Naruto realised it is not the time to slack of. Even though the academy was starting in a year, he thought it is best to start now so he is relatively strong when he becomes a genin. After seeing a fight in the forest of death, he was unsure that the academy will teach something useful to become a Ninja. What he witnessed was an absolute bloodbath. Two teams of genin squads were gone in an instant except for one. How can one do that? He has got to be really strong. He did not want to be facing a ninja like that being weak or not strong enough. Being slaughtered in an instant is not a thing that Naruto would do. Not a thing that Naruto will allow.
Naruto was walking out of the forest of death right now. He could not stay, not that he wanted to. Walking down the forest, Naruto stopped and sat down to relax. He was suddenly in thought.
"How can I be strong. I always see these ninjas from clans. At least their clan teaches them stuff" Naruto was saddened by it. It seemed like a dream unachievable to him. Who can teach him? Who wants to teach him? Not even that, how wants to talk with him? Naruto on the verge of tears of realised something.
"The Fourth Hokage. Ah yes, the fourth was apparently an orphan like him but he managed to become one of the strongest ninjas in the elemental nations. Maybe he could achieve strength himself". With new determination, Naruto realised this is possible. Just how to do it, he did not know. Naruto doesn't even know what elemental nations are. Naruto was in thought.
"So, elements are things like fire and water and nations are countries so that must mean there are countries named after elements. But what are the elements and how many where there?" Naruto would need to find answers. Where else to find answers? The library. There was only one problem, how is he going to get into the library? The villagers despise Naruto. They wouldn't want the demon to become knowledgeable, would they?
"Oh yes, the transformation jutsu that might help me. I could turn into someone else, so they don't notice me!" Naruto was practically shouting out at this point. He has finally found out a way to become strong without the assistance of a sensei. He would just read books from the library.
The only thing that he needs to do is to learn it. He was reading the book on the transformation jutsu. The book said it needs chakra to perform it. He didn't know if he had chakra.
"What even was chakra?"
"Why not try it?" After 10 minutes of trying, it out he got it down. He henges into himself but just a few differences. He changed his hair colour to red, removed the whisker marks and changed his eye colour to violet.
"That would do it. Nobody will notice me hopefully." As he walked down the village, he felt more at ease, nobody was staring at him. He even got a few greetings from villagers. Very strange to see them like this. He never thought the villagers would be this nice. He walked around trying to find where the library was when he stumbled upon a building.
"Konoha library. That must be it" He headed into the library.
He looked around the library and found a few books that he thought would be important. He found books on chakra basics and intermediate, the academy three, taijutsu and fuinjustu level 1. Naruto thought that some of these books were interesting and might get him ahead of the academy. Naruto took a chair next to one of the tables in the library and began to read it first starting from chakra basics. He struggled on some of the words in the book which is normal for just a 5-year-old.
"Hi" One shinobi on the same table as him said.
"Oh, hi Shinobi-San."
"Are you looking to become a ninja?"
"Oh yes I am. I am reading these books to figure out where to start."
"Do you want some help on it?"
"Yes please."
The shinobi started helping him explaining what chakra is, explaining the different elements and how they interact with each other and even chakra control exercises and the importance of chakra control exercises. He thanked the shinobi and Naruto headed off, borrowing the books from the library.
He headed outside, he felt tired like something was draining him. He guessed it was the henge, so he just dispelled it. He strolled a few meters just to hear a rumble down below.
"Oh, my stomach forgot about that." Naruto did one of his foxy grins.
"I guess I need to find somewhere to eat. I need to ask Gigi for more food for my apartment". He sighed and walked around to find somewhere to eat. He found a ramen stand with two shinobis looking at it with a questioning look.
"Should we eat here Itachi?" One of the shinobi said.
"It looks good to me, why don't we try it Shuisi?"
"Sure, let's eat here."
The now known Shuisi entered the ramen stand.
"Ramen. Never had it, I think I should try it as well."
Naruto entered the ramen stand and took a seat.
"Oh Hello, we have new customers!" Teuchi exclaimed.
"Hello what is your name?" Ayame turned to look at Naruto.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
"Naruto, what would you like?"
"Miso Ramen please."
While the food was preparing and Itachi and Shisui took their orders as well, Naruto was still reading the book on the chakra basics. He now knows about the leaf balancing exercise and the tree walking exercise and learnt about different exercises to for taijutsu
"Oh, hi Naruto, I'm impressed that you want to become a shinobi at such a young age." Shisui said.
"Thank you, Shinobi-San."
"You can just call me Shisui that would be fine."
"Oh, ok Shisui."
Shisui also saw a book on fuinjustu on the table. He was quite shocked that a mere 5-year-old would take interest in fuinjustu.
"Why do you want to lean fuinjustu Naruto? I mean most people your age do not really learn fuinjustu and even most veteran shinobi have not learnt fuinjustu."
"I don't know, I just thought that sealing things are cool." Shisui sweat dropped.
Itachi was also taking interest in the conversation.
"Some of the strongest shinobis has learnt fuinjustu and some even excelled at it."
"Like whom?" Naruto was bouncing on the chair eager to know more. Maybe, it was the right choice to pick up a book about fuinjustu if powerful shinobis used it. He hasn't read it yet, but he would study it more.
