The incident had happened three days ago during what should have been a routine chakra control exercise—the kind Naruto had performed successfully hundreds of times before without issue. But this time, something had gone catastrophically wrong in ways that still made his hands shake when he thought about it too carefully.
They'd been practicing the tree-climbing technique, using chakra adhesion to walk up vertical surfaces. Naruto had already mastered this exercise months ago, could sprint up tree trunks and across branches without conscious thought. It should have been simple, mindless, easy.
But frustration had been building for weeks—the erratic chakra control that kept getting worse despite his efforts, the mysterious surges of power he couldn't predict or control, the sense of something vast and angry lurking just beneath his consciousness. During the exercise, when his chakra had spiked unexpectedly and he'd lost adhesion, falling hard enough to knock the wind from his lungs, that frustration had crystallized into genuine anger.
And anger had been the catalyst.
The chakra that had exploded from him in that moment hadn't been his—not entirely. It had been red and violent and wrong, burning through his coils like acid, surrounding him in a cloak of malevolent energy that had made nearby students stumble back in instinctive fear. His eyes had reflected crimson, his canines had lengthened slightly, and for just a few seconds, he'd felt something else looking through his eyes at the world with contempt and hunger.
The tree he'd been attempting to climb had been scorched black where the red chakra touched it. Three students had needed medical attention for minor chakra burns from proximity. And Iruka had looked at Naruto with an expression that combined concern, fear, and terrible understanding of something he couldn't quite articulate.
Hiruzen had been summoned immediately. The Hokage had arrived within minutes, his usual gentle demeanor replaced by grim authority as he'd examined Naruto with techniques that made his skin tingle uncomfortably. The examination had lasted over an hour, conducted in private, with questions Naruto hadn't fully understood about feelings and dreams and whether he'd heard voices that weren't his own.
"The seal is weakening," Hiruzen had said afterward, speaking more to himself than to Naruto. "Emotional stress is causing degradation faster than projected. We'll need to reinforce it, but that requires preparation and specific circumstances..."
"Grandpa, what seal? What's happening to me?"
But Hiruzen had just placed a hand on his head with infinite gentleness. "Nothing that we can't manage, Naruto. But until we fully understand what's occurring, we need to take precautions. For your safety and others'."
Those precautions had manifested as constant supervision that made Naruto feel simultaneously protected and imprisoned. An ANBU operative—masked, silent, always present just at the edge of visibility—now followed him everywhere outside the Sarutobi compound. Not overtly threatening, not cruel, but undeniably there, watching, evaluating, ready to intervene if Naruto's chakra went out of control again.
Worse, Asuma had become uncharacteristically serious about training restrictions. His favorite uncle, who'd always pushed him to test limits and exceed expectations, now insisted on controlled environments and moderate exertion.
"No solo training," Asuma had said firmly that morning, his usual cigarette absent as if even that small comfort had been sacrificed to focus. "No extended chakra use. No sparring without supervision. And if you feel that presence again—that other chakra—you stop immediately and call for help. Understood?"
"But Uncle Asuma, I'm fine! It was just one incident! I can control—"
"You can't control it, Naruto. That's the problem. Something is interfering with your chakra system, and until we understand what and why, we're not taking chances. This isn't negotiable."
Even at home, the household staff had been given instructions. No strenuous activity. Regular rest periods. Constant monitoring for signs of chakra instability. It was suffocating, this sudden cage of concern that had transformed his life from freedom to restriction overnight.
So Naruto had done what he always did when the compound felt too confining—he'd slipped away during a moment when his ANBU shadow was distracted by a shift change, moving quickly through streets he knew better than anyone, heading toward the forest at the village's edge where he could at least breathe without someone watching his every move.
He walked with his hands behind his head in that characteristic pose Asuma used, muttering to himself as he navigated familiar paths through trees just beginning to show spring growth.
