My Name Is Namikaze Minato

CHAPTER WORDS:- 1112

Chapter 4: At the Beginning

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'The amount of chakra just now was a little too much. Now I should reduce it slightly and focus especially on maintaining balance…'

With his eyes closed, Naruto replayed the sensation of his first step in his mind. Then, as he slowly opened his eyes:

'Hm, this time it should work, right?'

Adjusting the chakra output based on his earlier experience, Naruto once again placed his foot on the tree trunk in front of him.

This time, the first step was stable—firmly landing on the tree trunk. Just as the corners of his mouth began to curl up in delight, the next moment:

Crack

The second step caused the bark to shatter again. Naruto's face tightened slightly, and he immediately pushed off with force in the opposite direction, landing back on the ground with ease.

Thud

Landing lightly, he thinked to himself, 'Too much force again, huh? You have to maintain a balanced output of chakra at all times. Sigh… It seems mastering this in a short time will be difficult.'

Taking a deep breath, Naruto shook his head with a bitter smile, 'Even if the chakra output for the first step is fine, as long as the subsequent output isn't stable—whether it's too much or too little—it will inevitably crack the bark or make you fall.'

'This just means I need to keep training and rely on experience to improve.'

Naruto stretched his arms, and after a moment of thought, once again focused his chakra to his feet. He resumed his attempt to scale the tree before him.

Training is monotonous and dull, but it's a path every ninja must endure.

As the legendary "Pervy Sage" would say in the Anime: "Those who can endure are true ninjas."

This doesn't just mean enduring harsh environments but also learning to endure one's own emotions. For Naruto, the next six to seven years would be the most crucial. Whether he could survive in this cruel world and achieve his goals depended entirely on how far he could progress in that time.

Immersed in his training, Naruto lost track of time. In his previous life, Naruto had been deeply fascinated by the concept of chakra and the unique power found only in this dimension. Now, with real-world necessity driving him, the desire to grow stronger burned brighter than ever.

Training. Growing stronger.

These were Naruto's only choices.

Although he had the nine-tailed fox, Kurama, within him—a cheat code of sorts—Naruto couldn't yet communicate with it. He'd tried every method he could think of to no avail. For now, he could rely only on himself. After all, his ultimate goal was to stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world. The Nine-Tails could only be a tool—a supplementary force. His own strength was the real foundation.

After all, as the original series shows, the truly powerful figures treated the Nine-Tails like a mere pet to be tamed.

On this point, Naruto had no illusions.

Tree climbing and water walking are the most basic yet effective chakra control training methods for a ninja.

But the first step is always the hardest.

For Naruto, with the added complication of Kurama's chakra interfering within him, it was even more challenging to achieve full control. His first day of training ended almost entirely in failure—his chakra output was either too much or too little.

Despite being cautious, Naruto still fell from the tree several times. If this had happened in his previous life, his weaker body wouldn't have survived so many falls—especially that last one, where the height alone could have sent him to meet his maker.

"Phew… That's enough for today."

As the sky darkened and fatigue accumulated in his body, Naruto decided to call it a day.

Shaking his little head, his golden hair glinting under the sunset's warm glow, Naruto picked up the bamboo basket beside him. Looking at the wild vegetables and fruits he had collected between training sessions, his small nose wrinkled slightly, and a faint smile spread across his face.

"Hm, looks like I can have a nice meal today."

Turning around, Naruto's small figure descended the hill, his shadow stretching long in the golden sunset. The forest, now silent once again, bore the marks of his repeated efforts on the tree trunk.

The gears of the young boy's destiny had truly begun to turn. Climbing trees, walking on water, and basic physical conditioning became his focus.

Naruto immersed himself in this training, barely noticing the monotony. Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, six months had gone by.

Naruto's sixth birthday was approaching.

Of course, in this world, no one cared about Naruto's birthday—not even the seemingly kind-hearted Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Or perhaps it's better to say that if anyone did know, they would want to erase any memory of that day entirely.

Because Naruto's birthday was the day of the Nine-Tails' rampage. It marked the deaths of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki. It was the day many Konoha ninja and villagers had lost their lives.

No one wanted to be reminded of that day—not even the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi never visited Naruto on his birthday.

To be fair, after the Fourth Hokage's death during the Nine-Tails' rampage six years ago, Konoha had once again entered a period of decline. Hiruzen, who had resumed the mantle of Hokage, was busier than ever—more so than during his previous tenure. This busyness extended both externally and internally.

Over the past six years, Hiruzen's occasional visits to Naruto (which were partly surveillance and partly evaluation) were already a rarity.

And, to Naruto, these visits were the moments he dreaded the most. Facing the Third Hokage tested his acting skills to the limit. There were moments when Naruto felt he was close to being exposed. Thankfully, certain factors served as a perfect camouflage for him. Moreover, Hiruzen's observations mainly focused on whether Naruto harbored hatred toward Konoha, with less attention paid to other aspects. This allowed Naruto to avoid giving himself away.

This also owed much to the virtuous and innocent persona Naruto had meticulously crafted.

"I want to be Hokage. I want everyone to acknowledge me."

Any noble-sounding phrases, any innocent or romantic ideals—Naruto adopted them all without hesitation. After all, his original counterpart said and did exactly that in the story.

For Naruto, imitating this was child's play.

Of course, simplicity aside, every encounter with the Third Hokage left Naruto anxious. The sheer challenge of maintaining the act made these meetings the most stressful moments of his life.

But for six years, Naruto had survived unscathed.

(End of Chapter)

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