Chapter 6 – Rising Potential
Time in the academy passed faster than anyone expected.
The lessons that once felt new and difficult had become second nature to the Hiwatari triplets. Now, it was time to step beyond the basics and master their primary elements — a crucial step on the road to becoming real shinobi.
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🌊 The Path of Elements
After class each day, the three brothers dedicated themselves to elemental training.
Yuva focused on Water Release, learning to mold his chakra into fluid, flowing streams and sharpen its shape into slicing edges.
Tenzo turned his attention to Fire Release, training his chakra to generate heat, ignite air, and build control over temperature and range.
Daichi, whose rare triple affinity included Earth and Water, split his time between hardening the ground beneath his feet and shaping water to adapt and flow around obstacles.
It was exhausting work. They failed often — too much chakra would cause bursts of uncontrolled steam, too little would fizzle into nothing. But they pushed on day after day, driven by the same thought:
The stronger we are now, the longer we'll live when war comes.
By the end of six months, their training paid off. Each of them had mastered the basic level of their elements — not full jutsu yet, but they could shape and use elemental chakra at will.
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☀️ The Summer of Growth
Summer break arrived — two months away from the academy — and the brothers knew exactly how they would use it.
They trained harder than ever before.
During those two months, Yuva made a discovery that changed everything. While meditating one afternoon, he entered his inner world again — the swirling sea of nature energy sealed within him. But this time, something was different.
It's bigger… he realized, staring at the vast, glowing mist. It's stronger…
The energy inside him had grown along with his body. As he matured physically, the reservoir of natural power within him was growing too — slowly, steadily, and endlessly. And if it continued like this… its future potential was beyond imagination.
But that wasn't all.
Something else inside Yuva had changed — his senses.
At first, it was subtle. He could feel the movement of animals in the distance, the shift of chakra through the ground, the faintest flicker of life even behind walls. And then, one morning, it became clear:
I can sense everything… one kilometer around me.
He hadn't trained in sensory techniques. He hadn't studied how to detect chakra. It was simply happening — a natural extension of his special body. His mind became a radar, painting the world in threads of chakra and motion. Even with his eyes closed, the world was clear to him.
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⚡ Power Awakens – Purple Lightning Returns
Encouraged by his progress, Yuva tried again to draw nature energy into his chakra.
This time, instead of a single thread, he could manage two… even three strands. It was still a tiny fraction of the total power sealed inside him, but it was far more than before — and now, he could control it.
When he channeled that nature energy into his lightning, it transformed again — that same deep, crackling purple lightning, but denser and far more powerful.
He tested it against a training tree. His fist glowed purple as he struck.
CRACK! — the wood split and splintered, shaking from the force.
Another punch left a deep dent several inches deep, far beyond what ordinary chakra could achieve.
The energy vanished almost immediately, leaving him drained and panting. But this time, he hadn't been overwhelmed. He hadn't turned to stone.
I can control a little of it now…
It was progress. Slow, dangerous progress — but progress nonetheless.
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⚔️ Weapons of War
During this time, Hari returned briefly from a mission and decided it was time to sharpen their combat skills.
"Training your body and chakra is important," he told them, handing each boy a practice weapon, "but you must also master your tools."
He handed Yuva and Tenzo a pair of wooden davan-style swords, a versatile style that emphasized flow and precision. The boys began to practice daily, drilling stances, swings, and defensive forms under Hari's guidance.
Daichi, meanwhile, began advanced brass knuckle training under one of Hari's jōnin friends — a taijutsu specialist who taught him how to enhance his punches with chakra and break through defenses.
By the end of the two-month break, all three had taken a massive leap forward. Their bodies were stronger, their chakra control sharper, their combat instincts sharper than ever.
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📜 Back to the Academy – Mastering the Basics
When the academy reopened, the triplets returned stronger and more confident than before.
Their new lessons focused on the Three Basic Jutsu — Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Substitution Technique — the foundation of every shinobi.
It took most students weeks or even months to master these skills.
The Hiwatari brothers did it in two days.
Their chakra control was already near perfect, and their understanding of molding and flow made the techniques almost effortless.
But Yuva wasn't satisfied with just "learning" them. He wanted mastery.
"Substitution is more than just switching places with a log," he told his brothers one afternoon. "We need to use it instantly, without thought, even in battle."
He put them to the test. Without warning, he threw a shuriken at Tenzo. In an instant — poof! — a log took his place, and the real Tenzo appeared behind Yuva, panting slightly.
"Good," Yuva nodded. "Faster."
Daichi did the same. Then they targeted Yuva, forcing him to react instantly.
They repeated the drills every day, pushing themselves until the Substitution Technique became second nature — fast, instinctive, and battle-ready.
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🌅 Age Seven – A New Level
By the time they turned seven, the difference between the Hiwatari triplets and the rest of their classmates was obvious. They were faster, stronger, more skilled, and more focused. Their teachers had begun to watch them closely, and whispers spread through the academy:
"Those three… they're already like genin."
But Yuva wasn't thinking about praise.
His eyes were on the horizon — on the storm of war that was drawing closer with each passing year.
This is still just the beginning, he told himself. The real training hasn't even started yet.
And deep inside him, the sea of nature energy stirred again — vast, hungry, and waiting.