"g!"

  Link crushed the empty drink in his hand and tossed it into the designated recyg bin from a distance. [Japanese vending maes often have separate bins for PET bottles or aluminum s.]

  Taking a deep breath, he stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'm heading baow."

  "Alright," Naruto replied, standing as well. Despite his initial iion to ask fuidaer witnessing how Link had helped his cssmates improve, he ultimately kept silent.

  It wasn’t that Naruto was obsessed with getting stronger. In fact, his uanding of what it meant to be strong was still vague. Although he loudly procimed his dream of being Hokage, he had never sidered the strength or qualities required to achieve that goal.

  Instead, his emotions at this moment resembled the envy of seeing two friends with a cool oy—except the "toy" iion was the ce to be taught and improve.

  Naruto watched Link walk away, u himself to speak up or ask him to stay. He didn’t know how to respond to someone who showed him kindness without malice or disdain.

  So, he remaihere by the vending mae, holding the drink Link had given him, unwilling to leave for a long time.

  At that moment, perhaps, he just wao cry.

  Link walked away, letting out a silent sigh. From the start, he had no iion of f close ties with Naruto, and that resolve hadn’t ged.

  He wouldn’t actively seek iion with the boy. However, when Naruto jumped into his life so boldly, challenging him, Link k meaering the Third Hokage’s radar.

  This realization led him to a crucial thought: perhaps this wasn’t such a bad thing.

  Tress in the shinobi hierarchy, having talent wasn’t enough. Leaders o see and reize your potential. Equally important, they o believe in your loyalty and character. Who would i in nurturing a cold, ungrateful individual?

  In a vilge like Konoha, steeped in the ideals of the Will of Fire and camaraderie, the Third Hokage would likely prioritize personality and values even more than raw strength.

  If it were Danzo? Personality wouldn’t matter; a bit of brainwashing and a cursed seal would suffice.

  When Link performed his quirky anti front of Naruto, he wasn’t just pying a role for Naruto. He was building a persona—a calcuted mix of strengths and fws—to leave an impression on the Hokage.

  During his time at the Academy, Link had already begun strug his "genius" image by showg his usu and striving for early graduation. Iime, early graduation was rare; a kekkei genkai or ueique plus early promotion would undoubtedly make him stand out among the hundreds of faceless shinobi.

  But perfe was fettable. People ected with those who had quirks and vulnerabilities. So Link deliberately exaggerated his insecurities—his annoya being called short, his awkwardness, and his occasional immaturity.

  These weren’t lies; they were carefully amplified truths.

  Labels stick.

  He wao brand himself as: a talented genius, insecure about his height, with a slightly difficult personality, and some oddly juveraits.

  Link didn’t hate Naruto—that was genuine. He truly hated being short. His emotions aions were often real.

  But beh all this y a singur, pure goal: to climb higher.

  He wao bee a in, then a jonin, and possibly aual Hokage didate. If that required leveraging the Third Hokage or Naruto’s position as the ails’ jinchūriki, so be it.

  A pletely fake persona couldn’t manipute others for long. However, if ced with genuiions, it could sway even the most cautious hearts. Still, Link khe risks. Too much authenticity might lead him to form real bonds—a vulnerability he couldn’t afford.

  Bonds were dangerous. They could tether him to others, weaken his resolve, or eveedy—just as his mother had succumbed to illness and his father had died on a senseless mission.

  “For now, this is far enough with Naruto. I’m not ready for the plications of being his ‘friend.’”

  Ag required immersion, but prolonged iion with Naruto made Link realize he was softer thahought. He decided to put some distaween them. Even now, using half-truths to manipute someone so i left a lingering disfort.

  But this was a necessary step.

  Link wasn’t a true genius. Without his mutated jutsu, his minimal chakra reserves would likely reduce him to on fodder. Even with his unique abilities, he was effectively a gss on—a strong offe with little ability to maintain trol in prolonged battles.

  He had already pnned tingencies for improving his chakra reserves. From gaining access to a tailed beast’s power or undergoing modifications, to—more realistically—partnering with a reliable "power bank," like Naruto.

  With enough chakra, Link believed he could ge any battlefield.

  However, catg a tailed beast or undergoing dangerous modifications was far too risky. It would be safer to rise through the ranks a Konoha secure such resources for him—or perhaps persuade Naruto to lend his chakra iure.

  Why struggle alone when tools and collective resources could be used?

  “Keep moving forward, Link. One day, you’ll truly trol your destiny.”

  As he walked the lonely path back to the training ground, Link suppressed his unease and refocused.

  For a brief moment, perhaps, even he wao cry.

  …

  Back at the Seventh Training Ground, Link saw his teammates diligently practig.

  Without hesitation, he joined in, beginning his physical training. His routine was simple—basic exercises and honing his physical dition. When it came to developing new jutsu, he had long hit a bottleneck.

  Among his current teiques, his e Jutsu stood out. Its primary strength y in granting him a unique form of damage immunity—a trait that had saved his life during his fight with Kakashi.

  The jutsu’s potential was vast: it allowed him to split his body and reassemble it, critical advantages in taijutsu. However, against Kakashi’s Shadow e feints, this advantage had been undermined.

  Initially, Link had envisioned more advanced applications, like splitting into smaller segments—or even separating into cells or atoms.

  But through repeated tests, he discovered a critical limitation:

  All of his mutated jutsu relied entirely on the amount of chakra supplied to extend their duration or enhaheir effects.

  Bleam