The moment class ended, Naruto stood up and left the classroom.
No shouting.
No chasing after Sakura.
No trying to get attention.
He simply walked out.
Many students remained behind, talking with friends and wasting time.
Naruto did not. Many people saw Naruto when he left.
Information came first to Naruto.
He arrived at the village library.
The building stood beside the academy, making it easy for students to access.
Naruto pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Rows of books stretched across the room.
Behind a desk sat an elderly woman wearing spectacles.
The moment she saw Naruto, her expression became cautious.
Naruto Uzumaki was not exactly known for studying.
The recent incident involving the Forbidden Scroll certainly had not helped his reputation.
"What brings you here, Naruto?" she asked.
Naruto walked toward the desk.
"I want information."
The librarian blinked.
"Information?"
"About Konoha."
"The Land of Fire."
"The villages."
"The clans."
"The jonin."
"The history of this world."
For a moment, the old woman simply stared at him.
This was definitely not the Naruto she remembered.
Finally, she adjusted her glasses.
"Curiosity is good, Naruto."
"But be careful."
"You're still an academy student."
"Some records are restricted."
"There are sections deeper inside the library that require higher clearance."
She pointed toward several bookshelves.
"You can access world history."
"Konoha's history."
"The Land of Fire."
"Its allies."
"Its rivals."
"The history of wars."
"The tailed beasts."
"Those books should be enough for now."
Naruto nodded.
"Thank you."
The librarian handed him several books.
Naruto immediately sat down and began reading.
Hours passed.
One book after another.
Konoha's foundation.
The history of the Land of Fire.
Past wars.
Village rivalries.
Clan records.
Political structures.
The more he read, the clearer the world became.
If he understood history, he could understand ambition.
If he understood ambition, he could understand conflict.
And if he understood conflict, he could understand power.
Naruto learned about the Five Great Nations.
Their leaders.
Their military strength.
Their rivalries.
He learned about the Daimyo.
Men who possessed little personal strength yet held enormous authority.
Interesting.
He learned about the Kages.
Individuals whose power stood above entire villages.
He continued reading.
The Senju Clan.
The Uchiha Clan.
The rise of Konoha.
The fall of Konoha's enemies.
The destruction of clans.
The clans allied and present in Konaha.
Then another name appeared.
Uchiha Itachi.
Naruto paused.
A prodigy.
A genius.
A man who slaughtered his own clan in a single night.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
A little later, another name caught his attention.
Orochimaru.
Former disciple of the Third Hokage.
Genius.
Scientist.
Traitor.
A man who abandoned the village in pursuit of forbidden knowledge.
Naruto's lips curved slightly.
Knowledge without limits.
That was a familiar path, he knew from his past, where most crazy people did it. He is also one of the crazy ones.
As he continued reading, he eventually reached a section regarding tailed beasts.
The moment he finished reading it, a smile appeared on his face.
A sinister smile.
Tailed Beasts.
Massive creatures formed from enormous amounts of chakra.
To the people of this world, they were living disasters.
To Naruto, they looked very different.
Resources.
Harvests.
Treasures waiting to be claimed.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
If such creatures truly existed, their energy would be invaluable.
The strongest path would be simple.
Capture them.
Extract their power.
Make it his own.
His thoughts briefly drifted toward the fox he had seen when entering this world.
So that creature was a Tailed Beast.
And this body...
A Jinchuriki.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
After finishing the books, Naruto returned to the librarian.
"Are there any techniques for training?" he asked.
The old woman looked surprised once again.
Then she walked toward a shelf and retrieved several scrolls.
"These are basic training techniques."
"Nothing advanced."
"You'll gain access to better techniques as your rank increases."
She placed the scrolls on the desk.
"Genin."
"Chunin."
"Jonin."
"The higher your position, the greater your access."
Naruto looked at the scrolls.
The system felt familiar.
Very familiar.
Back in Murim, disciples were treated the same way.
Outer disciples received scraps.
Inner disciples received treasures.
Elders possessed everything.
Different world.
Same structure.
Naruto accepted the scrolls.
"Thank you."
The librarian nodded.
"Use them wisely."
Naruto left the library.
By the time he returned home, the sun had already begun descending.
Inside his apartment, he immediately opened the scrolls.
The first was Basic Leaf Control.
A simple exercise designed to improve chakra control.
Naruto placed a leaf on his forehead and focused.
Several minutes later, the leaf slid off.
Failed.
Again.
The leaf fell once more.
His control was poor.
Annoying.
But expected.
This body had never been properly trained.
Naruto continued.
Naruto did not understand how he performed shadow clone jutsu, a forbidden just
The second scroll focused on chakra control through breathing and meditation.
He sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes.
Slowly, he directed his awareness inward.
He felt energy moving through his body.
Warm.
Constant.
Alive.
Chakra.
It felt different from demonic energy.
Yet also familiar.
The similarities were impossible to ignore.
Both were forms of life force.
Both could strengthen the body.
Both could be refined.
The final scroll focused on basic physical development.
Strength.
Speed.
Endurance.
The foundation of a stronger body.
Naruto memorized every exercise.
Then he began training.
Hours passed.
Sweat covered his body.
His muscles ached.
The leaf continued falling.
Naruto trained all three basic techniques for hours.
(To Be Continued...)