"It's not fair," he grumbled to no one, his voice carrying to birds that didn't care about his complaints. "I finally get strong enough to keep up with Sasuke and Neji, and now everyone's treating me like I'm made of glass! 'Don't use chakra, Naruto.' 'Stay supervised, Naruto.' 'Don't push yourself, Naruto.' How am I supposed to become Hokage if I can't even train properly?"
The forest didn't answer, but walking helped ease some of his frustration. The isolation that would have bothered him years ago now felt almost welcome after days of constant observation. Just him and trees and the sound of birds and distant water from the stream that ran through this area.
Then he heard voices—energetic, enthusiastic voices that didn't match the peaceful forest ambiance at all. They came from his left, down in a small valley visible through the trees where the forest opened into a natural clearing.
"Nine hundred and ninety-eight! Nine hundred and ninety-nine! ONE THOUSAND!" The voice was familiar—Rock Lee, his volume and enthusiasm unmistakable even from this distance.
Curiosity overriding his desire for solitude, Naruto moved closer, peering through the foliage to get a better view of the clearing below.
What he saw made his eyes widen with a mixture of shock and fascination.
Rock Lee was doing one-handed push-ups. Upside down. His single supporting hand pressed against the ground while his legs extended straight up toward the sky, his entire body rigid with perfect form. Sweat poured down his face—or up his face, given his inverted position—but his voice remained strong as he continued counting.
"One thousand and one! One thousand and two!"
But Lee wasn't alone. Beside him, matching him push-up for push-up in the same impossible position, was an adult shinobi wearing an identical green jumpsuit. The man's leg warmers were visible even from Naruto's position, and as he rotated slightly during a push-up, Naruto caught sight of his face.
The eyebrows hit first—massive, impossibly thick eyebrows that dominated his features like furry caterpillars that had taken up permanent residence on his face. Below them, his eyes sparkled with manic enthusiasm even while performing an exercise that should have demanded complete concentration.
"One thousand and three!" the man shouted in perfect unison with Lee. "Feel the burn of youth, my student! Let the flames of determination fuel your spirit!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee responded without missing a beat in his push-ups. "The springtime of youth cannot be extinguished by mere physical limitation!"
"Excellent! That is the spirit that will carry you to greatness even without ninjutsu!"
The word slipped out before Naruto could stop it: "Bushy-brows..."
The older shinobi's head whipped around with speed that shouldn't have been possible for someone in the middle of a one-handed handstand push-up. His eyes—startlingly round and earnest—locked onto Naruto's position with the precision of a trained hunter.
In one fluid motion that defied physics and common sense, the man flipped himself right-side-up, landed on his feet, and struck a pose that involved pointing dramatically at Naruto while his teeth literally sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.
"You there, young man!" His voice carried across the clearing with theatrical enthusiasm. "Rather than watching from the shadows like a timid observer, why not join us and embrace the power of youth! The flames of adolescent passion burn brightest when shared with comrades who understand the beautiful art of hard work!"
Naruto had been caught completely off-guard by the directness of the invitation. He approached awkwardly, his left hand moving to rub the back of his head—a nervous habit he'd never quite broken. His smile was embarrassed, apologetic.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you!" The words came out rushed, defensive. "I was just passing through the forest and heard voices and saw you training and—" He gestured vaguely at the eyebrows he couldn't stop staring at. "—Bushy-brow sensei..."
Rock Lee had completed his final push-up and sprung to his feet with the kind of energy that suggested he could have done another thousand without breaking stride. His face lit up when he recognized Naruto.
"Naruto! What brings you to Guy-sensei's training ground?" Lee's enthusiasm was infectious even when Naruto was trying to maintain his frustrated mood. "This is wonderful timing! Guy-sensei, allow me to introduce my classmate and rival! This is Naruto Uzumaki—no, wait, Naruto Sarutobi!—the Honorable Grandson of the Third Hokage!"
Naruto winced slightly at the formal title. "Just Naruto is fine, Lee. We've been over this."
The man Lee had called Guy-sensei approached with movements that somehow combined perfect martial grace with complete goofiness. He studied Naruto with those intense round eyes, and despite the ridiculous appearance, there was genuine warmth and interest in his expression.
