Six-year-old Naruto stood in front of the mirror, tightening his new goggles with all his might.
The dark green lenses reflected a cold sheen in the morning light, mirroring his face, which had lost its baby fat.
Three years was enough time for a toddling child to grow into a mischievous kid who could easily scale the Hokage Rock.
“You tied it crookedly,” Madara’s voice sounded in his mind.
“Even if it’s just a substitute for a forehead protector, it should still follow the Uchiha tradition of wearing it at a fifteen-degree angle.”
Naruto stuck out his tongue and deliberately pushed the goggles further to the right.
“No way! I’m going to be Hokage, so my wearing style has to be original!”
In the seal space, Madara’s phantom crossed his arms and snorted.
If it were three years ago, he would have forcefully controlled Naruto’s hand to correct the mistake.
But now, he just watched the blond kid excitedly dash out of the apartment, his orange jacket fluttering behind him like a flame.
The streets of Konoha were livelier than usual.
Parents led their children towards the Ninja Academy, and shops along the way hung banners for “Enrollment Season Specials.”
Naruto walked through the crowd with his hands in his pockets, keenly noticing a few familiar gazes—the ANBU surveillance that had been continuous for three years.
“Two on the roof to the rear left, one disguised as a dango vendor in front to the right.”
Madara lazily reported the locations of the watchers.
“Hiruzen Sarutobi is quite persistent.”
Naruto pretended to tie his shoelaces, taking the opportunity to make a face at the dango stall.
The stall owner’s hand trembled, and the three-colored dango almost fell into the charcoal fire.
“Don’t cause trouble,” Madara warned, but with a hint of indulgence.
“Today is very important for you.”
It was indeed very important.
This was the first time in three years that Madara had allowed Naruto to display his true strength in front of others.
Of course, it was “true” strength that was strictly limited.
“Remember, control your taijutsu test at 10% above the passing level, and intentionally miss two shuriken throws.”
Madara repeated the instructions tirelessly.
“Most importantly…”
“Absolutely do not reveal your chakra control ability!”
Naruto answered first, then put his hands behind his head, lowering his voice.
“Dad, you’ve been nagging for three years, I’ve memorized it!”
Madara’s chakra stirred up a small storm in the seal space.
This title, from being absurd at first to being accustomed to it now, even the Nine-Tails was too lazy to mock anymore.
The crowd at the school entrance suddenly stopped.
Naruto stood on tiptoe and saw Uchiha Sasuke surrounded by a group of parents taking pictures.
The black-haired boy wore a dark blue, high-necked shirt, his expression as cold as ice.
Upon seeing Sasuke, Madara couldn’t help but show an interested expression.
“Hoh, the Uchiha of this era are quite to my liking.”
Naruto pouted.
Over the past three years, he and Sasuke had encountered each other countless times on the streets, each encounter ending with them glaring at each other.
But today was different.
Today, they were classmates!
“Hey! Sasuke!” Naruto squeezed through the crowd, waving his arm.
“I got here first today, you lost!”
Sasuke turned his head, his dark eyes sweeping over Naruto’s crookedly worn goggles, and his lips twitched.
“Idiot.”
“Who are you calling an idiot!”
“Whoever answers is the one.”
The two children butted heads, like two bristling little beasts.
The surrounding parents let out good-natured laughter.
“Control your emotions.”
Madara’s voice was unusually tense.
“Do you want to be taken to the ANBU interrogation room on enrollment day?”
Naruto took a deep breath and suddenly grinned.
“Just you wait, I’ll beat you down in taijutsu class!”
Sasuke’s Sharingan instantly activated, his single tomoe slowly spinning.
“I wouldn’t mind, dead last.”
Over the past three years, Naruto’s diligent training every morning had also sparked a competitive spirit in Sasuke, who had been striving to catch up to Itachi.
Driven by this competitive spirit, Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan not long ago.
Although it was only one tomoe, Madara was also startled when he saw these eyes.
Did this brat have a cheat?
Awakening the Sharingan at six years old, this was even more impressive than himself.
The entrance exam was much simpler than Naruto had imagined.
When he threw his classmate out of the mat for the third time in the taijutsu sparring, the supervising Chūnin looked as if he had seen a ghost.
“Naruto Uzumaki, win,” Iruka announced with difficulty.
“Next pair…”
Naruto sneakily glanced at the score sheet, his heart blooming with joy.
