The young man possessed an amount of chakra that far exceeded an ordinary person's, along with terrifying explosive power, superb physical skills, and the ability to use high-level ninjutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique. He was, in a word, unbelievable. Naruto, breathless, dismissed his shadow clone and boasted proudly.
"How was that, Asuma-sensei?!"
Asuma, though inwardly shocked, simply waved a dismissive hand. "I'm not your teacher. Besides, I haven't promised to teach you any ninjutsu yet."
Naruto grew anxious. "You mean I'm not qualified enough?!"
Asuma blew out a thoughtful smoke ring and offered a slight smile. "That's not it at all. With your current strength, you are without a doubt a genius. But tell me, how much do you really know about wind-style ninjutsu?"
"The wind-style ninjutsu I'm practicing is called Gale Palm!" Naruto said hurriedly, eager to prove himself. He immediately began to demonstrate, blurring through a quick series of hand seals. "Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
He focused, mobilizing his chakra and forming the seals, then shouted the name of the technique. However, nothing happened.
Asuma saw the issue immediately. "Your hand seals are correct, and there's nothing wrong with your chakra itself. The problem is your fundamental control. The continuity and release of chakra are special skills you learn as a Genin. Since you haven't had that formal training, forcing a nature transformation jutsu is extremely difficult."
Naruto was unconvinced. "But Sasuke has never had that training either! How can he use Fire Release ninjutsu?"
Asuma paused, his expression shifting. "Uchiha Sasuke? The orphan from the Uchiha clan... I've heard the name. Another so-called genius, just like Kakashi was back in the day." He then patiently explained, "It's certainly possible to perform elemental ninjutsu without that specialized training, but it's significantly harder and wastes a lot more chakra. Sasuke is a genius who can pull it off. You, on the other hand, clearly need a different approach."
Naruto immediately clasped his hands together and bowed his head deeply. "Please, Asuma-sensei! Please help me practice!"
Asuma smiled. He had already been helping Naruto, but the kid hadn't realized it. "It's not impossible for me to teach you. But first, you have to complete a challenge for me."
"Okay! I can complete any challenge! What is it?!"
Asuma's smile widened. "Climb a tree."
Naruto froze, utterly baffled. "Climb... a tree?!"
Confused, Naruto scratched his head. Asuma chuckled. "That's right, but you can't use your hands. You have to run straight up with just your feet."
"Huh?!" Naruto looked at a tall, straight tree in the yard and shook his head, imagining trying to scale it without his hands. "How is that even possible?"
Without wasting words, Asuma demonstrated. He casually tucked his left hand in his pocket, a cigarette still held between the fingers of his right, and began walking up the tree trunk as if it were flat ground. After reaching a high branch, he flipped over nimbly and stood on it with ease. He brought the cigarette to his lips, took a deep breath, and exhaled a large smoke ring.
Naruto was stunned. "Whoa... that's amazing..."
Asuma smirked. "It's nothing special, just a basic training exercise for a ninja. To do this, you need to precisely control the chakra you send to your feet. Use that chakra to make your body stick to the tree trunk." He explained all the details of the technique to Naruto. "It's easy to say, but much harder to do. If you can climb to the top of this tree on your own within three days, I'll help you with your Wind Release jutsu."
A determined fire lit up in Naruto's eyes. "Alright!"
He immediately shouted, refining his chakra and gathering it at the soles of his feet before leaping toward the tree trunk!
*Thump!*
He landed flat on his back with a hard thud.
"Oww, that hurts..." Naruto grimaced, trying and failing to rub his sore back.
Asuma smiled faintly. "It's not that simple. Go home and practice. If you succeed within three days, come back and find me."
Naruto nodded, his voice filled with resolve. "I'll definitely make it to the highest point! I'll be back in three days!" With that, he strode away. Asuma watched him go, shaking his head with an amused smile.
Just then, a figure pushed open the door of the house, having apparently observed the entire exchange. "Asuma, the boy didn't realize you were already guiding him. Why be so indirect?"
The speaker was Asuma's father, the Third Hokage of Konoha Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Asuma's mood immediately soured. "Why? It was just a whim."
"You still won't forgive me?" Hiruzen sighed. "Everything I do is to protect this village. As Hokage, I have to consider all angles. It is an unavoidable and necessary part of the job."
"This isn't about forgiveness," Asuma said calmly. "It's not that I can't understand your position. It's just that everyone makes their own choices."
"Then why did you return to the village?" Hiruzen asked.
"I don't know. Maybe it really was just a whim."
Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, a hint of a smile touching his lips. "Whatever the reason... welcome back, Asuma." After saying this, he turned and left.
Asuma watched his father's retreating back, a mix of complicated emotions swirling within him. What did he really want? It was the ultimate question everyone faces, and at that moment, he had no answer.
"Uzumaki Naruto..." Asuma's mind flashed back to the boy's determined face. "Interesting..." He smiled and looked toward the tall tree.
Naruto returned home but didn't go inside. Instead, he stared at the large tree across the street. The Anbu once used this tree to monitor him. Iruka-sensei had also watched him from its branches. Now, Naruto had set his own sights on it.
"Alright, this tree will be my training ground!"
He knew that to accomplish the system's objective and learn the Gale Palm within ten days, he couldn't rely on his own strength alone. He truly needed Asuma Sarutobi's help. And to gain his respect and guidance, he had to complete the tree-climbing test within three days. It was a task that had to be completed. There was no other way.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto began his training without wasting another second.
"Refine the chakra, control it, concentrate it on the soles of my feet, and... go!"
He jumped, and then... *thud*. He fell to the ground again.
"It still doesn't work!"
"Again!"
*Thud!*
"Again!"
*Thud!*
Soon, Naruto was out of breath. The constant drain on his chakra was one thing, but his body could barely take the repeated falls.
__________________________
"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon
[patreon.com /daydreamer7]
for early access to future chapters.(+30 chapters)