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After whisking away Konohamaru through a hastily opened portal, Naruto quickly pulled Hinata along and teleported away.
With only one date a month, and people still interrupting, could these folks even be considered human anymore?
The couple continued their stroll until it grew dark, at which point Naruto escorted Hinata back home. This time, there was no apple nibbling since guards had been posted at the rear entrance.
The Hyuga family was truly stingy—unable to handle even a single exclamation mark in the sky. Next time, Naruto decided, he'd try a question mark just to see what they'd make of it.
Even from afar, he could feel the murderous intent radiating from the compound. Left with no choice, Naruto sent Hinata ahead while he opened another portal to a nearby wooded area. He planned to train until eight o'clock; after all, he carried his own light source and wasn't afraid of the dark.
Just as Naruto was about to start dragging his iron weights, Sasuke strolled into view, calm and composed.
So you were following me this whole time!
"What's with that look?" Sasuke asked, puzzled. His Sharingan's night vision was flawless.
"How did you find this place?" Naruto questioned. Every time he brought Sasuke here, it was via teleportation. Yet today, Sasuke had walked straight to the spot unaided—he shouldn't have known where this was, given the lack of landmarks amidst the sea of trees.
"I asked Kakashi," Sasuke replied matter-of-factly. If not for questioning Kakashi, he wouldn't have even known which patch of woods he'd been dragged to all these times. There were literally no reference points—just endless trees.
"Oh," Naruto responded, accepting the explanation. It made sense that Kakashi would know this location.
Instead of running along his usual route—which had grown too deep and cumbersome—Naruto opted to stick closer to the circular path he'd carved out during previous training sessions.
Today, he decided to create an Olympic-style five-ring pattern on the ground. After all, this training regimen could technically count as a sport, so why not incorporate some athletic flair? The only question was whether the Olympic Committee would approve adding "dragging 1,200 pounds of iron" as an official event.
If he ever found the time, he'd carve out the emblem of the Hidden Leaf Village next—it was politically correct, after all.
Meanwhile, Sasuke practiced independently nearby, unleashing kicks, punches, and bursts of electricity against tree trunks, occasionally setting them ablaze. It seemed like he harbored a personal vendetta against trees, possibly stemming from past traumas inflicted by relentless beatings.
When their practice session ended, Naruto doused the flames with water before sending Sasuke home.
Upon returning to his apartment, Naruto discovered a thick layer of dust covering everything—his furniture, his bed, everywhere. Without hesitation, he tossed everything out and replaced it with new items conjured from his shop. Practicality was key.
Once settled, Naruto lay down on his freshly swapped-out bed and entered his mental space.
With the upcoming Chunin Exams looming over him, he figured it was best to relax beforehand. Experts always advised reducing stress before exams, and since he still considered himself somewhat of a child, he felt justified in taking it easy.
After all, he was about to get thoroughly thrashed by Orochimaru—the pressure was immense.
Inside the mindscape, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) was busy eating and drinking but refrained from alcohol this late at night. As a tailed beast, its tolerance was fixed unless its weight increased significantly—a quirk unique to its physiology. Having already consumed enough for the day, Kurama chose not to indulge further.
Deciding to play a trick on the fox, Naruto initiated a conversation.
"Hey, big fox, do you think booze tastes good?" Naruto asked, feigning curiosity. He hadn't tasted alcohol in this life, though he vaguely remembered it from his previous one.
"Meh, it's average," Kurama muttered, giving Naruto a sidelong glance, unsure of where this was going.
"Well then, let me give it a shot," Naruto said, pouring himself a cup from a nearby barrel.
Taking a small sip, Naruto immediately spat it out, feigning disgust. "How can you drink something so vile?"
His acting skills were now fully embodying Nicholas Cage-level theatrics.
Kurama picked up a straw dangling beside it, took a sip, and frowned in confusion. "It doesn't taste bad…"
By the end of their chess game, Kurama had fallen asleep. Apparently, taking an extra sip tipped it over its fixed limit.
