From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

"Why!?"

Naruto was taken aback at first, then seemed to suddenly realize something, his eyes lit up, and he said with delight, "Doesn't that mean my training will be accelerated tenfold from now on?"

Thinking back to what Sasuke had said earlier, Naruto understood Sasuke's intention in teaching him the Shadow Clone Technique.

“In a way, you could say that.” Sasuke nodded. “However, don’t get too excited yet. Besides the experience and memories, we also have physical fatigue and mental burdens to bear.”

Seeing Naruto nod as if he understood, Sasuke continued, "Just like I said before, if you want to catch up with me, you'll have to put in ten or a hundred times the effort!"

Upon hearing this, Naruto was not displeased, but rather delighted and hurriedly asked, "Sasuke, do you consider me an opponent?"

"No, you are far from being qualified to be my opponent, Naruto!" Sasuke said coldly, his indifferent gaze like a sharp sword, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, instantly silencing the somewhat excited Naruto.

"Naruto, I admire your courage to challenge me relentlessly, but I despise those who overestimate themselves even more. So please prove it to me with your sweat and blood, Uzumaki Naruto. If you do it, I, Uchiha Sasuke, will acknowledge you as my opponent."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat, he clenched his fists, and a flame seemed to burn in his azure eyes as he spoke with utmost seriousness:

"I'll prove it to you, Sasuke, by the ninja way of Naruto Uzumaki!"

After saying that, Naruto raised his fist and said with an extremely serious expression, "This is a promise between men!"

"Heh..." Sasuke chuckled softly, remained silent for a moment, and then extended his fist.

boom!

Fists bump!

Under the bright moonlight, in the training grounds of the Uchiha clan, two boys pressed their fists together and made a pact!

Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, who had been silently watching, stroked his beard with satisfaction upon seeing this scene, revealing a deeply gratified smile.

----------

Naruto left, and with Naruto gone, the constant feeling of being watched from above disappeared. After all, compared to Sasuke, the Third Hokage was more concerned about Naruto.

Sasuke was naturally aware of the Third Hokage's gaze; his actions just now were half acting and half serious.

He is serious, and naturally he needs an opponent who can put pressure on him.

Acting was how the Third Hokage came to believe that he was just someone who appeared closed off on the surface, but was actually someone who deeply craved friendship and valued his comrades.

This kind of character design would naturally appeal to the Third Hokage, and it also represents stability and ease of control.

Whether in the original timeline or in this world, the Third Hokage did not forbid or guard against Sasuke Uchiha's friendship with Naruto because of Sasuke's sensitive identity.

On the contrary, judging from the various details and memories in the original timeline, the Third Hokage appreciated the friendship between the two and even deliberately arranged for them to be in the same class to deepen their bond.

Danzo's methods often involved coercion and intimidation, while the Third Hokage was someone who liked to play the emotional card. And emotions are often more deadly and difficult to deal with in this world.

You can call the Third Hokage hypocritical, deceitful, a crocodile-tears manipulator, or even the mastermind behind it all, but it's undeniable that he did feel guilty towards Sasuke and Naruto.

Therefore, when the Third Hokage was alive, no matter how much trouble Naruto caused, the Third Hokage would suppress it.

Even though Sasuke was always aloof and completely absorbed in revenge, the Third Hokage didn't care. Instead, he intentionally guided Sasuke to make more friends and deepen his connection and bond with the village.

Of course, Sasuke wouldn't completely believe what the original timeline showed; his earlier instruction on Naruto's shadow clone technique was actually a test.

Chapter 23 Each Person's Cultivation.

weekend!

Naruto, unusually, didn't sleep in today and got up early at 5 o'clock.

"Yoshi! Today is another day full of energy!"

Naruto put on a sporty outfit, stood in front of the mirror, and flashed an incredibly bright and sunny smile!

"To catch up with Sasuke as soon as possible and gain his approval, I will work hard, strive, and fight!"

Naruto clenched his fist, cheered himself on, and then left the house.

On a crisp autumn morning, the cool breeze caressed Naruto's face, feeling quite pleasant.

Naruto put on a serious expression, tightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and then started running forward with all his might.

Naruto ran very fast and fast, without any technique whatsoever. It was just a way of running that consumed his energy in the fastest burst. In other words, he was just running like crazy!

It was still very early, and most people were still asleep. There were almost no people on the streets, but there were exceptions.

Just as Naruto ran across the street and turned onto Konoha Avenue, Uncle Teuchi, dressed in a white chef's uniform, arrived at his shop.

