“Ding!
Successful act of slacking.”
“Obtained 30 Lazing Points.”
The system notification appeared almost immediately after Naruto had his thought.
Naruto didn’t understand.
How was checking in at the Ninja Academy every day and becoming an upgraded version of the Second Hokage considered slacking?
The Second Hokage was incredibly strong, okay?!
“Hm?”
Naruto was still thinking when he suddenly sensed something.
He turned around and looked behind him.
“Gone?”
There was nothing there.
But he knew.
The last ANBU member monitoring him had already left.
It was only the third day after the academy opened.
The Third Hokage had completely withdrawn Naruto’s surveillance.
“Could it be because I beat up Sasuke?”
“No, that doesn’t make sense…”
Naruto was puzzled.
He had indeed beaten Sasuke.
He didn’t know whether the ANBU had witnessed it, but they probably had.
But if that were the reason, shouldn’t they have increased the surveillance instead?
Still, Naruto didn’t dwell on it.
Having the surveillance removed was definitely a good thing for him.
For one thing, he could finally eat system-provided boxed meals at home.
Especially breakfast.
He was getting sick of instant ramen.
He could still go fishing.
But he no longer needed to limit himself to fishing…
His check-in location while fishing was the outskirts of Konoha, which meant his activity area was quite large.
Eating grilled fish every day would get boring eventually.
Naruto had already been thinking about catching some wild game for a change.
Now, technically speaking, he had the Chunin Template.
Even without knowing any ninjutsu, his physical attributes had already reached the minimum standard of a Chunin.
If he hadn’t constantly had ANBU watching him from behind, he would have entered the forest and gone on a hunting spree long ago.
Naruto had no intention of becoming some incredibly powerful ninja.
Nor did he plan to become some prophesied savior who would rescue the world.
It wasn’t that this world didn’t deserve saving.
It was that he didn’t deserve the trouble.
Still, his personal quality of life could stand to improve…
“The Third Hokage might still be watching me secretly.”
“I’d better behave for a couple more days.”
Naruto pretended not to know that the ANBU had withdrawn and continued fishing.
The surveillance might appear to have stopped, but as long as the Third Hokage was around, there was no such thing as absolute privacy.
Maybe this was just a tactic to make him lower his guard.
Better to be cautious.
…
“Third Hokage-sama, all ANBU members assigned to monitor the Nine-Tails jinchuriki have been withdrawn.”
“Mm.
You may go.”
Inside the Hokage’s office.
The Third Hokage stared at a scroll containing Naruto’s surveillance records up to that point.
Everything Naruto had done was recorded.
His meals.
The routes he took.
His interactions with villagers.
Most of it was ordinary daily activity, with only unusual incidents being specifically marked.
January — Konoha Annual Festival.
Naruto had been attracted by the lively streets.
Seeing everyone wearing masks, he had wanted to buy one as well.
The shopkeeper didn’t want to do business with Naruto and simply threw him a damaged mask that hadn’t been sold.
Naruto had been depressed for a long time.
He put the mask on and silently returned home.
Late January — Ichiraku Ramen.
Naruto had run through the rain to Ichiraku Ramen.
The owner had given him a bowl of ramen for free.
An investigation had confirmed that Teuchi and his family showed no abnormalities.
February —
Naruto had attempted a prank and was discovered by villagers.
After being cursed at, Naruto fell while running away.
Yet his injuries had completely healed overnight.
March —
Naruto had wanted to play on a swing, but several children deliberately excluded him.
After their parents discovered what had happened, they immediately took their children away.
In their anger, they had nearly revealed Naruto’s identity.
The ANBU intervened in time and reprimanded them.
That night, Naruto had cried himself to sleep.
…
August —
Naruto had gone out to purchase daily necessities.
His mood had suddenly become extremely low.
The Third Hokage had comforted him while fishing, but Naruto’s mood had failed to improve.
Early September —
Naruto entered the Ninja Academy.
On his first day, he was late and was reprimanded.
Yesterday.
While returning home after school, Naruto was intercepted by Sasuke Uchiha, the son of the Uchiha Clan leader.
Naruto knocked him unconscious with a single punch.
The possibility of the Nine-Tails secretly assisting him could not be ruled out.
This morning.
Naruto slept for more than fourteen hours.
After successfully arriving late, he slept for another four hours in the classroom.
Possible excessive energy consumption.
“Phew…”
The Third Hokage slowly exhaled smoke and rolled up the scroll.
After several more puffs, the entire office had become hazy with smoke.
“Naruto…”
“The Nine-Tails…”
The Third Hokage murmured.
Yesterday, Naruto had been intercepted by Sasuke after school.
The ANBU had reported the incident immediately after Naruto knocked Sasuke down.
At the time, the Third Hokage had been stunned for quite a while.
Sasuke’s entrance exam score had ranked first in the entire class.
Naruto’s had ranked last.
Of course, strength couldn’t necessarily be measured by academic performance.
But one thing was certain.
Under normal circumstances, Sasuke, who had received training from a young age, should have been able to completely overwhelm Naruto.
But Naruto’s existence itself was anything but normal…
The Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
The Fourth Hokage’s son.
Neither identity was ordinary.
Ever since Naruto had begun living independently at the age of three, injuries of all kinds—whether serious or minor—would completely heal within a single night.
That was related to the Nine-Tails inside him.
It might also have something to do with his mother.
His powerful physique, combined with his status as a jinchuriki, gave Naruto a tremendous advantage over children his age.
But those were all passive abilities.
Yesterday, Naruto had genuinely defeated Sasuke in combat.
He hadn’t been hit.
He hadn’t used any tricks.
He had simply thrown one ordinary punch and effortlessly taken Sasuke down.
“A child who has never received any formal training…”
“Defeated a gifted top student from a major clan who has trained since childhood.”
The Third Hokage placed one hand on the crystal ball.
The image within it began to shift.
Before long, Naruto appeared on the surface, quietly fishing.
The Third Hokage could see Naruto’s expression clearly.
Those hollow, dead-fish eyes were devoid of energy.
His face looked as though he hadn’t slept properly in days.
“The Fourth Hokage’s son…”
“Has his talent finally begun to reveal itself…?”
The Third Hokage exhaled another cloud of smoke.
The Fourth Hokage had died young.
But the Third Hokage had witnessed his talent throughout his entire life.
Minato had been exceptionally intelligent from a young age.
Even as a child, his perspective on everything had been remarkably mature and composed.
He had died in his prime, making him the Hokage with the shortest tenure.
But his excellence had been obvious to everyone.
And now Naruto, as the Fourth Hokage’s son…
While enduring the cold eyes of the village, the talents inherited from both his father and mother were beginning to emerge.
The Third Hokage lowered his smoking pipe.
His eyes had already made a decision.
If that was the case…
Having Iruka serve as this child’s introductory teacher was probably no longer enough.
Naruto needed a new teacher.
Someone to guide him.
Someone to point him toward the right path.
And, most importantly, someone who could instill the Will of Fire in him.