For most people, one day of training was already more than enough sometimes even too much.
After all, not everyone had the discipline to push themselves to the limit. During practice they would always think, That's good enough, almost there, close enough. But then, when real combat came, that little bit of "almost" turned into a deadly gap.
And in that gap, people died.
But for someone like Naruto, or even someone like Kakashi himself, a single day's training was never enough.
Whether it was ninjutsu or taijutsu, both demanded countless hours of repetition. Their talent gave them a dangerous hunger the feeling that if they just trained a little more, then a little more, they would climb another step higher. That intoxicating transformation of talent into power was hard to resist.
Especially with taijutsu. The body never lied. Without sweat, pain, and endless drills, one could never become a true master of close combat.
"There is a ninjutsu that can help with that problem," Kakashi said thoughtfully, his single visible eye half-lidded.
Naruto's blue eyes lit up instantly. "A jutsu that can help with training? Really? What is it?"
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. It was created by the Second Hokage. It's called the Shadow Clone Technique."
He explained patiently, "Unlike ordinary clones, this technique creates physical doubles made of chakra. Each clone has its own will and can even fight. The real magic comes when the clones are dispelled their experiences, memories, and training all return to the original."
Naruto leaned forward, hanging on every word.
"With this," Kakashi continued, "you could split your training. A clone could practice ninjutsu while you did taijutsu. When the clone disperses, everything it learned comes back to you."
"Of course, for pushing your body to its limits, only your real body can handle that. The clones can't replace that kind of training."
Naruto's face glowed as if someone had handed him a treasure map. "This jutsu is perfect for me! I was just worrying I didn't have enough hours in a day to train!"
Kakashi chuckled softly under his mask. Naruto reminded him of his old sensei more and more. "Alright, alright. I'll teach you right now."
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, practically bouncing.
The hand seals weren't complicated. Naruto, with his uncanny knack for absorbing techniques, picked it up almost immediately.
Still, Kakashi grew serious. "Listen carefully. I know you have a lot of chakra, but don't overdo it. If you make too many clones, when they vanish all the strain and fatigue they felt will hit you at once. If you're careless, you could collapse or even worse."
Naruto thumped his chest with exaggerated confidence. "Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. I know my limits!"
Then, almost sheepishly, he asked, "By the way, Kakashi-sensei, could you teach me a Fire Style jutsu too?"
"Fire Style?" Kakashi raised a brow. "But your chakra nature is wind."
"I've already mastered wind completely," Naruto explained seriously. "So I thought it was time to start learning fire chakra next."
Kakashi's visible eye widened. "What do you mean, 'mastered completely'?"
Naruto straightened proudly. "I've fully grasped both the nature transformation and the shape transformation of wind chakra. Now it's time for fire."
The copy ninja froze. For a moment, he wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him. Nature and shape transformation in just one year? That was something even seasoned jonin struggled with.
Could Naruto's talent really surpass even his father's?
"Show me," Kakashi demanded.
Naruto gave a sly grin. "Wind Barrier!" he shouted.
Without weaving a single seal, the air around them stirred violently. Half of Kakashi's house filled with a soft, gentle breeze, while the other half whipped into razor-sharp gales that cut into the wooden beams. Two opposing extremes yet perfectly balanced.
Kakashi inhaled sharply. "Unbelievable…"
Looking at the boy in front of him, Kakashi felt a flicker of awe. In that small, scrappy frame, he could almost see the shadow of a future giant a figure who could casually suppress all enemies, just like the First Hokage.
Sensei, Kakashi thought silently, you don't need to worry about your son anymore. Naruto will become someone even greater than we dreamed.
He gave a decisive nod. "Alright. I'll teach you some Fire Style. Two techniques for now: one is C-rank, Fireball Jutsu. The other is B-rank, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. If you want more, you'll have to earn it."
Naruto pumped his fist. "Kakashi-sensei, you're the best!"
Kakashi's eye curved in amusement. Teaching Naruto sometimes felt like spoiling him, but the boy's progress spoke for itself. Normally, B-rank ninjutsu were reserved for chunin after they had completed several missions. Yet here Naruto was, learning them casually in his living room.
After a long day of training and new techniques, Naruto finally stumbled home, giddy and exhausted. He collapsed into bed, grinning even as his eyelids grew heavy.
Sleep claimed him.
Then, as his vision dimmed and brightened again, he found himself standing in the familiar damp corridors of the sewer-like space inside his mind.
He followed the twisting tunnels until he stood before a colossal iron gate. From the darkness within, two burning red eyes slowly opened, fixing on him with a predatory glare.
"Slurp… slurp… slurp…" Naruto teased, deliberately making the sound.
"Rrrghhh… BRAT! Are you mocking me?!" The Nine-Tailed Fox's fur bristled as it roared, the force of its voice shaking the entire chamber.
Naruto burst out laughing. "Come on, you can't scare me anymore. Not with that cage holding you in."
The first time he'd seen the Nine-Tails, he had run for his life in sheer terror. But over the past year, he had grown used to its presence. He had even come to understand that this place was his seal, his inner world.
He didn't yet know why the Nine-Tails was locked inside him. But hearing people whisper "demon fox" behind his back hadn't been completely baseless.
After all, there really was a giant fox living in his body.
With a snap of his fingers, Naruto altered the scenery. The dank sewers dissolved into open skies, white clouds, and a field of grass. Even the iron bars of the cage seemed to vanish, though in truth they remained hidden by his will.
"Big Fox, from now on, you can stay here. Isn't this better than that gloomy sewer?" Naruto asked with a cheeky smile.
The Nine-Tails glanced around, its crimson eyes briefly flashing with something like approval. But instead of answering, it merely shut its eyes again, ignoring the boy.
This brat had been driving it insane for months. At first Naruto had been trembling and pitiful. But the more he visited, the bolder he became teasing, mocking, even decorating the seal space.
Did this kid really think the mighty Nine-Tails was his pet?
Yet bound by the seal, the beast could not touch him. So it chose silence, hoping ignorance would drive the boy away.
But Naruto was relentless.
"Hey, since I gave you a nice view, how about a little trade?" Naruto pressed. "Tell me why you're sealed inside me. Was it something to do with my parents?"
His gut told him there was a connection. He had heard whispers that the Fourth Hokage had sealed the fox again that night. But why in him? Why choose him as the container?
Because of this fox, his childhood had been filled with cold stares and harsh whispers. He had grown tough enough to laugh it off, but deep down, he wanted answers.
There were only two explanations he could think of: either his parents entrusted him to the Fourth Hokage, asking him to bear this burden… or
"This brightness is annoying," the Nine-Tails finally growled, its ears twitching. "I never asked for your changes. It's too distracting to sleep."
Naruto only smirked wider.