Thwack! Pow! Crunch!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The bully who had dared to call him "demon fox" lay whimpering in the snow, a trickle of blood escaping his broken teeth.
His two companions fared no better, sporting matching bruises and terror-filled eyes as they scrambled away on shaky legs.
Naruto watched them go, his expression still dark. His thoughts drifted back to the Fourth Hokage.
'Minato… that idiot. He didn't let Kushina use the Reaper Death Seal? She was dying anyway! But he chose to sacrifice himself, all for the village, not for his own newborn son. That damned Will of Fire…'
Meanwhile, in the swirling chaos of Naruto's mindscape, Kurama's booming laughter echoed. "Good work, brat! I like your spirit! Though, personally, I think you should have just finished them off."
Naruto, hearing the fox's bloodthirsty approval, chose to ignore it.
Killing them would just bring more unwanted attention from the higher-ups. A beating is one thing; murder is a whole different level of trouble.
'Danzo would have a field day, whispering in Hiruzen's ear about the Kyuubi influencing me, demanding I be handed over to Root. Turning me into their little weapon.'
He turned his gaze towards the small Hyuga girl, who was still standing where he had left her, her light lavender eyes fixed on him.
Flustered, she gave him a deep, awkward bow. "Thank you," she mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.
'Ugh, here we go,' Naruto thought with an internal groan.
'The Hinata fan club initiation. Just like in the anime.' He suppressed a sigh.
'She might become a beauty later, but I'm not into the loli's.' A look of mild displeasure crossed his face as he addressed her.
"Why did you even let those no-name cannon fodders bully you? You're stronger than they are."
Hinata's head drooped further, a shadow of sadness passing over her features. Naruto's blunt words didn't soften. "Just try to fight for yourself," he said, his tone firm.
"Don't always expect others to come to your rescue." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Hinata staring at his retreating back, her expression a complex mix of emotions.
As Naruto continued towards his apartment, he sensed the familiar subtle presences nearby.
'Hyuga. Probably watching over their little heiress.' He frowned.
'They were there, close enough to witness the bullying, yet they didn't intervene. What's with this family? Letting their kid get pushed around, probably thinking it'll build character or something. I'll never understand the Hyuga way.'
——
The next morning, after a quick meal, an idea sparked in Naruto's mind.
'Rasengan.'
With his Total Chakra Control and his vivid memories of the jutsu's creation from the anime, he figured he could bypass the tedious balloon and rubber ball training.
"But should I?" He hesitated.
'The Anbu are always watching. If they see me pull off an A-rank jutsu at five years old, Hiruzen will definitely want answers.'
Then, the thought of the XP hit him.
"Learning and mastering a new jutsu… an A-rank like Rasengan is 1200 XP!"
The allure of such a significant boost outweighed his concerns about the Hokage's potential scrutiny.
"Screw it. The XP is more important." He closed his eyes, dredging up every detail of the Rasengan's formation from his past life memories.
He focused his chakra, channeling it into his right hand, trying to replicate the swirling vortex. After a few clumsy attempts, a blue-white ball of raw, concentrated chakra, roughly the size of a baseball, materialized in his palm.
A triumphant grin spread across his face. He quickly checked his System interface.
(Host : Naruto Uzumaki)
(Chakra Capacity : Elite Genin)
(XP : 1225)
Additionals :
[Chakra Battery : Tail Beast Level (Yang Half Kurama)]
"Total Chakra Control is great."
His XP had indeed jumped from 20 to 1225 – the 5 passive XP for the day plus the massive 1200 XP for mastering the A-rank Rasengan.
He briefly considered purchasing another Genin Level Card, but then dismissed the idea.
'Nothing major is going to happen in Konoha for a while. Not until the Uchiha Massacre, and that's a few years away'
'Story will start after I graduate from the Academy.' He calculated the timeline in his head.
'I'm five now. Academy starts at eight, graduation around twelve. That's six or seven years of relative peace.'
'No point in wasting XP on another Genin card right now. I'll just keep accumulating it. By the time I'm ready for the Academy or even more time of graduation, I should have enough for a few Chunin Level Cards. That'll be much more useful.'
With his immediate goal achieved, Naruto felt a sense of quiet satisfaction settle over him. The future was still uncertain, but for the first time since his arrival, he felt a sliver of control.