"The chakra I used just now was a little too much. So, this time, I'll reduce the amount slightly. I especially need to pay attention to keeping it balanced..."
With his eyes closed, Naruto recalled the feeling of taking that first step just moments ago.
Then he slowly opened his eyes.
"Hmm, this time should work, right?"
He adjusted the amount of chakra he released based on what he'd felt before.
Naruto once again took his first step toward the large tree in front of him.
This time, he managed to plant his first foot firmly against the trunk. Before the hint of delight had even appeared in the corner of his eye—
The next moment.
"Crack."
The trunk split apart beneath his second step.
Naruto's expression changed slightly as he quickly pushed off in the opposite direction.
"Pat."
He landed lightly back on the ground.
"Did I use a little too much force again? I have to keep the output balanced at all times. Whew... It looks like finishing this training in a short time will be a bit difficult."
Naruto took a deep breath, smiled wryly, and shook his head as he spoke softly.
Even if his chakra output was just right when he took the first step, letting him stand steadily on the trunk, it had to remain stable afterward. If it was too strong or too weak, he would either crack the trunk or fall straight down.
"I just have to keep training and make up for it with experience."
Naruto rolled his shoulders. After thinking it over for a moment, he once again gathered chakra from within his body, focused it on the soles of his feet, and stepped toward the large tree in front of him.
Training was dull and monotonous.
But it was something every Ninja had to go through.
As that Pervy Sage from the original story had put it:
Those who understood endurance, those who could endure—
Only they could be called Ninjas.
This wasn't just about enduring their surroundings. They also had to learn to control their own emotions.
Especially Naruto.
The next six or seven years—
Would be the most important period of his life.
Whether he could survive in this cruel world and achieve his goals—
Would depend on how far he managed to get over the next six or seven years.
Immersed in training, Naruto didn't notice the passage of time. In his previous life, he had already been fascinated by this power that existed only in another dimension. Now, on top of that, he was driven by the pressure of reality.
Train.
Get stronger!
That was practically Naruto's only choice.
Although Naruto had the Nine-Tails as a cheat code, unfortunately, he still couldn't communicate with the Nine-Tails inside him at this stage. He had tried every method he could think of. In the end, he could only rely on himself. Besides, if his goal was to reach the pinnacle of the Shinobi World, the Nine-Tails could only ever be a support. His own strength was what he truly had to depend on.
Just look at those powerful figures in the original story. They all kept the Nine-Tails like a pet.
Naruto understood that perfectly well.
Tree climbing and Water Walking.
The most basic, yet most effective, chakra-control exercises for a Ninja.
Taking the first step was the hardest.
Especially for Naruto. With the Nine-Tails Chakra inside him interfering, he couldn't control his chakra freely. His training that first day ended in failure after failure. Either he used too much chakra or too little.
Even though Naruto could sense when something was wrong, he still fell hard from the tree several times after all those failures.
It was lucky he had his current body. If he'd been in his previous one, a few falls like that would have sent him straight to the hospital. Especially that last fall—the height alone would have been enough to send him straight to meet God in his previous life.
"Whew... That's enough for today."
Only when the sky gradually darkened and the fatigue that had built up in his body became too much to bear did Naruto finally stop training.
Naruto shook his little head. His golden hair shimmered even more brightly in the glow of the setting sun.
Then he picked up the bamboo basket beside him. It was filled with the wild vegetables and fruit he had gathered during his training, and Naruto's little nose scrunched up as a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Hmm, I can have a little extra for dinner today."
Then he turned and walked away, his shadow stretching long in the light of the setting sun as he slowly made his way down the mountain.
The forest fell quiet once more, with only the footprints on the tree trunks left behind.
The gears of the boy's fate truly began to turn at that moment.
Tree climbing, Water Walking, and a few extra exercises to build up his basic physical fitness.
Naruto was so immersed in his training that he hardly ever felt bored.
Time flew by.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Naruto was about to turn six.
Of course, no one in this world would remember Naruto's birthday now—not even the seemingly kind Third Hokage. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that even if they knew, they had to erase it from their minds.
Because Naruto's birthday marked the Nine-Tails' rampage.
It marked the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage and his wife.
It was also the day many Konoha Ninja and villagers had died.
No one wanted to bring up that day.
Not even the Third Hokage!
The Third Hokage never appeared on Naruto's birthday.
To be fair, after the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had died during the Nine-Tails Incident six years ago, Konoha had once again fallen into decline, just as it had finally begun to recover. Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken up the position of Hokage once more, and he was even busier than during his previous term. His workload wasn't limited to external affairs; it included internal matters as well.
Over the past six years, Sarutobi Hiruzen had managed to find time to visit Naruto—to keep an eye on him and assess him, too. That alone was already quite rare.
Of course, those "rare visits" were the last thing Naruto wanted. Meeting the Third Hokage put his acting skills to the test. A few times, Naruto had nearly felt that he was about to be seen through. Fortunately, certain factors provided him with the perfect cover. And even though the Third Hokage observed Naruto, he was mostly concerned with whether Naruto harbored any hatred toward Konoha. He didn't pay much attention to anything else, which was why Naruto had managed not to give himself away so far.
Naruto's carefully cultivated image had naturally helped, too.
He wanted to become Hokage. He wanted everyone to acknowledge him.
Whenever he could think of something noble or naively idealistic to say, Naruto said it.
After all, that was exactly what he had said and done in the original story.
It was so easy for Naruto to imitate.
Of course, easy or not, whenever he was alone with the Third Hokage, Naruto always felt uneasy, afraid he'd be seen through in an instant.
Those were the moments that tested his acting skills the most.
Fortunately, over the past six years—
Naruto had made it through them all safely.