During the next mental battle, Naruto tried to use his new ninjutsu. "Wind Release: Gale Palm!" However, just as Asuma had predicted, while he could now perform the technique, it had no real destructive force. It created a gust of wind that kicked up some dust, but it was harmless. Even when it struck his opponent, it only rustled their clothes and hair without causing any damage.
His opponent this time was another of his imaginary foes: Hyuga Neji.
"Gentle Fist... Eight Trigrams Palms!"
A fierce flurry of strikes sent Naruto reeling. Without borrowing the Nine-Tails' chakra, being hit by the Gentle Fist was equivalent to instant defeat. The technique sealed a ninja's chakra points, making it impossible to refine or call upon their energy. It left them completely at their opponent's mercy.
"Damn it, what is that power? It's the ultimate counter to a ninja!" Naruto thought, frustrated.
The simulated Hyuga Neji didn't hide his pride. "Hmph, this is the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan. It is completely different from ordinary taijutsu. It's a force beyond simple hard-fist styles, designed for a single, decisive strike. It uses softness to overcome hardness. Combined with the Byakugan's sight, it can accurately strike chakra points, leaving you powerless!"
Naruto's mind raced. He was no longer the clueless student he once was. "Chakra points... So you can even do something like that?!"
"Of course! My Byakugan can see through all chakra, revealing the meridians, pressure points, and energy flow within your body. Paired with the Gentle Fist's precise control, striking those points is a simple matter for me!"
A thought sparked in Naruto's mind. "Precise control of chakra... Hey, you must be pretty amazing at that, right, Neji?!"
Hyuga Neji sneered. "Obviously. Even within the entire Hyuga clan, including all the branch family prodigies, no one can match my talent. I can precisely control and release chakra from any point on my body at will."
Naruto was overjoyed. He immediately put his hands together and bowed his head. "Then... could you teach me? Please!"
Hyuga Neji stared. "???"
Even the real Hyuga Neji, sound asleep in his bed, frowned in his sleep as if disturbed. "You... want *me* to teach *you*?" The simulated Neji looked at Naruto as if he were an idiot. But Naruto's expression was dead serious. It was almost... reverent.
"That's right! Since you're so good at it, please lend me a hand! Please!"
Neji snorted coldly. "Why should I teach you? You clearly see me as an enemy. You even promised you would defeat me within a year."
Naruto's eyes darted back and forth as a plan formed. "Heh, that's exactly why you should teach me! What, are you afraid that I'll get too strong and you won't be able to beat me?"
Neji sneered. "Such a low-level taunt won't work on me."
Naruto put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and laughed. "Come on, you call yourself a genius, but you can't even guide someone like me? What kind of genius is that? A true genius should be able to do anything, even train a loser like me into an excellent ninja!"
"That's twisted logic!" Neji shot back.
"Then just call it twisted logic! Fine, forget it. I'll just ask Hinata to teach me. She's also from the Hyuga clan, has the Byakugan, and knows the Gentle Fist. Plus, she's from the main family, so she must be a better teacher than you..."
At the mention of the "main family," Neji's fists clenched. The Neji simulated in the dream was no different from the real one. He was aware that Hinata had been helping Naruto with his studies, so the threat wasn't entirely baseless.
"Uzumaki Naruto, are you trying to provoke me? Fine. You've succeeded. I'll tell you the secret to precisely controlling your chakra. I want to see just how powerful you become after mastering it."
Naruto was ecstatic. "Alright, you're on!" He was just testing his luck, but he'd actually managed to get his dream-simulated opponent to guide him. It wasn't entirely surprising, though. He'd noticed from the beginning that the dream environment was indistinguishable from reality—the sky, the climate, the buildings, even the onlookers were lifelike, with the same personalities as their real-world counterparts. It was a benefit of the system's hyper-realism.
"Before I teach you anything," Neji said in a low voice, "let me see how far you've already come."
Naruto immediately agreed. He put his hands behind his back and ran up the large tree beside them using only his feet. With the help of speed and momentum, he easily reached the highest point.
Neji sneered. "Now slow down. Climb up step by step."
Naruto's heart skipped a beat. This guy really knew his stuff. He took a deep breath, then slowed down and began to walk up one step at a time. It was extremely difficult. He only made it three or four steps before losing his grip and falling heavily to the ground.
"Hah, is that all you've got?!"
Although Naruto was grateful for the help, Neji's arrogant attitude was starting to get on his nerves. "If you can do it, then let's see it!"
Neji snorted. Without another word, he placed his hands behind his back and walked from the ground up the tree trunk as if it were flowing water. He strolled all the way to the top without a single pause, his movements incredibly smooth, as if he were walking on flat ground. The tree trunk might as well have been an extension of the earth.
Naruto's eyes widened in admiration. "Wow, that's... amazing..."
Neji jumped down, an arrogant look on his face. "Do you now understand the difference between a failure and a genius?"
"You!" Naruto took another deep breath, forced a smile, and rubbed his hands together. "I-I understand... So, uh, genius, can you teach me now?"
Seeing Naruto's change in attitude, Neji had nothing more to say and began his instruction as promised. In truth, Naruto could no longer be called the last in his class. He had already climbed to fourth in overall score at the Academy, and if academics were excluded, he would easily be first. Such a person could be called a genius in his own right. With his recent experience in tree climbing, he quickly understood and grasped the essence of Neji's more advanced pointers. That night, Naruto didn't engage in many battles. Instead, he climbed that tree all night long.
When he woke up the next day, his proficiency in precise chakra control had jumped to a full 70 points. He had improved by 4 points in a single night's sleep. He had to admit, while Neji was arrogant, he was also incredibly capable. Naruto felt a mix of gratitude and lingering anger.
After a quick breakfast, he waited by the window for Hinata, but she didn't come. He figured she might not have been able to get away today, so he nodded to himself and headed toward Asuma Sarutobi's house.
"Asuma-sensei! I'm here!"
Asuma had just woken up. He rubbed his eyes, lit a cigarette, and took a long drag. "Naruto, you're here early," he said, frowning slightly. "What do you want to show me?"
Naruto just chuckled and walked over to the large tree in the yard. This time, he didn't run or use any momentum. He simply placed his feet on the trunk, parallel to the ground, and began walking upwards, step by step. He made it seven or eight feet up before he started to slip. Just as he was about to fall, he shot out a hand, grabbed a branch, and flipped himself up to stand on it.
He crossed his arms over his chest and laughed triumphantly. "How's that, Asuma-sensei!"
Asuma was so shocked that the cigarette nearly fell from his mouth. "How did your chakra control improve so much in just one night?! Naruto, what on earth have you been doing?!"
Naruto just rubbed his nose. "Heh, nothing special. Just practicing!"
Looking at Naruto's calm expression, Asuma imagined the boy silently and diligently practicing late into the night. His heart was moved. *He's already so talented, yet he still works this hard. This kid, he's really something else.*
"Naruto, you're incredible!" Asuma exclaimed. "At this rate, your chakra control will be perfect within ten days! Now, come down here. Let me see how your Gale Palm has progressed."