9 Chapter 9: Preparation (6)

Naruto had spent an entire month training with Guy, in that short period of time Naruto's Taijutsu skill soared up to level 23, his mastery in close-quarter combat could now rival that of a genin which amazed Guy and Kakashi, the two of them had actually decided to keep it a secret from the Hokage so that Naruto could surprise him with his growth.

Naruto had frequently sparred with Guy who, of course, held back and because of that he was confident that there weren't any clan children that could beat him, Naruto had also learned the basics of Guy's Taijutsu style, the Strong fist, it consisted of powerful strikes designed to cause external damage and to break bones, Naruto enjoyed using the style since it showcased his strength but he also felt that there was a certain uncomfortableness that came when using it.

His body told him that this style was not suited for him, but for now, Naruto had to settle with this style since he had no way of acquiring a different style

Guy sadly had to leave because of a mission that would take him out of the village for a couple of months so Naruto didn't have anyone to train him, although Guy had helped him to set up a training plan which helped Naruto out quite a bit.

There was 1 more month left for Naruto and he had no plans to slow down his training and instead trained even harder than before.

The month mostly consisted of Naruto doing his usual routine of training and studying, Naruto had learned most of the basic subjects quite well and would have no problem with the academic part of the Ninja academy, the basic subjects at the academy were math, biology, geography, economics which would only be given in higher years, history, and ninja studies which consisted of Taijutsu, Shuriken Jutsu, and Ninjutsu, there were also basic lessons given on trapmaking and the like but those were only compulsory in the first two years, students on average stayed at the academy until they became 12 or 13, in the past, it was a lot earlier but due to recent changes, it had changed.

Of course, it was still possible to graduate early from the academy but the requirements to do that were very hard, another change that happened recently before there were often students that graduated early and died on the battlefield.

Naruto's skills had once again risen in skill level although his Kenjutsu and Shuriken jutsu were lagging behind by quite a bit and the system had still not given him any quests to level up which disappointed him, but he couldn't truly do anything about it.

Naruto decided to check his skills, 'Skills'.

[SKILLS]

[Gamers body: lvl max]

[Gamers mind: lvl max]

[Observe: lvl 9]

[Shurikenjutsu: lvl 10]

[Mathematics: lvl 8]

[Physical conditioning: lvl 30]

[Kenjutsu: lvl 4]

[Taijutsu: lvl 23]

[Trapmaking: lvl 5]

[Parkour: lvl 15]

[Sprint: lvl 15]

[Calligraphy: lvl 33]

[Power strike: lvl 9]

[Pain resistance: lvl 17]

[Willpower: lvl 11]

His skills were almost all above level 10, Naruto was confident that he could beat everyone at the academy now both in terms of technique and in terms of physique.

Naruto had grown a lot over the past 4 months, his body had finally started to grow normally and he had made a lot of progress status-wise.

Naruto now stood at an above-average 4 feet, most six-year-olds averaged out at 3 foot 8 inches so he was quite a bit taller than others, although he had yet to build any kind of visible muscle Naruto's stats surpassed even those of untrained adults but hadn't fully reached genin level yet.

Naruto most often wore long dark-colored pants and a T-shirt paired with a black jacket, he wore ninja sandals and had his ankles and wrists taped down.

His bright yellow hair and bright blue eyes contrasted nicely with the dark colors he wore, he would actually call him pretty good looking, the scar that was on his face added an air of mystery and ferociousness to him his whisker marks made him look cute in comparison to the scar, but Naruto actually quite liked the look of it, it even served as a source of determination to Naruto since he didn't want to gain any other scars especially not from civilians.

Naruto was proud of himself, Dog told him that it would be hard for him to catch up to others but he had a feeling that he had already surpassed most of the clan children, there could have been a few that could be stronger than him but he seriously doubted it.

Naruto had a basic knowledge of the clans of Konoha and he admitted that the Akimichi heir was most likely stronger than him in physical strength and that the Nara clan heir most likely surpassed him in intelligence Naruto was confident that he could beat them, the only clans he really had to worry for was the Uchiha clan since he heard that there would be a quite talented Uchiha joining this year.

Naruto hoped he could have someone to compete with, he didn't want things to be boring after all.

The entrance exam would be tomorrow so Naruto was resting for the day, whenever he rested Naruto studied but Naruto decided it was best to let both his mind and body rest before the exam so he decided that he would spend the day lazing around, he walked a bit and read a book.

Nowadays resting was actually not enjoyable to Naruto, if Naruto didn't train for a day he would start getting restless and would not be able to sleep so Naruto decided to have lunch at Ichiraku's.

Naruto quickly arrived at Ichiraku Ramen and greeted Teuchi "Hey there Teuchi-Jiji! Tomorrow I'm gonna be taking the entrance exam to the ninja academy, isn't that great?"

Teuchi smiled at the boy, Naruto had changed, he was happier and looked better than ever, Teuchi was glad that whatever had happened had changed Naruto in a positive way "Hello, Naruto, that is indeed great, I wish you good luck on your exam tomorrow, and just for that I will give you a good luck meal!"

Naruto grinned brightly, Teuchi noted that Naruto's smiles were now genuine almost 100% of the time.

"Really? Thank you! Teuchi-Jiji!" Naruto gave his thanks to Teuchi and patiently waited before he devoured his usual ten bowls of ramen.

Naruto made some small talk with Teuchi before heading home, he was sad that he couldn't meet Ayame since she had school to attend, but he left just as happy.

Naruto stared at himself in the mirror with determined eyes, the past four months were the happiest months of his life, they were also the most fruitful ones, Naruto looked at his status screen, he was thankful to the Gamer System, without it he would never have reached this far.

Naruto spoke to himself confidently "Tomorrow, I will show all of you tomorrow, that I, Uzumaki Naruto, will become the greatest ninja ever!"