Deep in Konoha Forest.
Zeff was thrashing the giant wild boar, while a young man watched from a nearby tree.
That young man was none other than Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi was still curious, so after escorting Sasuke out of the forest, he had returned to this spot.
He had clearly seen how Naruto, Rock Lee, and Naruto's clone had butchered and roasted the wild boar.
The only thing that puzzled Uchiha Itachi a little was... Naruto's clone.
The one taking the lead in roasting the boar hadn't been Naruto's original body, but his clone.
Moreover, he could sense a stark difference in temperament between Naruto's clone and his original body.
Uchiha Itachi's first reaction had been the same as Rock Lee's: Naruto had... a split personality.
Compared to Rock Lee, Itachi knew far more about split personalities.
After all, he had lived through war. After a war, quite a few mentally fragile ninja would develop some degree of mental illness.
A split personality was one such condition, especially among ninja who liked using shadow clones. Those ninja could even imagine all sorts of personalities, which was quite remarkable.
But... this was the first time Uchiha Itachi had seen a personality born from such a condition actually increase someone's fighting strength.
He had lured that giant wild boar over precisely because he wanted to test Naruto.
What Itachi hadn't expected, however, was that the one to act would be Naruto's original body rather than his clone.
Yet judging by his presence and the look in his eyes, Itachi knew that the clone's personality had already taken over Naruto's original body.
Aside from that, Naruto's taijutsu had also surprised Itachi.
Shave, Iron Body, Finger Pistol-all of them were pure taijutsu. Then there was that black substance covering Naruto's entire body.
With his Sharingan, Itachi could easily analyze those three techniques, but actually performing them was essentially impossible. These three taijutsu techniques used absolutely no chakra; they were purely physical.
As Zeff fought the wild boar and taught at the same time, he naturally sensed Uchiha Itachi's presence with Observation Haki.
Zeff had never intended to hide his existence. Since he would be training Naruto constantly, the Konoha High Command would notice him sooner or later.
Rather than train in secret and skulk around, he might as well do it openly. If the Third Hokage asked any questions, they could simply say Naruto had a split personality.
As for how Naruto had developed a split personality, the Third Hokage ought to know the answer himself.
With no friends growing up, hated by the villagers, and left with no choice but to hide at home, surely it wasn't unreasonable for Naruto to imagine a friend or two...
In the clearing.
A few Finger Pistol strikes from Zeff sent the wild boar into a fury.
Its eyes bloodshot, the wild boar charged at Zeff again.
Zeff calmly continued his explanation. "This is one of the Six Powers: Kami-e."
As he finished speaking, Zeff's body swayed like a blade of grass in the wind. No matter how the wild boar attacked, it couldn't touch him.
After letting it keep attacking for over ten seconds, Zeff used Shave again to put some distance between himself and the boar.
"Next is another of the Six Powers: Tempest Kick."
With that, Zeff kicked sharply toward the wild boar, sending a blue flying slash into its body.
The slash carved a wound into the boar's flank so deep that bone was visible.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The pain made the wild boar roar again and again, but this time, instead of charging at Zeff, it turned and fled.
A wild boar that had grown this large wasn't stupid. After that exchange, it knew Zeff was someone it couldn't afford to provoke.
Seeing the boar try to escape, Zeff smiled. "Next is the Six Powers' Moonwalk."
Then Zeff stepped on the air with both feet and gave chase.
While airborne, Zeff unleashed another Tempest Kick.
This Tempest Kick struck the wild boar squarely in the neck, cleanly severing its head.
As he watched Zeff demonstrate all of the Six Powers, Rock Lee's mouth remained hanging open.
Only after Zeff had finished killing the wild boar did Rock Lee snap out of his daze.
"Teacher Zeff... is this the taijutsu you're going to teach us...? It's so strong... seriously strong!"
Carrying the boar's headless carcass, Zeff approached Rock Lee and Naruto with a smile.
"The Six Powers are just the basics. Once you've mastered them, I've got even more powerful things to teach you!"
After saying that, Zeff also showed off his pitch-black skin, which was coated in Armament Haki.
"Speaking of which... Teacher Zeff, the fight's over, so why haven't you released your Haki yet? Does that stuff grow on trees?"
At Naruto's question, Zeff shook his head. "You'll find out in a moment!"
And so, carrying the giant wild boar's carcass, Zeff led Rock Lee and Naruto out of the forest.
Before leaving, however, Zeff glanced back toward Uchiha Itachi's hiding spot.
"Heh... so he'd noticed me a long time ago?" Uchiha Itachi said with a smile as he stood on the tree trunk.
Although he had witnessed the personality born from Naruto's condition, Itachi had no intention of telling the Third Hokage about it, given Naruto's identity.
In Itachi's view, even if he said nothing, the Third Hokage would find out sooner or later.
But... what Itachi didn't know was that the Third Hokage was still playing Romance Game, while Danzo was grinding away at Dark Souls III without sleep or rest. It would probably be a while before either of them learned about Naruto's current situation.
Although the two occasionally made time to handle official business, they still spent... most of their time playing games.
The Third Hokage played because he felt empty, lonely, and starved for warmth, while Danzo wanted to surpass the Third Hokage and prove himself.
Aside from gaming, what Danzo cared about most was probably the Uchiha Clan, because... he needed more Sharingan. He was going to beat Dark Souls III...
Once home, Zeff set the wild boar's enormous carcass down in the open space downstairs.
He hurried inside, then climbed straight into the Healing Machine.
There was a control panel inside the Healing Machine as well. After setting everything up, Zeff put on the oxygen mask, closed the chamber door, and began filling it with water.
Only after finishing all of that did he release the Armament Haki covering his entire body and withdraw his consciousness from Naruto's body.
Upon returning to the room, Naruto saw this and, somewhat puzzled, returned his consciousness to his body.
The instant his consciousness returned, he felt intense pain throughout his entire body.
From his bones to his muscles, everything felt as though it were being torn apart.
"Fuck..."
Naruto cursed inwardly. He finally understood why Zeff had kept his entire body coated in Armament Haki.
If he had released the Armament Haki any earlier, his body probably would have collapsed straight to the ground.
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