“I’m home!!”
Sasuke sprinted all the way home, tossed his schoolbag aside, and immediately went looking for his mother.
So many things had happened at school today.
He couldn’t wait to tell someone about them!
“Mom!”
“Huh?”
As Sasuke passed through the main room, he noticed that the door was only half closed.
Curious, Sasuke was just about to peek inside when the door suddenly opened on its own.
“Big brother!”
Sasuke’s little face immediately flushed with excitement.
Standing in the doorway was none other than his amazing big brother!
“Sasuke…”
Itachi affectionately ruffled Sasuke’s hair.
In that instant, all the confusion in his eyes was completely hidden.
The village.
The clan…
Right now, Itachi only wanted to be a good older brother.
He picked Sasuke up with both hands and effortlessly placed him on his shoulders.
“There’s still some time before dinner, Sasuke.”
“Tell me what happened at school today.
How was it?”
Sitting on his brother’s shoulders, Sasuke felt incredibly happy.
“I met so many new classmates!
There’s Sakura, who loves sweets, and her best friend Ino.”
“There’s also Choji, who loves snacks, Shikamaru, who likes sleeping, and…”
Sasuke told his brother about practically every classmate he had remembered from the first lesson.
Itachi quietly walked along the street with a gentle smile on his face.
It was a peaceful moment.
“There’s also this guy named Naruto.
He’s kind of strange.”
“Oh?”
Itachi’s expression remained gentle as he appropriately expressed his curiosity.
“What’s strange about him?”
“I don’t know how to explain it.
I just feel like there’s something… not quite right about him.”
Sasuke thought for a moment before continuing.
“His hobbies are sleeping and fishing, and his dream is actually to become a janitor…”
“I don’t understand, Big Brother.
What normal person would want to become a janitor?”
Naruto…
Was that the child who served as the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki?
Sleeping, fishing, and becoming a janitor…
“Everyone has their own place in this world, Sasuke.”
Itachi smiled.
“Dreams aren’t divided into noble or lowly ones.
As long as you can help others, that’s a good thing.”
“And becoming a janitor doesn’t prevent someone from becoming strong, does it?”
Sasuke still didn’t understand.
“Big Brother, do you mean… he’s actually very talented, but he just wants to help people in this way?”
His little brother had obviously misunderstood what he meant.
But it was a beautiful misunderstanding.
Itachi smiled and nodded.
“More or less…”
“You could try becoming good friends with him and getting to know him better.”
“After all, everyone has different thoughts in their hearts.”
Sasuke froze.
He suddenly became a little unhappy.
Big Brother…
He actually said that guy was talented?
Sasuke didn’t believe it.
There happened to be practical training tomorrow.
Then he would see just how capable Naruto really was.
“Big Brother!
Train with me!”
Sasuke suddenly wriggled down from his brother’s shoulders, his expression serious.
“I want to learn the Great Fireball Technique!”
…
“Obtained Ninjutsu: B-Rank Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet, Level 1.
(Cannot be used.)”
“Requirement: Possess Water Release chakra.”
“Can be dismantled.
Dismantling it will grant 50 Lazing Points.”
“Reminder: Identical skills can be fused to increase their level.”
The check-in had rewarded him with another Tobirama skill pack.
This time, it contained a B-Rank Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet.
On top of that, he had received 50 Lazing Points.
Overall, it was a little cheaper than the first skill pack.
But Naruto didn’t particularly care.
After returning home, Naruto could clearly sense a gaze monitoring him.
It wasn’t far away.
It was somewhere nearby.
Probably ANBU.
“The increase in Mental Energy is surprisingly effective.”
“Come to think of it, is there only one of them…?”
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
It seemed that after he started attending school, the surveillance on him had been reduced somewhat.
But it was still there.
Since it was already getting late, Naruto decided not to go fishing.
He boiled some water, made himself a bowl of instant ramen, and quietly added some extra seasoning.
Little by little, he was saving and spending.
He still had 190 Lazing Points.
That should definitely be enough to raise all his attributes to 100.
Naruto hesitated for a moment.
He still chose to increase each attribute by 20 points, proceeding gradually.
If he hadn’t received 75 points from today’s check-ins, he wouldn’t even have wanted to spend these 20 points.
Changes needed to happen gradually.
People had to be given time to adapt.
After finishing his ramen, Naruto didn’t bother waiting for it to digest.
He simply fell onto his bed and went straight to sleep.
He didn’t know whether it was because of the attribute increases or because he hadn’t slept well at school that afternoon.
Either way, Naruto was exhausted.
He fell asleep quickly.
So quickly that not long after closing his eyes, he was already dreaming.
In his dream, he saw a huge iron cage.
Inside was a gigantic fox lying on the ground.
It looked a little malnourished.
It was currently curled up inside the cage, sleeping.
“Isn’t this the Nine-Tails…?”
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
“Hello.”
He waved at it in greeting.
The very next second—
The Nine-Tails suddenly opened its eyes.
After barely half a second of hesitation, it immediately opened its enormous jaws and let out an enraged roar!
“NARUTO!!!!!!!”
“Holy crap!”
Naruto abruptly sat up in bed.
That wasn’t a dream!
His Mental Energy had been steadily increasing through his attribute points.
It had already reached 65, nearly reaching the standard for a Chunin.
He could now enter the sealing space!
“That scared the hell out of me…”
Still shaken, Naruto glanced out the window.
He had thought he hadn’t been asleep for long.
He hadn’t expected it to already be the middle of the night.
He got out of bed, poured himself a glass of water, and gulped it down.
Then Naruto returned to bed, intending to continue sleeping.
Tomorrow morning, he only had half a day of classes.
He had to make sure he completed his check-in perfectly.
Arrive at school at eight.
Leave at noon.
Every minute was precious.
He couldn’t waste it.
But when Naruto closed his eyes again—
“ROAR!!!!”
He was back in the sealing space.
The Nine-Tails, which had apparently been waiting for him, let out another furious roar!
“What the hell!?”
Naruto opened his eyes again.
The ceiling was right in front of him.
Stars twinkled outside the window.
Naruto closed his eyes again.
“ROAR!!!!”
The Nine-Tails appeared once more and let out another furious roar!
“What the hell!?”
Naruto opened his eyes, then closed them again.
The Nine-Tails stopped roaring.
Naruto was stunned.
Every time he closed his eyes, he entered the sealing space?
What kind of ridiculous setup was this?!
And then—
Ding!
“Check-in initiated.”
“Check-in Location: Nine-Tails Sealing Space.”
“Check-in Time: 3:25–7:25.”
“Please note: This is a mental check-in.
You will be unable to leave during the check-in period.
If you wish to forcefully end the check-in, silently say ‘Abandon Check-in.'”
Naruto stared at the Nine-Tails in front of him, its teeth bared and eyes as large as copper bells.
His expression gradually became strange.
“It can do this too?”