He had perfectly executed Madara’s instructions—slightly better than the passing grade, but not so astonishing as to be unbelievable.
Even in the strictest shuriken test, he had “happened” to miss one less than Sasuke.
“Well done,” Madara gave rare praise.
“Now for the chakra test, remember…”
“Only use one-tenth of the amount!” Naruto cheered in his mind.
“Dad, you’re so wordy today!”
Madara’s chakra threatened to constrict Naruto’s stomach, eliciting a small yelp of pain.
This action had become their secret code over the past three years.
When Naruto got carried away, Madara would use this method to remind him to stay vigilant.
The chakra test was conducted on the training grounds.
Children lined up to inject chakra into specially made test paper to determine their elemental affinity based on the reaction.
Naruto was at the end of the line, watching the flames, water mist, and lightning sparks light up one after another in front of him.
“Dad, what’s my affinity?” he asked softly.
“Theoretically, Uzumaki descendants are suited for sealing jutsu, but…” Madara’s voice suddenly paused.
“Wait, that silver-haired Jōnin…”
Naruto followed Madara’s perception and looked.
Under the shade of the trees at the edge of the training ground, Kakashi Hatake, wearing his mask, was lazily flipping through a smutty book.
However, the exposed eye was clearly fixed on the testing area.
“It’s the ANBU leader who’s monitoring me!” Naruto immediately recognized this elusive figure who had been appearing and disappearing for the past three years.
“Calm down,” Madara’s chakra stabilized Naruto’s emotions.
“Proceed according to plan.”
When it was Naruto’s turn, he deliberately let his chakra scatter at his fingertips.
The test paper first became damp, then broke in half from the middle.
“Uh… a combination of wind and water?” the supervising Chūnin recorded with confusion.
“Potential rating… B?”
Kakashi under the tree closed his book.
At dismissal time, Naruto skipped through the commercial street.
His backpack contained brand-new textbooks, and in his pocket was his newly received ninja registration number.
“Iruka-sensei said he’ll start teaching the Transformation Jutsu next week!” he exclaimed excitedly.
“I’ve wanted to learn that for ages!”
Madara didn’t respond.
He had been unusually silent since the chakra test.
“Dad?” Naruto stopped.
“Are you angry? I was very obedient…”
“It’s not your fault,” Madara’s voice was unusually serious.
“That Kakashi Hatake… he saw through it.”
Naruto’s back went cold.
“Saw through what?”
“Your chakra control.”
Madara’s chakra formed a defensive posture within Naruto’s body.
“He deliberately used lightning-style chakra to stimulate the test paper, inducing your instinctive defense… Although you stopped in time, the precision of that moment couldn’t escape the observation of the Sharingan.”
Naruto stood frozen at the entrance of the ramen shop, the aroma suddenly losing its appeal.
Three years of caution, and it was all going to be exposed on the first day…
“There’s no need to panic,” Madara’s voice calmed down.
“He’ll only think you’re exceptionally talented and won’t suspect anything else for now. However…”
A hint of fighting spirit was transmitted through the chakra.
“We need to prepare for battle.”
The Nine-Tails let out a low chuckle from the depths of the seal.
“Are we finally going to get serious? I’ve been waiting for three years.”
Naruto rubbed his stomach and suddenly grinned.
“What’s there to be afraid of! I have two of the strongest dads!”
“Idiot,” Madara said softly, but gently patted Naruto’s hair with his chakra.
“Go eat your ramen.”
As night fell, the Third Hokage’s office was still lit.
The crystal ball displayed the day’s test footage, freezing at the moment of Naruto’s chakra test paper reaction.
“What do you think?” the Third Hokage asked the silver-haired Jōnin in the shadows.
Kakashi’s eyes moved away from “Icha Icha Paradise.” “His chakra control precision exceeds that of a normal Chūnin, and his taijutsu moves carry echoes of the Warring States period…”
He paused.
“It doesn’t seem like Sensei’s style.”
The Third Hokage exhaled a smoke ring.
“So it wasn’t knowledge left by Minato?”
“It’s more like…” Kakashi put away “Icha Icha Paradise.” “Someone who’s lived for decades, trained him personally.”
Outside the window, a crow silently glided past.
Its eyes glowed with an eerie red light in the moonlight, reflecting the light from the Hokage’s office, and also reflecting the blond boy practicing hand seals in an apartment far away.
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Update: “Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”