Chapter 109 - 9

Chapter 9: Solo Training, Taking StockNaruto nodded in agreement, while thinking to himself: "Perfect, I just happen to need time to train."Early the next morning, Naruto packed his things and prepared to leave.He tied his Ninja sandals in the entryway, checked the Kunai and shuriken in his Ninja pouch, and then reached for the door."Naruto..."Just then, Sakura's voice came from behind him.She was standing in the hallway with her arms crossed, her tone carrying a sense of entitlement: "Sasuke needs someone to take care of him. His injuries haven't healed yet, so I have to stay behind to change his bandages and cook.""So, the mission to guard the bridge is left to you."Naruto's hand paused on the door.He didn't answer immediately, but turned his head to look at Sakura.Naruto's gaze made Sakura's heart skip a beat for no reason.The gaze lacked the previous fanaticism and sycophancy, the silly shyness and clumsiness; there was only a cold scrutiny, as if he were assessing something completely unrelated to him."This is the last time."Naruto said slowly, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion.After saying this, he opened the door, stepped out, and closed it behind him.Sakura stood there, stunned for a dozen seconds.The tone Naruto used just now was polite but completely devoid of warmth.It didn't sound at all like the Loser who used to hover around her every day.And that look Naruto gave her at the end, that undisguised coldness, pricked a certain part of Sakura like a fine needle; it didn't hurt, but it made her extremely uncomfortable.Once Sakura snapped out of it, her anger erupted like a volcano."Damn you, Naruto!"Sakura roared internally, the muscles on her face twitching slightly as she struggled not to scream, her knuckles white from clenching her fists: "How dare you talk to me with that attitude?""And you dare say 'this is the last time'?""What does that mean? Who do you think you are?""You weren't like this before!""How dare you treat me like this? I... I'll never talk to you again..."After her internal roar, Sakura took a deep breath, adjusted the angry expression on her face into a gentle, lovely smile as quickly as possible, tidied her hair, carried a bowl of freshly boiled hot porridge from around the corner of the hallway, and walked elegantly with small steps toward the room where Sasuke was recuperating."Sasuke, I made some porridge!"Her voice was so sweet it could drip honey, a complete contrast to the furious Sakura from just a moment ago.Naruto walked along the path leading to the forest, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.He felt no ripples in his heart.It wasn't that Naruto didn't understand Sakura's intentions, but to him, every minute and every second was precious now.He had no time to play dating games with a twelve-year-old girl, and even less interest in continuing to play the role of a simp who comes when called and leaves when dismissed.Naruto created a Shadow Clone and sent it to the bridge to follow Tazuna.This Shadow Clone had half of his Chakra, which was enough to handle any unexpected situations that might arise.Even if some blind thug came to cause trouble, it would be more than enough to beat up ten wandering samurai.The Shadow Clone nodded, leaped, and disappeared in the direction of the forest.Naruto himself followed the path from his memories and walked into the forest where Team 7 had previously trained.In this forest, he and Sasuke had climbed trees, using Chakra to cling to the trunks to see who could climb higher. They had competed so fiercely that they shredded the bark, eventually both falling from mid-air and ending up bruised and battered.It was also in this forest that Naruto first met Haku.Naruto stood in this familiar small clearing and looked around.Tall conifers blocked the sky, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, forming tilted pillars of light. The moss on the ground felt soft underfoot, and the air was filled with the scent of pine resin mixed with earth.Naruto didn't rush to start training; instead, he first made security arrangements.He formed a cross hand seal."Shadow Clone Technique."Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof...Over fifty Shadow Clones emerged from the smoke. Without wasting a word, they automatically split into several teams and scattered in all directions through the forest.Some crouched in the canopy, hiding in the dense conifer needles with only their eyes visible.Some lay in wait behind bushes, their Chakrasensing pushed to the maximum to capture every movement within a hundred-meter radius.Some patrolled along the stream, their gazes sweeping over the water surface and the grass on both banks.Some guarded the entrance to the path leading into the forest, disguised as ordinary people leaning against tree trunks.More than fifty clones surrounded this training area in an impenetrable defensive circle.Not to mention people, even if a rabbit hopped out of the bushes, it would be watched by at least three pairs of eyes simultaneously.After doing all this, Naruto nodded with satisfaction.Don't ask why he was so cautious; the answer is that he had massive amounts of Chakra, so he could afford these clones.The lessons from his past life told Naruto that carelessness is the greatest enemy.He didn't want to be interrupted by someone suddenly breaking in, or have anyone see his training process at a critical moment.Absolute Control was his greatest trump card; before he was strong enough, this trump card could not be known by anyone.No, even if he were strong, he wouldn't let people know.After doing all this, Naruto found a flat stone in the center of the clearing and sat down.He sat cross-legged, placed his hands naturally on his knees, closed his eyes, and began to calm his mind and regulate his breathing.Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.His heartbeat gradually slowed from its initial calm rhythm. The chirping of birds, the sound of the wind, and the murmur of the stream from the outside world were filtered out of his consciousness one by one, leaving only the faint sound of Chakra flowing within his body.First was the Shadow Clone Technique.The Shadow Clone has one advantage.That is, having the clones train and then dispelling them to share the experience points. Theoretically, one could create hundreds of clones to train simultaneously, making the efficiency ten or a hundred times that of others.Of course, the Shadow Clone also has side effects. If the memories of a hundred clones were to crowd into one's head all at once, if not handled correctly, one could potentially turn into an idiot.Therefore, the Shadow Clone Technique is also listed as a Forbidden Jutsu, requiring someone with massive Chakra to practice.However, the current Naruto didn't have any Ninjutsu to practice.Naruto shook his head, then took stock of his current assets. First was the innate advantage of the Uzumaki bloodline: a massive amount of Chakra.Then there was the Nine-Tailed Chakra. Although he could use Absolute Control to tame it and utilize it freely, the Nine-Tailed entity itself still needed to be dealt with.And that was it.Offensive Ninjutsu was approximately zero.Defensive Ninjutsu was approximately zero.As for Taijutsu...The original Naruto's skills were, to put it bluntly, just street brawling combined with a bit of basic Taijutsu from the Ninja Academy. It was barely enough to beat up small fry, but he would reveal his true colors the moment he encountered a slightly more formal opponent.Not to mention Genjutsu; he didn't even understand the basic principles of Genjutsu.If it were any other transmigrator, they might have already started considering giving up in the face of this situation.After all, in the worldview of Naruto, bloodline is the ceiling.