Kakashi's assessment

The crescent moon hung high in the sky, cold and clear.

A chill spread through the silent forest, lending it an eerie coldness.

"Huff... huff..."

Naruto Uzumaki lay on the ground, his eyes nearly closed, soft snores rising from him.

After spending most of the night doing Tree-Climbing Practice, Naruto Uzumaki had finally reached his limit. After falling from the tree once again, he had simply collapsed on the ground and fallen asleep.

But the sight had startled everyone. They had thought Naruto Uzumaki had overexerted himself and something had gone wrong.

Kakashi Hatake stepped forward to examine him and confirmed that Naruto Uzumaki had really fallen asleep because he was too tired.

He beckoned behind him, and Tenzo appeared before him with the members of his ANBU squad.

"Since he's asleep, take him back for a good rest."

"Yes!"

Tenzo stepped forward and gently picked up the sleeping Naruto Uzumaki, though the movement nearly woke him. Fortunately, he merely reached up to scratch his cheek before falling sound asleep again.

Naruto Uzumaki also mumbled something, but his voice was too quiet and indistinct for anyone to make out.

Whoosh!

Tenzo gave Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake a slight nod, then left with his ANBU squad.

Watching them leave, Kakashi Hatake suddenly said, "Did you see that just now...?"

"Yes. It was pretty obvious."

Naraku brushed the dust off himself and stood, looking as though everything had been entirely within his expectations.

"After all, not only does he have the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline, he's also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. With his recovery ability, all those bruises and wounds will heal completely after a night's sleep."

Both of them had seen it clearly just now. The bruises on Naruto Uzumaki's arms from his falls had already faded considerably.

That sort of recovery ability really was enviable.

Powerful recovery was a talent, too, and an advantage Naruto Uzumaki possessed. Leaving other issues aside, that advantage alone would allow him to grow quickly.

"I'm off. Time to go back and rest."

Shihōin Naraku glanced at the marks scratched into the tree with a kunai, yawned, and waved goodbye to Kakashi Hatake.

As he walked, Shihōin Naraku reflected on his performance that day.

That should about do it. Knowing the Third Hokage, he was definitely watching in secret, which means he absolutely won't like what I did today.

...Pushing Kakashi Hatake forward at the end and having him teach Naruto Tree-Climbing Practice was a good move.

Kakashi Hatake will probably leave ANBU soon and become an instructor. Then I can work my way up step by step according to my plan.

After reviewing his actions that day, Shihōin Naraku confirmed that he had done nothing wrong and put his mind at ease.

The next day.

Following the Third Hokage's instructions, Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake still had to follow Naruto Uzumaki.

After a good night's sleep, Naruto Uzumaki was full of energy and headed to school brimming with vitality.

As for his body, which had been covered in injuries after half a night of training, it had recovered completely. Not a trace remained on the outside.

Not just Iruka-sensei, but his classmates as well, felt that Naruto Uzumaki was unusually smug that day.

It was as though he had suddenly acquired some secret martial arts manual and could become a ninja simply by mastering it. Brimming with confidence, Naruto Uzumaki practically had his nose in the clouds.

Something's odd. What's gotten into Naruto?

Umino Iruka, who seemed very strict with Naruto Uzumaki but actually cared deeply about him, found his behavior that day rather strange.

Did something good really happen to him? No, this guy must be planning to cause trouble...

Umino Iruka remained on high alert, his gaze sweeping over Naruto Uzumaki from time to time.

In their seats, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi, among Naruto Uzumaki's few good friends, also noticed that something was off about him.

"Naruto, want some?"

Choji Akimichi, who valued tasty food more than his own life, secretly opened a bag of chips and held it out to Naruto Uzumaki.

"No, no. Eat them yourself."

Naruto Uzumaki did not even look at the tempting chips in front of him.

Crunch!

Shikamaru Nara took the opportunity to stealthily reach over, grab some chips, and toss them into his mouth.

Choji Akimichi pulled the chips back and began eating, but he also asked outright, "What's gotten into you today, Naruto?"

Sure enough, even Choji Akimichi had noticed something was off.

Shikamaru Nara glanced at his good friend. He knew that, contrary to his appearance, Choji Akimichi was very sensitive at heart.

So it was only natural that he could pick up on Naruto Uzumaki's feelings.

"Hehe..."

Naruto Uzumaki buried his head beneath his arms, unable to stop snickering. He was unbearably smug.

"Someone taught me something really amazing. Once I've learned it, I'll definitely tell you guys."

Huh?

Someone approached Naruto in secret?

Shikamaru Nara froze, but quickly caught on.

This was Konoha. Someone was watching Naruto Uzumaki at all times. Anyone with ulterior motives would be taken away before they could even approach him.

With that thought, Shikamaru Nara relaxed.

"Then make sure you tell me once you've learned it."

Choji Akimichi crunched away on his chips, not forgetting to remind Naruto Uzumaki.

"Sure."

Naruto Uzumaki readily agreed.

In the past, Naruto Uzumaki would already have skipped class.

Right now, he really wanted to go to the mountain behind the village where he had met Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake. But he had previously promised Grandpa Hokage that he would not skip class again, so he could only endure it and wait for school to finish that afternoon.

The sun gradually rose higher, and noon arrived.

Shihōin Naraku, bored out of his mind, and Kakashi Hatake, reading his smutty novel, were slacking off when they received a summons from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Believe it or not, the Third Hokage definitely only just woke up."

Shihōin Naraku raised his eyebrows, utterly certain of his guess.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had absolutely been watching them in secret last night, so he definitely had not gone to sleep until the middle of the night.

He was an old man, after all, and slept poorly. Summoning them by noon was already quick.

Kakashi Hatake put away Icha Icha Paradise, pondering Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders and Shihōin Naraku's strange behavior. He kept feeling that something had happened and he was the only one still in the dark.

The two soon arrived at the Hokage Building.

"Lord Hokage!"

"Third Hokage!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened as he stared at Shihōin Naraku. What was wrong with this fellow? Why did he seem to be getting more and more brazen?

He won't even call me Lord Hokage anymore. He's calling me an old man outright. What a drastic change.

"I called you here today about Naruto Uzumaki."

"After spending time with him yesterday, tell me what you think of him..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed away on his pipe, shifting his slightly clouded eyes toward them. Indeed, he looked as though he had not slept well.

Shihōin Naraku spread his hands toward Kakashi Hatake, signaling for him to speak first.

Kakashi Hatake pondered for a moment, recalling their time together yesterday, before answering very seriously:

"Naruto Uzumaki's fundamentals are very poor. Even compared with the other children at the Ninja Academy, he's among the worst. From his running speed to his posture when swinging a kunai, you can see that he's full of openings."

"Outwardly, he's confident and spirited, lively and mischievous, always full of vitality and an unyielding resilience. But inside, he's very sensitive, has low self-esteem, and cares deeply about how others judge him."

"At first, I had some other thoughts about Naruto Uzumaki, but after Tree-Climbing Practice, I believe he can become an outstanding ninja."

"But during that process, he'll need careful training to correct his problems. Only after some polishing will Naruto Uzumaki have a chance of succeeding."

"That's all!"