Training
As the last sliver of the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of fiery orange and soft violet, he let out a quiet sigh. The weight of the day settled upon his shoulders, a familiar burden after hours of training.
"Naruto, tomorrow's the weekend," he said, watching her energetically wipe her mouth with the back of her sleeve. "We'll train then. As for today… it's getting late. Let's rest."
She gave him a quick nod, her usual spark still burning bright in her eyes. Without another word, she turned and skipped off, humming a carefree tune that only she seemed to know. Her bright blonde braid bounced with each step, a vibrant streak against the deepening twilight.
He watched her go, a faint smile touching his lips. "Guess I'm headed home too," he muttered to himself, the words barely audible in the quiet evening.
The streets of Konoha were nearly empty now. Merchants were packing up their stalls, their last-minute calls for deals echoing faintly in the growing stillness. The lingering scent of grilled skewers and sweet buns hung in the air, a final whisper of the market's daytime liveliness. Lanterns flickered to life, swaying gently in the evening breeze, casting a warm, flickering glow on shuttered windows and closed doors.
He walked in comfortable silence, letting the cool air calm his thoughts. The rhythmic crunch of his sandals on the cobblestones was the only sound breaking the quiet. Within ten minutes, he stood in front of his home.
The front door looked as it always did—clean and well-kept, a testament to his meticulous nature. The brass doorknob glinted faintly in the fading light. He gave a small nod, more to himself than anything else, and opened it with a quiet creak.
Inside, it was still and familiar. Peaceful. A sanctuary.
He slipped off his shoes, peeled off his socks, then removed his sweat- and dust-heavy clothes, followed by his gloves. Each motion was deliberate, routine, and calming. Grabbing a fresh towel from the shelf, he made his way into the bathroom. He turned his head and stared at his reflection: clean, spotless skin, hair neatly combed. He nodded once, a silent approval, and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash away the day's grime and tension.
Later, in his room, he looked around and nodded again. Everything was impeccably clean, as always. He climbed into bed and lay down, the quiet hum of the night settling around him. His mind, however, was already planning tomorrow's training: chakra control first, then basic jutsu study, followed by intense physical exercise. He drifted off to sleep with a clear objective in mind.
The next day, he stood alone in Training Ground 7, arms crossed, the morning breeze ruffling the edges of his sleeves. The sun was high, already past its zenith, but Naruto was an hour late.
He frowned, a ripple of concern disturbing his usual composure. Where could she be? With a sigh, he left the clearing, his destination clear: her apartment. The streets of Konoha buzzed with the usual hustle—merchants shouting over one another to advertise their wares, villagers darting from stand to stand with arms full of groceries and festival trinkets. He weaved through the crowd, barely noticing them. His mind was focused, a quiet alarm ringing.
Then he saw her.
Naruto stood in front of a vendor's stall, gazing up at a vibrant, intricately carved fox mask displayed on the wall. Her brilliant blue eyes sparkled with pure fascination, like a child mesmerized by something just out of reach. She took a small step forward, her hand instinctively reaching out—and then froze, her gaze falling to the price tag.
The shop owner, a portly man with a perpetual scowl, noticed her hesitation. "Hey!" he barked, storming out from behind the stand, his voice sharp and accusatory. "Get away from there! You think you can just touch anything you want, you little brat?!"
Before she could respond, he shoved her hard.
Naruto stumbled, hitting the ground with a soft thud, her small fingers curling against the dirt. His chest tightened. Blood roared in his ears, a hot, angry pulse.
"Get out, you demon!" the man snarled, spittle flying from his lips. "And take that mask with you, you cursed child! You'll ruin my business just by looking at it!"
He was already moving, a blur of motion.
He stepped between them, standing tall and imposing over Naruto, shielding her from the man's hateful glare. His voice, though quiet, was laced with an undeniable fury that cut through the market's din. "What do you think you're doing?"
The man scowled, a flicker of surprise in his eyes quickly replaced by defiance. "What am I doing? What are you doing, kid? Why're you defending that thing? Don't you know what she is?"
His expression didn't change, remaining stoic and unyielding. "What demon?" he said coldly, his gaze like ice. "All I see is a grown man pushing a small, defenseless child to the ground."
The man's face darkened with anger, his eyes narrowing. "Don't let her fool you. That fox—she's manipulating you. Just like she did the Fourth—" He raised his hand, thick and meaty, poised to strike.
He never finished the sentence.
