Meeting Naruto

Over the next few days, Uzumaki Hane trained hard under Might Guy's guidance. Whether it was because he had transmigrated or not, Uzumaki Hane found that his Chakra was growing very quickly. He had originally only had enough Chakra to use Hell Hound once, but now he could use it twice.

At noon one day, Uzumaki Hane had just finished visiting Tanaka and Yui and was walking home. He noticed that there were many unfamiliar ninjas in the village.

Just then, a commotion broke out ahead. Naruto and the others were facing off against ninjas from another village: a man and a woman. The man had a puppet on his back, while the woman held a large fan. They were probably Kankuro and Temari from Sunagakure.

Kankuro had Konohamaru by the collar in his right hand, lifting him off the ground. "I hate little brats the most... I really want to kill him," he said viciously. He raised his left hand, clenched it into a fist, and was about to strike Konohamaru when, swish, a rock struck Kankuro's hand. His hand stung, and Konohamaru fell. Sasuke had somehow appeared sitting on a branch, coolly tossing a stone in his hand. "Get lost," he said to Kankuro. He drew the attention of the girls present, who exclaimed, "He's so handsome!"

At that point, Uzumaki Hane was no longer in the mood to watch. The Chunin Ninja Exams were about to begin, which meant Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha would begin too. He wasn't the protagonist, and with his strength, he could die at any moment in a battle of that scale. What was more, Tanaka and Yui were seriously injured. A sense of urgency welled up in him, and he wished he could immediately possess Akainu's strength and sweep away everything in his path.

Uzumaki Hane turned around and headed straight for his usual training spot.

He soon arrived and sat cross-legged on a branch. My training can now be divided into two parts. The first is Chakra, but I don't have a way to increase it quickly right now. For the moment, the only option is the Eight Gates Released Formation. I can ask Teacher Kaido for help with that. The second is Ninjutsu, but I have the power of the Magma-Magma Fruit. I can learn Akainu's moves and create Ninjutsu suited to the Magma-Magma Fruit.

Dog Biting Crimson Lotus transformed a lava arm into a dog-shaped attack. Uzumaki Hane decided to develop that move first.

Uzumaki Hane stood before a large tree and quickly turned his left arm into lava. Then he controlled the lava, slowly shaping it into a dog, and shouted, "Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!" Boom! Only scorch marks appeared on the trunk.

Uzumaki Hane looked at the trunk and said, "That's not right. Again. Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!" His right arm transformed into a dog again. Boom! The trunk was still only scorched.

Uzumaki Hane had exhausted his Chakra and could only sit cross-legged to recover it.

Once his Chakra had recovered, Uzumaki Hane resumed practicing Dog Biting Crimson Lotus. When he ran out of Chakra, he sat down to recover again. All afternoon, he repeated those two steps, training frantically.

Before he knew it, night had fallen. Only then did Uzumaki Hane leave the training ground and go home to eat. After dinner, he ran back to the training ground to continue practicing.

For the next few days, Uzumaki Hane trained frantically like this every day.

One day, Uzumaki Hane stood before the large tree and shouted, "Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!" His right arm quickly transformed into a dog. Boom! The tree was severed halfway up its trunk. "I did it!" Uzumaki Hane exclaimed.

"Not bad. You did it." A reply suddenly came from his right. Uzumaki Hane turned and saw Might Guy standing there, flashing two rows of white teeth and giving him a thumbs-up.

Uzumaki Hane ignored his signature pose. "Teacher Kaido, you're here." Might Guy had come by over the past few days to watch him train from a distance.

Uzumaki Hane suddenly remembered the Chunin Ninja Exams. He had been busy training for the past few days, spending all his time at the training ground except when he went to the hospital to visit Tanaka and Yui. He didn't know how the exams were going, so he asked Might Guy, "Teacher Kaido, how are the Chunin Ninja Exams going?"

Hearing Uzumaki Hane's question, Might Guy flashed two rows of gleaming white teeth and gave a thumbs-up. "Not bad! This year's candidates are all brimming with youth, and Neji made it through the second exam too." Uzumaki Hane could still see the worry in Might Guy's eyes, though. He was probably worried about Rock Lee's injuries, but Uzumaki Hane had no way to help Rock Lee right now, nor was he in the mood to think about his situation. The second exam is already over. There's about a month left. My Chakra has doubled over this period, and I can get even stronger.

Uzumaki Hane continued, "Teacher Kaido, I have a request." Might Guy struck his signature pose again and said, "Go ahead." Uzumaki Hane said, "I hope you can teach me the Eight Gates Released Formation, Teacher Kaido."

Might Guy's expression turned serious. "The Eight Gates Released Formation requires a body that has surpassed its limits to withstand the damage caused by opening the gates. Otherwise, it will cause permanent damage to the body, or even death. That means pushing yourself to your limits in training a hundred times harder than what you're doing now. Can you endure it?"

Uzumaki Hane thought of the terrifying figures from later in the original story, his face full of resolve. "I want to get stronger."

Might Guy looked at Uzumaki Hane for a long time. A face seemed to appear before his eyes, overlapping with Uzumaki Hane's. "You really are a lot like your father," he said gravely. When Uzumaki Hane heard Might Guy mention his father again, he was just about to ask about him when Might Guy struck his signature pose and said, "This is youth! I'll come find you tomorrow." Then he disappeared.

Uzumaki Hane left the training ground and headed home. On the way, a voice called out to him from ahead. He looked over and saw Naruto running toward him. Once Naruto reached him, Uzumaki Hane said, "Naruto, long time no see. I still haven't properly thanked you all for last time." Naruto was the protagonist, after all, and Uzumaki Hane had long wanted to get to know him. Unfortunately, he had been busy training and hadn't had the chance. Now was the perfect opportunity.

Uzumaki Hane said, "Naruto, how about I treat you to Ichiraku Ramen? Want to go?"

Ever since Naruto Uzumaki had learned that he and Uzumaki Hane shared a surname, he had taken a liking to him. He had always wanted to become friends with Uzumaki Hane but had never had the chance. Today, he had happened to see him and run over, only for Uzumaki Hane to offer to treat him to Ichiraku Ramen. He was thrilled. The two went to Ichiraku Ramen together and ordered a large bowl of ramen. Uzumaki Hane had yet to taste Ichiraku Ramen since coming to this world. When the ramen was served, its rich aroma whetted his appetite. He picked up some noodles and put them in his mouth, and an even richer aroma burst forth. It was delicious. Uzumaki Hane ate in great mouthfuls and polished off the entire large bowl in no time. Beside him, Naruto had already finished and was watching him.

Uzumaki Hane smiled faintly. "Naruto, order as much as you want. It's my treat today. Boss, two more bowls of ramen." After that, the two polished off more than ten bowls of ramen and headed home rubbing their bellies. By then, they were like friends who had known each other for years, talking about everything.