I'm not that Naruto Uzumaki

A cool breeze stirred as the afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. Looking up, the flickering light resembled a sky full of stars—somewhat dazzling.

Naruto, clad in a layer of light armor, fastened the protective gear onto his head.

"Naruto, you're already very strong. You're only five years old—you don't have to push yourself so hard."

In the sealed space, Namikaze Minato wore a troubled expression.

"Father, I'm not rushing. I've never neglected my taijutsu training, and I have fully mastered fuinjutsu," Naruto replied calmly.

He didn't mention ninjutsu—so far, Minato had only taught him various forms of the Rasengan he had developed himself, along with a few fundamental techniques like the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

"But there's no need for you to test yourself with such dangerous shuriken training," Minato said, his face briefly showing hesitation before continuing to persuade him.

"I'm wearing protective gear. Besides, Father, don't you want to see if my neural reaction speed is sufficient to learn the Flying Thunder God technique? No one is tracking or monitoring me right now, and the Third Hokage is currently inspecting Konoha's hospital. This is a rare opportunity—I can't let it go to waste."

With that, Naruto ignored his father and casually pulled out two storage scrolls.

Infusing chakra into the sealing formulas, six automatic crossbows designed to fire multiple kunai at once appeared on the ground. Each crossbow was capable of launching nine kunai in an instant.

Naruto picked up one of them and walked over to a stone platform, where a bamboo basket filled with kunai sat, and began loading the weapons.

Soon, all six crossbows were fully loaded. After marking the position where he stood, he started setting up the crossbows, fixing them onto the surrounding tree trunks.

A month had passed since his meeting with the Uchiha brothers. For the past month, he had been fighting a data-based puppet of Uchiha Itachi in the Mirror World.

And finally, last night, he received a breakthrough reward.

He had acquired Uchiha Itachi's masterful shuriken techniques and fire-nature chakra.

At the start of the month, he had already mastered all the fuinjutsu his father had taught him—except for the Reaper Death Seal.

Minato had outright refused to teach him that technique.

Later, Naruto requested to learn the Flying Thunder God technique. He possessed an abundance of chakra and an exceptional sensory ability—both prerequisites for mastering it. He believed he was more than qualified, yet Minato neither refused nor immediately agreed.

Instead, his father claimed he needed to assess Naruto's neural reflexes first before making a decision. However, he kept delaying without giving a clear answer.

Naruto had a hunch as to why his father was hesitating.

But he didn't press the issue. He wasn't sure if Minato was truly playing dumb or just seeking some psychological reassurance. Either way, the moment they reunited in the Mirror World, all of Minato's data had been collected.

Since Minato frequently accompanied Naruto into the Mirror World, even if he refused to teach the technique, it was only a matter of time before Naruto acquired everything he knew.

Still, Naruto wanted to test his own reaction speed. If he wasn't capable enough, he would simply focus his efforts elsewhere.

After connecting the trigger strings of each crossbow to the ring of a kunai, Naruto walked over to the three stone pillars beside the platform and stabbed the kunai into the ground at his feet.

Minato's expression tensed. "Naruto—"

Naruto's face remained indifferent. "I'm starting now, Father. Please don't distract me."

As he spoke, he rechecked the alignment of the crossbows to ensure they were aimed precisely at the predetermined positions. Then, without hesitation, he kicked the kunai at his feet.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The crossbows mounted on the tree trunks activated simultaneously, releasing 54 kunai with deadly speed and force, all aimed at him.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Several kunai embedded themselves into the ground.

The moment Naruto kicked the kunai, his body reacted with agile precision—leaping into the air. While airborne, he flicked his wrists, sending several kunai flying.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of kunai intercepting kunai rang out. At the same time, Naruto twisted his body midair, pushing off a stone pillar with one foot. Just as he adjusted his position, he felt sharp pains in his abdomen and shoulder.

Kunai had struck his armor, but they bounced off upon impact.

Yet, in that instant, his mind went into high alert. Beneath his protective gear, his gaze turned utterly cold—void of emotion, filled only with pure rationality.

The attack hadn't disrupted his movements.

Thud!

His heartbeat pounded violently in his chest. He could almost hear his blood surging like a raging river, coursing through his veins.

Though it felt like time had slowed to a crawl, in reality, not even the blink of an eye had passed.

Still midair, Naruto didn't hesitate—his swift movements allowed him to evade the remaining kunai. As soon as he landed, he crouched down beside the stone platform.

"One attack from the front, another from behind... If not for the kunai I threw earlier, I would have—"

"Lacking the insight of the Sharingan really is a disadvantage, huh?"

"No… Even without the Sharingan, my calculations indicate I should've only been hit in the shoulder. This must be a mental block caused by the armor, preventing me from breaking my limits."

Replaying the trajectory of the kunai in his mind, Naruto made a decisive choice. After resetting the crossbows and ensuring everything was in place, he began removing his armor.

Minato's eyes widened in shock. "Naruto! What are you doing?!"

Naruto's expression didn't change. "I'm going to try again."

"Don't be reckless!" Minato's face darkened, his voice urgent. "Naruto, you're already incredibly strong! I don't understand why you're so obsessed with power, but you're young—you have time! You can take things step by step!"

Kurama glanced at Minato but said nothing.

It felt like the Fourth Hokage didn't understand his own son as well as he, a fox, did.

The moment he connected his chakra with Naruto, he had sensed it—the absolute rationality that disregarded all else. That kind of mindset was unshakable.

Having stripped off his armor, Naruto calmly embedded another kunai into the ground.

"Father, I can't slow down. I have never been able to."

His voice was steady, unwavering. His eyes shone with a piercing light, sharp as a blade.

Minato's face twisted in sorrow. He opened his mouth to speak—but before he could, Naruto had already kicked the kunai.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Fifty-four kunai shot toward him once more.

Naruto leapt into the air, intercepting the first wave with precise kunai strikes, just as he had before.

Splurt!

Blood burst from his shoulder as three kunai embedded themselves deep into his flesh.

But he had completely avoided the frontal attack. His mind remained unshaken, his body moving with even greater precision than before.

Thud!

With a near-impossible maneuver, he landed back on the stone platform.

Looking up, his azure eyes burned with an unyielding sharpness.

"Father—no one can make me slow down. Because I am chasing the right goal."

Inside the sealed space, Minato stood frozen in shock.

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