Superior Reed Richards

The first thing I noticed when I created shadow clones was that I could see through their eyes simultaneously. The Rinnegan formed intriguing connections in my brain, helping me perceive the world in this way. Perhaps it was related to the fact that my brain was already unusual; the Rinnegan only added new facets to it.

"Hmm, even like this?"

The Rinnegan transmitted not only visual perception but the entire spectrum of sensations experienced by the clones.

"This will definitely accelerate my training..." A smile appeared on my face at the thought.

The essence of this feature was that the clones' experience didn't accumulate and transfer to the original but constantly flowed both ways.

At that moment, my five clones were studying elemental transformations. Thanks to the Rinnegan, I had an affinity for all five elements, so it was necessary to hone this talent to the level of skill.

I observed each clone as they interacted with the elements: fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning. Each clone immersed themselves in their element, and I felt their efforts and progress as my own. This created a unique opportunity to analyze and adjust my actions in real time.

For example, one clone working with fire concentrated chakra to create the perfect flame. I felt his tension, heat, and satisfaction when the flame took the desired shape. Another clone, controlling water, tried to alter its form, and I sensed the resistance of the water, its fluidity and strength. Each clone added new knowledge and sensations that instantly became part of me.

These trainings not only accelerated my progress but also allowed me to understand the nature of each element more deeply. I saw how the clones experimented with various techniques, made mistakes and learned from them, and I received all this experience instantly. It was a continuous learning process.

By my estimates, to achieve the results I needed, it wouldn't take more than a week of such training. I set such timeframes because I didn't need to spend time recovering after training, and the clones had as much chakra as many elite jonin didn't possess. There couldn't be any brain overload in principle, since telepathy along with perfect body control helped eliminate all possible problems.

—= Some Time Later =—

Tsunade is an extremely attractive character in the Naruto anime in many senses of the word.

"Who are you?"

Now I can say that in reality, she is no less appealing. It wasn't just about her beauty but also her character. Her straightforwardness was a significant plus in my eyes.

"Just a scientist. But that's not what you want to know." I pointed out the obvious reason why I was invited to the Hokage's residence.

Tsunade didn't ask her question immediately. She pondered deeply, deciding what was most important to her personally and in what matter I wouldn't lie... After a minute and thirty seconds, she had a question.

"Where are you from?"

A very good question, as based on this answer, a whole slew of others could be built.

"Your advisors have already given you certain thoughts on this matter, haven't they?" I asked her.

Tsunade gave a brief nod. By this point, I had stopped actively paying attention to the thoughts of people around me, as I had already obtained all the necessary information I could use.

"Yes, but assumptions and your words are two different things."

What problems could I face by telling Tsunade that I'm not from this world? Considering that I'm already stronger than all the inhabitants of this planet, there's no particular danger from this information.

"Truth or lies?..." a thought flashed in my mind.

This is my vacation... So why should I worry about it?

"I'm from the Land of Iron," I said with a slight smile.

The Land of Iron was an excellent cover. This region, known for its samurai, was beyond the influence of major shinobi villages. Their spy networks had limited presence there, and information about people from the Land of Iron often remained inaccessible or undefined.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, clearly trying to assess the truthfulness of my words. I continued to think: if I told the truth, there would likely be far more problems. The Land of Iron was a convenient choice, and the likelihood of my words being checked was minimal.

"Interesting," she finally said. "The Land of Iron is renowned for its warriors. But what brought you here?"

Tsunade was being quite sly. The individual strength of samurai was extremely low compared to the powers of Kage and other great ninja. I would say that the reason why the samurai hadn't yet been conquered by other major countries was that each village was occupied with its own competitors.

"Seeking new opportunities," I replied, pausing. "And perhaps a peaceful rest away from all this noise."

Tsunade nodded, accepting my words, though I could see that questions still remained in her eyes.

"I take it," Tsunade began, "you don't plan to stay in Konoha?"

Ha, she was quite perceptive in such moments.

"Yes. I plan to depart soon," I shrugged. "But you want to ask me about Naruto and Mokuton, don't you?"

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"Yes," she drawled.