"Some ninjas how used it include Jiraya one of the Legendary Sanin and the Forth Hokage. The Fourth used a seal to make him able to teleport wherever the seal was. The Forth called it the hiraishin and he was known for that jutsu. It was an adaptation the Second Hokage hiraishin as the fourth improved on it making him even faster" Itachi added.
"That so cool. I will read the book on fuinjustu when I get home."
"Just be careful, sealing is very dangerous one mistake can cause heavy consequences." Shisui added on.
"Ok I will be careful"!
"Ok, the food is ready!"
Naruto reserved his bowl of ramen and when he first saw it beams of light was glimmering of the ramen bowl. He can smell each individual ingredient coming of the bowl. Naruto demolished the ramen like there was no tomorrow.
Naruto, Itachi conversed with each other, and Naruto was really enjoying it. These were one of his first friends how does not give him looks of hatred.
"Ah, this is embarrassing." Naruto was just 50 Ryo short. He needed to ask the Hokage for money. Almost all of is going out of the drain ever since he got kicked out the orphanage a couple of months ago. He was glad he left the orphanage but angry that they would even kick him out. Naruto thought the commission in his life was just an absolute mess.
"Don't worry I will pay for it" Shuisi smiled at the boy. Shisui gave Teuchi the whole money for the food the whole 500 Ryo.
"Oh, don't worry it's on the house" Teuchi said.
"Oh, thank you" Naruto engulfed him into a hug.
- Two days later –
In these two days, Naruto was training and training hard. He had his own workout routine, and it was intense. To be honest, Naruto liked the workouts even though it was a workout a lunatic would do 100s and 100s of laps around the village, hundreds of pull ups, sit ups and squats. On the first day it took him 4 hours to do it and he practically collapsed on the ground. His muscles felt like they were on fire and his bones feel like it going to snap any second.
"Maybe I should of took it easy on the first day. Well, you know what they say no pain no gain".
Just a few seconds later, he collapsed and drifted off to sleep.
On the next day, he felt great. He didn't know how he recovered that fast because in the book he read it says after an intense workout, beginners will have to take of a couple of days to recover. But Naruto seemed to be recovered. How? He did not know. He repeated the workout that he did yesterday, but he completed it in 3 hours and was less tired after the workout. Naruto decided to meditate in the forest. He heard it can be very useful for recovery and staying in the right state of mind. It was good for something stressful such as rigorous training.
He meditated and meditated for a while when he started to feel more energised. The birds were tweeting, and the surrounding became windier. A slight blue aura engulfed him. Shisui was watching this in shock. It seemed like senjutsu chakra but how? How is that possible? He is 5 years old. Not to mention he didn't even learn it. Shuisi closed his eyes and opened again. It was still there.
"That weird. Shisui you're here, right?"
Shisui was baffled. Very baffled. Was this a senjutsu?
Naruto stopped meditating and it suddenly gone.
"Hi Shisui , I was meditating, and I felt this cool energy, I didn't know what it was, but I could feel where you are were. It seemed to be gone now".
"So, it seems like he can't hold it for long and he needs to be in a meditate position" Shuisi thought.
"Naruto that was amazing!" Shisui was ecstatic for the boy. That required a ton of skill to do it by your own.
"Really, what is so special about meditating?"
"Naruto. You just used senjutsu chakra. It's a very powerful nature chakra and requires you to balance out your chakra with senjutsu chakra. It can boost your power by more than double".
"Really, that is so cool" Naruto was also ecstatic.
"I think we should inform the Hokage and maybe I can ask him to train you."
"Really. This day is amazing!"
- Hokage tower –
Hirusen was flung of the chair promptly fainting after hearing what Naruto has done. Hirusen got his bearings. Hirusen was very proud of the boy for completing such feet although from what he has heard from Shuisi he is not able to utilise it yet. Training will help him utilise such chakra.
"Senjutsu chakra at such a young age is an amazing feat. He can become as fine shinobi. Sadly, the only ones with senjutsu are Jiraya and Tsunade but Jiraya has his own things to do, and Tsunade is just Tsunade. So Shisui, would you like to train Naruto, he is one of the most promising people in this village and it would not hurt to boost his strength?"
"Hay Hokage-Sama, I would gladly train him".
"Alright, train him from tomorrow for a year. Naruto you can take a break for the day, I see that you have been working very hard" Hirusen could see that Naruto has one some physical training just by observing him.
"Ok Gigi." Naruto was happy about the nice words he heard. He doesn't get a lot of these words it always demon this monster that.
Naruto was looking at the picture of the fourth Hokage. Hirusen gulped. Naruto was a smart boy he hopped that he would not figure it out.
"He does look really similar to me. It even looks like we are related. Oh well it doesn't matter too much at the moment".
Hirusen sighed. He is glad he did not notice but he is worried that one day he might be able to fit all the puzzles and solve it out.
"Oh Gigi, I'm kind of running out of money" Naruto did one of his foxy grins.
"Naruto, how do you manage to run out of that much money?" Hirusen was confused.
"They charge quite a lot for items towards me. I know that others don't get charged that much" Naruto was tearing up. When can he ever get a break from the villagers?
Hirusen was pissed.
"Don't worry Naruto, I will fix it".