Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno were practicing tree-walking, while Naruto Uzumaki trained alone, cultivating the Fifth Stage of Wind Breathing.
It was already evening.
Sasuke kept accelerating as he ran up and down trees, trying to master the technique. Sakura had already mastered tree-walking. Her chakra control was precise, but this was a rare chance to spend time alone with Sasuke, so she pretended she hadn't quite gotten the hang of it yet and kept practicing beside him.
Sakura occasionally made conversation with Sasuke. Even though his responses were brief and indifferent, it still put her in an especially good mood.
The next day.
Sasuke woke up early and went alone into the forest for training.
As he headed toward the woods, Sasuke heard some movement.
Following the sound, Sasuke moved closer and found Naruto Uzumaki deep in training.
It was still dark outside. Sasuke thought he had been the first one awake, but unexpectedly, Naruto was already practicing.
Sasuke secretly observed Naruto training. Watching Naruto swing his blade, Sasuke's expression gradually turned astonished.
Each sword slash from Naruto sent out a wind blade, leaving deep gashes on the tree trunks.
Instinctively, Sasuke activated his Sharingan to observe more closely.
The more he watched, the more amazed he became.
"Combining ninjutsu and taijutsu... Is this *Nin-Taijutsu* (ninja-body technique)?"
In Konoha, Sasuke had also seen shinobi using the Full Sword Forms of Thunder Breathing.
When Kakashi performed it, Sasuke had been deeply impressed.
Because Kakashi's version was nothing like what other Konoha ninja used—it was vastly superior.
Right now, although Naruto was only practicing without fully unleashing the sword techniques, the feeling Sasuke got from watching him was similar to that of Kakashi's Thunder Breathing.
Closing his eyes, Naruto kept swinging his blade—Kakashi's advice from the day before had given him a major breakthrough.
He was searching for the right feel.
Suddenly—
Naruto's eyes shot open. He tightly gripped his ninja sword, leapt upward, and exhaled a breath that roared like the wind.
["Wind Breathing Fifth Stage – Kan'akyū no Kaze!"]
A massive wind blade formed around Naruto's body, spinning rapidly.
He brought his sword down onto the trunk of a thick tree. The enormous wind blade instantly cleaved the entire tree into shattered segments.
Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight.
After landing, Naruto let out a long breath and smiled.
He had finally unlocked the Fifth Stage.
Naruto glanced sideways toward where Sasuke stood. He had sensed him watching earlier but didn't care—he could watch all he wanted.
After all, the Sharingan couldn't copy the Full Sword Forms of Wind Breathing, because its core element was the Breathing technique itself.
Naruto Uzumaki continued his training, ignoring Sasuke Uchiha completely.
Sasuke stood with his head slightly lowered, his fists clenched tightly.
He was filled with frustration inside.
Naruto was practicing powerful Nin-Taijutsu, yet he was still struggling with Tree-walking.
Back at the Ninja Academy, Sasuke used to think Naruto was a nobody. He believed no one there could rival him.
But now he realized how narrow-minded he had been.
They were the same age, yet Naruto had pulled so far ahead that Sasuke couldn't even see him anymore.
Just thinking about how people used to call him a genius made him feel like someone was slapping his face over and over, leaving a burning sting.
How could he hope to take revenge on Itachi Uchiha in this state?!
As Sasuke stood there, feeling bitter and lost, Kakashi appeared behind him.
"There are many geniuses in this world," Kakashi said, "but very few of them truly grow into great ninja. Most fade into obscurity. Even a genius must work extremely hard to improve.
Naruto deserves his strength—not just because he's talented, but because he's worked incredibly hard for it."
Sasuke loosened his fists and deactivated his Sharingan.
He took a deep breath and looked up at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, I've always wanted to ask—how did you get a Sharingan?"
Kakashi touched the forehead protector covering his eye. "Ah, this? It was a gift from a friend."
"Is that so?"
Sasuke frowned slightly. The Uchiha clan held the Sharingan in the highest regard—so how could anyone just give one away like that?
"All right then. If you want to catch up to Naruto, you'll have to work even harder than he does. Good luck."
Kakashi walked away through the trees. Sasuke cast one last lingering glance at Naruto, who was still training far off in the distance, then turned and left to continue his own training.
Meanwhile, something major had happened in Konoha.
Minato Namikaze had regained consciousness!
When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard the news, he dropped the pipe he was holding.
Picking it back up, his expression turned deeply serious.
So it had finally come to this.
Hiruzen immediately headed toward the hospital room where Minato was staying.
When he arrived, he saw that the Fourth Hokage had opened his eyes, staring blankly into space as medical ninja performed detailed physical examinations.
Hiruzen approached one of the medics. "How is Minato-sama doing?"
The medic replied, "Lord Minato has regained consciousness, although after being in a coma for nearly twelve years, his mind hasn't fully recovered yet. He should regain full awareness soon.
Even once fully awake, Lord Minato will need time for physical rehabilitation. Prolonged unconsciousness has caused significant muscle atrophy. His body needs time to recover."
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked further, "How long do you think it'll take if Minato Namikaze regains consciousness soon?"
"We're trying to bring Minato-sama back to consciousness. If everything goes smoothly, he should wake up within an hour. Minato-sama's condition is quite good; there are no complications arising from his prolonged coma."
Hiruzen nodded and took a seat to wait for Minato Namikaze to awaken.
During this time, he also thought about how to tell Minato Namikaze about Naruto Uzumaki and Uzumaki Miyuki once he woke up.
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