The next morning, at Hiruzen Sarutobi's home, an Anbu Ninja reported Naruto's unusual behavior from the previous night. When he heard that more than a dozen chains had emerged from Naruto's back, Hiruzen furrowed his brow and took a deep drag on his pipe.
"Besides the chains, did you notice anything else?"
"We didn't find anything unusual," the Anbu Ninja replied firmly.
"All right. Go get some rest."
After hearing the Anbu Ninja's firm answer, the Third Hokage sent him away. With his pipe in his mouth and his arms crossed, he paced back and forth in his study, thinking:
"It looks like the Uzumaki bloodline has awakened. I wonder if any of his other abilities have awakened too. With the Adamantine Sealing Chains, suppressing the Nine-Tails will be even easier."
"I need to create more bonds for him so he'll feel a stronger sense of belonging to the village. That'll make him easier to control. The heirs of several of the village's major clans will be starting school this term, so I can put Naruto in the same class as them. It's just the Uchiha Clan..."
In his old age, the Third Hokage no longer resembled the Shinobi Hero he had been in his youth. Power had already corrupted him. For years, the missions Asuma Sarutobi had taken on had mostly involved the Land of Fire's upper ranks. On top of that, Asuma had once served as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, giving him enough prestige. They only needed to wait for the right opportunity to put Asuma forward for the Hokage Position.
Naruto had to remain under his control. A Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who had also awakened the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan would be a great asset to his future plans...
Meanwhile, at Naruto's home.
Naruto had already gotten up and washed. When he activated God Moon Mind's Eye, he saw that the Anbu Ninja outside had been replaced by two unfamiliar faces.
"They're watching me around the clock. Looks like I have no choice but to do this." Naruto silently made up his mind.
He glanced at the milk and instant noodles in the house. They were all expired, so he gave up on breakfast, closed the door, and headed for Konoha's back mountain.
As soon as he stepped outside, Naruto kept God Moon Mind's Eye activated. The two Anbu Ninja followed at a certain distance, while the venomous, disgusted expressions of the people around him all came into view. Naruto's expression didn't change. He kept walking with his hands behind his head and a grin on his face, though his gaze grew colder and colder.
He soon reached Konoha's back mountain. As usual, Naruto first picked some wild fruit in the woods. Then he went to the riverside, took out the fishing rod he had hidden there, and fished while eating the fruit.
After a long wait, he finally caught a fish. He carried it to a fairly open patch of ground, started a fire, and set the fish to roast. Naruto sat beside it and waited...
Before long, he sensed someone watching him. "Finally. Hiruzen Sarutobi."
At that moment, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Naruto through a Crystal Ball. Seeing nothing unusual and everything looking the same as usual, he steered the Crystal Ball toward Konoha's bathhouse.
Konoha's back mountain.
Once the feeling of being watched disappeared, Naruto knew he could make his move. He stood up and walked toward the two Anbu Ninja in the distance. They didn't react; they simply stayed crouched in their hiding places.
When he was within range of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Naruto sent them flying toward the two men. The Anbu Ninja only reacted when they saw the chains, but by then it was too late. Purple chains wrapped around their bodies and sealed their mouths shut.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains could seal chakra. Even the Nine-Tails, famed among the Tailed Beasts for its boundless chakra, couldn't break free, let alone these two Anbu Ninja. Naruto soon dragged them in front of him.
"Heh, having fun watching me every day? Let me show you something even more fun." Ignoring the man's terrified expression, Naruto placed a hand on his head and began circulating the Soul Control Art he had learned the night before. (Because Naruto and Demon Owl had merged their souls—or, rather, because Naruto had devoured that remnant soul—he could quickly master everything it had learned.)
An eerie purple glow shone from Naruto's hand. The man's expression slowly shifted from terror to blankness, then returned to normal. Seeing that, Naruto lowered his hand and released the chains before asking,
"Your name?"
"Master, my name is Hikaru Yamanaka. My Anbu codename is Tianyi," the man answered respectfully, kneeling on the ground.
"Did Hiruzen Sarutobi send you to watch me? How many of you are there?"
"Yes, Master. There are four of us, in pairs."
