Chapter 159 - 9

Chapter 9: Being Watched AgainThe early morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, painting a long, thin golden band across the bedsheets. Uzumaki Narutoopened his eyes and stared at the cracks in the ceiling for a few seconds.The feeling in his body was different from yesterday. Since reaching Perfection in the Nine Yang Divine Skill, every morning he woke up to find his body slightly more'stable' than the day before—not an increase in strength, but a kind of settling. It was like a cup of muddy water placed on a table; the Impurities were sinking to the bottom bit by bit, and the surface was becoming clearer and clearer.He got out of bed and walked to the mirror for a look. The boy in the mirror still looked the same as yesterday—a head taller than his peers, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and cream-white skin. The Breath Concealment Art formed a thin veil over his body, wrapping all of his presence inside. To anyone else, he appeared to be just an ordinary, slightly better-looking boy."Shadow Clone Technique."Poof, poof, poof, poof, poof, poof, poof, poof—"Cut the chatter," the real Naruto ordered. "The eight of you: four go to practice, and four go to execute justice. For those practicing, find a deserted place to train the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms—remember, you are not allowed to use Natural Energy to power them, only practice the Moves. For those executing justice, the usual rules apply: transform before heading out.""Do the ones practicing need to transform too?" another Clone asked."Yes. No one knows if someone might stumble upon you."The eight Clones looked at each other and then nodded simultaneously. The glows of the Transformation Technique lit up one after another, and several sounds of 'Poof, poof, poof' rang out. The four practicing Clones turned into four ordinary people with blurred features—two old men and two middle-aged men. The four executing justice Clones turned into their usual forms—an old man, a woman, a boy, and a young man wearing a hat."Dispel yourselves directly tonight; no need to come back."The eight Clones nodded and then flipped out of the back window one by one. Their movements were light, and they landed without a sound—the 'training' of the past three months had already made them accustomed to this operation.The real Naruto waited until everyone had left before changing his clothes—it was still that orange T-shirt and gray shorts, but the clothes were clearly too small now. The sleeves were stuck mid-upper arm, and the pant legs hung above his ankles, exposing a section of his calf. He looked at himself in the mirror and found it a bit funny. It was time to buy new clothes.He slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed out.By the time he reached the school, the bell hadn't rung yet. A few people were sitting sparsely in the classroom, some chatting and others catching up on homework. When Naruto entered the classroom, no one looked up at him—the Breath Concealment Art had reduced his presence to a minimum; he was like a gust of wind that was gone once it blew past.He walked to the last row, took a seat by the window, and sat down.Then, he felt that gaze.It wasn't the usual timid, cautious stare—it was a shocked, unbelievable gaze. That gaze swept from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, then back up to the top of his head, and finally stopped at the position of his Dantian.Hinata was sitting near the door, still clutching a book in her hands—this time the book wasn't upside down. But her eyes weren't on the book. Her Byakugan was active, her pupils constricted slightly, and her lips were parted a little; she was like a startled little animal, frozen in place without moving.She saw that he had grown taller, saw that his face had changed, and saw that his presence was completely restrained—but that wasn't what she cared about most. What she saw was the inner core in his Dantian. That inner core was no longer that tiny, faintly glowing thing from before. It had become a marble-sized golden bead with nine spiral patterns on its surface, each one slowly rotating and emitting a warm golden light. The inner core was filled with thick, honey-like energy that flowed slowly within.Hinata didn't know what it was, but she knew—that bead had grown. It had grown a lot. Moreover, the patterns on it had increased from four to nine.Her mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.Naruto looked at her, gave a slight nod, and then shifted his gaze away to look out the window. The cherry blossoms had mostly fallen, and the branches were covered with deep green leaves that rustled whenever the wind blew.Hinata's face flushed red; she turned away and lowered her head, burying her face in her book.The first class was Ninjutsu Theory. The teacher stood on the podium explaining the principles of Chakra flow while Naruto leaned by the window listening, occasionally