Ninja sparring begins

"Riiing..."

The bell rang for the end of school, and Naruto Uzumaki shot out of the Ninja Academy like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Naruto..."

Umino Iruka had barely called out when he realized Naruto Uzumaki had already disappeared.

"Why was he running so fast? And that direction... was Naruto heading for the forest behind the mountain?"

Sensing that something was unusual about Naruto Uzumaki, Umino Iruka decided to ask him tomorrow what exactly had happened.

Naruto Uzumaki ran full of energy to the place where he had met Shihōin Naraku yesterday, but unfortunately, he found no one there.

Just in case, Naruto Uzumaki ran a lap around the area, but he still found no one else.

After muttering in disappointment for a while, Naruto Uzumaki perked up again and ran to yesterday's tree, looking up at the marks he had carved into its trunk.

"All right! I'm definitely going to succeed today!"

Forming hand seals with both hands and directing chakra to gather beneath his feet, Naruto Uzumaki charged up the tree once again.

Time flew when he was completely absorbed in training. After three hours, a panting Naruto Uzumaki stopped for a break.

"Ah, I'm so hungry."

Naruto Uzumaki had come straight to train after school without having time to eat, so naturally, the intense training had left him ravenous.

He jumped into the river and caught a fish, then lit a fire and began roasting it.

Every now and then, he raised his head and looked around, hoping Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake would appear, but even when the fish was cooked, no one had appeared before him.

"Naraku and Kakashi are Jonin. They must be really busy. Once they're done, they'll definitely show up!"

Doing his best to chase away his disappointment, Naruto Uzumaki encouraged himself. By the next time Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi appeared, he would definitely have mastered tree walking and give them a surprise.

"Hehehe..."

At that thought, Naruto Uzumaki felt strength fill his whole body.

Just as he was about to stand up and continue his Tree-Climbing Practice, a figure appeared before him.

"Grandpa Hokage..."

It was the Third Hokage. His wrinkled face was covered in a kindly smile as he walked over and patted Naruto Uzumaki's head, then sat beside him like an understanding old grandfather.

What followed was a caring conversation much like one between a grandfather and his own grandson, with Naruto Uzumaki happily waving his arms as he told Hiruzen Sarutobi about what had happened around him lately.

Still hidden in the shadows, Shihōin Naraku could not help clicking his tongue. This old man really knew how to work people. He had the other villagers shun and despise Naruto Uzumaki, while Hiruzen Sarutobi cared for Naruto like a kindly grandfather. The contrast was simply incredible!

Given enough time, their bond was sure to become strong!

Through his own example, Hiruzen Sarutobi had given Shihōin Naraku a proper lesson in winning people over.

"Lord Hokage!"

While Hiruzen Sarutobi and Naruto Uzumaki were chatting happily, an Anbu ninja suddenly appeared, carrying some food.

The Anbu ninja, whose code name was Elephant Transformation, set the food down beside them, then turned and disappeared.

This was already his second trip to buy food. His mission was supposed to be watching the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, yet now he had ended up buying food for the Jinchūriki.

"Come, eat with me!"

"I've been busy working all day and haven't eaten yet."

After showing off his diligence a little, Hiruzen Sarutobi began eating with Naruto Uzumaki.

"Oh, okay..."

Naruto Uzumaki accepted the food Hiruzen Sarutobi handed him and took big bites.

Why did Shihōin Naraku and Hiruzen Sarutobi bring Naruto Uzumaki food?

Because Naruto Uzumaki was now doing his Tree-Climbing Practice, his chakra consumption and physical exertion had increased. At a time like this, he had to eat his fill, and even eat a little better to replenish his nutrients.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not eat much. Naruto Uzumaki ate most of the food.

"Haha, Grandpa Hokage, watch this!"

After resting for a while, Naruto Uzumaki could no longer resist showing off to Hiruzen Sarutobi. He pulled out a kunai and charged toward the tree.

"Slash!"

A fresh cut appeared on the tree.

This time, Naruto Uzumaki reacted quickly. When he could no longer maintain the chakra beneath his feet, he flipped over and landed steadily instead of taking a nasty fall like last night.

"Well? Pretty amazing, right?"

Naruto Uzumaki laughed happily, scratching his head as he looked expectantly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Very impressive. Many people at the Ninja Academy can't do that!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not hold back his praise, telling him with a smile, "But you still need to be careful. Watch out for a fall when you can't hold on anymore."

"No matter how badly I get hurt, I'm fine after a night's sleep."

Naruto Uzumaki did not mind. Injuries and such were no big deal to him.

"You still need to be careful!"

"I know!"

Watching Naruto Uzumaki charge toward the tree again, Hiruzen Sarutobi was pleased with his persistence and remained seated by the fire, watching.

Unlike Naraku and Kakashi, however, although Hiruzen Sarutobi also sat by the fire smoking his pipe, he occasionally offered reminders about the key points of tree walking. With his reminders, Naruto Uzumaki did indeed improve quickly.

Hmm, I'm a much better teacher than Kakashi and Naraku!

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought smugly, puffing out smoke now and then.

That was indeed true. Having trained the Sannin, whose names resounded throughout the Shinobi World, Hiruzen Sarutobi's teaching ability was widely acknowledged.

Shihōin Naraku leaned against a tree trunk, watching Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi enthusiastically teach Naruto Uzumaki.

Was the Third Hokage getting competitive?

After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was already old, and as Hokage, he had plenty to attend to. He could not possibly spend all his time here with Naruto Uzumaki.

So after keeping Naruto Uzumaki company for a while longer, Hiruzen Sarutobi left, while Naruto continued doggedly with his Tree-Climbing Practice.

"Today, we'll be doing ninja sparring..."

Holding a clipboard and pen, Umino Iruka made a few marks and decided the sparring matchups.

The students clustered together, whispering among themselves, completely missing Iruka-sensei's calls for them to line up.

"Kiba Inuzuka!"

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

"And you lot..."

"I said, line up!!!"

Only after Umino Iruka bellowed repeatedly did he barely manage to bring these mischievous students under control.

"The first pair for ninja sparring..."

"Sasuke Uchiha!"

"Shikamaru Nara!"

As Iruka-sensei finished speaking, the handsome Sasuke Uchiha stepped forward amid the infatuated squeals of the young girls, his hands in his pockets and his cool expression unchanged.

"Shikamaru, if you dare hurt Sasuke, you're finished!"

Ino Yamanaka cheered for Sasuke Uchiha while warning Shikamaru Nara not to hit too hard.

"Ah... what a drag! Have these women gone crazy...?"

Shikamaru Nara really did not want to go out and spar. He stood rooted to the spot, reluctance written all over his face.

"Smack!"

Someone slapped him squarely on the back, pushing the flustered Shikamaru Nara straight out of the line.

Shikamaru Nara stumbled, nearly losing his balance and falling to the ground.

Who pushed me from behind?!

Just then, Naruto Uzumaki, who was still standing in line, shouted, "Go, Shikamaru!"

"Beat that stuck-up jerk!"