Awakening

"Sasuke! If you want revenge, you need a strong body to support you as you keep moving forward! How are you going to get stronger if you don't eat? Sigh, just like that! Eat more! Let's have a contest!"

This was Naruto.

"Nom, nom, nom... nom, nom, nom..."

This was... Sasuke?!

"Another bowl!"

"Another bowl!"

The nurse hurriedly served them another bowl of noodles.

Because the Third Hokage had given special instructions, all these meal expenses could be reimbursed by the village's finance department. They could eat as much as they wanted, and there was even a beautiful nurse specifically assigned to serve them.

Fei Shi: "..."

Yugao Uzuki: "..."

Well!

They had worried for nothing.

Fei Shi should have thought of it sooner; Naruto had been visiting Sasuke in the hospital every day for the past few days, staying for several hours each time.

Now that he was awake, how could Naruto not be there?

Besides, was there anyone negative around Naruto? No! That was Naruto Uzumaki, the owner of the strongest Kekkei Mora—Talk no Jutsu.

Could Sasuke possibly stay depressed with Naruto around?

No!

Even having such a thought was an insult to Naruto.

Talk no Jutsu was no joke.

Don't believe it?

Look at how heartily Sasuke was eating now; he even had the energy to compete with Naruto over who could eat more. It seemed he had stepped out of the shadows; he just needed a little more guidance.

"I'm finished, you play."

The voice was muffled. Fei Shi and Yugao sat on the bench outside the ward, listening to the commotion inside.

"Hahahaha, stupid Sasuke! You lost! This great me ate seven bowls, and I can still eat more."

"Nurse, give me another one, hic—serve me another!"

After listening to the show, Fei Shi walked into the ward and stopped the nurse, who was helplessly reaching for the ladle.

"Alright! Stop messing around! Honestly, you two have to compete over everything."

"Sasuke, I'll treat your arm, and then you should be discharged. Only when you have power can you decide your own future. Otherwise, everything is just empty talk."

Sasuke fell silent, gripping his right hand tightly.

"Master, I want to become stronger. Do you have any better methods?"

Sasuke's eyes were filled with hatred; he was currently craving powerful strength more than anything.

"Heh, even if I gave you powerful strength, so what? Could you control it? Those who are truly strong and stand at the top of the pyramid all climbed to the peak step by step on their own."

Except for cheaters, Fei Shi muttered to himself.

"Fine, I will train hard. I hope you can teach me the power to become stronger. No matter how tiring or bitter it is, I can endure it. Please, you must help me, Master."

Looking at Sasuke, whose eyes were red-rimmed, Fei Shi nodded in agreement.

"Ah, Sasuke, count me in too! I'll help you too, believe it!"

"You... idiot! I hope when the time comes... you don't back down. That damn Itachi is very strong."

"Hahahaha, I won't be afraid, believe it! To say it and do it, that is Naruto Uzumaki! I won't go back on my word to you!"

BOOM!

A powerful aura erupted from Naruto's body.

In that instant, all the doctors, nurses, and patients in the hospital without much strength... fainted.

"Conqueror's... Haki?"

Fei Shi was shocked. Did Conqueror's Haki just awaken like that? Although he had confidence in Naruto and Sasuke, he hadn't expected Naruto to awaken Conqueror's Haki just like this.

Sasuke, whose body had not fully recovered and whose spirit was still weak, fainted.

"Ah! Damn it! What happened! Is it an enemy attack? Pull the alarm!"

The Anbu ninjas guarding the hospital rushed in to assess the situation and pulled the alarm.

"Ah, this, this, this, what happened, believe it! Sasuke! Sasuke, are you okay!"

Fei Shi couldn't watch anymore.

"Enough! It was you who awakened Conqueror's Haki. It's normal for those with weak mental resistance to be unable to withstand it and pass out."

"Not bad... you brat, you've got potential!"

Thwack!

He slapped Naruto on the head, offering his congratulations.

"Conqueror's Haki? Big Brother Fei Shi, Big Brother Fei Shi, is it the one you told me about?"

Fei Shi nodded.

"This proves you possess the qualities of a king. In other words, you have the resolve to become Hokage and lead others."

Hearing Fei Shi's words, Naruto Uzumaki felt a surge of secret delight.

I awakened something before Sasuke even did! Hahahaha, I'm a genius!

"Hahahaha, of course! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"

"Alright! Stop being so cocky! You've caused trouble by unleashing Conqueror's Haki in the hospital."

Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, offering a polite reply:

"What's the big deal? Big Brother Fei Shi is here, isn't he? What's there to be afraid of!"

Fei Shi: "..."

Good grief! He's really mastered the art of borrowing someone else's authority to bully others.

Noon.

After explaining the situation to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. He then mentioned that he would come by for a visit when he had the time.

Fei Shi knew exactly what he was after—he was clearly eyeing the training methods for Haki.

Dream on!

This time, he swore that no matter what benefits Hiruzen Sarutobi offered, he wouldn't agree to anything.

The old man's appetite had grown, and ever since he discovered that Fei Shi had plenty of good things, he would drop by to squeeze something out of him for one reason or another. Every time, he used a different excuse, or provided a reason that was impossible to refuse.

But this time, no way!

After using the medical ninjutsu inherited from Tsunade to heal Sasuke's injuries, Naruto called Hinata and Neji over.

Since it was their day off, they were going to... train until they dropped.

Their current training volume was double what it used to be, but the time allotted had been cut to a third.

Their stamina and physical constitutions were already stronger than students about to graduate.

In the evenings, they still had to spar with his shadow clones for an hour, while he taught them the Body Replacement, Transformation, and Clone techniques, along with other simple ninjutsu.

As for Naruto, he wasn't teaching him ninjutsu yet, but rather hand seals.

Naruto couldn't properly execute ninjutsu that required complex hand seals, so he had to start by practicing and familiarizing himself with the various signs.

Those who could perform techniques just by clapping their hands were simply so proficient with the chakra manipulation required for each jutsu that they no longer needed seals. Anyone could do it if they reached an absurd level of mastery, though not everyone had the talent to get there.

It was still too early for Naruto's Rasengan. He could learn it when he turned ten; after all, it was a high-level, powerful technique. Before that, he could focus on developing Naruto's super-recovery, Adamantine Sealing Chains, and Kagura Mind's Eye.

For the current Naruto, these were the best choices for growing stronger.

After all, Naruto wasn't even proficient with hand seals yet. Instead of learning ninjutsu, it was better to let him master his own bloodline talents first.

And so, the four of them spent their days running in the early morning, attending school during the day, practicing ninjutsu at noon, sparring in the evening, and summarizing their progress and refining chakra at night.