Chapter 39: One Year Later, an Ominous Night

Throughout the year, Naruto attended school like any other kid, always treating everyone with a gentle demeanor. He quickly earned the respect of all his classmates. Aside from Sasuke and Rock Lee, he got along exceptionally well with Hinata, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Shino Aburame, and the others.

His Reiatsu and Chakra training also progressed smoothly. Naruto's Zanjutsu skills improved at an extremely rapid pace. Even his Kido had advanced considerably; he could now incant Kido spells up to number fifty.

But even so, he wasn't satisfied with his rate of growth. After witnessing Itachi's overwhelming presence a year ago, he had pushed his own standards even higher.

At the training grounds.

Naruto extended his right palm towards a massive boulder.

"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"

"Hado Number 31: Shakkaho!"

As he finished the incantation, a red blast of fire coalesced in his right palm and shot forth.

Boom. The red light slammed into the boulder, and the massive rock, easily the height of a full-grown man, exploded into countless fragments as if struck by a tremendous force.

Naruto, however, then shifted, pointing his right index finger towards the shattered pieces of rock now arcing through the air, his eyes calm and unwavering.

"Hado Number Four: Byakurai."

A viper-like flash of white light erupted from his fingertip, darting continuously between the fragments of stone in the sky.

Bang, bang, bang. The airborne debris, struck by the Byakurai, instantly turned to dust and drifted slowly downwards.

"My control and precision with Byakurai still aren't good enough," Naruto muttered, frowning and shaking his head. The sky was thick with countless stone fragments, but the Byakurai had only managed to hit most of them.

Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow. His Reiatsu reserves were still ample, so he pushed himself to continue his rigorous training.

Within Naruto, Aizen observed all of this, his mind almost numb to Naruto's prodigious talent by now. A mere seven-year-old boy, yet he could use Kido with such proficiency, even stringing different spells together. His precision with Kido had already surpassed that of most novice Shinigami.

Is this the potential of humans? Truly astounding.

Seeing this, Aizen felt reassured. He understood that Naruto would continue to improve, and sooner or later, he would grow into the individual Aizen hoped he would become. He himself could now proceed with his own plans without worry.

Aizen closed his eyes and slowly faded from the Sealed Space.

Naruto hadn't hidden his use of Kido. The Konoha higher-ups had taken notice, interpreting it as Naruto's Kekkei Genkai. A miraculously manifesting sword, along with Ninjutsu-like attack methods that required no hand seals—the Konoha elders held high expectations for Naruto's Kekkei Genkai. If things went well, Konoha might gain another clan possessing a Kekkei Genkai in the future.

Naruto finished his training and called out to Rock Lee and Sasuke, who were still hard at it nearby, "Lee, Sasuke, are you done yet? Let's get something to eat."

"One thousand and five, one thousand and six… one thousand and seven… I'm almost there!" Rock Lee was still doing sit-ups, his face flushed red.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke, standing at the edge of the lake, finished a complex series of hand seals and spewed a barrage of fireballs, like the fruit of a balsam flower, from his mouth. They plunged into the lake, kicking up clouds of steam and sending the fish within scattering in panic. A few fish, stunned, floated belly-up to the surface.

Sasuke seized the opportunity to scoop them up, then waved excitedly at Naruto. "We've got fish!"

Ever since the young master Sasuke had experienced the joys of grilled fish and self-sufficiency, it was as if a whole new world had opened up to him. Fishing, a necessary survival skill for Naruto, had become mere entertainment in the young Uchiha's eyes.

Their training done and the grilled fish enjoyed, the trio walked along the streets of Konoha. Strangely, the streets were more crowded than usual, and they frequently spotted various ninja.

"It feels like more ninja have been returning to the village lately. Even our own clansmen numbers seem to have increased," Sasuke mused aloud.

Naruto's brow furrowed. His gaze swept over the passing ninja, and his Reiatsu simultaneously mapped out the watchers positioned around them. Oddly, the number of ninja watching them was at least double the usual.

