Ashura's Chakra

After plotting his next steps internally, Naruto finally managed to peacefully drift into sleep.

The night passed without a word, and morning arrived in the blink of an eye.

"Crack."

The sound of the door creaking open roused Naruto.

"Who?"

Naruto's eyes widened suddenly, but the sound that came out of his mouth was a "Qua?" Instead.

After all, he still couldn't speak. The communication with the Sage of Six Paths had happened in his spiritual world yesterday. Initially, in this form, he retained the ability to speak, which hadn't hindered his communication.

However, upon returning to the real world, he once again lost his ability to speak, including the thoughts from the previous day.

At the door, a nurse entered cautiously, keeping her distance and ready to retreat at any moment.

Naruto found this more annoying than amusing. Why did he have to be treated like this? He couldn't help but feel frustrated.

But he noticed that the nurse seemed to be carrying something. It was likely a baby bottle, right? That would be his breakfast?

Thinking this, Naruto suppressed his irritation and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

There was a sigh of relief from the door, and then the sound of footsteps approached the bed.

Naruto couldn't be bothered to scare her, so he kept his eyes closed, listening as the nurse picked up the empty bottle, replaced it with a new one, and quickly left the room.

After she closed the door, Naruto opened his eyes, glanced at the bedside table, and scowled.

That darn nurse had placed the bottle on the bedside table. How was a baby supposed to drink it on their own?

Although the bedside table was within reach for most people, he was just a newborn baby in his second day. How could he reach it by himself?

However, Naruto was no longer an ordinary baby. He glanced at the closed door, snorted disdainfully through his tiny nose, and easily sat up.

In just one night, he had gained the ability to make such movements effortlessly. Ashura's Chakra was indeed powerful. Naruto could already sense that his small body was filled with strength, even stronger than the previous night.

In just one night, with more time to grow, Naruto was confident that he wouldn't remain helpless for long. He mustn't rush things now. Gradual growth and finding the right opportunity to leave the village were his priorities.

He knew that the world was largely the same no matter where he went. However, he didn't want to stay in Konoha Village any longer because it felt suffocating.

While he might tolerate some hardship in another village, he felt that Konoha Village owed him, or rather, owed his parents. Konoha Village shouldn't treat him like this.

As he contemplated these thoughts, trying to calm his increasingly irritated mood, Naruto awkwardly moved to the edge of the bed and reached for the bottle.

Just then, the room's door was abruptly pushed open, and the same nurse from earlier returned. She realized that leaving the milk bottle within Naruto's reach wasn't suitable for a baby.

As a result, she walked in just in time to see Naruto reaching for the bottle and bringing it towards his mouth.

The scene froze in an instant.

As a nurse, she was well aware that a baby was incapable of such movements. Naruto, too, appeared stunned as he glanced at the bewildered nurse. After a moment of contemplation, he raised his tiny arms and tried to put on a grin, saying, "Yeah."

"Huh?" The nurse stared at Naruto in sheer horror. Her body tensed, and she even shivered in fright. Could she have gone pale and fainted?

Naruto, looking at her with a puzzled expression, couldn't help but think: Is she really that easily frightened?

He nonchalantly resumed eating, quickly downing a bottle of milk powder. After discarding the empty bottle onto the floor, he turned his head and laid back down.

No matter what transpired next, he was determined to maintain his act of innocence. Naruto felt no fear, for only one nurse had witnessed this extraordinary occurrence. He was confident that no one would believe a baby could perform such feats, let alone have the knowledge to pick up a bottle and consume powdered milk.

Even if the nurse were to rush out and tell others, people would most likely dismiss her as delusional, right?

"However, I should be cautious with my actions. I can't let anyone detect my peculiarities. If I can sense the approach of others, that would be ideal, Naruto thought to himself. He couldn't afford to let such an accident happen again.

He wasn't blessed with unlimited opportunities. The moment a second person noticed his abnormal behaviors and suspected that there was more to him than met the eye, it would surely lead to trouble.

He had no desire to be labeled a "genius," as geniuses were often prone to breaking down under the pressure of expectation or worse getting targeted and finally killed.

Suddenly, as he contemplated the convenience of his newfound perception ability, a peculiar energy surged within him. Naruto was astonished to find that his mental power had expanded, as if a vast net had been cast, enveloping the entire Konoha hospital in an instant.

In the ninja world, perception was a valuable skill. A skilled ninja with heightened perception could locate hidden targets from great distances without relying on visual techniques or the naked eye.

Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, in particular, possessed exceptional perception abilities. Even during the impure World Reincarnation near Konoha Village in the original story, he could sense the distant battlefield of the Ninja War.

Naruto's newfound perception ability was impressive. It had been activated inadvertently through Ashura's Chakra, allowing him to access this skill.

One important detail to note was that in the era of the Sage of Six Paths, during the ancient history of ninja, concepts like "jutsu" did not exist for the Ōtsutsuki family and the Sage of Six Paths' lineage. They didn't practice ninjutsu as it was known later but harnessed power in a more primal manner.

The power Naruto wielded was, to a large extent, Ashura's rather than his own. This was why he could trigger his perception ability with a mere thought. It wasn't solely his own consciousness and strength but a cooperative effort involving Ashura's Chakra.

Naturally, as Ashura's Chakra was now within him and activated by the Sage of Six Paths, it had become his power.

There was no chance of Ashura's soul attempting to take over his body.

Naruto felt like he had discovered a new toy and eagerly familiarized himself with it. He didn't even notice when the nurse who had fainted woke up and hastily made her escape.

It wasn't until a team of ninjas, led by an elderly man, hurriedly arrived that he ceased practicing and controlling his newfound perception.

It dawned on him that the elderly man at the forefront appeared to be none other than the Third Hokage