Chapter 58. Climbing a tree in advance

The next day.

Naruto woke up, rubbing his eyes, only to find another person at home.

Feeling a bit confused, Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts, realizing it was the Third Hokage.

"Grandpa, why are you here so early?"

The Third Hokage offered a kind smile, "Naruto, have you been doing well with your money lately?"

Naruto responded cheerfully, "Yeah, I'm good now! I can eat whatever I want."

"Have you faced any challenges at the ninja school recently?" The Sandaime sat on a stool, engaging Naruto in a conversation.

In reality, Naruto's daily activities were reported to him by ANBU. The Third Hokage was just attempting to get closer.

After a chat with him, the Third Hokage found nothing unusual and left Naruto's house.

Once he departed, Naruto closed the door and let out a heavy sigh. Acting was exhausting, but it was a necessity.

Natsuki had emphasized that Naruto couldn't let the Third Hokage know about his new knowledge.

Naruto tidied up his home and enjoyed the bento he bought the day before before heading out.

As soon as he stepped outside, the ANBU immediately followed him.

He made his way to the river, where Sasuke was already practicing the Fire Release technique.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Sasuke took a deep breath and unleashed a massive fireball.

However, he accidentally blew out the fireball, swiftly jumping up and throwing two shurikens forward.

Boom, boom.

The fireball sailed across the water, disappearing, and the two shurikens found their mark at the center of the target.

Naruto clapped enthusiastically. "Sasuke, you're so awesome!"

Sasuke turned his head proudly. "Humph, of course."

"Come on, let's go to the woods."

Naruto followed Sasuke into the woods, where two tall, large, and straight trees stood.

Sasuke cleared his throat, adopting a serious expression. "Yesterday, sensei said my chakra control wasn't very good, so he taught me tree climbing. It's too boring to climb alone."

"So, Naruto, I'm going to teach you how to climb a tree now. Let's climb together."

Naruto sat on the ground obediently, nodding repeatedly. He knew this was what Natsuki-sensei had asked Sasuke to teach him.

Sasuke was a bit surprised at Naruto's obedience.

Earlier in the morning, Teacher Natsuki had approached him, asking if he would like to be Naruto's instructor.

Sasuke, accustomed to having a rivalry with Naruto, reluctantly agreed.

Due to his recent learning of chakra refinement at the ninja school, Natsuki immediately thought of tree climbing and water walking training.

With ANBU monitoring him day and night, becoming Naruto's teacher would raise alarms with the Third Hokage immediately.

Even though he possessed the Eternal Mangekyo and wasn't afraid of the Third Hokage, Natsuki, preparing to leave soon, preferred to keep a low profile.

Since Sasuke and Naruto had a good relationship, having Sasuke teach Naruto wouldn't raise suspicions from the Third Hokage.

After Sasuke explained it to Naruto in a serious and decent manner, the two of them began their climbing attempts.

Sasuke managed to take five steps before losing balance.

Being from the Uchiha clan, he exhibited good physical coordination and landed with a graceful somersault.

Surprisingly, when Sasuke turned around, he found that Naruto had also taken five steps.

When Naruto initially gathered the chakra in his feet, he felt a bit nervous, fearing that the Nine Tails might affect his chakra operation.

However, to his delight, it worked this time.

Naruto expressed his gratitude to Kyuubi internally: "Thank you, Kyuubi." Although Kyuubi didn't reply, Naruto felt a sense of happiness.

And just like that, Naruto descended from the tree.

While Naruto's skills weren't as refined as Uchiha Sasuke's, it was evident that he had spent a considerable amount of time learning Taijutsu.

Naruto didn't panic as he descended from the air to the ground.

He adjusted his posture, landed on his feet, bent his knees, and rolled on the ground.

Although the landing wasn't aesthetically pleasing, it effectively prevented injuries.

However, his clothes ended up a bit worse for wear. Naruto rolled around, stood up, and realized his body was now dirty.

"Naruto, look how dirty you are," Sasuke teased, laughing at him.

But then he remembered that Naruto had descended from the same height as him just moments ago, and his smile faded.

"Let's continue..."

...

Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage scans the reports submitted by the ANBU. Naruto and Sasuke had spent a day practicing tree climbing.

Surprisingly, Naruto showed remarkable progress, matching Sasuke's abilities. This was a stark contrast to his performance in previous ninjutsu classes.

He took a puff from his pipe, contemplating the situation.

For him, as the Hokage and a ninjutsu expert, his understanding of Jinchuuriki was limited.

As long as Naruto remained under Konoha's control, it seemed satisfactory.

The matter of Sasuke teaching Naruto tree climbing was considered insignificant. The Third Hokage instructed the ANBU to continue observing and then dismissed them.

As Hokage, he had numerous responsibilities.

News about Danzo had been nonexistent for a while. He suspected that Danzo wouldn't willingly stay hidden and was likely amassing strength somewhere.

The Kirigakure became the Village of the Bloody Mist in the Land of Water, leading to numerous elite Mist ninjas turning into Missing-nin, creating chaos in the black market.

Meanwhile, the Amegakure had sealed itself off, making it impenetrable to outsiders. Hanzo had also been silent recently, requiring vigilance.

Sunagakure had remained relatively stable in the past two years, despite their economic struggles.

Rasa had been supporting the village's economy since the Third Ninja War, providing a temporary sense of security.

They had heard in Iwagakure Village about Onoki's genius disciple causing trouble, and Onoki dealing with issues assertively.

As for the Otogakure in Land of Sound.

The Third Hokage took a thick information sheet and carefully read through it.

Following Itachi and Shisui's departure from the village with over a hundred elite ninja, they managed to conceal their whereabouts effectively.

The Third Hokage attempted to send ANBU to track them, but they were quickly discovered and evaded.

Surprisingly, when they resurfaced, Itachi and Shisui had reached the Land of Sound.

Konoha, however, refrained from making any accusations.

With the Uchiha within the village relinquishing power and having no disputes with anyone within the village, it wasn't in Konoha's interest to brand Itachi and Shisui as Missing-nin.

Even with four pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan, the situation compelled Konoha to reluctantly accept the situation.

What concerns the Third Hokage more is the meaning of "Summer" in the [Summer Food] created by the Uchiha family.

He knows that it's a season but it could be a special code name? A hidden message?

The Third Hokage, having personally tasted it, had to acknowledge the profound impact of [Summer Food].

After experiencing it, other cuisines and specialty snacks seemed lacking.

It was reported that they had secured the daimyo's support in Land of Sound, and the popularity of these dishes was evident everywhere.

There was a much greater variety than what was available in Konoha Village.

If the Third Hokage's prediction holds true, these delicacies were crafted by Natsuki Uchiha.

The Third Generation knew that the Mangekyō Sharingan could awaken a unique eye technique in the Uchiha.

Could it be possible that Natsuki Uchiha's awakened eye technique was related to food?

The Third Hokage instructed his subordinates to assess the profits generated by the Uchiha businesses, particularly those located on Konoha's Eighth Street, revealing significant earnings.

However, Uchiha refrained from disclosing specific financial details.

The prosperity of Uchiha civilians, as reflected in their improved quality of life, hinted at substantial wealth accumulation over the recent years.

It was evident that all of these financial successes were attributed to Natsuki Uchiha.

'It would be nice if he wasn't here.'