But!
Two smiling faces.
Each with their own agenda.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was inwardly quite pleased with himself.
In his eyes, binding Naruto with emotion and affection was far superior to Danzo's cold, ruthless methods.
Should he say it or not?
He truly believed he was born to be Hokage.
Meanwhile—
Though Naruto was all smiles on the surface, his mind was hard at work on something far more serious.
Sure, he wasn't too bothered by the Anbu's crystal ball surveillance or the old man's peeping habits.
But—
Just like today, when the old man suddenly showed up out of nowhere, Naruto had been caught off guard.
And that wasn't good.
He needed to find a way to boost his sensory perception—fast.
To detect Anbu movement, to feel when someone was watching him through that damn crystal ball.
Most importantly...
To know exactly when the surveillance was active.
But that was for later.
Right now, he had to deal with this old fossil first.
"Grandpa, you wanna eat too?"
"Here you go, Grandpa!"
Naruto handed over a grilled fish with the most innocent smile he could muster.
Hiruzen nodded in approval.
He was very satisfied with Naruto's progress—especially the boy's willingness to share.
With a kind smile, he accepted the grilled fish.
"Thank you."
Then he sat beside Naruto, eating quietly and chatting with him about family matters, trying to build a bond.
Naruto had zero interest in small talk with this old bastard.
But what choice did he have?
He just had to keep up the act—like a bestselling actor on stage.
With an innocent expression, he smiled, chatted, and laughed as if he were genuinely happy.
Hiruzen didn't just drop by for a chat.
There were a few reasons for his sudden visit.
One of them:
Back at the Hokage Tower, curiosity had struck.
He had glanced into his crystal ball to check on Naruto...
And what did he see?
The kid was thriving.
Hunting, gathering, grilling food—acting like a tiny survivalist.
Hiruzen had been genuinely surprised.
Where had Naruto learned all this?
While talking, the Third's eyes kept drifting to Naruto's handmade tools.
Clever design. Functional. Innovative.
Even he was impressed.
Trying to sound casual, the Third asked,
"Where did you learn to make these things?"
Naruto was ready.
Ever since he decided to take action, he'd thought of ways to explain himself when this very question came up.
The answer?
Simple.
"I just kinda thought about it… and it came to me?"
Naruto scratched his head in mock confusion, like he didn't get what was so strange about it.
Yep.
Pure talent.
I, Uzumaki Naruto, am not cheating!
Now, sure—some people might say that's clearly a lie.
And they'd be right.
It was definitely bullshit.
But when you look at the actual circumstances—
With Anbu surveillance 24/7, no books or scrolls available, and zero contact with outsiders or spies—
Then there's only one possible conclusion:
Either the Third Hokage and his Anbu are completely useless...
—or Naruto really is that talented.
And there's no way Sarutobi Hiruzen would accept the former.
No way in hell.
So he chose the only answer left:
Naruto was telling the truth.
With that, the old Hokage couldn't help but marvel.
"This kid... he's sharp."
"Oh, Naruto, you're incredible," he said with a chuckle.
"When I was your age, I didn't know the first thing about any of this."
"Also—your grilling's not bad at all."
Naruto listened.
Then immediately put on a slightly proud and delighted expression.
"Hehehe."
Of course—
Inwardly, his thoughts were far less innocent.
If I'd known this old bastard was coming to mooch off my food...
I would've added some laxatives to the fish.
Let him experience the wonders of modern food technology and a good dose of hard labor...
Turn the 'Professor' into the Diarrhea Hokage.
Meanwhile, the real reason the Third Hokage had dropped by—
Wasn't just to chat.
Since he'd already planned to visit Naruto, he thought it would be a good opportunity to bring something along.
That something—
Was the chakra refining technique Naruto's original self had desperately longed for.
Back when his mind was still under the effects of Sarutobi Hiruzen's subtle brainwashing…
Naruto had sincerely wanted to become a ninja.
To earn the villagers' approval.
To one day become Hokage.
And the very first step toward that goal—
Was learning to refine his chakra.
Now, seeing that Naruto was getting close to the typical age for enrolling in the Academy...
Hiruzen decided it was the perfect time to hand over the scroll.
But the real reason?
It wasn't sentimental.
Lately, the Anbu had been monitoring fluctuations in the Nine-Tails' chakra—and things were starting to get unstable.
To prevent the Kyūbi from breaking free...
Naruto needed to learn how to generate chakra on his own.
That way, he could subconsciously maintain and reinforce the seal within his body at all times.
After finishing their meal,
The Third Hokage handed Naruto a scroll.
Naruto took it with a touch of surprise.
He unrolled it—and to his shock...
It was actually the chakra refining method!
This old geezer finally gave me something useful?
He actually dropped some gold coins this time...
Naruto was genuinely surprised.
But on the outside?
He turned into a god-tier actor again—lighting up with joy like a child on his birthday.
Hiruzen, watching this reaction, smiled warmly.
"Alright, alright," he said. "Take your time reading it. Once you've got the basics down, give it a try."
"Grandpa has some free time today."
"I can guide you personally."
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted, leaping to his feet in excitement.
Even I'm amazed by my own acting sometimes... How the hell am I this good?
But that didn't mean he wasn't interested.
On the contrary—
Naruto was genuinely eager to learn chakra refinement.
This was real growth. Real power.
He studied the scroll carefully.
Reading the detailed steps on how to refine chakra.
Taking note of the warnings and pitfalls listed within.
Then—
He sat cross-legged on the ground.
Closed his eyes.
Focused his mind.
And began.
Adjust your breathing.
Try to sense the chakra points in your body.
Chakra is the product of combining spiritual energy and physical energy—drawn from the mind and the body.
The human body contains 361 tenketsu—chakra points—scattered along the network of meridians.
Chakra is released and controlled through these tenketsu.
And at this moment—
Naruto was fully immersed in studying the chakra refining scroll.
He focused.
He concentrated.
He learned.
You have mastered the Perfect Chakra Refining Technique!
Perfect Chakra Refining Technique:
Allows you to refine chakra at any time, regardless of environment or state—battle or rest.
Massively increases chakra extraction efficiency.
Automatically continues refining even while unconscious.
Suddenly, Naruto felt as though he had experienced a hundred years of chakra refinement—
Like his soul had been placed in a realm where all he did, day and night, was refine chakra.
He practiced in all scenarios—
Injured.
Exhausted.
Even while asleep.
And yet, the refining remained constant. Perfect. Uninterrupted.
Naruto quickly realized the implications.
Normally, chakra is created on-demand—produced as it's used.
If too much is created at once, it drains stamina needlessly and wastes chakra reserves.
It can disrupt the rhythm of combat.
And destabilize ninjutsu that require precise control.
But the Perfect Chakra Refining Technique?
It didn't have those limitations.
It optimized everything.
It refined chakra smoothly—no lag, no waste, no mental strain.
He didn't have to calculate when to make more chakra anymore.
Even mid-battle—he could just refine freely.
Without hesitation, Naruto began performing the technique in earnest.
And within seconds—
Something incredible happened.
Even Naruto himself didn't expect what came next.
A surge of chakra flowed through him—pure, dense, and smooth as silk.
His body, mind, and spirit—
All seemed to resonate in harmony.
...
T.N:
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