"Naruto Sarutobi!" Guy's voice remained at theatrical volume even at close range. "Lee has spoken highly of your determination and your rivalry that pushes you both toward excellence! Any friend of my precious student is worthy of attention!" He dropped into a handstand with zero preparation, continuing to speak while inverted as if this were perfectly normal conversational positioning. "I am Might Guy, jōnin of Konohagakure and Lee's personal instructor in the sublime art of taijutsu! It is a pleasure to meet someone whose flames of youth burn as brightly as my student describes!"
Naruto found himself smiling despite his earlier frustration. There was something inherently disarming about this man's over-the-top enthusiasm, something that made the weight of constant supervision and restriction feel temporarily lighter.
"Nice to meet you, Guy-sensei. Lee's told us about his training with you. He says you're teaching him to become strong even without ninjutsu."
Guy flipped right-side-up again, his expression becoming momentarily serious despite maintaining his enthusiastic energy. "Indeed! Lee possesses a limitation that would break lesser spirits—the inability to mold chakra for ninjutsu or genjutsu. But I recognized in him something far more valuable: the indomitable will to succeed despite obstacles, the beautiful determination to prove that hard work and dedication can overcome any disadvantage!" His voice rose back to theatrical levels. "And so I have taken him as my personal student, to train him in the art of taijutsu until he becomes a splendid shinobi who proves that youth and effort can triumph over natural talent!"
"That's... actually really cool," Naruto said, and meant it. The philosophy resonated with him, especially after Neji's constant insistence that fate and natural ability predetermined everything.
"Now then!" Guy struck another dramatic pose. "Lee tells me you are also a practitioner of hard work! That you compete with him and push each other toward greater heights! This is wonderful! The fires of healthy rivalry forge the strongest bonds!" He gestured expansively at the clearing. "Since you have sought out this training ground—guided perhaps by fate or perhaps by the universe's desire to bring together those who share the beautiful spirit of youth—why not join us for today's session? Experience the glorious burn of pushing past your limits!"
Naruto hesitated, thinking about the restrictions Asuma and his grandfather had placed on his training. But then again, this wasn't solo training—Guy and Lee were here, which technically counted as supervision, right? And it was just physical exercises, not chakra work. Surely that fell within the acceptable boundaries?
"I... I'm supposed to be taking it easy," he admitted reluctantly. "My chakra's been acting weird lately, and everyone's worried I'll hurt myself if I push too hard."
Guy's expression became thoughtful, his ridiculous eyebrows drawing together in concentration. "Chakra instability is indeed serious. However!" He raised one finger dramatically. "Physical conditioning that doesn't rely on chakra can be performed safely even when chakra use is restricted! The body can be strengthened through pure effort, and such strengthening actually aids chakra control by improving the physical vessel that contains it!"
That... actually made sense. And more importantly, it was a loophole that let Naruto train without technically violating the spirit of his restrictions.
"Besides," Lee added, moving to stand beside his teacher in an unconscious mirroring of Guy's enthusiastic posture, "if your chakra becomes unstable during training, Guy-sensei is a jōnin! He can handle any emergency! This is actually the safest possible training environment!"
Guy beamed at his student with visible pride. "Well reasoned, Lee! Your logical thinking has improved along with your physical prowess! Yes, young Naruto, you would be completely safe under my supervision! And more than that—" his teeth literally sparkled again as he grinned, "—you would experience the pure joy of effort undertaken purely for the sake of improvement! No ninjutsu, no genjutsu, no chakra tricks! Just you, your body, and your determination to exceed your previous limitations!"
Naruto found himself grinning back, the earlier frustration and feeling of being caged suddenly transmuting into excitement. This was exactly what he needed—training that felt like freedom rather than restriction, effort that came from choice rather than obligation.
"Alright! I'm in! What are we doing?"
