Meanwhile, at the apartment, the Shadow Clone opened its eyes on time. It stretched and then got out of bed to wash up.
After changing into its ninja outfit and putting on the headband, the Shadow Clone went out.
In the tree canopy across the street, an Anbu stifled a silent yawn, nudged their partner with an elbow, and gestured with their chin toward the apartment entrance.
The partner nodded and silently adjusted the focus of their binoculars.
The blonde boy walked out of the apartment building, heading toward the small bridge where Team 7 usually met.
Everything was normal, no different from every other morning.
Halfway there, when the Shadow Clone passed the public toilet at the corner of the secluded alley, it turned inside.
Less than thirty seconds later, the original Naruto pushed open the stall door and walked out.
The Anbu's tracking attention remained locked on the steadily moving target, discovering no abnormalities.
...
By the time Naruto reached the bridge, Sasuke and Sakura had not yet arrived.
There was nothing to say about Kakashi. Everyone knew that the Jonin leader of Team 7 was a notorious latecomer, and it would be abnormal if he arrived early.
Naruto leaned against the bridge railing and silently estimated the time.
There was at least an hour until the eight o'clock meeting time.
He made a cross hand seal with both hands.
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
Poof, poof, poof...
A dozen puffs of smoke exploded on the bridge deck, and over a dozen Narutos appeared.
The clones quickly scattered on the small open space by the bridge, starting to do various basic exercises.
Some were doing push-ups, some were repeatedly practicing Shuriken throwing postures, etc.
These trainings looked lively, but in reality, they were mostly creating a scene of him still working hard.
Naturally, the Anbu watching from the shadows would only take this as the daily routine of an enthusiastic Genin.
Naruto himself sat cross-legged on the ground with the remaining few clones, closed his eyes, and began to continue digesting the theoretical knowledge of the second stage of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The core of the second stage of the Flying Thunder God Technique was to use the Flying Thunder God Technique continuously during high-speed combat for multiple teleports, and even using the inertia of the teleport to change the attack direction.
Just sitting there with his eyes closed, he looked as if he were pondering some particularly difficult Shurikenjutsu combo.
Two Anbu were watching from afar, and the less experienced one gave a click of the tongue.
"He has a lot of Chakra, making over a dozen Shadow Clones to practice early in the morning."
The older Anbu replied indifferently, "With the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, plus that thing, its normal to have high energy. Focusing on the mission is the priority, don't chat."
"Yes, senpai."
The young Anbu stopped speaking and refocused his attention on Naruto.
Time ticked closer to eight o'clock.
Naruto calculated it was about time, so he dispelled all the Shadow Clones.
After the smoke cleared, he sat leaning under the bridge railing alone, panting slightly. His expression and state were adjusted to what they should be after training.
As it approached eight o'clock, two figures appeared at the end of the bridge.
Sakura and Sasuke walked along the path by the river towards the bridge, one after the other.
Sakura walked a step behind and to the left of Sasuke, tilting her head as she spoke to him. She wore a carefully crafted smile, but there were faint dark circles under her eyes, making it look like she hadn't slept well last night. She had likely spent half the night overthinking various things about Sasuke.
Sasuke had his hands in his pockets, staring straight ahead with an expressionless face. His mind was not on what Sakura was saying.
The two reached the bridge and saw Naruto already waiting by the side, causing them to pause simultaneously.
Sakura's mouth opened slightly, and she subconsciously glanced at the sky. The sun had just risen, and it wasn't even eight o'clock yet.
Naruto, who usually arrived exactly on time, was actually waiting for them at the bridge ahead of schedule today?
Naruto raised his hand and nodded at the two.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, his gaze lingering on the sweat beads on Naruto's forehead that hadn't been completely wiped away.
'He has been training on his own again.' Sasuke thought to himself, giving a slight nod in return.
He then walked past Naruto to the other side of the bridge, waiting for Kakashi.
Sakura stood where she was, watching the calm expression on Naruto's face, and began a monologue in her heart.
'Hmph, so what if you came early? Don't expect me to take the initiative to talk to you. I still remember your attitude in the Land of Waves.'
'But Naruto doesn't seem to be looking at me much today either, is he doing it on purpose?'
'Back at the Ninja Academy, he would blush even if I just walked past him.'
'Forget it. Anyway, I won't initiate conversation.'
Sakura turned her head away and walked to stand beside Sasuke, picking up the topic she hadn't finished earlier with a sweet voice.
Naruto leaned back against the bridge railing, unconcerned, his eyes slightly closed and his breathing steady.