Why had Naruto in the original story been so short and scrawny?
You could figure out why just by thinking for a second.
He was malnourished.
Or, more bluntly, his health was being ruined.
There was no way he could grow properly.
That would have been a miracle!
Naruto could no longer expect anything from Konoha.
So if he wanted to eat his fill, he had to fend for himself.
And this forest had become his first choice.
Before he could defend himself, he had started by picking wild vegetables and berries from the outskirts. Later, after he first managed to refine his own chakra—and especially after he began studying at the Ninja Academy and grew stronger—he could greatly expand the area where he gathered food. The live fish, shrimp, and crabs in front of him, as well as some of the beasts in the forest, were all fair game. Even the slightly more vicious ones were no match for him now. In fact, at first, Naruto had used them as targets to hone his skills. Besides, even if he couldn't beat one, to put it plainly, Anbu were watching nearby. At worst, they'd be there to bail him out. Naruto had nothing to fear.
And it was precisely because he had this approach
that, during this time,
he had never had to worry about food.
This approach
not only let him get food, but also gave him a chance to train.
Why not do both?
As for whether he would be restricted,
Naruto was completely at ease.
This was no problem at all. The Anbu watching him would surely report every last detail to the Third Hokage, and the old man himself had a crystal ball that could monitor all of Konoha.
If they hadn't stopped him from the beginning,
then it meant this was allowed.
Naruto used the fresh fish he caught
to make soup.
It was also the best way to preserve the fish's freshness and nutrients.
As for the taste,
Naruto never fussed over it under these conditions. His top priority was always to improve his combat strength. He chose whichever method best replenished his nutrition and supported his daily training.
As for the essential equipment needed for ninja training,
once Naruto started studying at the Ninja Academy,
he could get some of it there.
As for the rest,
even if he couldn't buy it himself, he could get it through Iruka. Even now, Iruka still felt a mixture of pity, concern, and resentment toward Naruto, along with a little confusion. But because of the Third Hokage's instructions, and because he was Naruto's teacher, Iruka looked after him quite well in most respects.
For instance, Iruka often took Naruto out for a better meal.
Whenever he learned that Naruto needed some equipment for training,
he would buy it for him without hesitation, using his own money.
Even when Naruto said he could pay,
Iruka would smile and refuse.
Naruto hadn't obtained the Nine-Tails Chakra yet, so he couldn't sense malice. But even so, just being in that atmosphere—especially when he and Iruka looked each other in the eye—made him feel something he could only describe as warmth.
It was one of the few rays of sunlight in the depths of Naruto's heart that hadn't been swallowed by the shadows.
Thanks to that,
over the past year or so,
Naruto's life had become much easier.
His training had also progressed steadily.
His days at the Ninja Academy had even turned out far better than he had expected. At least the other children didn't look at him with fear or disgust. Of course, that was also because they didn't know the truth yet. And unlike the Naruto in the original story, this Naruto wasn't mischievous. He was quiet and composed, and with his blond hair, he stood out. He was also nowhere near the dead-last failure he had been in the original story. Though he deliberately hid his abilities and didn't take first place in the class, his overall scores in both written exams and practical tests consistently ranked in the top five. In theory, he was always first.
That made Naruto quite popular with the girls at school.
The most popular student was naturally the young master of the Uchiha Clan.
It wasn't just because of his looks. No matter what the test was, Uchiha Sasuke always ranked first. And as the youngest son of the head of Konoha's foremost ninja clan, it was only natural that he attracted so much attention.
Naruto didn't care about the little bit of fame he had at school.
The reason he hid his abilities a little
was that he didn't want to draw too much attention.
It wasn't that he was afraid of anything.
For now, the Third Hokage stood between him and danger. As long as Naruto didn't do anything outrageous and didn't let the Third Hokage see what he was really thinking, he would be fine. That damned Bandage Man wouldn't be able to take him away, either.
As long as the Third Hokage was alive,
Naruto did have to thank him a little for that.
He only let himself think it for a moment.
He also showed a respectable level of skill because he had always been diligent and eager to learn. And since the Third Hokage occasionally checked on his training from "above," it would have been suspicious if Naruto had nothing to show for his efforts.
Hiding his abilities a little was no problem. Besides, people tended to pay attention to the top student. Unless someone was dead last, did ordinary people really see much difference between second place and tenth?
No!
So over the past year, not only had Naruto enjoyed his free time, but even his time at the Ninja Academy had unexpectedly become quite pleasant.
"All right, let's give it a try today, too."
After preparing a sumptuous lunch himself and finishing it, Naruto rested for a while before beginning that afternoon's training. From the earliest Tree Climbing Training to the later Water Walking, honestly, he hadn't spent either too much or too little time on them. By the standards of an ordinary ninja, he was about average. Naruto in the original story seemed to learn quickly, but by then he already had a foundation. Just look at how, during his time at the Ninja Academy, he had been running along walls and getting into trouble everywhere. He already had some grasp of how to use chakra; he had just been rather careless and rough about it.
That was why he learned so quickly when Kakashi taught him tree climbing, and when Four-Eyes taught him Water Walking.
To put it plainly,
the original Naruto, that blockhead, relied on instinct no matter what he was learning.
But when this Naruto learned,
he relied more on his brain.
Of course, he still had instinctive reactions. He just unconsciously relied a little on habits from his previous life and tended to think things through more.
Without anyone to guide him,
Naruto's training was naturally a little slower than it had been in the original story.