"EXCELLENT!" Guy's shout probably scared birds from trees a hundred yards away. "The afternoon youth training regimen begins with two thousand push-ups—standard form first, then one-handed, then handstand variations! Following that, three thousand squats with proper depth and form! Then we proceed to core exercises, flexibility training, and conclude with five hundred laps around the clearing at maximum sustainable speed!"
Naruto's enthusiasm faltered slightly. "That's... that's insane. That'll take hours!"
"Four hours and thirty-seven minutes at current performance levels," Lee supplied helpfully. "Though Guy-sensei usually adds additional exercises if we finish early."
"But that's okay!" Guy interjected, still maintaining his enthusiastic volume. "We shall adjust the regimen for a first-time participant! Naruto, you will perform half repetitions until your conditioning improves! There is no shame in starting from your current level—only in refusing to push beyond it!"
And somehow, despite the astronomical numbers involved, despite his earlier frustration and the restrictions weighing on him, Naruto found himself dropping into push-up position alongside Lee and Guy.
"One!" they shouted in unison.
By push-up two hundred, Naruto's arms were burning. By five hundred, he was questioning his life choices. By one thousand, he understood why Lee had become so formidable despite his inability to use ninjutsu—this kind of training would forge anyone into something exceptional through pure physical conditioning.
But he kept going, because Guy and Lee kept going, because their enthusiasm was genuinely infectious, because for the first time in days he felt like he was training by choice rather than being managed by concerned adults who treated him like he might break.
Between exercises, as they transitioned from push-ups to squats, Guy offered instruction that combined ridiculous presentation with genuinely useful insight.
"The body is a temple that houses the spirit!" he declared while demonstrating proper squat form. "By strengthening the temple, we strengthen the spirit within! By pushing past physical limitations, we learn that limits are merely suggestions rather than absolute boundaries! The glorious art of taijutsu teaches us that true strength comes not from inherited advantages but from the beautiful determination to improve through dedicated effort!"
It was Neji's philosophy turned completely inside out—not fate and predetermined ability, but choice and dedicated effort. Not acceptance of limitations, but rejection of them through work. And after months of hearing Neji insist that natural talent determined everything, Guy's perspective felt like fresh air after being trapped in a stuffy room.
As the sun began setting and they completed the final set of exercises, Naruto collapsed onto the grass alongside Lee, both boys breathing hard, covered in sweat, muscles trembling from exertion. Guy stood over them looking barely winded despite having completed the same routine while wearing weights.
"Well done, young warriors! Today you have taken important steps on the path of self-improvement! The flames of your youth burn brightly indeed!"
"Guy-sensei," Naruto gasped between breaths, "how are you not tired?"
"Because I have been walking this path for many years, my young friend! What seems impossible to you now will become simple through dedication! In time, you too will complete these exercises with energy to spare!"
As Naruto walked home later that evening—his muscles aching wonderfully, his frustration from the morning completely burned away through physical exertion—he found himself thinking about what Guy had said regarding limits and effort and the power of choice over fate.
Maybe being restricted from chakra training wasn't the cage he'd thought it was. Maybe it was an opportunity to strengthen other aspects of himself, to prove that he could improve even when his usual methods were temporarily unavailable.
The ANBU shadow reappeared as he neared the village proper, having probably panicked when Naruto vanished earlier. But Naruto didn't feel guilty about the escape anymore. He'd found something important in that forest clearing—not just a new training method, but a reminder that there were always paths forward if you looked hard enough for them.
And tomorrow, he'd return to Guy's training ground. Because muscles still worked even when chakra didn't cooperate. Because physical strength was its own kind of power. And because sometimes the best way to handle restrictions was to find loopholes and exploit them enthusiastically.
The beast beneath his consciousness remained, unknown and frightening and barely contained. But today, Naruto had remembered that he was more than just that beast's vessel. He was a student, a rival, a friend, and someone who refused to stop improving no matter what obstacles appeared in his path.
The spring time of youth, as Guy would say, waited for no one. But it welcomed anyone willing to embrace it with sufficient enthusiasm and dedication.
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