jotting down a few words in his notebook. His notebook was very clean, and although his handwriting was crooked, he could understand it himself.During recess, he stayed in his seat without moving. A few boys walked past him and glanced at him—but it was just a glance, and then they left. No one stopped, and no one spoke. They just gave him a look and continued on their way.The second class was Taijutsu Training. The whole class lined up and walked to the playground, where the teacher led them in warm-up exercises. Naruto stood in the last row of the formation, following along with the stretching exercises. His movements were very standard—after reaching Perfection in the Nine Yang Divine Skill, his physical flexibility and coordination far exceeded those of his peers, but he deliberately slowed down his movements, making them look as clumsy as everyone else's.After finishing the warm-up, the teacher had everyone pair up to practice basic dodging movements. Naruto didn't have a partner—no one took the initiative to find him, and he didn't seek anyone out. He stood in a corner alone, practicing dodging against the air, just like every other day for the past three months.But he knew someone was watching him.It wasn't Hinata—Hinata was on the other side of the playground, practicing with another girl.Naruto tilted his head and saw Iruka standing by the edge of the playground.Iruka Umino, a teacher at the Ninja Academy and a Chunin. He was wearing a green Chunin vest and holding a clipboard, observing the students' practice. His gaze swept across the playground and then stopped on Naruto.He had noticed. It wasn't the presence—Naruto's Breath Concealment Art was at Perfection, so it was impossible for Iruka to detect any abnormalities. What he noticed was the appearance—Naruto's height, physique, and facial shape were all different from three months ago. Three months ago, Naruto was the shortest and thinnest in the class, with sallow skin and sunken cheeks, like a bean sprout that could be blown over by the wind at any time. But now, standing in the corner of the playground, he was more than half a head taller than all the students around him, and though his shoulders weren't broad, he was no longer that malnourished kind of skinny.Iruka looked down, wrote a few words on his clipboard, and then looked up to give Narutoanother glance.Naruto didn't avoid his gaze. He looked at Irukacalmly and gave a nod—just as he would when encountering any teacher in the hallway. Then, he continued with his dodging practice.Iruka stood there and watched Naruto's back, remaining silent for a long time.Naruto didn't pay much attention to the afternoon classes. He leaned by the window, watching the clouds drift from east to west and the leaves on the trees flipping in the wind. The inner core in his Dantian was slowly rotating, and a warm current of air flowed through his body as if it were recharging him.When the school bell rang, he packed his backpack and walked back from the school gates.When he reached the apartment building, he saw someone.The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was standing at the entrance of the apartment building, holding a pipe that wasn't lit. His hat was on his head, and the shadow of the brim covered half of his face, but the half that was visible was filled with a complex expression."Naruto.""Grandpa Sandaime?" Naruto tilted his head, showing a puzzled expression—this was an expression he had practiced for a long time: innocent, naive, and knowing nothing. "What are you doing here?"The Sandaime didn't answer immediately. His gaze swept from the top of Naruto's head to the soles of his feet, then back up to the top of his head."You've grown quite a bit taller," the Sandaimesaid."Is that so?" Naruto looked down at himself and grinned. "It seems I have grown a bit; my clothes are all too small.""To grow this much in three months..." When the Sandaime said this, his tone wasn't one of questioning, but of making a statement. His gaze lingered on Naruto's face for a long time, as if he were searching for something."I don't know what's going on either." Narutoshrugged, his tone relaxed. "Maybe it's because I've been eating well lately."The Sandaime was silent for a moment and then reached out. "Give me your hand."Naruto hesitated for a second—not a real hesitation, but acting the part. Then he reached out and offered his wrist to the Sandaime.The Sandaime's fingers rested on his pulse, and a gentle stream of Chakra seeped into his body from the fingertips. That Chakra circulated through his meridians, checking his internal organs, Chakraflow, and the state of his meridians.Naruto stood there, motionless. His heartbeat was steady, his breathing even, and his expression natural. The veil of the Breath Concealment Artshrouded all his secrets—the inner core was hidden, the Nine-Tails' aura was hidden, and the operation of the Nine Yang Divine Skill was hidden. The Sandaime's Chakra circled