NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: 3. The Grind...
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**Third-person POV:**
It was a beautiful morning in Konoha. The sky was a deep blue, birds chirped melodiously, and the sun had just begun to bathe the village in its warm light. In stark contrast to this serene environment, our protagonist, Naruto, was smiling a sinister smile.
**Naruto's POV:**
"I woke up in pain today. It took the entire night to process the memories of my shadow clones. I'm pretty sure I only survived because of that furball inside me. Wait... that doesn't sound right..."
"Jokes aside, I'm feeling very excited. Although the power system in this world is more advanced than in the original series, the basics remain the same."
"In this world, learning ninjutsu is incredibly difficult. Even geniuses like Itachi had to read the theory before attempting it. You have to carefully control your chakra through pathways, and even a small mistake can cause the technique to fail—or worse, it might release inside your body. There are numerous cases of people dying while trying ninjutsu. I'd rather not think about it."
"Chakra itself is mostly the same, but chakra control is hellishly difficult. Just imagining the idea of controlling chakra through all those pathways gives me PTSD."
"Ninjutsu isn't my focus right now since I already know I'll be spamming Rasengan in the future. What I need to focus on is chakra control, which I can use to augment my physical abilities."
"My plan is to create my own version of *Strange Strength* and to request a certain ninjutsu from Hiruzen. After completing chakra control exercises, I'll also train to master the Rasengan. I'll use my plot knowledge to explain how I learned it if questioned."
*A/N: Can you guess which ninjutsu he plans to ask Hiruzen for?*
"Going through my memories, I was disappointed to find that 60% of the Academy section in the library was filled with *Will of Fire* propaganda. What's even crazier is that it's part of the syllabus. Naturally, my genius clones ignored all of it."
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**Third-person POV:**
Naruto began his training by alternating between physical workouts and chakra control exercises. He started with the basic leaf concentration exercise while his clones practiced simple taijutsu katas.
Soon, Naruto realized that his clones couldn't practice chakra control since they lacked chakra pathways. Nevertheless, the day passed, and by evening, a completely drained Naruto lay on the ground, gazing at the setting sun with a complicated expression.
**Naruto's POV:**
"Today was awesome. For the first time in both of my lives, I'm genuinely looking forward to what the future holds for me. Even though it's only my sixth day in this world, I feel proud of myself. This is the first time I've truly enjoyed working hard for something. Even if it's for my survival, for my own good, I'm happy and satisfied."
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**Third-person POV:**
Time flew by, and soon it was Naruto's 20th day in this world. At this moment, he was doing push-ups while wearing 500 kilograms of weight. His progress was evident at a glance—he was no longer the short boy from 20 days ago.
Naruto had grown taller, reaching Sasuke's height. His baby fat had melted away, revealing a well-toned body with small yet powerful muscles. His hairstyle now resembled Minato's, and without the baby fat, he looked almost identical to his father.
**Naruto's POV:**
"It's been 20 days. I've changed right before my own eyes. My baby fat is completely gone, and my face has grown more handsome by the day. My height has also increased gradually, reaching Sasuke's level.
With pride, I finally got rid of those orange clothes. I bought a casual black hoodie, black ANBU pants, and black ninja sandals to match."
"As for my strength, I've made significant progress in these 20 days. It was a continuous test of my determination, but I had it easier than most thanks to my clones. The only things I personally trained were physical workouts and chakra control, while my clones handled taijutsu and Rasengan training."
"Surprisingly, I mastered the Rasengan in just under a week with the help of my shadow clones. I've even learned the Giant Rasengan, though I'm still clumsy with it. My chakra control has also improved significantly. Although it wasn't strictly necessary, since Rasengan is already the peak of shape manipulation, mastering it has honed my control further."
"My speed, strength, and reflexes are on a completely different level now. I've mastered the basic leaf taijutsu and moved on to learn the *Hummingbird Stance* the one my old man used. I'm close to perfecting it—then I just need to merge it with the leaf taijutsu style which would result in the speed and unpredictability of hummingbird stance and the precise yet powerful punches and kicks of basic leaf taijutsu"
"I also discovered a cheat for gaining combat experience. I created 300 shadow clones, had them transform into random girls, and made them fight me using unique tactics each time. Even though they dispersed with a single hit, they provided valuable insights into different scenarios and helped me refine my thought process during battle."
"As for shuriken throwing, which I find boring and tedious, I simply assigned it to my clones. They mastered it without any issues."
"Even then, I'm starting to feel nervous. I only have 10 days left until the Chunin Exams. During this time, I'll continue my physical training while working on augmenting my body with chakra and learning a specific jutsu. Looks like I'll need to visit Hiruzen. I'm nervous about revealing my knowledge of the Rasengan. I'll have to tread carefully and avoid exposing critical information—I definitely don't want a Yamanaka poking around in my head. Still, I doubt Hiruzen would do that to me, considering who I am and what I have."
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**Third-person POV:**
With these thoughts in mind, Naruto rushed toward the Hokage building to speak with Hiruzen. But that's a story for another time.
**Peace.**
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