Naruto's intuition told him. They weren't just watching me.

It couldn't possibly be Rock Lee.

Which only left—

Naruto looked at Sasuke.

Are they surveilling Uchiha Sasuke? What for?

Burdened by this question, Naruto remained somewhat preoccupied on their way. The Uchiha clan's relationship with the village was strained, and it was true they weren't well-liked, but it hadn't reached a point requiring surveillance.

I hope it's just my imagination, Naruto thought grimly.

"Naruto, what are you thinking about?" Sasuke clapped him on the shoulder, interrupting his thoughts.

"Nothing, just wondering what to have for dinner," Naruto replied with his usual gentle smile.

"After training, we definitely need to refuel! Let's go get some yakiniku!" Rock Lee suggested, raising his hand enthusiastically.

"Agreed."

The trio ambled towards a Konoha yakiniku restaurant.

Inside the Sealed Space.

Minato and the Nine-Tails were, uncharacteristically, engaged in conversation. Although they had clashed continuously throughout the year, they had at least found a delicate balance in their coexistence.

"Naruto's talent is truly outstanding," Minato said, his heart filled with relief and pride after witnessing Naruto's day. "This Reiatsu is incredible. I feel like my body has stabilized now." Minato, sensing the fullness of his spiritual form, continued, "It seems that a spiritual body like mine can master power rivaling a ninja's through Reiatsu training. I have no idea where Naruto obtained this power, but it's truly amazing."

But a sliver of worry still lingered in the Fourth Hokage's heart. If Reiatsu was indeed a result of Naruto's Kekkei Genkai, then its exposure would undoubtedly draw attention from many quarters.

Especially Danzo.

He's Konoha's greatest lurking evil, after all.

"That brat's Kekkei Genkai is certainly impressive, hmph. But that Reiatsu of his is still a far cry from my Chakra," the Nine-Tails snorted disdainfully. Even now, he hadn't chosen to cultivate Reiatsu. After all, his relationship with Naruto hadn't reached that level of amicability. "The kid's strength is growing pretty fast, but he has too many different kinds of attacks."

Although Naruto was only seven, his abilities were already at the Chunin level. Whether it was Hakuda, Zanjutsu, Kido, or even his Ninjutsu training, he was making progress in all of them. One could say the current Naruto was a true jack-of-all-trades, a 'hexagonal warrior' proficient in every area.

They say 'biting off more than you can chew means you master none'; it's best to focus on specializing in a few areas. Both the Third and Fourth Hokage had areas where they particularly excelled. Take Minato, for example. He excelled at Ninjutsu without hand seals and the Flying Thunder God Technique, but his Chakra reserves were insufficient, to the point he couldn't even use Sage Mode. Or consider another renowned powerhouse in the ninja world, the Third Raikage. His Nintaijutsu, combining his Lightning Release Armor, made him capable of going toe-to-toe with Tailed Beasts in close combat. However, in terms of pure Ninjutsu, he wasn't on par with the Third or Fourth Hokage.

Most powerful individuals throughout history had at least one exceptionally prominent skill. But from what they'd seen so far, Naruto hadn't yet shown one particular skill that stood out decisively above the rest.

Of course, this rule didn't apply to Aizen. Aizen himself possessed terrifying Reiatsu, allowing him to bring Kyoka Suigetsu's abilities to their absolute zenith. Rather than saying Kyoka Suigetsu was the most powerful illusion-type Zanpakuto, it was more accurate to say that Aizen made Kyoka Suigetsu what it was. But even without Kyoka Suigetsu, Aizen's other abilities were enough to instantly overwhelm Captain-level opponents. Chantless, instant-cast Kido, and top-tier Hakuda and Zanjutsu. No matter the field, he was at the pinnacle. Even without Kyoka Suigetsu, he could have overturned Soul Society.

This, too, was Naruto's goal.

To achieve true omnipotence, to overwhelm everyone.

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