through his body again and again, but found nothing.Nothing at all.The Sandaime released his hand."Your body is very healthy," the old man said, his tone carrying relief as well as a trace of something indescribable. "Much better than before.""Is that so? That's good then." Naruto smiled. "Grandpa Sandaime, did you come all this way just to give me a check-up?"The Sandaime glanced at him. There were many things in those old eyes—scrutiny, doubt—but ultimately they all settled into a calm, weary gentleness."Eat well, sleep well. Stay out of trouble.""Got it."The Sandaime nodded, turned, and left. His silhouette was stretched long by the setting sun, the outline of his hat looking like a small mountain. Naruto stood there, watching that back disappear at the end of the street.Then he went upstairs, opened the door, walked into his room, and placed his backpack on the table.He felt it.That gaze.It wasn't Hinata's, it wasn't Iruka's, and it wasn't the Sandaime's. It was a new gaze—a cold, scrutinizing, and emotionless gaze. That gaze came from far away, passing through the walls, through the windows, and through the gaps in the curtains to land on his back.Surveillance.The Sandaime had left, but the surveillance remained.Naruto didn't look back. He didn't show any abnormal reaction—he didn't speed up his breathing, tighten his muscles, or look around. He acted as if he hadn't felt anything, walking to the kitchen to open the fridge, take out some milk and bread, and sit by the window to eat slowly. His movements were natural and relaxed, like an ordinary six-year-old boy eating dinner.But he was observing.That gaze was fixed—coming from one direction, not moving. That person wasn't following him around, but was staring at his room from a fixed position.He finished the bread, drank the milk, and threw the packaging into the trash can. Then he stood up, stretched, and walked toward the bathroom.He pushed open the bathroom door, went inside, and closed the door.The gaze disappeared.It didn't weaken or fade; it completely vanished. It was as if someone had stopped their footsteps outside a door and was no longer looking in. Naruto stood in the bathroom, listening to the sound of his own breathing, and waited for a few seconds. The gaze did not return.He turned on the faucet, washed his hands, and then pulled open the bathroom door to walk out.The gaze returned.At the very instant he stepped out of the bathroom, that cold, scrutinizing gaze fell upon him once again. It was as if someone had been waiting by the door for him to come out.Naruto didn't show any abnormality. He walked to his bed, sat down, took off his shoes, and placed them at the foot of the bed. Then he lay down, pulled up the blanket, and closed his eyes.The gaze was still there. Through the window, through the curtains, it rested on his face.He rolled over to face the wall. The gaze followed him for a moment and then fixed itself on the back of his head again.He rolled over again and wrapped the blanket a bit tighter. The inner core in his Dantian was slowly rotating, its nine patterns glowing faintly in the night. The moonlight outside filtered through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a bright circle on the ceiling.He fell asleep.The next morning, Naruto got up as usual and walked into the bathroom as usual. He turned on the faucet and let the water flow loudly—not to cover anything up, but to show that gaze. He stayed in the bathroom for ten minutes, pretending to shower, while actually releasing Clones.Eight Clones flipped out of the window and dispersed after transforming.Then he turned off the faucet, dried his hair, changed into those clothes that were already too small, slung on his backpack, and headed out.The gaze followed him.From the apartment to the school, it never broke once. As Naruto walked down the street, that gaze was like an invisible thread tethered to the back of his head. He walked past the convenience store, the grocery store, and that cherry blossom tree—the gaze was always there.He walked into the school, up the stairs, into the classroom, and sat in the last row by the window. The gaze was still there.He set down his backpack, folded his hands on the desk, rested his chin on the back of his hands, and looked out the window. The gaze rested on his profile, cold as a shard of thin ice pressed against his cheek.Naruto didn't look back.He simply thought to himself: 'Watch all you want. Every day I go to class, get out of class, eat, go home, and sleep. It's not as if you can personally come to check every single day, right?'He closed his eyes, feeling the rotation of the inner core in his Dantian. The nine patterns rotated slowly, and a warm current of air flowed through his body. The sunlight outside shone on his blonde hair, feeling warm and pleasant.Hinata stole a glance at him from the front row and then quickly lowered her head. Her ears turned red.That gaze was still there.But Naruto didn't care.