Naruto, What's the point of being Hokage if you don't get involved!

Bang!

The sound of a closing door echoed through the room.

Only after the figure of Shimura Danzō vanished did those few Anbu finally let out a sigh of relief.

For the two most powerful figures in Konoha to engage in such an intense verbal confrontation was a rare scene, even for these Anbu members who followed the Hokage closely.

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

Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent for a long while.

In the Hokage office, only the occasional glow of his pipe embers remained, followed by thick smoke that gradually filled the air...

"Continue to protect Naruto well."

"Report any abnormalities to me immediately."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The figures of the Anbu vanished instantly into the moonlight.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at the full moon outside the window.

His memories seemed to drift back to that bloody night ten years ago...

A long sigh echoed through the silent office.

By the time Naruto finally completed one hundred repetitions of the Chakra Refinement Technique and two hundred repetitions of the Clone Technique, he couldn't even manage a yawn.

Without waiting for a system prompt, he immediately entered a deep sleep.

However, this day had been incredibly rewarding for Naruto.

In the morning, he had studied with Hinata, significantly increasing his proficiency in academic subjects.

In the afternoon, he had trained in taijutsu with Rock Lee, not only pushing his stamina stat past 90 points but also encountering Might Guy and learning a trump-card-level taijutsu move...

Leaf Whirlwind!

His evening practice of the Chakra Refinement Technique and the Clone Technique had also greatly improved his mastery of those two ninjutsu.

At this rate, placing in the top ten of his class in the assessment a month from now might...

...not be a complete daydream after all.

Early the next morning.

Naruto woke up early out of habit, washed up, and prepared his own breakfast.

He looked out the window, but Hinata's figure did not appear.

It seems she couldn't get time off today...

Naruto sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Forget it, I can study on my own!"

After days of attentive listening, combined with Hinata's tutoring yesterday and the assistance of his [Knowledge Absorption] trait—not to mention the increased proficiency in his various subjects...

Even alone, he found he could actually understand these things a little bit.

The textbooks that once looked like gibberish were now only slightly obscure.

For Naruto, this was a massive step forward.

He didn't waste a single moment of the morning.

Although the improvement wasn't as significant as when Hinata was tutoring him, he still made plenty of progress.

After a hearty lunch, Naruto headed toward the Konoha Training Ground as agreed.

Before he even got close, he heard a familiar sound.

Bang, bang—

Bang, bang, bang!

It was Rock Lee!

Naruto couldn't help but feel immense admiration.

"Lee... you guy, you really are hardworking..."

Rock Lee spotted Naruto and was overjoyed, flashing his signature bright smile.

"It's Naruto!"

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

"Not only has it increased significantly compared to yesterday, but we've also added special training for that move!"

"That's right, it's the Leaf Whirlwind that Might Guy taught us!"

"3,500 consecutive kicks to the wooden stake!"

"Then 4,500 strikes to the wooden stake!"

"Followed by 3,500 jump rope repetitions!"

"3,500 push-ups!"

"If you can't do it, you have to walk around Konoha 35 times on your hands!"

"Once that's finished, practice the Leaf Whirlwind 500 times!"

"How about it? Simple, right?!"

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

Although Naruto complained, his body was honest enough.

Soon, the sound of burning youth echoed across the Ninja Training Ground in Konoha.

Bang—

Bang, bang, bang!

With the foundation from yesterday's special training, Naruto's body seemed to have adapted somewhat, gradually keeping pace with Rock Lee.

Under the scorching sun of Natsuhi.

The boys were sweating profusely.

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

The brutal training, comparable to a living hell, forced Naruto and Rock Lee to give it their all, leaving them completely oblivious to everything outside.

By the end of the afternoon, Naruto felt as if he had died once again.

However, even after completing all the special training, Rock Lee showed no signs of stopping.

"Naruto, next let's practice the taijutsu Might Guy taught us!"

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Compared to that, walking around the village on his hands 35 times was far too boring.

Even Naruto agreed immediately.

"Alright!"

The two sparred and discussed, recalling the demonstration and explanation from Might Guy yesterday, gradually improving their understanding and mastery of the move.

Bang—

Bang!

Naruto's progress was even greater than Rock Lee's.

He kicked out fiercely, striking the wooden stake hard. Wood chips flew everywhere, the entire stake trembled violently, and even the soil on the ground shook!

"As expected of Naruto!"

"Have you basically mastered it already?!"

Rock Lee's physical strength was by no means inferior to Naruto's, but his understanding of the technique itself lagged behind.

The force of his strikes was strong, but they were too straightforward and easily seen through.

Naruto said smugly, "Lee, let's continue!"

"Right!"

At this very moment, a cold boy with his hands in his pockets was passing by silently.

Ever since being provoked by Naruto, Sasuke Uchiha had also intensified his own rigorous training to an inhuman level.

Even on his day off, it was the same.

On this day, Sasuke Uchiha was practicing without any slack as well.

In his mind, besides the scarlet pupils of Itachi Uchiha, scenes of Naruto listening intently, walking on his hands, and gritting his teeth through life-or-death training kept appearing...

"Damn it."

"That bastard dead-last..."

Sasuke couldn't help but clench his fists.

However, even he was ultimately made of flesh and blood. Although he could train at the Uchiha Compound, he still had to go to the central area of the village to eat.

After all...

In the vast Uchiha Compound now, he was the only one left.

Whether buying groceries or daily necessities, he had to travel a long way to the village.

"Hmm?"

Having finished buying groceries and preparing to return to his training, Sasuke suddenly heard a fierce commotion coming from the Konoha Training Ground.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Bang—

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Bang!

Sasuke's heart stirred; this voice... he couldn't be more familiar with it.

"Naruto?"

He paused, hesitating for a moment.

He wanted to go take a look, but felt it was a waste of time.

Why am I so concerned about that dead-last?

Whether it's his talent or his strength, he and I are worlds apart!

Though Sasuke said this in his heart, his body was honest.

He carefully parted the bushes and shrubs, peeking quietly toward the interior of the Konoha Training Ground.

"That is..."

Sasuke's eyes widened instantly!

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

In his line of sight, Naruto let out a roar, erupting with immense physical power. He launched himself into the air, spinning and twisting with dizzying speed, before delivering a ferocious kick that slammed heavily into the wooden stake!

Bang—