As soon as Kurama's snores echoed through the mindscape, Naruto sprang into action. True to form, the fox rolled onto its back, exposing its round belly. Once drunk and asleep, Kurama wouldn't wake for at least half a day—ample time for Naruto to indulge in mischief.
And mischief, indeed, was on the agenda. Determined to 'relax' before the exam, Naruto prepared to push the boundaries once again.
Retrieving scaffolding from his seemingly infinite inventory, Naruto began stacking layers upon layers within the 150-meter-high mental space. By the time he finished, the structure stood at 140 meters tall.
Standing atop the scaffolding, Naruto gazed down at Kurama's exposed belly, readying himself for a leap. Never having bungee-jumped in his past life, he decided it was high time to try something similar in this one. Channeling his inner assassin, he prepared to execute a classic Leap of Faith.
With his enhanced physique courtesy of being a ninja, how could he resist such an opportunity?
Taking a deep breath, Naruto leapt off the platform, performing a mid-air backward somersault before landing squarely on Kurama's belly.
Thud.
From above, one might have seen ripples spreading across the surface of the fox's abdomen.
"This is… INCREDIBLE!" Naruto exclaimed, awestruck by the rush of adrenaline from both the fall and the impact.
Descending from 140 meters without any protective gear—and landing on Kurama's squishy belly—provided a double dose of thrill that left Naruto feeling invigorated.
"One more time, one more time!" Eagerly rubbing his hands together, Naruto climbed back up the scaffolding and repeated the process.
Thud.
Thud.
On his fourth attempt, standing atop the towering platform, Naruto hesitated. Everyone knew the rule: never go beyond three attempts when tempting fate. Pushing your luck often led to disaster.
But then again, desperate times called for desperate measures. "Consider it pre-exam relaxation!" Naruto psyched himself up before jumping once more.
In its sleep, Kurama twitched, feeling an itch on its belly. Instinctively, it swiped at the spot with its massive claws.
Unbeknownst to Naruto, his trajectory lined up perfectly with one of Kurama's nails.
Smack.
Instead of landing safely, Naruto collided head-on with the claw, bouncing off and crashing onto the ground nearby.
"This is… SO EXHILARATING…" Those were Naruto's final thoughts before passing out.
---
The next morning, Naruto woke up groggily and immediately checked the mindscape. Sure enough, Kurama was still fast asleep.
After dismantling the scaffolding and tidying up the scene of his antics, Naruto waited patiently for the fox to awaken.
When Kurama finally stirred, it found Naruto grinning mischievously right in front of it.
"You're awake!"
Kurama blinked, utterly baffled.
---
Having narrowly escaped disaster yet again, Naruto joined Kurama for breakfast, carefully avoiding any mention of last night's escapades.
Later, he met up with Sasuke and Sakura for another meal. As usual, Naruto provided the food, ensuring everyone—including Sakura, who was technically his future mother-in-law—received portions of dragon meat. Since Sasuke handled the cooking, and Sakura ate sparingly, there were no complaints.
After breakfast, they trained until ten-thirty, when Kakashi finally arrived, fashionably late as always.
"Yo, good morning."
"Morning," the trio replied in unison, their voices dripping with exhaustion.
Too lazy to offer an excuse, Kakashi simply handed each of them three sheets of paper. "These are your applications for the Chunin Exams. I've recommended all of you to participate, but you'll need to sign them yourselves."
He didn't feel guilty about the recommendation. Honestly, not doing so would have been an insult to Zabuza.
Accepting the forms, the trio glanced at the details.
"The registration location and timing are listed. You've got two days off, so take care of it."
With that, Kakashi vanished, presumably to bury himself in his latest novel.
Naruto sighed, convinced that Kakashi must have spent the morning helping old ladies cross the street or something equally mundane before retreating to indulge in his literary fantasies. His apartment probably reeked of elderflower tea.
Left to his own devices, Naruto resumed training. But just as he settled into cutting wooden sticks for chakra nature transformation practice, a familiar cry pierced the air.
"Big Brother! Help me! HELP ME!"
