Naruto: Boundless Potential

Seeing Naruto step out from behind the tree, Guy gave him a dazzling thumbs-up, a sparkle flashing across his teeth.

"Ah! So you were watching our youthful training session!" he said proudly, striking a dramatic pose.

"Excellent! A true ninja never misses an opportunity to learn from others!"

Rock Lee straightened up, still panting from exertion, his eyes burning with passion.

"Guy-sensei! He must be inspired by our flames of youth!"

Guy's thumbs-up sparkled again, brighter than ever.

"Indeed, Lee! The spark of curiosity is the first sign that the fire of youth burns within him!"

Naruto blinked, both confused and slightly impressed.

"...Uh. Thanks?"

Suddenly, a puff of smoke exploded in front of him—and a large red turtle appeared with a loud 'poof.'

Guy landed on its shell in a perfect, dramatic pose.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

Where did that turtle come from?!

"I am Might Guy! Konoha's Noble Green Beast! A shinobi who believes in the power of hard work and perseverance!" Guy declared proudly.

Although Guy's introduction was loud and flashy, Naruto's eyes remained fixed on the turtle.

It was his first time seeing a summoned creature up close.

Noticing Naruto's interest, Guy beamed.

"This is Ningame! My loyal comrade and summoned companion! He has witnessed the blooming of my youthful flames since my early days!"

He puffed out his chest with pride.

"It's even stronger than Kakashi's summons!" Guy declared proudly, standing tall atop the turtle with a gleam in his eye.

Naruto's head snapped up, eyes wide.

"What?! You know Kakashi-sensei?"

Hearing Naruto's remark, Guy paused for a moment.

'So… he's Kakashi's student,' Guy realized, eyes narrowing with interest.

Then, with a passionate fist clenched and eyes blazing, Guy declared:

"Of course I know him!" he boomed.

"Kakashi Hatake… is my eternal rival!"

Naruto blinked again.

"...Of course he is."

"Say!" Guy shouted suddenly, fire in his eyes.

"Would you like to join us for some youthful training today?! Let's burn our youth together and reach the pinnacle of existence!"

Naruto, captivated by Guy's overwhelming energy, paused.

'Pinnacle of existence'… that's a good line, Naruto thought. Maybe I should train with them today.

"…Sure! I'll join!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Guy roared, fist in the air.

"Now, let's start with ten thousand sit-ups!"

Naruto's face went blank.

Black lines dropped across his forehead.

'WHY did I forget what they were doing before?!'

Hokage's Office

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his chair, buried in paperwork.

It had been a busy day Today.

BOOM!

The door slammed open as Danzo stormed in, cane in one hand and bandages covering half his face.

"Hiruzen!" he barked. "You must hand over the Jinchūriki to me! He's too weak under your watch. Give him to me—I'll make him stronger."

Hiruzen didn't even flinch.

"Danzo, how many times must I tell you? I won't hand Naruto over. He is a part of this village. I won't treat him as a tool."

Danzo scowled.

"Don't be naive, Hiruzen! The other Hidden Villages have already recovered from the last war. You know what that means…"

"They're preparing for another."

Danzo slammed his cane down.

"Exactly. Hand the boy to me—I'll mold him into a weapon strong enough to protect the Leaf."

"...Or you'll try to kill me and take the Hokage seat again. With the Jinchūriki under your thumb."

Danzo narrowed his eye.

"Everything I do is for the good of Konoha."

Hiruzen stared at him in silence.

Where, in any of Danzo's actions, did 'good of the village' mean hiring assassins and blackmailing elders?

"I'm not handing Naruto to Root. That's final. I am the Hokage."

Those words were like a curse to Danzo.

Every time he heard them, it felt like someone had stuffed bitter herbs down his throat.

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen."

With that, Danzo stormed out of the room.

Hiruzen sighed in relief.

He signaled the ANBU to close the door—the same old door that had been in the Hokage's office since Tobirama's time.

After Danzo exited the office, he was making his way back to Root Headquarters.

But before he could get far, a Root operative suddenly appeared in front of him, bowed, and quickly relayed urgent news.

Danzo's brow furrowed the moment he heard it.

Without wasting another second, he turned and stormed back to the Hokage's office.

BANG!

Danzo kicked the door open again, nearly tearing it off its hinges.

Hiruzen rubbed his temples.

He's back… again?!

"Hiruzen!" Danzo snapped. "You MUST hand over the Jinchūriki! He's too weak—cough! I mean, too strong now! Yes, far too strong! He needs to be kept under control immediately."

Hiruzen blinked.

"Didn't you just say he was too weak—literally a few minutes ago?"

Danzo cleared his throat awkwardly.

"That was before! New intel reports that his chakra reserves are rising at an incredible rate! We must act now!"

Of course, Danzo's true goal was to plant a curse seal on Naruto before the boy grew out of his reach.

Hiruzen let out a long, tired sigh.

"Danzo, you're contradicting yourself in the same sentence. Are you losing your mind?"

Danzo stiffened, his voice stern.

"Listen to me—"

But Hiruzen had heard enough.

He immediately activated his ultimate jutsu.

"Danzo… I am the Hokage."

Danzo froze.

"..."

With nothing else to say, he turned and walked out again—grumbling under his breath.

Hiruzen slumped deeper into his chair.

"Please… let that be the last time today."

BANG!

The door flew open again.

Hiruzen's eye twitched.

"Danzo, WHAT do you want now?!" he barked, his face darkening.

This was the third time today Danzo had kicked the door open.

But this time, Danzo's expression was slightly different less furious, and more… sheepish?

"Hiruzen," Danzo said with a straight face, "I forgot to pick up my sandal."

"...What?"

"When I kicked the door earlier, one of my sandals flew off. I came back to get it."

Hiruzen stared in disbelief.

"...You kicked my door open Third time today—for THIS?"

Danzo nodded, walked over silently, picked up his sandal, and left.

The Third Hokage's mouth twitched.

"…Come in like a normal person next time. What do you have against the door?"

Back at the training grounds…

Hours had passed.

Naruto was drenched in sweat, face-down on the grass.

He twitched slightly.

He had just finished his fifth set of push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and one-legged sprints.

He had trained alongside Lee and Guy for nearly five hours straight.

At this point, he wanted to go back in time and slap himself.

"Why… did I say yes?"

These people weren't human—they were training monsters.

╥﹏╥

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[ A/N :

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