Soul Control and Martial Skills

The next morning, at the home of Hiruzen Sarutobi, an Anbu ninja was reporting on the anomalies Naruto Uzumaki had displayed the previous night. Upon hearing that a dozen chains had erupted from Naruto's back, Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brows and took a deep drag from his pipe.

"Aside from the chains, did you see anything else?"

"No other abnormalities were detected," the Anbu replied with a tone of certainty.

"Very well, you may go and rest."

Once the Anbu had left, the Third Hokage stood with his arms crossed, pacing back and forth in his study while puffing on his pipe, his thoughts racing:

It seems the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan has awakened. I wonder if any other abilities have surfaced; if the Adamantine Sealing Chains have awakened, suppressing the Nine-Tails will be even easier.

I must manufacture more bonds to give him a greater sense of belonging to the village; that will make him easier to control. The heirs of the village's major clans are about to start school this term, so I can arrange for Naruto to be in the same class as them. It's just that the Uchiha Clan...

The elderly Hiruzen no longer possessed the stature of the "God of Shinobi" he had been in his youth; power had eroded his heart. Over the years, the missions Asuma Sarutobi had undertaken were primarily related to the upper echelons of the Land of Fire. Coupled with Asuma Sarutobi's previous tenure among the Twelve Guardian Ninja, his prestige was already sufficient. He only needed the right opportunity to push Asuma Sarutobi toward the position of Hokage.

Naruto must be kept firmly in hand. A Nine-Tails jinchuriki who had also awakened the Uzumaki Clan bloodline—such high combat potential would be a great asset for his future plans.

On the other side, at Naruto's home.

Naruto had already risen and finished washing up. Activating his God Moon Mind's Eye, he discovered that the Anbu ninjas outside had been replaced by two unfamiliar faces.

So, it's twenty-four-hour surveillance now. It looks like I have no choice. Naruto made a silent decision in his heart.

He glanced at the milk and instant noodles in his house; they were all expired. Abandoning the idea of breakfast, he closed the door and headed toward the back mountains of Konoha.

After leaving his home, Naruto kept his God Moon Mind's Eye active. The two Anbu ninjas maintained a constant distance behind him, and the malicious, disgusted expressions of the people around him were all captured by Naruto. His expression remained unchanged; he continued to walk forward with his hands behind his head, smiling, though his eyes grew increasingly cold.

Soon, he reached the back mountains of Konoha. Naruto first went into the woods to find some wild fruit as he usually did, then went to the small river, took out a hidden fishing rod, and began to fish while eating the fruit.

After fishing for a long time, a fish finally took the bait. He pulled it up and walked to a slightly more spacious clearing, started a fire to roast the fish, and sat down to wait.

Before long, Naruto felt he was being watched. Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At that moment, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching Naruto through a crystal ball. Seeing nothing unusual, he manipulated the crystal ball to look toward the Konoha bathhouse.

Back mountains of Konoha.

Once the sensation of being watched vanished, Naruto knew he could begin. He stood up and walked toward the two Anbu ninjas in the distance. The two ninjas didn't react, remaining crouched in their hiding spots.

As soon as he reached the range of his Adamantine Sealing Chains, Naruto released them, sending them flying toward the pair. Only when they saw the Adamantine Sealing Chains did the two react, but it was already too late. The purple chains wrapped around their bodies, sealing their mouths tightly.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains possessed an inherent chakra-sealing effect. Even the Nine-Tails, known for its infinite chakra among the Tailed Beasts, could not break free, let alone these two Anbu ninjas. Soon, the two were dragged before Naruto.

"Hey, is spying on me every day fun? Let me let you experience something even more fun." As he spoke, ignoring the man's terrified gaze, Naruto placed his hand on his head and began to circulate the Soul Control Art he had learned last night. (Because Naruto and the Demon Owl had undergone a soul fusion—or rather, Naruto had devoured that remnant soul—he could quickly master anything the soul had learned.)

A strange purple light emanated from Naruto's hand. Slowly, the man's expression shifted from terror to a blank stare, finally returning to normal. Seeing this, Naruto lowered his hand, released the chains, and asked, "Name."

"Master, my name is Hikaru Yamanaka, Anbu codename Tianyi," the man replied respectfully, kneeling on the ground.

"Did Hiruzen Sarutobi send you to monitor me? How many of you are there in total?"