I could understand Tsunade's interest, as Mokuton was something she had desired in her youth.

"You don't need to worry. I don't intend to harm that annoying blond. After all, he's my student. As for Mokuton, it's a gift and nothing more."

—= Naruto Uzumaki =—

"You look awful," said Reed-sensei.

Naruto perfectly understood the reason and meaning behind such words from his teacher.

"... I've been betrayed..."

"And to be more specific?" There were clear notes of amusement in Reed-sensei's voice.

The blond had no doubt that the teacher was aware of the situation with Ichiraku...

"Ichiraku..." Naruto said sorrowfully.

How could Teuchi betray the very essence of Ichiraku?!

"Aaaah... Hahahahahahaha..."

—= Five Minutes Later =—

Hearing from Naruto the story of the great ramen betrayal by Ichiraku was quite amusing.

"I'll tell you a secret," I decided to lift my student's spirits. "Teuchi is already tired of preparing his daughter's current menu."

If a second ago Naruto's gaze was full of despair, now it literally burned with determination.

"Really, sensei?" Naruto asked, his voice full of hope.

"Yes," I nodded, recalling a recent conversation with the establishment's owner.

"So ramen will return soon!" Naruto exclaimed.

He hardly resembled the listless Naruto I had seen a few moments ago.

"Since that's settled, perhaps we can proceed to training."

The blond had now become completely serious. He knew perfectly well that I planned to depart soon. For this reason, it was necessary to finish what I could help him with.

"In particular, it's time to bring your Mokuton at least to the level of normal use."

Hiruzen, upon learning that Naruto had Mokuton, didn't hesitate to give Naruto scrolls written by Hashirama himself.

"How will we test it, sensei?"

A grin spread across my face.

"Through battle, of course."

"Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu!"

From Naruto's hands burst numerous wooden trunks, attempting to seize me.

In response to Naruto's attack, I used Shurado to transform my right arm into a chainsaw. Thanks to Shurado's ability to control mechanisms at a high level, it started working instantly.

The chainsaw's teeth shredded the wood rapidly; if the blond hadn't reacted and stepped back a couple of meters, his hands would likely have been turned to mince.

Fortunately for him, he understood this perfectly. Our numerous training sessions had their effect on him. Now the blond could formulate a plan of action on the fly much better than before our training.

"Rasengan!"

Taking advantage of the sawdust created by my chainsaw, which fell to the ground and raised a distracting cloud of dust, Naruto used a clone to launch a Rasengan at me.

The A-rank technique hit me right in the stomach. I felt my bones and flesh begin to crumble and turn to mush. If I were an ordinary person, I probably wouldn't have survived such a blow.

"Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu!"

A satisfied grin appeared on my face. The blond understood perfectly that the Rasengan wouldn't incapacitate me. For this reason, he decided to act proactively.

Numerous wooden trunks began to entangle me so that Naruto could strike me with another attack, which, in his opinion, should win him this sparring match.

The clone, created along with the one that hit me with the Rasengan in the air, began forming a ball of blue chakra. As did Naruto himself.

Thanks to the fact that Naruto's control had improved several times over, as had his reserves, such consecutive techniques were not dangerous for him.

"Not bad," I said as Naruto and his clone leaped at me with Rasengans in their hands.

By this time, the hole in my stomach had completely healed.

"Shinra Tensei."

BAM

An explosive wave radiated from me in all directions. Naruto and his clone made their own modifications to the landscape of the training ground. The Rasengans in their hands created additional craters next to the crater formed by my technique.

"Very good," I said, watching as the clone disappeared and Naruto coughed, spitting out a piece of earth that had gotten into his mouth during the fall.

"Reed-sensei, you're a monster. No one can so calmly withstand a direct hit from a Rasengan."

There was some truth in this. The vast majority of shinobi in this world couldn't survive a direct hit from a full Rasengan. However, it was also worth considering that Naruto was not an ordinary shinobi, and he would have to face extremely experienced criminals who were capable of surviving such an attack.

"In battle, conditions are never equal," I said. "Moreover, such fights will prepare you to face people who are many times stronger than you."

Naruto nodded irritably and, rising from the ground, said:

"Yes, yes, I understand, sensei."

