章 5: Finally
Kuro slurped the last of the noodles from his bowl, patted his stomach in satisfaction, and let out a sigh.
"Ah, this is the life!"
He paid his bill and left Ichiraku, waving a quick goodbye to Teuchi. He walked back home with a relaxed smile, politely greeting everyone he passed along the way.
Everything was as peaceful as always.
When he arrived, he shut the door behind him and immediately locked it, making sure to turn the key twice. He walked to the window, thinking of closing it as well, but paused for a moment.
No… better not.
Instead, he drew the curtains, leaving the room dimly lit. Then he changed into his pajamas, slipped under the blanket, and closed his eyes.
Zzzz…
Outside, the wind blew softly, lifting a corner of the curtains.
On the telephone pole outside the window, an ANBU with a fox mask crouched. His cold, emotionless eyes tracked every movement inside the house.
"Anything unusual?"
A flat voice sounded through his earpiece.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Everything matches the behavior recorded in the data," he replied without taking his eyes off.
"Seems I'm just paranoid… Monitor him for a week. If there's nothing strange, pull back."
"Understood."
The earpiece went silent, but the ANBU didn't react. He remained motionless on the telephone pole, his gaze fixed on Kuro's window, unblinking.
The wind blew again, but he didn't move an inch.
...
Kuro didn't realize he was being watched, but he had already suspected as much.
Danzo… That old man was naturally suspicious.
As the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Naruto was too important to the village. Anyone who interacted with him would inevitably draw attention, whether out of fear they were spies from other villages or simple precaution against internal threats.
Although Naruto was the one who initiated the conversation, Kuro knew that didn't matter.
Danzo wouldn't settle for casually sending someone to ask questions. They would surely investigate his life from birth to the present and monitor him for a while, just to make sure he wasn't a threat.
That's why Kuro wasn't in a hurry to use the "Fairy Crystal."
That item would change his physical constitution, and if the change manifested visibly, it would be like lighting a beacon for Danzo.
What if my body starts to show something unusual?
The mere thought sent chills down his spine. Knowing Danzo, if he noticed anything out of the ordinary, he would likely take an interest so intense that Kuro would end up being treated like a lab rat.
That's not going to happen.
With that determination, he left the crystal stored away and didn't think about it for the time being.
After his morning training, Kuro was completely exhausted and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.
When he woke up, the sun was already setting. He blinked a few times, disoriented, before getting up.
"Ugh… what time is it?" he asked as he washed his face to wake up.
Then he put on his training clothes, adjusted the red headband on his head, and went out to train.
Goal: run two laps around Konoha.
Konoha was enormous, and it used to take him more than half a day to complete one lap. But now, with the headband boosting his stamina, he could do it in just three hours.
Although he was tired after the first lap, his body was still full of energy. He took a short break and launched into the second lap.
By the time he finished, the full moon was already shining in the sky. His body was so exhausted he could barely move his limbs.
But the effort had been worth it. Kuro could clearly feel that his body was stronger, more resilient.
If the system had notifications, it would surely be flooded with "+1" in physical condition.
Satisfied with the results, he relied on the effect of the Kurama Ring to recover some energy and dragged his body back home.
As soon as he arrived, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.
Since the "Fairy Crystal" could change his body, he no longer needed to waste time refining chakra. There would be more chakra in his "Sage Body" than he could ever imagine.
He could dedicate more time to other aspects of his training.
With that thought, he drifted off to sleep.
The night passed quickly, and as soon as the first rays of sunlight lit up his room, Kuro woke up feeling full of energy.
"Today I'll run three laps."
However, before starting, his stomach growled loudly.
He remembered that the day before, he had done intense training but had only eaten a bowl of ramen. If it weren't for the headband's effect boosting his willpower, he probably would have collapsed by now.
"I definitely need to start paying more attention to my diet."
With that in mind, he left home, ate like Flash, and set off to continue his daily training.
...
Time passed slowly, and a month flew by in the blink of an eye.
During that month, Kuro maintained a consistent routine: waking up early to train and returning home late, his body exhausted.
But something was different. The intensity of his training increased day by day, noticeably.
Villagers often saw him running through the streets, drenched in sweat, or doing push-ups, sit-ups, and frog jumps in the training fields while counting loudly.
On one occasion, someone approached out of curiosity and was left speechless when they heard him. The numbers coming out of Kuro's mouth were so high it was hard to believe a child could do so much.
...
Training Ground 39 was a secluded place. With a wide grassy area, dense trees, a river at the back, and various equipment like stakes for archery practice, the environment was serene and quiet.
However, its proximity to the Forest of Death made it rarely frequented. Very few dared to risk training so close to such a dangerous place.
But that month, someone broke the routine.
Kuro chose that place to train. He arrived early with a lunchbox and spent the entire day practicing, not stopping until the moon was high in the sky.
The reason for choosing such a remote place was simple: to avoid Naruto and, above all, to avoid being disturbed.
Since meeting him, Naruto had been seeking him out, intentionally or unintentionally. Perhaps it was because Kuro didn't look at him with disdain or exclude him like everyone else.
But this wasn't a good thing for Kuro.
It's fine if I had no secrets…
But he did. His [Forge System] required special materials to create accessories, and such abilities couldn't afford to be discovered.
Too much contact with Naruto would inevitably draw the attention of people like Hiruzen or Danzo. And if his secrets came to light…
No. Not a chance.
The memory of his encounter with Naruto, followed by the two waves of interrogations from the ANBU, was still fresh in his mind.
That same fear had made him postpone using the "Fairy Crystal."
But now, everything was different.
For a month, Kuro had kept a low profile. He hadn't done anything to stand out or shown any special talent in front of others. To anyone, he was just another child among Konoha's many.
An average child isn't worth Danzo's attention.
After all, elite ninjas, whether from Root or ANBU, wouldn't waste their valuable time watching someone insignificant.
Kuro had waited patiently, and now was the time.
With a thought, a small fluorescent green crystal appeared in his hand.
The vitality it radiated was intense. The grass around him began to grow rapidly, spreading like a green sea.
Within seconds, the nearby ground transformed into tall grass.
Kuro observed the crystal for a moment longer, then closed his eyes and swallowed it in one gulp, as if it were a pill.
He didn't even need water.
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