"Yes, Master. There are four of us in total, in groups of two."

Hearing this, Naruto asked no more. He turned to the other one and controlled him in the same way.

Seeing both men kneeling respectfully, Naruto commanded, "From now on, call me Lord. Continue your surveillance duties and report to Hiruzen Sarutobi every day. I don't need to teach you what to say, do I?"

"Understood, Lord."

"Good. Also, teach me the Shadow Clone Technique." Naruto wanted to test whether the spiritual energy cultivated through the Supreme Demon Sutra could be used for ninjutsu. Although ninjutsu was not as useful as martial arts, some techniques were necessary.

After Tianyi explained the hand seals required for the technique, Naruto ordered the two to return to their previous positions.

Returning to his roasted fish, Naruto began to attempt the Shadow Clone Technique. He formed the seals with his hands:

1. Ox: Right hand horizontal, left hand vertical. 2. Dog: Right fist placed in the palm of the left hand. 3. Dragon: Thumbs overlapped, left thumb on top. 4. Rat: Thumbs overlapped, left thumb on top. 5. Dog: Right fist placed in the palm of the left hand. 6. Boar: This posture requires good wrist flexibility. 7. Snake: Thumbs overlapped, left thumb on top. 8. Tiger: Thumbs of both hands straightened.

As the final seal was completed, with a poof, a figure exactly like him appeared beside him. At the same time, the spiritual energy in his energy vortex was halved.

Hmm, ninjutsu can be used, and it's much stronger than ninjutsu released with chakra. The original Shadow Clone would dissipate upon taking damage, but mine won't; it will only vanish when the energy is exhausted. This is interesting.

Seeing the effect of the Shadow Clone, many ideas sprouted in Naruto's mind.

However, Naruto didn't dwell on it, as he still had his halberd techniques and leg techniques to practice.

Because he didn't have a halberd, he had to use a tree branch as a substitute. But the moment he began to practice, Naruto discovered that the branch couldn't withstand the impact of the spiritual energy. As soon as the energy attached to it, the branch shattered.

It seems the practice of halberd techniques will have to be put on hold for now. I need to find a way to forge a great halberd capable of bearing spiritual energy.

Afterward, Naruto looked at the leg technique. The leg technique was called Mad Demon Leg and consisted of only three stances.

First Form: Mountain Breaker

Second Form: Stream Cutter

Third Form: Void Piercer

Naruto Uzumaki controlled the spiritual energy within his vortex, guiding it along the recorded pathways toward the necessary meridians and acupoints. Because this was his first time practicing, the flow of energy was somewhat sluggish. A moment later, as the spiritual energy began to circulate according to the prescribed route, Naruto Uzumaki knew he had mastered the entry level of the first form. He kicked out at a massive tree in front of him—one that would require two people to encircle—and with a loud thud, a basin-sized crater was left in the trunk.

Seeing the crater he had kicked into the wood, Naruto Uzumaki nodded in satisfaction and resumed his training.

Whenever the spiritual energy in his internal vortex was exhausted, he would sit down to absorb and recover it, only to resume his training once his energy was restored, continuing until dusk.

After eating two fish grilled by Tianyi and telling him to return to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Naruto Uzumaki headed home. Two Anbu were waiting for him that night, and after a full day of training, it was time to go back, take a bath, and rest.

Hokage Office

As usual, Tianyi knelt on one knee. "Lord Hokage, today's classroom mission is complete. There was nothing unusual about the Nine-Tails jinchuriki."

"Mm, very well. I understand. You may go back and rest; continue the mission tomorrow."

"Yes, this subordinate will take his leave." With that, he walked out of the Hokage Office.

Knowing Naruto Uzumaki's status for the day, Hiruzen Sarutobi checked his crystal ball to see that the Konoha bathhouse was empty, then took off his Hokage robes and headed home.

After returning home, Naruto Uzumaki kept his God Moon Mind's Eye active. Once the two replacement ninjas arrived, he used the Soul Control Art to subdue them both, then lay on his bed to practice the Supreme Demon Sutra. (Because of Naruto Uzumaki, everyone living near his home had moved away, so he had no fear of anyone seeing his Adamantine Sealing Chains.)

And so, he practiced the Supreme Demon Sutra at night and trained his leg techniques in the mountains during the day, while Tianyi and the others continued to report Naruto Uzumaki's situation to the Third Hokage.

Five days later...