The Beginning of a Ninja: Chadora
Two months later, in mid-December.
Inside the seal space, one boy and one fox sat lazily, each sipping from a straw and munching on skewers.
Naruto used a glass vase, a silver straw, and wooden skewers. He didn't care whether it was black tea or cola. The Nine-Tails, however, drank only cola—he was oddly picky about his beverages.
The Nine-Tails was impressive. He had two massive mithril pools, each the size of a swimming pool—one filled with grilled meat, the other with cola. A Chakra hand gripped a five-meter-long mithril skewer, plunged it into the mountain of meat, pulled out a hefty amount, and devoured it without pause.
The cola pool connected to a mithril straw with a 20-centimeter diameter. Each segment was two meters long and could be extended like a screw. Naruto didn't even bother trying to regulate it—Kurama had the strength of a natural disaster and simply drank with brute force. It was a one-boy, one-fox workshop, so nothing was particularly refined.
In the workshop, the only available metal materials were steel, iron, silver, and mithril. The first three were like tofu to the Nine-Tails—crushed with a single squeeze, shattered with a bite. Only mithril, described by the system as "incredibly durable and absurdly hard," could withstand the Tailed Beast's destructive power—so long as Kurama wasn't actively trying to destroy it.
"Kid, today's the last time," Kurama said, still chewing and sipping. Even when his stomach was full, he could speak perfectly using his version of ventriloquism.
Today marked the final lesson from Kurama the mentor to Naruto the student. On the nearby wall, only a dozen or so chalk-like characters remained—words of advice, chakra formulas, and half-finished insults.
"Don't worry, Big Fox, I'll still come see you tomorrow," Naruto said, smiling innocently.
"This old man doesn't need visitors," Kurama huffed.
Naruto pouted. "Tch, tsundere."
Naruto blinked. Was it his imagination, or had the Nine-Tails… gotten bigger?
Thinking back to Kurama's emaciated state in the anime after the chakra extraction during the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto felt relieved. If a fox could shrink from chakra loss, it made sense it could gain mass, too. With a daily schedule of eating, sleeping, and occasionally being in a quantum state of both, Kurama's weight gain was hardly surprising.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"The Third Hokage's here. I'm heading back, Big Fox."
Hearing the knock, Naruto exited the seal space and returned to his physical body.
The Third Hokage usually visited once a month to replenish Naruto's expenses. He had already come earlier this month, so this visit must mean something more serious.
"Come in."
Naruto, now fully conscious, set down the clay figurine he was sculpting and went to wash his hands. To anyone watching, it looked as if he'd been staring blankly at the figurine before suddenly snapping out of it.
"Old man, what brings you here?" Naruto asked. The Hokage was always swamped with duties but somehow never retired—or died. For him to come unannounced likely meant something was wrong.
Hiruzen looked at Naruto, complicated emotions swirling in his heart. The child of Minato and Kushina, entrusted to him on their deathbeds. And yet, from the age of two, this child had become self-sufficient. Naruto's unique abilities let him live independently; all Hiruzen had done was send money.
"Little Naruto, you'll be six soon, won't you?" he asked gently.
"Huh? Six already?" Naruto was stunned. He barely kept track of time. Since he rarely went outside, he'd lost all sense of dates. The only intelligent creature he spoke with daily was a grumpy fox, and Kurama was hardly the calendar-keeping type.
Hiruzen sighed internally. This level of isolation wasn't healthy. If it continued, Naruto could become completely detached from the world.
"You'll be starting the Academy next year," the Hokage said, blowing a ring of smoke from his pipe.
So you came here to trick me again, old man?
"Ninja School, huh…" Naruto's eyes sparkled. He was genuinely excited. Finally, he'd get to meet all those familiar characters! He'd only seen them on screens before—now he'd see them in person.
"You're really excited, aren't you?" Hiruzen was taken aback. He'd expected resistance.
"I am."
How else would he meet Hinata? He refused to be a single dog forever.
Hiruzen exhaled more smoke rings from his nose, impressed by Naruto's enthusiasm. It seemed the boy didn't want to be alone anymore.
He'd learned how to blow smoke rings from a Naruto figurine holding a cigarette. With refined chakra control, Hiruzen could even blow smoke rings from his ears if he wanted.
Smiling warmly, he reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair, only for the boy to dodge instinctively. Hiruzen retracted his hand awkwardly.
"Little Naruto, here's a gift before you start school. Study hard and become a great ninja."
He placed two scrolls in front of Naruto. It was the least he could do now—help guide this extraordinary child onto the path of a true shinobi.
Hiruzen had seen Naruto running laps on the roof before. The boy's stamina was monstrous, and his ability to teleport in and out of visibility… utterly baffling. Naruto had potential to surpass most of his peers.
"Thanks, old man." Naruto could already read most characters, though he still practiced regularly in his mental space. The scrolls weren't hard to understand.
Uzumaki Clan Chakra Extraction Method
Shadow Clone Technique
The first was straightforward—a chakra extraction technique tailored to the Uzumaki clan. The Academy taught a standard method, but most clans had special methods customized to their unique physiology. The Uzumaki, known for their massive reserves of chakra and vitality, naturally had their own version.
The second scroll made Naruto frown. Was the old man saying he was lonely?
As the Hokage left, Naruto sent him off with a basket of eggs. Hiruzen was delighted.
At the door, the old man left him with one last line:
> "Little Naruto, extracting chakra outdoors works better!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. That smelled like a lie. He'd watched the anime from start to finish—multiple times—and no one had ever said that.
"Big Fox, is that true?" Naruto asked as he returned to the seal.
"I've never heard of such nonsense," Kurama replied, chowing down on skewers.
Naruto sighed. It seemed the Hokage was once again pulling tricks just to get him to go outside.
Still… the last time he went out on a whim, he'd met Hinata.
He remembered that Hinata used to get lost a lot as a child—maybe he'd run into her again.
Without hesitation, Naruto opened a portal and stepped through.
---
In a small grove somewhere in Konoha…
A bonfire crackled before a large rock, the heat bouncing back toward Naruto. He had learned this trick from watching Bear Grylls—a simple survival method that really worked.
He'd layered wooden boards and blankets to make a soft sitting spot. He picked up the scroll and studied it carefully.
> "Chakra is formed by blending Physical Energy from every cell of the body with Spiritual Energy from mental focus. The Uzumaki Extraction Method is optimized for the clan's unique physique. Due to the clan's exceptional life force and chakra potential, this method allows safer and more efficient chakra formation."
Naruto nodded seriously.
> "The Shadow Clone Technique creates physical copies of the caster. Chakra is evenly divided among each clone. Upon dispersal, a clone returns its experience and information to the original. It is ideal for training and reconnaissance."
Naruto didn't worry about the Shadow Clone yet—he needed chakra first.
He sat cross-legged in the firelight, hands resting on his knees. He pressed his middle fingers to his thumbs, forming a circle, letting the other fingers rest.
"What kind of pose is that?!" Hiruzen nearly choked on his tea, watching through his crystal ball. The scroll didn't mention any hand posture! What was this kid doing?
Naruto, of course, had copied the pose from a Taoist immortal on TV. It looked cool—like something out of a cultivation drama. It might not boost chakra flow, but it felt good mentally.
And that counted for something.