A kunai was at his throat before he could blink. He hadn't even realized he'd drawn it. His hand was steady, unyielding, eyes locked on the man's terrified face. His killing intent was cold and suffocating, like a wolf baring its fangs before a silent, deadly kill. The man's body stiffened, fear draining all color from his face.
He lifted one finger to his lips. Shh. A silent, absolute warning.
Then he lowered the kunai, sliding it back into its sheath with a barely audible click. He turned to Naruto. She was still on the ground, tears dried on her cheeks, small hands trembling, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe. His heart clenched at the sight.
He offered her a hand, his expression softening imperceptibly, and gave a small, gentle smile. "I think there was a misunderstanding," he said, his voice carrying just loud enough for the gathering crowd to hear. "This man thought you were trying to steal something and overreacted. But we talked. He promised to apologize and let you have whatever you want from his store, as a gesture of goodwill."
Naruto blinked up at him, her voice a fragile whisper. "R-Really?"
He turned slowly toward the shopkeeper, his smile gone, replaced by something far colder, far more dangerous. "Isn't that right?"
The man swallowed hard, his lips twitching into a forced, desperate smile. "Y-Yes… of course. Anything you want. As an apology."
Naruto's face lit up instantly, her earlier tears forgotten. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the stall, her eyes wide with excitement as she began looking through the masks, the incident already fading from her mind.
He turned slowly toward the gathering villagers, who had remained silent, watching the entire exchange. He met their stares one by one, his gaze sharp and unrelenting. No words were needed. One by one, they looked away, their gazes dropping, and began to disperse, melting back into the market's flow. They had seen what he did—seen the blade, the unspoken threat. And he had made sure Naruto hadn't.
She came running back moments later, a fox-faced mask, beautifully crafted, cradled in her arms. "I'm done!" she said, grinning from ear to ear.
He nodded. "Then let's go. We've got training to do."
She nodded back, her bright eyes fixed on him, and followed him down the street, mask in hand, her earlier tears and the shopkeeper's cruelty completely forgotten.
Training Ground – Midday
"Alright," he said calmly, the sun now directly overhead. He reached into his pouch and pulled out two thin, pale sheets of chakra paper, handing one to Naruto.
She took it, tilting her head with a puzzled look. "What's this?"
"It's chakra paper," he explained, his voice even. "It reacts to chakra and reveals your elemental affinity—your nature transformation. It's a way to see what kind of elemental chakra you're naturally inclined towards."
"Like water or lightning?" she asked, her eyes already lighting up with excitement.
"Exactly."
Without hesitation, she pressed the paper between her palms and focused. He watched closely, sensing her chakra stir—rough around the edges, yes, but bursting with an incredible, untamed energy. The paper reacted almost instantly.
Rip.
It split cleanly down the middle, as if torn by an invisible force. Then, tiny droplets formed along the edges, soaking it halfway through.
"Wind and water," he said, raising a brow in surprise. "That's rare. And powerful, if you can control it."
She beamed, puffing out her chest. "Hahaha! I knew it! I'm totally amazing. Just wait—I'll be Hokage in no time!"
He smirked and shook his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He turned his attention to his own chakra paper. Holding it in one hand, he let a steady, controlled flow of chakra trickle into it.
The paper crumpled tightly in on itself, becoming a small, dense ball.
Lightning, he thought. Just as expected.
Curious, he pushed in more chakra, a slightly different resonance. The crumpled paper began to soften, then grow damp, absorbing moisture from the air around it.
"…Water too," he muttered under his breath, a faint surprise crossing his face. "That's promising. Might be a good combination if I can find the right synergy."
Naruto leaned over, practically bouncing with impatience. "So? What did you get?"
He glanced at her, his expression neutral. "Lightning and water."
Her jaw dropped for half a second before she quickly recovered, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Wow, okay—cool! But I still win," she said with a cheeky grin, puffing out her chest even further.
He rolled his eyes playfully and pulled out a small notebook, flipping to a page marked earlier. "Let's start with chakra control exercises. Before you can manipulate elements, you need to control your chakra precisely." He faced her, his tone becoming serious. "We're going to stick leaves to our bodies using chakra. Your goal is to keep them attached—no slipping, no falling. If you can't do this, you'll never manage wind shaping."
She saluted playfully, her enthusiasm undimmed. "Yes, sir!"
He handed her a leaf and took one for himself. They both placed them on their foreheads. "Now, concentrate. Feel the chakra flowing to your skin—keep it even, steady. Don't overdo it, or the leaf will fall."
She nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration.