Naruto asked nothing more. He turned to the other man and controlled him in the same way.
Seeing the two men kneeling respectfully, Naruto instructed them,
"From now on, call me 'sir.' Keep doing your job as my watchers and report to Hiruzen Sarutobi every day. You don't need me to tell you what to say, do you?"
"Understood, sir."
"Good. By the way, teach me the Shadow Clone Technique." Naruto wanted to see whether he could use ninjutsu with the spiritual energy he had cultivated through the Supreme Demon Sutra. Ninjutsu wasn't as useful as martial techniques, but some techniques were essential.
After Tianyi told Naruto the Hand Seals required for the technique, Naruto sent the two men back to their previous positions.
Returning to the roasted fish, Naruto began trying the Shadow Clone Technique. He formed the Hand Seals with both hands.
Ox: Keep the right hand horizontal and the left hand vertical.
2. Dog: Place the right fist in the palm of the left hand.
3. Dragon: Stack the thumbs, with the left thumb on top.
4. Rat: Stack the thumbs, with the left thumb on top.
5. Dog: Place the right fist in the palm of the left hand.
6. Boar: This position required flexible wrists.
7. Snake: Stack the thumbs, with the left thumb on top.
8. Tiger: Keep both thumbs straight.
As soon as he finished the final seal, there was a poof, and a figure identical to Naruto appeared beside him. At the same time, half the spiritual energy in his vortex was used up.
"Hmm, I can still use ninjutsu, and it's much stronger than when released with chakra. The original Shadow Clone would disappear as soon as it took damage, but mine won't. It'll only disappear once its energy runs out. This is interesting."
Seeing the effect of the Shadow Clone, Naruto came up with a lot of ideas.
But Naruto didn't dwell on them just yet, because he still had to train in halberd techniques and leg techniques.
He had no halberd for practicing the halberd techniques, so he could only use a branch instead. But as soon as he started training, he realized the branch couldn't withstand the surge of spiritual energy. The moment the energy gathered on it, the branch burst apart.
"Looks like I'll have to put halberd training on hold for now. I need to find a way to make a great halberd that can withstand spiritual energy."
Then Naruto looked over the leg technique. It was called Mad Demon Leg and had only three forms.
First form: Mountain Breaker
Second form: Stream Cutter
Third form: Void Piercer
Naruto guided the spiritual energy in his vortex, sending it along the prescribed pathways through the necessary meridians and acupoints. Since this was his first time practicing, the energy flowed a little slowly. After a short while, it began to circulate along the prescribed route. Naruto knew he had mastered the first form, so he kicked the large tree in front of him, which would have taken two people to wrap their arms around. With a bang, a basin-sized crater appeared in its trunk.
Seeing the crater he had kicked into the tree, Naruto nodded with satisfaction and continued training.
Whenever the spiritual energy in his vortex ran out, he sat down to absorb more and replenish it. Once his energy was restored, he resumed training. He continued until evening.
After eating two fish Tianyi had roasted, Naruto sent Tianyi back to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then headed home. The other two Anbu were waiting for him that night, and after a whole day of training, he needed to go home, take a bath, and rest.
Hokage's office.
As usual, Tianyi knelt on one knee. "Lord Hokage, today's classroom mission is complete. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki showed no unusual behavior."
"Good. I understand. Go get some rest. Continue the mission tomorrow."
"Yes. Then I'll take my leave, sir." With that, he walked out of the Hokage's office.
After learning about Naruto's condition that day, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that the Crystal Ball showed no one at Konoha's bathhouse. He then took off his Hokage robe and went home.
After returning home, Naruto kept God Moon Mind's Eye activated. When the two shinobi on the next shift arrived, he controlled them with the Soul Control Art as well. Then he lay down and began cultivating the Supreme Demon Sutra. (Because of Naruto, everyone living near his home had moved away, so he didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him use the Adamantine Sealing Chains.)
And so, he cultivated the Supreme Demon Sutra at night and trained in leg techniques in the back mountain during the day, while Tianyi and the others continued reporting Naruto's activities to the Third Hokage.
Five days later...
Before you continue