Naruto and Sasuke continued their impromptu race through the streets of Konoha, their competitive spirits driving them onward despite their growing fatigue. Several hours later, both boys finally halted on a rooftop, their bodies demanding rest.
"Haa... haa..."
They stood doubled over, hands on knees, breathing heavily. After nearly a month of reduced training during their journey, both could feel the slight deterioration in their stamina and endurance.
"Looks like we'll have to call it a tie," Naruto said between breaths, a grin spreading across his face. Neither had pushed themselves to their absolute limits—had they done so, their contest might have continued well past lunchtime.
Sasuke maintained his characteristic composure, simply standing upright without responding to Naruto's observation. Without a word, he turned and leapt from the rooftop, heading in a direction that caught Naruto's attention.
"That's not the way to the Uchiha compound," Naruto muttered to himself, confusion evident in his expression as he observed Sasuke's departure.
Could his rival be planning some sort of secret training during these final two days before school resumed? The possibility immediately piqued Naruto's curiosity. Without hesitation, he followed Sasuke's path before the other boy could disappear from sight.
As Naruto trailed him, he sensed that Sasuke had likely detected his presence but had chosen not to confront him about it. This tacit permission only heightened Naruto's intrigue.
Swish!
Eventually, Sasuke came to a stop at the forest's edge on Konoha's outskirts. Naruto landed a short distance away, perplexed by their destination. Sasuke didn't enter the forest but instead concealed himself among the underbrush, as though observing something.
What could possibly interest him here?
Thud! Thud!
As Naruto pondered this question, the sound of repeated impacts echoed from the forest below. Startled, he carefully maneuvered to gain a clearer view of the source.
"Isn't that...?" Naruto whispered in surprise.
In a small clearing below, a boy with glossy black hair with long braid(queue) was repeatedly striking a wooden training post with remarkable intensity.
Rock Lee.
Naruto recognized him immediately. Throughout the past year, he had occasionally spotted this unusual boy practicing alongside Sasuke at the Academy's training ground during lunch breaks.
So Sasuke had come here to observe Lee's training? Naruto found this development interesting—when had Sasuke developed such a habit?
Shifting his attention from Lee to the surrounding environment, Naruto's eyes widened at what he saw. The trunks of numerous trees surrounding the clearing bore marks of varying depths and ages—evidence of countless strikes against their unyielding surfaces.
It was difficult to comprehend how many thousands of blows Lee must have delivered to leave such extensive damage. The boy training below was only a student older by one year from Naruto and Sasuke. Considering the time spent on enrollment and theoretical coursework, Lee could not have been engaged in this particular training regimen for more than a year and a half.
Yet the physical evidence of his dedication was overwhelming. The countless impact marks on the trees reflected a level of discipline and determination that few could claim to match.
Naruto asked himself honestly: did he possess the perseverance to commit to such repetitive, grueling training day after day without fail?
After observing Lee for several seconds, Sasuke cast a brief glance in Naruto's direction before silently departing.
Naruto remained a moment longer, watching the figure below training with single-minded focus. Taking a deep breath, he finally turned and headed home, his mind filled with newfound determination.
Upon returning, Naruto quickly consumed his meal in just a few hurried bites before proceeding to the front yard. There, he began practicing his chakra control with unusual intensity.
His training continued without interruption until the sun began to descend toward the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and purple.
"That child..." Kushina sighed softly as she observed Naruto sitting quietly in the courtyard, exhaustion evident in his posture yet determination still burning in his eyes.
He had barely returned from his journey, yet already he had thrown himself back into his rigorous training routine with renewed vigor.
For Naruto, controlling chakra presented significantly greater challenges than for ordinary children. His progress required continuous, persistent effort over extended periods—brief or inconsistent practice yielded minimal results.
There was another, more complex reason for his struggles: despite his young age, Naruto had inherited Kushina's powerful physique and naturally abundant chakra. However, due to the Eight Trigrams Seal that Minato had implemented, small amounts of the Nine-Tails' chakra occasionally leaked through, disrupting the flow of Naruto's own chakra network.