One hour later…
He stared at her, dumbfounded. The leaf had slipped from her forehead for the tenth time. "How are you this bad at chakra control?" he asked, more bewildered than mocking, genuinely perplexed by her inability.
Naruto froze, the leaf finally slipping off her forehead again to flutter to the ground. She looked down, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her eyes glistened as she tried to hide the tears forming.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I'm wasting your time…"
He felt a pang of guilt twist in his chest. That hadn't been what he meant at all.
"It's fine," he said quickly, softening his tone, his usual gruffness replaced by a gentle concern. "It's not that you're bad. There might be something else going on."
He crouched beside her, thoughtful. If she really was trying—and he knew, deep down, that she was—the problem wasn't laziness or carelessness. Something deeper was interfering. He had no diagnostic tools, but one crude method remained: physical contact, directly sensing her chakra. Not ideal, but necessary.
He sighed, looking at her still sulking form. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath.
Pulling off one glove, he extended his bare hand toward her. "Give me your hand."
She blinked, confused. "Huh? Why?"
"Just do it," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument.
After a moment's hesitation, she reached out. Her small fingers trembled as they brushed his. The instant their skin met, his body tensed. His mind buzzed with static, an overwhelming sensation. His OCD flared—every instinct screamed to pull away, to recoil from the foreign sensation. But he held still, anchoring himself.
Calm down. It's fine. This is important. He reminded himself, teeth clenched.
He focused, sending a gentle stream of his own chakra into her palm and through her tenketsu. He probed the surface of her chakra system, and then—
His eyes widened.
It was like touching the edge of an ocean. No… more like a storm hidden beneath still water. Her chakra reserves were massive. Wild and overflowing, without any discernible shape or containment. Easily more than a hundred times his own—maybe even more. It didn't just pulse… it roared, a tumultuous, raw force.
So this was it. Her problem.
Too much chakra. So much that it overwhelmed her control entirely. She wasn't unskilled—she was drowning in her own power.
He slowly retracted his chakra and let go of her hand. His glove slid back on with a quiet rustle as he stood, deep in thought, processing the revelation.
"Naruto," he said quietly, his voice unusually soft, "you have a huge amount of chakra."
Her head lifted, a proud, hopeful grin forming. "See? I told you I'm amazing—!"
"Stop," he cut her off, his voice suddenly serious, though not unkind.
She blinked, her smile faltering.
"It's not all good news. The amount you have… it's too much. It's going to stunt your growth if you don't learn to handle it properly. It's a double-edged sword."
She stiffened, the light in her eyes dimming, the proud grin replaced by a look of confusion and hurt. "W-what? But… how?"
He crouched in front of her again, speaking slowly and clearly, choosing his words carefully. "Most shinobi start with a moderate amount of chakra. Their control grows naturally alongside their reserves as they train and their bodies mature. But you—your chakra is already overwhelming, like an untamed beast. It's like trying to water a flower with a tidal wave. It's too much for your current control to manage."
She stared at him, stunned into silence, her confusion turning to a dawning understanding.
"It means… controlling it will be harder for you. Much harder. You'll need to train at least a hundred times harder than others your age to reach the same level of basic control."
Her breath hitched. Her hands clenched into fists as her eyes shimmered again—but this time, she didn't let the tears fall. A stubborn resolve began to replace the hurt.
"But," he continued, his voice steady, holding her gaze.
She looked up at him, desperate for a glimmer of hope, her small face etched with a newfound determination.
"If you can master it… if you manage to control even half of that chakra, you'll be capable of techniques others wouldn't even dare attempt. You'll be a force on the battlefield, a truly unstoppable shinobi. Your potential is immense, far beyond anyone else I know."
"Really?" she asked, her voice fragile, a spark rekindling in her eyes.
"I don't lie," he said, his expression firm and sincere. "If you learn to use what you have, you'll be unstoppable. You'll be a legend."
Her lips curled into a hesitant, then a wide, confident smile. "Then I'll do it. I'll train harder. I'll master my chakra no matter what! I'll be Hokage!"
He nodded, feeling a strange swell of pride and something akin to warmth in his chest. "Good. That's the spirit. That's what I want to see."
He stood and dusted off his pants, slipping his notebook back into his pouch. "Now let's move on. Chakra control can wait for now—we'll balance it with physical training. You've got a lot of raw power, let's hone that first."
She jumped to her feet, energy surging back into her limbs, all traces of doubt vanished. "Bring it on! I'm ready!" Her voice, once a whisper, was now filled with vibrant, unyielding determination.