Uzumaki Raiden confirmed the date of his departure and decided to leave Konoha at the beginning of spring. He informed his two disciples, Uchiha Itachi and Shisui, and then passed the news to Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. The three of them planned to accompany Uzumaki Raiden on his departure.
In the following days, Uzumaki Raiden lived a relatively peaceful life. He didn't have to worry about village affairs at all. His daily routine mainly involved playing ninja games with Naruto. From Raiden's perspective, Naruto's current training was nothing more than a game.
Uzumaki Kushina, being carefree as ever, saw that her younger brother had nothing to do, so she entrusted her son to him. Every morning, she sent Naruto to Raiden's house, and in the evening, after returning from the hospital, she would pick him up. Sometimes, she would buy groceries and cook dinner at Raiden's house with Minato.
This hands-off parenting style made Kushina's life much easier.
Raiden had no complaints about Kushina's actions. First, he truly had nothing to do. Second, although Naruto was energetic, he was quite obedient. Moreover, Naruto seemed obsessed with Uchiha Sasuke, switching between shuriken training and taijutsu practice.
Seeing Naruto's enthusiasm, Raiden was more than willing to teach him.
"Naruto, kick higher! Your kick only reaches your chest—it's not enough."
"Kicking the chest and kicking the chin have completely different effects!"
Next to a waterfall, Uzumaki Raiden sat under a large tree, holding the Sakegari no Tachi in his arms. The ground was covered with thick insulation pads to block out the cold. Beside him, a little chubby boy was munching on snacks. After hearing Raiden's words, the boy imitated his tone:
"That's right, Naruto! Kick higher! Chest kicks and chin kicks have different effects!"
The chubby boy was Naruto's best friend, Choji Akimichi. Beside him, Nara Shikamaru sat on the cold cushion, yawning in boredom.
The two of them had heard Naruto brag about his secret training, and curiosity led them to ask Raiden to let them watch. So, early in the morning, they followed Naruto to Raiden's training ground.
However, unlike Naruto, Choji and Shikamaru had no intention of working hard. Seeing Naruto train so diligently only made them want to sit back and watch him struggle. Raiden didn't force them to train either—after all, they were still young.
Listening to Choji mimicking him, Raiden lightly tapped the boy's head with the hilt of his sword. This little guy really had no sense of awe—just a bit too cheeky.
Choji felt the weight on his head, flashed a bright smile at Raiden, and continued eating his potato chips in silence.
"Damn you, Choji!"
"How dare you mock me!"
Naruto grumbled. This friend of his could be seriously annoying.
"Uncle, I think kicking the chest is the same as kicking the chin."
"It's almost the same!"
Naruto stopped, panting heavily. In the cold winter air, the sweat evaporating from his head was clearly visible.
"Almost? It might seem that way in training, but in a real fight, it could cost you your life."
"I heard Sasuke has been pestering his brother to teach him taijutsu lately. Itachi told me Sasuke takes his training very seriously, and he corrects every mistake in his movements."
"If this continues, beating you will be easy for him."
"Honestly, thinking about my nephew losing to Fugaku's son makes me very worried!"
"Back in the day, I was undefeated in Konoha, known as the number one genius. I guess Sasuke is the only one worthy of inheriting that title now."
"How heartbreaking!"
Raiden initially wanted to give Naruto some advice, but then realized a child of his age wouldn't listen to lengthy lectures. Instead of explaining things, it was much more effective to provoke him with competition. After all, nothing motivated Naruto more than rivalry.
"What?! The number one genius of Konoha? No way! That title belongs to me!"
"I will never lose to Sasuke!"
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Naruto's energy surged as if he had been injected with a shot of adrenaline. He immediately resumed training, his movements becoming much sharper.
"Ha!" Watching Naruto's intense reaction, Uzumaki Raiden smiled. It was far too easy to deal with such a simple-minded child.
"Naruto's uncle… was he really that great?"
Just as Raiden was feeling smug, the chubby boy next to him asked in a skeptical tone.
"Huh? Brat, what do you mean? Are you doubting me? Huh?!"
Raiden grew annoyed at Choji's dubious expression. But the little chubby boy only looked innocent, munching on his snacks as if he had said nothing wrong.
Raiden ruffled Choji's head roughly.
"N-no… no…"
Dizzy from being shaken, Choji quickly begged for mercy. Raiden finally let go, draped an arm around Choji's shoulders, and threatened:
"Boy, if you keep talking nonsense, be careful!"
"I might shake you so hard you'll spit out the potato chips you ate yesterday!"
Shikamaru, who had been watching from the side, shook his head slightly at their antics.
"Choji, what Uncle Raiden said is true. I heard from my father that he really was the strongest genius in Konoha—even stronger than the Fifth Hokage."
"He's not lying."
Shikamaru had done some research on Raiden after learning that Naruto had an uncle. He had asked his father, Shikaku, about it.
What he learned had shocked him. He never expected Naruto to have such a powerful uncle.
According to his father, Raiden was a ruthless warrior in the Third Ninja War, someone who never hesitated to take lives. The number of people who had died directly or indirectly because of him was immeasurable.
Even now, Shikamaru found it hard to believe. The Raiden he saw before him was friendly, playful, and kind to Naruto and his friends. He even acted like a child at times, fooling around with Choji and Naruto.
Shikamaru simply couldn't reconcile this easygoing young man with the fearsome war hero his father had described.
"Finally, a kid with some sense!"
"Shikamaru, you're a good kid. I like you. If you want to learn from me, I'll teach you."
"As for this brat—no chance!"
Raiden smirked as he pointed at Choji.
Hearing this, Choji only pouted but didn't dare say anything back. The only thing that changed was the speed at which he ate his potato chips—it increased noticeably.
Day by day, under Raiden's guidance, Naruto improved rapidly—not just in shuriken skills, but also in taijutsu.
One day, by chance, Naruto ran into Sasuke at the village park.
The park was a popular gathering spot for children. Since there were no televisions or computers in this world, their favorite pastime was ninja games. The biggest hotspot was the park in Konoha's southeast corner.
"Go, Naruto! You have to defeat Sasuke this time!"
In an open clearing, Inuzuka Kiba waved his arms excitedly, cheering for the blond boy standing in the field. Around him, many children had gathered, ranging from eight or nine years old to Naruto's age.
Choji and Shikamaru sat quietly on the ground nearby, neither cheering nor shouting—just watching their friend.
Opposite Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets, exuding a cool and confident aura. He was Naruto's best friend in the village—but also his greatest rival.
Despite meeting only a handful of times, both boys already viewed each other as lifelong rivals.
"The world of boys is really strange," a blonde-haired girl muttered from a distance.
Although she said that, her gaze was fixed firmly on Uchiha Sasuke.
That handsome little boy had caught her attention.
(End of Chapter)