Chapter 69: The Nine-Tails' Guidelines

Little Lee was stunned. When he opened his eyes, he saw Naruto grinning widely, his hands behind his head, showing off his big white teeth. Gone was the drowsy expression from before.

"Eh?"

"I thought something big was happening, but between friends, there's no need for all that formality. Just say it!" Naruto laughed mischievously.

Lee rubbed his eyes in confusion, repeatedly thanking Naruto, as his vision blurred for a moment.

"Naruto! Lee Rock! You two are making so much noise while standing there in punishment... Huh? Sasuke-kun, you're here?"

The door to the classroom suddenly swung open, and Iruka's angry voice filled the room. But before he could scold the two troublemakers, his eyes fell on someone walking down the hallway.

Naruto, who had noticed Sasuke a moment ago, grinned and called out, "Yo, Sasuke! You finally made it to school!"

Sasuke stood there, still in his usual deep blue short-sleeve shirt and shorts, his handsome face expressionless as always. Yet, when his eyes met Naruto's, there was a slight shift in his gaze.

"Mm..." Sasuke muttered, then quickly turned away from the two in punishment, nodding to Iruka before walking into the classroom.

"You two, come on in," Iruka called, his anger mostly dissipated as he saw Sasuke return to his seat. He gestured to Naruto and Lee Rock.

During the class that followed, Naruto struggled to stay awake, barely holding on despite Hinata's frequent subtle pushes beneath the desk. But he managed to survive Iruka's lesson without dozing off, feeling relieved when the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Naruto immediately collapsed onto his desk, falling into a deep sleep.

This made Sasuke, who had been standing to ask him something, sit back down quietly.

[That night, the figure of Naruto I saw... Was it just an illusion, or...]

Sasuke's thoughts were tangled. Before he could sort them out, whispers surrounded him as his classmates started to gossip, throwing him curious, sympathetic, or fearful glances.

[These people...]

Ever since Sasuke woke up, he noticed that no matter where he went in the village, whispers about the Uchiha clan followed him, and he could feel eyes on his back. Some people were curious, others felt sympathy, and some were scared. The murmurs and gazes surrounded him constantly, making him uneasy and irritated. Was this how it would be from now on, even at school?

"Sasuke-kun..."

Just as Sasuke was lost in thought, TenTen, with her signature twin buns, came over with a group of classmates. They all had warm smiles as TenTen handed him a small box.

"What's this?" Sasuke asked, surprised.

"It's just a little something from all of us," TenTen said, flashing a bright smile. "It's not much, but it's from everyone in the class."

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun, we didn't know what to say, but we're cheering for you!"

"I've supported you from the start, and I believe you'll definitely beat Naruto!"

Hinata and Neji, along with Naruto, had talked to them about Sasuke over the past few days...

"Idiot, why are you bringing that up?" someone scolded.

Through the noise and chatter, Sasuke understood what was going on. Looking down at the small amount of money inside the box on his desk, he glanced at Neji, who was pretending to look out the window, and Hinata, who was gently fanning a dozing Naruto with a notebook.

"Thank you," Sasuke said quietly, his voice barely audible.

As the sun began to set, Naruto, who had finally caught up on his sleep at school, perked up after class. He eagerly grabbed Lee and introduced him to Neji, Sasuke, and Hinata. Then he said, "Today, Hinata and I have something to do, so we're heading home. Neji, can you take Lee to the training grounds?"

Neji, who had been subtly hanging around their group, suddenly stiffened at Naruto's request. He turned serious and said, "Not today. I've got something to take care of with my clan, so I'm leaving now."

Without waiting for Naruto to respond, Neji vanished in a blur, leaving them all behind.

"Huh... then, Sasuke, what about you?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto and said, "I need to take care of a few things first. I'll handle them before I leave." He gave Naruto a quick glance and turned to leave.

"Well, okay... Lee, I guess it's just you and me for now. Let's head to the training grounds," Naruto said with a sheepish smile.

"It's fine! Training alone is part of growing up, and I've gotten used to it!" Lee replied with enthusiasm, completely unbothered. He didn't mind being by himself, thinking it was the perfect opportunity to push himself harder.

Naruto was surprised by Lee's fire and determination. "Oh, wow," he muttered, impressed.

After everything was settled, Naruto finally took Hinata back to his room.

"Sorry for intruding..." Hinata said nervously, knowing it was training, but still unsure as she stepped inside.

Looking around the room, she noted how simple and clear everything was. From her high emotional intelligence, she could only describe it as "easy to understand."

"Don't worry about it! Just treat it like your own home," Naruto said casually, tossing his small bag onto the bed before sitting down cross-legged. "Oh, and I know you're strict at home, so just think of this like a training ground."

Hinata glanced at Naruto, who was already in a meditative posture, and asked, "So, Naruto-kun, what do you need me to do?"

"Oh, it's simple," Naruto said, pulling out a thick wooden stick from his bed. It was about the width of his arm. He handed it to Hinata with a grin. "All you need to do is watch me stay still for an hour. If I move, you hit me on the head with this stick—hard! Hit me until I wake up!"

"Eh?" Hinata looked at the stick and then back at Naruto, clearly confused.

"What? It's a new training method!" Naruto said, grinning. "You need to hit me with chakra applied, though. It'll hurt more and be more effective! I'm counting on you!" With a prayer-like gesture, he emphasized it once more before closing his eyes and sinking into concentration.

The moment he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in his familiar surroundings—the Nine-Tails appeared in front of him once more.

Still the same pure white mental world, but now, around Kurama floated swirling natural energy clusters of different sizes.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" Kurama asked, grinning widely.

"Yeah, bring it on!" Naruto said, his fists raised, excitement bubbling within him. "I'm ready! Ahh! This is so exciting... Sage Mode!"

"Alright, enough talking," Kurama said with a wave of his claws. A burst of natural energy shot toward Naruto, enveloping him completely.

"Boom!"

The next moment, Naruto, still grinning, froze in place, hands clasped in a fighting stance, as if turned to stone.

"Eh?"

That was Naruto's last thought before his consciousness plunged into darkness. It was like he had truly become a statue.

"Failed, huh? Well, that's expected," Kurama muttered.

"I told him the solution already. In an hour, when his body is hit, he'll be forced to wake up regardless of his mental state. We'll try again then." Kurama continued adjusting the size of the energy sphere, eyeing Naruto's stone-like form. "I don't know how to teach Sage Mode, but testing Naruto's limits this way should be right... right?"

Above Naruto's frozen figure, the energy cluster that acted as a light source trembled uneasily, still dormant.