Naruto: Boundless Potential

"Huff! Huff!... Why is that dog chasing me again?" Naruto panted, still trying to catch his breath. He clearly remembered being chased by the same dog before.

"But more importantly… what was that earlier?" Naruto thought, recalling the strange sensation he experienced when he had briefly closed his eyes.

Even with his eyes shut, he had been able to feel his surroundings—clearly sensing movement and presence around him.

Something had definitely changed within him.

"Is something wrong with me today?" he wondered as he didn't felt anything like that before.

Just then, his panel suddenly popped up on its own.

---

[Development Panel]

• Uzumaki Bloodline

– Purity: 100%

– ∆ Uzumaki Physique (Awakened)

• Uchiha Bloodline

– Purity: 18.37%

– Time Remaining: 4 Years, 1 Month

• Nara Bloodline

– Purity: 62.78%

– Time Remaining: 2 Months, 7 Days

---

"Ohh! So the Uzumaki Physique changed… it must've fully awakened by now," Naruto thought, remembering how two of the abilities used to be locked before.

They must have unlocked by now and this should be one of them.

" What a strange ability but it's nice to have a ability like that "

He glanced down at the progress in his Uchiha and Nara bloodlines and grinned.

He had spent most of his time in the Land of Waves training—focusing heavily on chakra control.

He had dedicated nearly two weeks to chakra training alone.

That effort had not only improved his control but had drastically reduced the remaining time needed for bloodline development.

"At this pace, I might finish the Nara bloodline in just a week or two," he said to himself, feeling motivated.

With renewed determination, Naruto decided to head to the training grounds.

"I have to shave off at least ten more days from the countdown today… but first, I need a quick rest."

After returning from the land of waves he really felt dizzy today it must be exhaustion he had accumulated after training intensely for many days.

Yawning, Naruto headed home.

"I'll sleep first… I'm way too tired today."

As soon as he reached home, he collapsed face-first onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

He really was exhausted.

While he slept, subtle changes were happening within his body.

One of his hair strands started slowly turning crimson red, almost glowing softly in the dark.

By the time Naruto woke up, the strand had fully transformed into a vibrant red.

It looked a little odd among his golden hair, but with only one strand changed, it wasn't too noticeable.

Stretching as he got up, Naruto was feeling very refreshed after a good sleep.

"Alright, time to train!"

Without wasting another second, Naruto dashed off toward the training grounds—eager to continue his progress.

But along the way, he spotted the familiar figures of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Curious, he veered off the path slightly to greet them.

"Yo, Shikamaru! Chōji! What are you guys doing here?" Naruto called out with a grin, waving as he approached.

Shikamaru let out a quiet sigh the moment he saw him.

'Great… just my luck.'

After that incident, Chōji still hadn't fully forgiven him for that "mystery girl" who had accidentally stolen his heart.

Shikamaru could only hope Chōji wouldn't recognize Naruto.

To his immense relief, Chōji simply looked up and said between bites of his chips,

"Oh hey, Naruto."

That was it.

'Thank the gods… he didn't notice,' Shikamaru thought, genuinely relieved.

Even Shikamaru couldn't imagine what would happen if Chōji ever connected the dots and realized that his first crush was actually… Naruto.

"Asuma-sensei's busy today, so we're free. Just strolling through the streets to kill time," Shikamaru explained with a shrug.

"Oh, is that so? I've got a day off too," Naruto replied casually.

Just then, Ino tugged at Shikamaru's sleeve.

"Shikamaru, let's go! We're getting late—if we don't hurry, the barbecue place might close!"

Shikamaru turned, clearly grateful for the excuse to leave.

"Sorry, Naruto. We'll catch up another day," he said quickly before following after Ino and Chōji.

"It's all good! Bye, have a nice day!" Naruto called with a smile, waving as the trio disappeared around the corner.

He didn't mind being brushed off. Just the fact that they were talking to him now was more than enough.

When he finally arrived at the training ground, Naruto got straight to work. He resumed his daily training—but today, he also planned to focus on chakra control.

He closed his eyes, focusing on his chakra as he gently guided it toward his legs.

He was planning to resume his tree-climbing practice again today.

Though he had nearly mastered it—he could even stand upside down on the trunk—there were still small imperfections he wanted to smooth out. So, he kept at it, determined to refine the technique until it felt second nature.

Sasuke and Sakura had already completed their tree climbing long ago. He was the only one still practicing it now.

Just as he began to concentrate again, a pair of loud, energetic voices exploded from the training ground next door.

Curious, Naruto wandered over to the edge of his training field and peeked from behind a tree.

On the other side, he saw Might Guy and Rock Lee—both wearing their unmistakable, skin-tight green jumpsuits—doing push-ups at an absurd pace.

They were sweating like Crazy, but their eyes burned with pure intensity.

"Ahh, this is youth, Lee! Let's do one thousand more! My flames of youth are burning brighter than ever today!" Guy shouted as he doubled down on his push-up speed.

"Yes, Guy-sensei! If I can't do a thousand more push-ups, I'll walk Ten laps around the village… on my hands!" Lee declared, matching Guy's speed with even more enthusiasm.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

Are they monsters? he thought, eyes wide.

He could barely get through a hundred push-ups without collapsing—and these two were treating a thousand like it was a warm-up.

The world is seriously unfair, Naruto groaned internally.

He watched in awe as they kept going for an entire hour without a single break.

Then, just when he thought it couldn't get more ridiculous...

"My youth is eternal, Lee! Let's do ten thousand finger push-ups next! And if we fail, we'll do ten thousand sit-ups instead!" Guy declared, eyes blazing.

"..."

Naruto almost fell over.

Ten thousand finger push-ups? He shuddered just imagining it.

But instead of hesitation, Rock Lee's eyes literally lit up with fire.

"YES, Guy-sensei! Let's do it!"

Just then, Guy paused and tilted his head toward the tree Naruto was hiding behind.

"Hmm? There's someone watching us. You can come out now."

Naruto blinked in shock, realizing he'd been caught.

He stepped out sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with a blush on his cheeks.

"Heh… sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just… watching."