A masked figure wearing a Rain Village forehead protector and clutching Konohamaru dashed past him. The boy screamed for salvation, flailing wildly in the stranger's grip.
Naruto vaguely recalled this scenario from the original storyline—it was supposed to be part of Iruka's test to evaluate teamwork among students. But whether this was Iruka testing Naruto or the Third Hokage orchestrating a clever scheme remained unclear.
Considering how few people knew about his training spot—and that the Third Hokage was definitely one of them—Naruto concluded that the old man's schemes ran deeper than anticipated. Testing loyalty to comrades, appeasing Iruka, showcasing concern for his grandson, and simultaneously avoiding Konohamaru's incessant pestering? Truly, the Third was a master strategist.
Deciding to play along to humor the old man, Naruto activated his buffs and charged forward.
"Wha… WHAT?" Iruka gasped, unable to track Naruto's movements.
Thud.
Just like Kankuro before him, Iruka was sent flying. Unlike yesterday, however, Naruto didn't bother catching Konohamaru this time—he intended to teach the brat a lesson about relying on others.
But fate had other plans…
Enter *Captain Dragonfly*, otherwise known as Sasuke.
A black blur streaked through the air, intercepting Iruka mid-flight and gently catching Konohamaru in the process.
"Why is it always you?" Naruto muttered under his breath.
Sasuke glanced at the kid dangling from his hand and realized it was none other than the same brat he'd rescued yesterday. Was this kid getting kidnapped every single day?
Naruto was dumbfounded. Weren't Uchiha Dragonflies supposed to avoid combat?
Sure, Naruto hadn't put much force behind his kick, so Iruka might survive relatively unscathed. But Sasuke's strike? That would land the poor teacher in the hospital for weeks.
"Thank you, Big Brother! Thank you, Second Brother!" Konohamaru shouted, clinging to his newfound saviors.
Two rescues in two days? These guys were officially his brothers now.
Forget "Big Brother" and "Second Brother"—shouldn't he call me "Third Younger Brother" instead?
Summoning a shadow clone, Naruto opened a portal and instructed it to toss Konohamaru directly outside the Hokage Tower. Let the Third deal with his troublesome grandson.
"Hey… Big Brother! Second Brother! You can't—" Konohamaru protested, but the clone promptly deposited him elsewhere before he could finish.
"Who was that kid?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow.
Naruto gestured toward Iruka as they approached. "The Third's grandson."
He wasn't worried about Sasuke questioning how he knew—Iruka's connection to the boy was obvious.
Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. It made sense that the Third's grandson would attract kidnappers regularly. Using family members as leverage was a common tactic among shinobi.
Reaching Iruka's side, they found him coughing up blood, unable to maintain his Transformation Technique any longer.
"Iruka-sensei?" Sasuke exclaimed, shocked. While outsiders kidnapping the Third's grandson was understandable, Iruka doing so was baffling. In Sasuke's mind, Iruka wasn't the type to engage in such behavior.
"Kakashi… was right. You've… grown strong. Especially… Sasuke… I'm… proud…" With those words, Iruka succumbed to unconsciousness.
"So this was a test of strength?" Sasuke guessed aloud.
Naruto nodded. "You've got it."
"You knew from the start?" Sasuke pressed. When Iruka mentioned Sasuke specifically, it confirmed Naruto hadn't used full force—despite his legs being heavier than Sasuke's.
Naruto nodded again. "Yeah, I saw through it."
"Damn, I didn't notice at all. What do we do now?"
"There are two options: either beat me up and let him bite me, or send him to the hospital. Your call."
Naruto wasn't keen on being bitten. Special cases aside—like Hinata (his future wife), White (who needed medical attention to survive), or Sasuke—he figured Iruka would recover fine after a short hospital stay. Consider it mandatory vacation time.
"Let's send him to the hospital," Sasuke decided after weighing the options.
Opening two portals, Naruto transported them to the hospital entrance. Handing Iruka over to Sasuke, he returned to his training.
As for medical expenses? Well, since Sasuke delivered the blow, Naruto figured he could handle the bill. After all, Naruto himself was broke.