Just as I was about to open my shop door, I heard hurried footsteps coming from the end of the street, which were particularly noticeable in the otherwise silent street.

Is that the village ninja training?

The middle-aged man casually glanced in the direction of the sound, then paused, a look of surprise on his face.

"Naruto?"

"Yo! Uncle Teuchi!" Naruto was very happy to see Uncle Teuchi and greeted him. Although he stopped, he continued to tread in place.

The middle-aged man smiled and asked, "Naruto, are you training?"

"Of course, Uncle Hand-Strike!" Naruto replied excitedly, "From today onwards, I will work hard in my training!"

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, crossed his arms, and said in a deep voice, "Then good luck! Effort will never betray you, Naruto!"

"Thank you for your support, sir!"

Naruto shouted.

The middle-aged man smiled slightly, paused, and then continued, "After you finish your training, you can come over. I'll treat you to ramen today!"

"Why!?"

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly with a look of surprise.

"I'll do my best, Uncle Hand-Strike!"

"Yes, go ahead, I believe in you, Naruto!"

"Yoshi!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto ran off at an even faster speed, disappearing from sight in no time.

"Naruto seems to have changed in some way." Withdrawing his gaze, Uncle Tezuka chuckled softly, shook his head, and turned to open the shop door to prepare for the day's work.

call!call!call!

Naruto was breathing heavily, his lungs were burning with pain, and he was drenched in sweat, his clothes and pants were soaked. He had been running for more than an hour, and he had been running at full speed. Even with his physical condition, he was now extremely tired.

Keep going! Keep going!

Naruto silently encouraged himself, while Sasuke's words kept flashing through his mind.

"Naruto, while Shadow Clones can assist you in your studies and training, you still need to learn the most basic taijutsu yourself. Moreover, my personal suggestion is that you should focus on taijutsu as your primary goal right now!"

"Physical skills?"

Naruto looked confused.

"Correct!"

Sasuke responded calmly.

"Given your current conditions, it would be best to train in physical skills. Your physical talent is exceptional, and your recovery ability is very strong. Training in physical skills can achieve twice the result with half the effort. Moreover, physical skills training is often the most arduous, honing not only the body but also the will and mind!"

"I see." Naruto scratched his head, then seemed to remember something and quickly asked, "But Sasuke, how did you discover that I have such great physical talent?"

"After beating you up so many times, I figured it out!"

"........."

Pulling his thoughts back from his memories, Naruto had unknowingly run to the ninja training ground in a corner of Konoha, the Third Training Ground!

Naruto slowed down. Sweat had soaked every inch of his skin, and he was unsteady and staggering as he walked.

Upon arriving at the third training ground, Naruto didn't rest immediately. Instead, he put his index and middle fingers together, crossed his hands, and gave a soft shout.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Ten physical clones instantly appeared in the training field.

"Everyone! Let's do our best!"

Naruto shouted encouragement to the newly created shadow clone.

"Yoshi! X10"

The shadow clones responded in unison, and immediately began training in ninja tool throwing, tree climbing, and sparring!

Naruto himself, however, looked toward the circular running track of the training ground.

"Run 500 laps upside down, begin! Do not rest until you reach that goal!"

Time passed second by second, and the sun in the east began to rise slowly. The warm morning light shone on Naruto's face. He had already completed five hundred laps of handstand running, but now his whole body was trembling violently, and his heart was pounding. This was a sign that his body was extremely exhausted.

Take a rest, you must be very tired...

You've been training for a long time today, it's time to take a break...

In this kind of weather, shouldn't we be staying home and sleeping?

Naruto was breathing heavily, and he seemed to hear a voice tempting him to give up.

snort!

No!

Naruto Uzumaki isn't going to give up so easily!

Remembering his promise to Sasuke, Naruto's eyes instantly filled with determination, and his previously exhausted body seemed to have gained some strength.

"So, what's next is..."

Suppressing the urge to collapse and rest, Naruto took off his shirt and lay face down on the ground like a taut string. His hands and feet were firmly pressed into the ground like the roots of an old tree, supporting him with his hands and feet, keeping his body in a straight line, his head in a natural position, and breathing evenly!

Plank!

Static motion training!

Basic physical training can be broadly divided into two categories: dynamic training and static training!

Dynamic training exercises improve the body's explosive power. Activities such as sprinting, high jump, and handstand running are all dynamic exercises that can better stimulate muscle explosiveness.

Static exercises train balance, stability, and flexibility, such as yoga, horse stance, knee raises and leg controls, planks, etc. These train muscle endurance and coordination!