five hundred kicks against the wooden post!"

"Then four thousand five hundred punches against it!"

"Next, three thousand five hundred jump-rope skips!"

"Three thousand five hundred push-ups!"

"If you can't do it, walk around Konoha on your hands thirty-five times!"

"Once we're done, we'll practice the Leaf Whirlwind five hundred times!"

"How's that? Pretty easy, right?!"

Naruto: "...That sounds worse than getting struck by lightning!"

### Chapter 18: Sasuke: Is that bastard Naruto trying to kill me?!

Although Naruto complained, his body was still very much willing.

Before long, the Ninja Training Ground in Konoha rang with the sounds of burning youth.

Thud—

Thud, thud, thud!

Thanks to yesterday's training, Naruto's body seemed to have adjusted a little, and he gradually kept pace with Rock Lee.

Under the blazing summer sun,

the boys sweated profusely.

Front kicks, side kicks, punches, jump rope, push-ups...

The grueling training was like a living hell. Naruto and Rock Lee gave it everything they had, completely oblivious to everything around them.

By the end of the afternoon, Naruto felt as though he had died all over again.

Yet even after they had completed all their training, Rock Lee showed no sign of stopping.

"Naruto, let's practice the Taijutsu Teacher Guy taught us next!"

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Compared to that, walking around the village on their hands thirty-five times sounded incredibly dull.

Even Naruto immediately agreed.

"Okay!"

The two of them sparred and discussed the move, recalling Might Guy's demonstration and explanation from the day before as they gradually improved their understanding and mastery of it.

Thud—

Thud!

Naruto was making even more progress than Rock Lee.

He suddenly lashed out with a kick, striking the wooden post with tremendous force. Wood chips flew everywhere, and the post shuddered violently, making the dirt beneath it tremble as well!

"Just as I expected of you, Naruto!"

"Have you basically mastered it already?!"

Rock Lee's Taijutsu was no less powerful than Naruto's, but his understanding of the technique itself still lagged behind Naruto's.

His blows were strong, but they were too direct and easy to anticipate.

Naruto grinned triumphantly. "Lee, let's keep going!"

"Okay!"

At that moment, a cool-looking boy with his hands in his pockets passed by in silence.

Ever since Naruto had spurred him on, Sasuke Uchiha had made his already harsh training even more grueling, pushing himself to inhuman limits.

Even on his days off, he trained just as hard.

That day, Sasuke Uchiha was practicing without letting up.

Alongside the image of Itachi Uchiha's scarlet eyes in his mind, he also saw scenes of Naruto listening attentively in class, walking on his hands, and gritting his teeth as he trained with all his might...

"Damn it."

"That dead-last loser..."

Sasuke clenched his fists.

Even he was only human. Though he could train at the grounds in the Uchiha Compound, he still had to go to the village center to buy food.

After all...

he was the only one left in the vast Uchiha Compound.

He had to walk a long way into the village to buy food and daily necessities.

"Hm?"

Sasuke had bought his groceries and was about to head back and continue training when he suddenly heard the sounds of intense activity coming from the training ground.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Thud—

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Thud!

Sasuke's heart stirred. That voice... He knew it all too well.

"Naruto?"

He stopped, hesitating for a moment.

He wanted to take a look, but at the same time, he thought it was pointless.

Why am I paying so much attention to that dead-last loser?

His talent and strength are nowhere near mine!

Sasuke told himself that, but his body was another matter.

Carefully pushing aside the bushes, he quietly peered into the Konoha Training Ground.

"That's..."

Sasuke's eyes widened instantly!

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Naruto roared. His powerful strength burst forth as both legs lifted off the ground. He spun rapidly through the air, dazzling to watch, then unleashed a powerful kick that slammed into the wooden post!

Thud—