5. Looking for Opportunities

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...

His body trembled slightly from the cold, but his eyes were hard and unyielding. Dark, perhaps a slightly dull blue, they were definitely different in color from the eyes of his father or mother. It had been maybe twenty minutes since he had started his bath, and he felt himself getting weaker. A slight dizziness did not cause him to leave. A minute passed, then two, and his vision wanted to blur.

His whole body cried out to get out, but he thought resolutely, just a minute more....

Another minute later, he began to lose consciousness due to the extreme cold. At that very moment, he bit his tongue hard and, with all his willpower, grabbed onto two opposite ends of the tub with his hands, trying to lift his trembling body.

He practically lost feeling in his hands, but continued to wrestle stubbornly, trying to get up.

Half a minute later, he was barely able to sit with his buttocks on the edge of the tub and put his legs over the other side.

If he had stayed there another minute, he would have definitely lost consciousness. His parents knew he liked to take long baths, so they didn't bother him; Kushina would only ask if he was okay about forty minutes after she left. So he would stay here for another fifteen minutes or so before they noticed him unconscious.

You could tell he was fighting for his life by staying so long in the icy water. He didn't do it because he had suicidal thoughts, he did it for several important reasons. He wanted to prove to himself that he could overcome his body's weaknesses, that he had a strong enough will to do so. Besides, cold baths improve the body's immunity and prolong life, which is very beneficial for him, but is it worth it, to risk so much?

People would answer no, but Naruto says otherwise....

Each such bath strengthens his resolve and shows what discipline he has for himself. He has given up warmth and comfort in favor of a strong mind. Pleasures like a warm bath only distract him and make his mind lazy.

He wiped himself dry and waited for it to warm up, while trying to move his body to make it happen faster. He also learned to breathe properly to warm up his body quickly so that it would return to the correct temperature.

A minute before Kushina usually asks him if he's okay, he quietly walked out of the bathroom.

Holding on to the wall with all his strength, he tried to move toward his room.

However, he didn't even make it halfway down the hall, and he was seen, not by Kushina or Minato, but by his....

- Onii-chan?! You're crazy?! - shouted his younger sister Himiko. She quickly ran up to him helping him keep his balance.

- Why aren't you calling out to anyone? You know that walking alone is hard, don't you! - she yelled at him. Although she was three years younger, she was his height and was even heavier than he was, due to eating large amounts of ramen. Which was also not healthy according to Naruto, but she was strangely obsessed with them.

Naruto did not answer his sister, he felt.... embarrassed...

It was humiliating for him to have his younger sister, whom he should be taking care of and spoiling like other older brothers do, help him walk...! He couldn't look her in the eye.

Himiko and Menma knew about their older brother's poor health, but they didn't know any details. Their parents had taught them to always help him if necessary, and so they did.

He wasn't angry with them, he was angry with himself.

Himiko helped lead him to his room, where he sat on the bed tired.

- Don't be silly next time Onii-chan! - Himiko didn't finish her reprimand - You know I will always help you, so call me when you want to do something! Don't be a stubborn donkey and let me help you!

Naruto just nodded his head. His sister was really nice, she never complained about his disability, and he never heard from her that she was tired of helping him or any other rude words that might have come from her mouth.

When he was still able to walk, he often played with her and spoiled her a lot, but unfortunately his condition began to deteriorate and his time spent with her was exchanged for lying in bed and studying. However, even then, Himiko would come to his room and they would talk a lot or play some games.

- Stupid Onii-chan...! - stated Himiko at the end and hugged him. She was a bit like a koala, she liked to stick to him and not let him go.

He really regretted that he couldn't be a better big brother to her or to Menma.

- Forgive Himiko-chan, he just doesn't want to be dependent on you....

- I don't mind...! - she replied practically at once.

- But... it's something personal... - he admitted, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

- What could it be...? - she inquired curiously.

Naruto, however, merely snapped a finger at her forehead, to which she groaned.

...

Naruto was reading a science book in the evening, describing research done by some scientist on animals. It was about unconditioned reflexes, or reactions that occur in the body without our willpower. This happens, for example, when we accidentally touch something hot and reflexively withdraw our hand. In the book, a guy conducted an experiment where he gave one animal, more precisely a certain breed of dog that was sometimes aggressive and difficult to tame, a certain specific that increased aggression several times. He locked the dog in a sealed room, and right next to it, in a second room, another animal, quite gentle in its nature. Although the two did not see each other and had no right to know about each other, the dog produced so much murderous intent that the animal next to him fled to the opposite side of the cage in fear. Its body was tense and its eyes were constantly searching for danger. The experiment confirmed that animals, which are naturally better sensory than humans, are capable of sensing danger and their bodies immediately, practically completely without their knowledge, start looking for a way to survive. They can't control it, it happens in them unconditionally.

Naruto closed the book on the last page - As a rule, this has been known for a long time, the visitor simply confirmed something natural in nature.... - he replied wearily.

His eyes were hurting, and with each passing day he noticed that his vision was getting worse. This could have been influenced by the fact that he reads after nights, but he believed that his eyesight would have deteriorated anyway, even without that.