Before he could properly manipulate his chakra, Naruto had to first stabilize these disruptions—a formidable task even for an experienced shinobi. Even Minato or Kushina, placed in similar circumstances, would have found their chakra control severely compromised.
Yet this disadvantage was not without potential benefits. If Naruto could eventually master the Nine-Tails' power as Minato hoped, his ultimate proficiency in chakra control would surpass even their own considerable abilities.
As night descended upon Konoha, Minato completed his duties at the Hokage office and returned home. Simultaneously, Naruto's training session—which had lasted nearly ten hours—finally concluded.
He wolfed down his evening meal with characteristic haste before rushing upstairs to his bedroom.
Concerned glances passed between Kushina and Chiharu, while Minato's eyes narrowed slightly in observation. Even from the dining hall, both Minato and Kushina, with their heightened perceptive abilities, could detect the subtle chakra fluctuations emanating from Naruto's room.
The process of chakra manipulation imposed significant demands on both energy reserves and physical endurance. Sustaining such practice for over ten hours in a single day was excessive even for someone with Naruto's remarkable constitution.
At that moment, as Naruto's physical and mental resources approached their limits, an inexplicable icy chill suddenly surged through his body. The sensation was profoundly disorienting—almost terrifying—and before he could fully process what was happening, his consciousness was completely submerged within it.
"Dad! Mom!" Naruto cried out in panic, but his physical body had already entered a state of suspended animation. His desperate call existed only on a spiritual plane, beyond the perception of even Minato and Kushina.
Drip... drip... drip...
After a brief period of disorienting darkness, Naruto's consciousness reawakened. His eyes snapped open, immediately registering his unfamiliar surroundings.
"Where am I?" he whispered, rising to his feet only to discover that he was standing in shallow water that covered the floor completely.
Naruto glanced around anxiously. The space wasn't entirely dark—a faint, ambient light provided minimal illumination. Yet the light source remained unclear, and when he peered forward, the darkness seemed to swallow his vision after just a few meters.
Being trapped in such an environment would unsettle even the most courageous adult, let alone a six-year-old child.
"Dad! Mom!" he called instinctively, his voice echoing through the cavernous space before fading into silence. No response came.
After several futile attempts, Naruto fell quiet, forcing himself to calm his racing heart. He extended his hand cautiously into the darkness.
A soft click sounded as his fingertips made contact with something solid. A cold sensation spread through his palm as he recognized the texture of what seemed to be a wall.
"Standing here forever isn't going to solve anything," Naruto thought to himself. In the dim light, the flicker of determination in his deep blue eyes revealed a growing composure despite his fear.
Splash, splash.
Keeping both hands against the cold wall for guidance, he began moving forward through the mysterious space, the shallow water rippling around his ankles with each cautious step.
After a short distance, Naruto's fingers detected a change in the surface beneath them—an angle, perhaps a corner.
Swallowing nervously, he followed the wall as it turned. As the wall abruptly ended, his hands fell momentarily through empty space before he steadied himself.
Naruto withdrew his hands and continued forward with deliberate slowness. Suddenly, the area ahead began to brighten, the oppressive darkness gradually giving way to an eerie glow.
His initial relief at the improved visibility quickly transformed into apprehension as the source of illumination became clear.
Before him loomed an enormous cage, its bars extending upward beyond the limits of his vision. The structure was imposing—each bar thicker than the largest trees in Konoha's forests.
As Naruto stood transfixed by this unexpected sight, something within the cage stirred. From the shadows behind those immense bars, a massive eye slowly opened, revealing a blood-red iris with a vertical, slit-like pupil.
The sudden appearance of this alien gaze—burning with ancient malevolence and focused entirely upon him—startled Naruto so severely that he stumbled backward, falling into the shallow water with a splash.