"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
Naruto swiftly formed the hand seals Tiger → Horse → Ram and spat out multiple Fūton: Shinkūgyoku (Wind Style: Vacuum Spheres) toward a large boulder ten meters ahead. These were fast, high-pressure balls of compressed wind chakra, just like the ones Sarutobi Hiruzen had demonstrated earlier.
The moment he completed the jutsu, Naruto's body shot forward. In his right hand, a chakra sphere quickly began to condense and rotate. Wind whirled violently around it, creating intense suction that lifted gravel and dead leaves, whipping up a cloud of dust.
"Wind Style: Rasengan!"
This was no ordinary Rasengan. Unlike the classic version developed by the Fourth Hokage, this one was infused with wind chakra, increasing its cutting power. Though still a prototype version nowhere near the complete Rasenshuriken that Naruto would eventually master it had tremendous destructive potential.
The Vacuum Spheres struck the boulder with pinpoint precision, punching several deep holes where Naruto had marked beforehand.
Before the dust from the impact could settle, Naruto closed in. With a battle cry, he slammed the wind-infused Rasengan into the rock's center.
Boom!
A shockwave burst out as the Rasengan detonated. Wind chakra erupted violently in all directions, carving a spherical crater roughly two meters in diameter. The explosion filled the area with thick smoke and dust, obscuring visibility.
When the smoke cleared, the damage was evident. The crater lay hollowed out and scorched, devoid of any debris. As the dust settled, a puff of white smoke revealed the Naruto who had launched the attack had been a shadow clone all along.
"Bang!"
From beneath the crater, the real Naruto burst up like a missile, punching the underside of the damaged boulder with a chakra-enhanced fist.
Boom!
The boulder shattered explosively from the center outward, fractures spider-webbing across its surface before it exploded into rubble, scattering stones across the training ground.
Over the past eighteen months, Naruto had undergone intense training. This was the final phase of his solo practice before he officially entered the Ninja Academy. While he clearly surpassed Genin-level already, Hiruzen had encouraged him to join the Academy—not to learn combat, but to understand the ideals and history behind the Will of Fire.
—
Meanwhile, at the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was tense.
Through the use of his Telescope Technique, Sarutobi Hiruzen had shared Naruto's progress with the other three members of the Konoha Council—Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō.
The four elders sat quietly, though the air around them felt heavy.
"…He's already at the level of an elite Chūnin," Koharu said in a low voice, astonished by Naruto's mastery of the Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere and the elemental Rasengan.
Mitokado Homura, his brows furrowed under his glasses, added gravely, "Hiruzen, is it really safe to let the Jinchūriki train like this without tighter supervision? He's already demonstrating techniques that even adult shinobi struggle with."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, his pipe glowing faintly in the dim light. "Minato's seal remains secure. I inspect it weekly. Kurama—the Nine-Tails—is not showing any signs of resistance. In fact, he seems to be… resting."
Kurama had grown used to Naruto's body, occasionally watching his training through Naruto's own senses. He showed no immediate desire to interfere, enjoying his current containment.
At that moment, Shimura Danzō spoke for the first time, his lone eye gleaming with intent.
"Then why send him to the Academy? He already has the strength of an elite Chūnin. The Academy is a waste of his time."
Hiruzen's face twitched, already anticipating the direction of Danzō's words. He knew Danzō well Konoha's "Darkness" never played a simple game.
He sighed, half-resigned. "What are you proposing, Danzō?"
Danzō's lips curled into a thin smile. "Naruto has achieved in months what takes most years. Even Namikaze Minato couldn't fully integrate Wind Chakra into his Rasengan. Naruto has succeeded where his father paused. His affinity is unquestionable. And in all of Konoha, only one person has mastered Wind Release to the extent necessary to train someone like him…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
"…Me," Danzō finished with grim pride.
He stood abruptly, casting a looming shadow across the office.
"I request that I be allowed to take Naruto as my disciple."
Hiruzen stiffened. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances but said nothing. They had been in enough meetings to sense an oncoming storm.
In truth, Danzō's request wasn't irrational. He had long prided himself on his Wind Style prowess, particularly with high-level techniques like the Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves and Vacuum Great Sphere jutsu that rivaled even S-rank attacks in power. He saw in Naruto not just a successor but a weapon to mold.
But Hiruzen's reply was calm, deliberate.
"No."
Danzō's eye flared. "Why?"
Hiruzen stared directly into the eye of the man he once called a friend. "Because you are Root. You operate in the shadows. You answer to no one. Naruto needs guidance but not yours."
Danzō clenched his fists. "I am a Hokage advisor!"
"And I am the Hokage," Hiruzen said, voice firm now. "Naruto must grow in the sunlight. Not hidden in darkness. He will walk a path of hope, not manipulation."
Danzō's face darkened.
Hiruzen didn't stop there. He looked each elder in the eye and declared: "Because I intend for Naruto… to become the next Hokage."
The room fell silent.
Koharu set her teacup down slowly. "The next… Hokage?"
Even Danzō looked stunned for a heartbeat. Then his rage surged.
"You would hand the will of the village to a Jinchūriki?"
Hiruzen nodded. "Why not? The current Mizukage, Yagura, is a Jinchūriki. Naruto's chakra control, combat instincts, and affinity for Wind Style already place him leagues above his peers. More importantly… his Will of Fire burns brighter than most."
Koharu and Homura hesitated. "But the people"
"They'll see. I will ensure they do," Hiruzen said firmly. "We have a chance to raise a Hokage born from the people. Someone who understands pain, yet still smiles. He will earn their trust—not inherit it."
Danzō's glare burned. He realized that all his political maneuvering had just been checkmated. The title he desired most, and the weapon he aimed to control both slipping beyond reach.
In the end, all he could do was mutter, "…Then we shall see how this Jinchūriki fares."
But the fire in Hiruzen's eyes had already made the future clear.
---