He sighed grimly - I feel like an old man.... even already half my hair is gray...!

...

Naruto was with his mother for his weekly check-up at Konoha's main hospital. Tsunade was currently examining his eyes and her face was not happy.

- Well ... - she mused for a moment - You have short-sightedness, but for now it's still quite small, in a few months it might get bigger - she admitted - I can't say you have good eyesight either, but it's strangely sharp when it comes to far-sightedness.... Your eyeballs are well innervated and strong, do you use any eye exercises? - guessed Tsunade's reason.

Naruto nodded - For some time - he admitted. He had been dedicating an hour each day to exercise for fear of losing his eyesight. To be exact, it was twice a day, half an hour each, morning and afternoon.

There are 6 muscles in the eyeball, 4 straight and 2 oblique, which can be exercised and strengthened like a muscle. The eye is also made of 98% water and 2% hyaluronic acid and collagen fibers. Exposing himself to the morning sun, Naruto takes in about 30,000 units of vitamin D3 for half an hour, which is very good for the eyes, and takes in from food or juices, a good dose of vitamin C and collagen, which also help maintain good vision.

- That's good, they improve the condition of your eyes and increase your long-range acuity, but unfortunately they don't affect your short-sightedness - Tsunade admitted.

- I know

After doing the rest of the check-ups, Tsunade continued - As for your general condition, no major changes....

...

Jiraiya, Naruto's godfather, has just returned to the Village from some long-delayed spy mission. He had come to the Namikaze family for dinner today at Minato's invitation. Together they entered the house just in time, when Kushina was already about to set the table. He was really glad that he could taste delicious food instead of consuming those soldier pills all the time, which have no taste at all. He was also able to finally see his godson and the other kids of his apprentice after a long time.

Such visits by Jiraiya's uncle were not unusual. Every time he returned from some mission, he visited their home and brought various gifts to the children. That was also the case this time, they had dinner together, and he stayed here until the evening. He told some story about his shinobi adventures or some funny jokes, but at one point, Naruto caught some interesting change.

- Nature's energy...? - He asked, looking away from the book he was reading, and Jiraiya hesitated for a moment

- This... is an energy that, as the name says, can only be collected from the atmosphere and terrain. If a person can gather Natural Energy around him and combine it and balance it with his own Spiritual and Physical Energy, which together form Chakra, he then becomes a Sage and enters Sage Mode, which allows him to use Senjutsu - Jiraiya described it briefly to him, not wanting to hide it from Naruto, after all he can't do anything about it anyway.

- I read about it once, it is a bit like vital energy, am I right...? It strengthens the body to unimaginable levels, and the Chakra itself becomes very powerful with Natural Energy - Naruto's parents looked at him strangely and a little suspiciously.

- Yes, however, it is very difficult to control and currently there are only a few Senjutsu users in the world, ordinary people will turn to stone if they try to use it.... - he said, trying to make him aware of the consequences, so that nothing stupid would come to his mind. Come to think of it anyway, he doubted he would have any exposure to it at all, much less the knowledge of how to do it.

- Oh... - sighed indifferently Naruto and went back to reading his reading - I see

Some time later, when Jiraiya was about to leave, Kushina asked him - Maybe you want to stay with us for the night? I'll prepare a guest room for you! - she suggested, but he waved his hand.

- No need, I'll go visit Tsunade-hime, I haven't seen her in a long time," he explained with a strange gleam in one eye.

- Oh, I understand - Kushina replied, but after a moment she remembered something, "At the moment she usually stays in the hot springs until late, drinking sake while doing so, so I don't know if you will have a chance to see her

- I know, that's why I'm going.... - he replied shamelessly, and Kushina twitched, realizing that he was just going to peep at her.

In the next few moments, you could see the legendary Sanin, the self-talking Ropuczy Pustlenik, prancing around with a big bump on his head in front of the furious wife of the Fourth Hokage. Many pots or pans or other kitchen utensils flew through the air, and he nimbly dodged them before disappearing somewhere in some dark alley of Konoha.

At that time, all three children, along with her husband, looked at Kushina with a horrified look.

- K-ka-chan...? - howled a terrified Menma, seeing his mother's hair floating slightly in the air. He swore to himself at that moment that at all costs, he would never piss her off again.

- Er... I have to get up early tomorrow, good night! - replied Minato quickly, before disappearing into his room. After a while, Menma, too, along with Himiko, disappeared, leaving their older brother to fend for himself.

Naruto looked stunned from side to side, not knowing what had actually happened.

He looked at his mother and blinked his eyes confusedly.

- Am I, so d-dreadful to you...? - her demeanor immediately changed, turning practically 180 degrees, revealing her gentle side.

- No Ka-chan... They're just... are fooling around - Naruto immediately found some excuse - Come on, I'll hug you, you'll be better off! - he suggested, sticking his arms out towards her.

- Oh...! You really are such a good son of your evil mother...! - she moaned with moist eyes and hugged her son tightly.

*Pac pac*.

Naruto patted her gently on the head, and Himiko from her room leaned her head slightly through the open door.

- Onii-chan is really amazing.... He just tamed a beast.... - she sighed in admiration.