Adjusting his clothes, he looked at me.

"Next round?"

In response to such a question, I simply formed the necessary sequence of seals.

"Mokuton: Mokuryu no Jutsu!"

Wooden dragons rushed at Naruto with incredible speed. The blond's eyes widened at the sight, as he knew perfectly well what this technique entailed. For this reason, he acted swiftly.

"Mokuton: Mokujōheki!"

Wooden trunks appeared in front of Naruto, forming a multi-layered shield that managed to withstand the dragon's attack.

—= Some Time Later =—

The training ground after our sparring sessions presented a rather horrifying sight; numerous craters seemed to suggest that nuclear weapons had been tested here.

"We've established the foundation for your future training," I said, looking at Naruto, who was breathing heavily.

Although his body was strengthened, he was still very young and hadn't yet reached his peak, as a result of which recovery had speed limitations.

"Understood, sensei..." he said without raising his head.

"And that means it's time to talk with the fox."

After these words, Naruto slumped slightly. I knew perfectly well that he was trying to postpone this conversation as much as possible, as he still remembered what happened to him when he gave in to the Bijuu's power.

"If you want to become stronger, you'll have to talk to him."

Naruto frowned and said:

"The First Hokage didn't need the Nine-Tails' power to become the strongest shinobi of his era."

In this, he was right.

"However, that doesn't mean you should miss the opportunities you have at hand. The Nine-Tails can strengthen you. Jiraiya explained the structure of your seal to you."

At my request, the white-haired Sannin had explained to Naruto the basic principles of the seal's structure. Thanks to storming the library with clones, Naruto had been able to understand Jiraiya's words.

"Haaah..." Naruto sighed. "Yes, the seal is designed so that my body gets used to the Nine-Tails' chakra. According to the Fourth's plan, I should learn to use his power in the future."

As I understood it, Minato was inspired to create such a seal because of Killer Bee from Kumogakure. In their encounter, the Raikage's younger brother had surprised Minato with his control over his Bijuu. Therefore, on the day the Nine-Tails rampaged, Minato made a choice that should have made Naruto as strong as possible in the future.

After my words, Naruto gave in and nodded. At that moment, I activated my eyes. In a moment, Naruto and I were before the gates. Under my influence, Naruto's subconscious had changed. Now there was no water in this place, and overall it was brighter.

On the gate's lock was a seal, which was the first stage, and behind the seal was a lock, which was the foundation. I had just begun delving into fūinjutsu, so I couldn't make any improvements to this array.

"Well, hello, Nine-Tails," I said as the giant fox with nine tails turned his gaze to me.

Kurama's red eyes were full of rage and hatred.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE EYES?!"

His rage was understandable to me, as those eyes were possessed by the one whom Kurama considered his father.

Naruto looked at me and the Nine-Tails with a bewildered gaze.

"Did that affect you so much?"

"HUMAN!" the Nine-Tails roared, and his paw slammed into the gates with force. A claw stopped right before my face.

"RAAARGH!!!" Kurama roared in frustration.

I stood calmly, knowing that the seal held him back. Naruto's gaze darted between me and Kurama, and I felt his inner turmoil. My task was not only to control the situation but also to help Naruto cope with this powerful force within him.

"I have a proposal for you... I'm sure it will interest you."

—= Some Time Later =—

"Where are you planning to go?" Jiraiya asked me.

At this moment, we were near Konoha's gates.

"To Kirigakure. I've heard that interesting events are unfolding there that I don't want to miss."

"You want to participate in the civil war?" Jiraiya asked skeptically.

"I'm going to end it," I said. "Besides, I need to collect the reward for returning Samehada, as well as the bounty for killing Kisame."

Jiraiya didn't understand my line of thought. To him, my actions made no sense.

"You'll understand later. I'm leaving Naruto's training to you. With Mokuton, he can manage without you, but with the fox's chakra..."

"Yes, yes, I get it. Besides, it was already in my plans," the irritated Jiraiya shrugged.

Still, I liked Jiraiya with his character.

"See you soon." I extended my hand for a handshake.

Jiraiya smirked and shook my hand.

"See you soon."

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