Naruto's Heart

The sun shone brightly that morning.

Jiraiya and the others returned to the training ground they had chosen before.

"Now we're moving on to the second stage. We—"

"Yeah! Finally, some real training!"

Jiraiya hadn't even finished speaking when Naruto Uzumaki's cheer interrupted him.

That immediately killed his enthusiasm for continuing.

He pulled a white rubber ball from behind his back and tossed it to Naruto.

Then he held another white rubber ball in his right hand.

"This time, you have to burst this one!"

As Jiraiya spoke, chakra surged through his hand, and the rubber ball—which was far tougher than a water balloon—exploded in his palm.

"This thing's a hundred times tougher than a water balloon."

Jiraiya gave Naruto a teasing, challenging look.

Naruto had always been straightforward. Jiraiya's provocation immediately got under his skin.

"What's so impressive about that? I'll burst it in no time!"

He placed the rubber ball in his left hand, using the same method he'd used to burst the water balloon.

Chakra surged through his left hand as he repeatedly grabbed at the rubber ball with his right, making the chakra inside it more chaotic.

But the rubber ball was many times harder than the water balloon he'd used before. No matter what he tried, it didn't budge.

"It's so hard!"

"The first stage was rotation, and the second is power. Without water, it's hard to picture the direction the chakra is spinning, which makes rotating it difficult too!"

Jiraiya held up two fingers as he explained.

"From here on, you'll have to figure it out yourself. Once you manage to burst the rubber ball, we'll move on to the next stage of training."

"Then I'm off to gather some intel!"

At the mention of gathering intel, a knowing smile spread across Jiraiya's face.

He turned and left, as if he really did have urgent information to gather.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! It's been so long since we trained together. Stay and train with me! Even if you just take a nap, that's fine!"

Naruto cried out in a panic. Jiraiya had only given him a few instructions before leaving. Where was he supposed to start?

"Don't whine!"

Jiraiya's tone suddenly turned stern, with a hint of reproach.

"Did you misunderstand me? I said I'd teach you ninjutsu, but I never promised to hold your hand through it! If you can't do it on your own, then that's that. Stop acting like a child and learn to be a proper ninja!"

Naruto was struck speechless. Cold sweat trickled down his face, and he felt as though he'd done something terribly wrong.

Still, he forced himself to speak.

"Then... at least teach me a few more tricks!"

Jiraiya seemed to have been waiting for Naruto to say that. He turned around, his expression calm, and held out his right hand, palm up.

"Money!"

Naruto: "..."

He was about to lose it. His face flushed as he shouted:

"What's that supposed to mean, 'be a proper ninja'?! You're just a despicable, money-grubbing adult! You're nothing like a proper ninja!"

"Hah. Then train on your own."

Jiraiya scoffed and turned to leave.

"Fine! I'll train on my own!"

Naruto's stubborn streak kicked in. What was so impressive about Jiraiya? He'd gotten through the first stage of training by himself, hadn't he?

In the blink of an eye, it was already late at night.

"Haah... haah... haah... haah..."

In a clearing in the forest, a figure lay on the grass, gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently.

Naruto's hands trembled uncontrollably. Breaking through the rubber ball was much harder than breaking through the water balloon.

He'd spent the entire afternoon practicing, but he still hadn't made any progress.

Tap, tap, tap...

A light footstep approached.

Lin Mu silently walked over to Naruto and sat down on his right.

They sat in silence for a while before Lin Mu broke it.

"I know you want to get stronger as quickly as possible. You have a lot of things you need to do. But you can only push yourself as far as your body can handle. I hope you understand that too much of a good thing can be harmful."

Naruto was pushing himself far too hard.

As his friend, Lin Mu couldn't help worrying about him.

He'd thought about it for a long time, but in the end, he decided to say a few words to Naruto.

After speaking, Lin Mu didn't wait to see how Naruto would react. He placed a hand over Naruto's palm.

Chakra surged through his body, and a faint green light shone from his palm.

Medical Ninjutsu!

This Medical Ninjutsu hadn't been taught to him by anyone else. It was simply an innate talent.

Or rather, it wasn't true Medical Ninjutsu at all, but just one way Lin Mu's chakra manifested.

His chakra was rich with vitality, so he could use it just like Medical Ninjutsu.

If he ever got the chance to meet an expert, he could ask them how to properly learn Medical Ninjutsu.

Lin Mu believed that if he received more thorough, systematic training, his healing abilities would only grow stronger.

"Ah... that feels so good..."

A low, hoarse moan escaped Naruto.

He'd overused the chakra in his hands, and they'd been trembling nonstop with unbearable pain.

Fortunately, Lin Mu treated him every day, allowing him to keep going for so long.

The two fell silent again for a while.

This time, Naruto broke the silence.

"There are so many things I want to do. I have people I love and want to protect. I don't want to lose anyone important to me again...

"If I had the Pervy Sage's strength, maybe Grandpa Third wouldn't have died.

"And Sasuke... he's always wanted to avenge himself on his brother, but that man is just too strong. I have to keep getting stronger if I want to help Sasuke.

"You don't have to worry about me, either. I can keep going. I'll protect all the people who matter to me—Sasuke, Sakura, and... you.

"I still don't know anything about my parents. Once I get stronger, I want to track them down.

"There's a monster sealed inside me. I know everyone hates me... I lived in darkness for so long, and you all saved me!

"I have a dream, too. I'll make it come true. I'm going to become Hokage.

"Not just to prove myself. I want to protect everyone..."

"..."

No matter how cheerful, hardworking, and strong Naruto seemed,

he was still just a boy barely past ten.

He already carried burdens that many adults couldn't imagine, let alone bear.

"sigh"

Lin Mu stayed silent for a long time. Only after he heard Naruto's breathing grow steady did he sigh quietly.

"Don't worry, Naruto. Whatever you want or whatever you do... whether you want to become Hokage or protect your friends, I'll always be right behind you, helping you and healing you."

Lin Mu's voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible.

"Because you're my friend!"