Chapter 174: The Chunin Exams Are Coming, Time to Go See Sensei
Time flew by under Minato's careful guidance and Naruto's grueling training regimen. Naruto's growth rate exceeded everyone's expectations. Perhaps it was because the Nine-Tails' chakra was no longer actively interfering. After their deep conversation, the Yang Nine-Tails had chosen to lay dormant in his mindscape for the time being, ceasing its attempts to cause trouble.
Naruto possessed a massive amount of chakra, far beyond that of an ordinary person. At the same time, his deep admiration for his father fueled a powerful drive. With this foundation, Naruto's understanding of the core principles of the Rasengan advanced by leaps and bounds.
The core of the Rasengan lay in extreme shape transformation, compressing chakra to a high density and maintaining its rotation. Minato estimated that Naruto might even skip the water balloon phase and proceed directly to higher-level training through standard chakra condensation.
Naruto quickly discovered the immense benefit of the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu in training. This would undoubtedly shorten the time needed to master the Rasengan.
For a time, the training ground was filled with Narutos. A large number of Shadow Clones were practicing the rotation and shape maintenance of the Rasengan; some were practicing throwing the special Flying Raijin kunai, sensing the markers, and basic spatial awareness; and a few clones, under Minato's preliminary guidance, were attempting the most basic meditation for Sage Mode, trying to sense natural energy.
Driven by the intense desire to become stronger, to catch up to his father, and to become Hokage and be acknowledged by everyone, Naruto threw himself into training with a near-maniacal fervor.
Gradually, he found that he didn't seem to feel physical fatigue. Even high-intensity physical training, even the massive wave of exhaustion that returned when his clones dispersed, didn't seem to faze him. The pain of pushing his limits became blurred.
The Soul Gem on his chest was responding to Naruto's will. It blocked all negative alerts from his body, allowing him to draw upon his strength tirelessly.
Minato quickly noticed the abnormality in Naruto's training intensity. That reckless drive should have far exceeded the limits of what an ordinary person could bear. He advised Naruto more than once to rest and balance work with relaxation.
But Naruto always responded energetically that he wasn't tired at all. "I gotta get stronger fast! To become a Hokage like Dad!"
During these days, the news that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, spread rapidly throughout Konoha, causing a massive uproar.
The villagers' reactions varied. Some, upon learning the truth, felt deep guilt for their past ostracism, mockery, and indifference toward Naruto. Others were shocked, fearful, and uneasy. Some remained stubborn, resolutely denying they had ever badmouthed Naruto, or trying to shift the blame to others.
And a significant number of stubborn villagers still believed that the Nine-Tails fox inside Naruto was a huge security risk. Even if he was the son of a hero, it didn't change that fact. Their wariness and distance toward Naruto didn't diminish in the slightest. They just stopped mocking him openly.
But regardless, the general populace of Konoha acknowledged the Fourth Hokage's great achievement in saving the village during the Nine-Tails attack. Even those who knew the full story and had their criticisms expressed understanding. After all, a hero was a hero.
These days, public ridicule of Naruto in the village had almost vanished. Even those who still held grudges mostly chose to avoid him rather than discuss him to his face. Some passersby even started to nod and greet Naruto when they saw him on the street, though their attitudes might still carry a hint of unnaturalness and complexity.
In the evening, after training, Naruto went to Ichiraku Ramen as usual.
"Teuchi-san! One miso chashu ramen, extra large!" Naruto called out familiarly.
"Coming right up, Naruto! Hard work at training again today, huh?" Teuchi deftly began to cook the noodles, steam rising into the air.
A middle-aged villager eating at the counter seemed to have just heard something from another table. Slurping his noodles, he whispered to Teuchi, "Hey, Teuchi, did you hear? Our Fourth Hokage really came back, and… that Naruto is his son!"
Teuchi paused slightly as he lifted the noodles. He looked up, his gaze falling gently on Naruto, a look of realization and gratification on his face. "Oh? Is that so, Naruto?"
Naruto was eagerly waiting for his noodles. Hearing this, he turned around, grinned wide, and nodded emphatically.
"Then today, I'll have to add two extra slices of chashu for you!" Teuchi laughed heartily.
"Thanks, old man!"
During these days, Naruto's speed in learning ninjutsu showed a terrifying, exponential increase. The Rasengan was forming stably in his hand, and his use of the Flying Raijin was becoming sharper by the day. He was confident he would master both jutsu before the Chunin Exams! He would inherit his father's title of the Yellow Flash!
However, this overloaded training with Multi-Shadow Clones was nearly overdrawing his life force, relying entirely on the Soul Gem to block the negative sensations. This caused the corruption in the originally pure and transparent Soul Gem on Naruto's chest to slowly spread. Naruto, in the midst of it all, remained unaware.
…
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit attic in the village.
Neji Hyuga sat alone in meditation, his brow furrowed. The insurmountable chasm between the Main and Branch families, the eternal bind of the "Caged Bird" seal, and the "destiny" that seemed predetermined. His eyes were filled with unwillingness, pain, and repression.
Outside the window, a small white figure sat quietly. Kyubey's scarlet eyes stared unblinkingly at the troubled boy in white.
…
At the same time, in the distant Hidden Sound Village.
This was no longer a ninja village in the traditional sense. Towering metal spires pierced the clouds, flickering with ghostly blue energy arcs. Cold steel structures replaced wooden houses, and alloy pipes crisscrossed the village like a spiderweb, transporting unknown liquids and gases with a low hum. The air smelled of antiseptic and welding fumes.
Sound ninja wearing shining Soul Gems could be seen everywhere. They were no longer traditional ninja.
Some girls wore special white lab coats, the Soul Gems on their chests glowing with varying intensities. They were busy at massive lab benches covered in precision instruments. In transparent cultivation tanks, grotesque biological tissues pulsed.
Some boys wore reinforced exoskeletons, moving heavy metal components to build this steel fortress.
In the center of the village, inside the tallest building. Orochimaru stood before a massive wall of monitors. He had no Soul Gem. His golden snake eyes stared with interest at one of the screens.
On the screen, a Magical Girl from the Sound Village, located in a foreign land, was undergoing a transformation of despair. Her body twisted and deformed, her Soul Gem swallowed by pitch-black despair. Finally, she turned into a grotesque Witch and began to destroy everything around her indiscriminately.
"The Chunin Exams are coming up. It's time to go see Sensei."
Orochimaru looked at the newly developed scientific ninja tools, the chakra guns, and the swollen biological eggs in the cultivation tanks. He licked the corner of his mouth with his long tongue in satisfaction.
Beside him, a pristine white Kyubey sat quietly, wagging its tail.