Ninja Academy.
Today's atmosphere was still a bit subtle. When Naruto walked into the classroom, the originally boisterous class instantly fell silent for a moment. Everyone's gaze toward Naruto was filled with awe; even Kiba sat obediently in his seat, not daring to be as provocative as before.
As he passed the front row, a pink-haired girl appeared somewhat ill at ease, subconsciously blocking the middle of the path. It was Haruno Sakura. In the past, she would have rolled her eyes and told Naruto to get lost and stay out of her way. But today, as she looked at the boy whose presence had changed so drastically, her cheeks inexplicably felt a bit hot.
Should she scold him like before, or should she congratulate him? Just as Sakura was hesitating, Naruto stopped in his tracks. He flashed an impeccable smile and said:
"Excuse me, Haruno-san, could you please let me through?"
Naruto's voice was gentle and polite, yet it carried a sense of distance that kept people at arm's length.
"Ah... yes, s-sorry."
Sakura moved out of the way like a startled rabbit, her heart suddenly skipping a beat. Looking at Naruto's back, Sakura was a bit dazed. It was clearly the same face, but why had his temperament changed so much since he started wearing glasses? Moreover, he just called me Haruno-san instead of Sakura-chan... The Naruto who used to revolve around her was gone.
A strange sense of loss mixed with curiosity took root in the girl's heart. Naruto didn't care about Sakura's mental state and continued forward. Passing a figure bundled up in a trench coat, Naruto's pace slowed slightly.
"Morning, Shino-san."
Aburame Shino, who had been in his usual invisible standby mode, was taken aback by Naruto's sudden acknowledgment. But at the same time, he was secretly pleased; someone had actually noticed him today.
"Morning, Naruto-kun."
"I'm very interested in your bugs. I hope we can exchange some thoughts later."
With that, Naruto left. Aburame Shino's eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, suddenly widened.
Wait, did he say he likes bugs?
Shino's favorability toward Naruto instantly skyrocketed. He even started considering whether to pick out a few excellent Kikaichu as a gift for him.
Naruto walked straight to Sasuke-kun's side. Sasuke-kun was slumped on his desk with dark circles under his eyes, exuding a low-pressure aura that warned others to stay away. Seeing Naruto approach, Sasuke-kun's body tensed up, his eyes bloodshot:
"What is it?"
After a night of hard practice, Sasuke-kun found that no matter how hard he tried, that sense of powerlessness still wouldn't go away.
"You think you can get stronger just by staying up late and being angry?" Naruto leaned in and whispered in Sasuke-kun's ear. "Don't bother. With your current cultivation method, you'll never catch up to me."
Sasuke-kun gritted his teeth, his fists clenching until they cracked. But he couldn't refute it, because Naruto had already proven with his fists that what he said was true.
"After school, come to Training Ground Three."
Naruto left those words and ignored Sasuke-kun, turning back to his seat. Sasuke-kun was stunned.
What does he want? To humiliate me? Or... true power?
Sasuke-kun clenched his fists, finally releasing them weakly as he slumped back onto the desk to catch up on sleep. Though he was very unwilling, his body honestly decided—he would go!
In the corner, Naruto opened a book, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
Good.
Since he was going to "shear the wool," he had to fatten up the sheep first. If he taught the Tree Climbing and Water Walking techniques to Sasuke-kun, his Chakra control would improve, and his cultivation speed would increase. Then he would teach him the Breathing Technique to farm proficiency for himself. Finally, he'd help him find a way to increase his Yin Release spiritual energy.
It was practically a quadruple-win situation. Sasuke-kun wins once, and he wins three times. Naruto couldn't help but sigh at what a good person he was, taking such pains for the sake of Sasuke-kun's revenge...
After school, at Training Ground Three, the setting sun dyed the woods blood-red. When Sasuke-kun arrived, he found that Naruto was already there training. Looking at the marks on Naruto, it seemed he had been training for a considerable amount of time. How was that possible? They clearly left school at the same time!
"The one at school was my Kage Bunshin."
As if sensing Sasuke-kun's confusion, Naruto stopped his Water Walking training and explained.
Kage Bunshin... Sasuke-kun secretly memorized the name of this Ninjutsu.
Next, Naruto walked up to a towering tree and stopped, his back to Sasuke-kun:
"Sasuke-kun, what do you think Chakra is?"
"Huh? Do you take me for an idiot?" Sasuke-kun frowned. "It's obviously the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy..."
"That's just nonsense from the textbooks," Naruto interrupted him.
Then, under Sasuke-kun's shocked gaze, with his hands still in his pockets, Naruto took a step with his right foot and stepped firmly onto the vertical tree trunk. One step, two steps, three steps... He ignored gravity as if strolling on flat ground, walking vertically up the ten-meter-high trunk. Finally, he hung upside down from a branch, looking down at Sasuke-kun from above.
"This... this is..."
Without using his hands? Is it Chakra adhesion?
Tree Climbing wasn't originally a high-level training technique, but it wasn't something ordinary people could access either. Generally, civilian shinobi would only be guided in this technique after receiving the approval of their Jonin leader. Sasuke-kun's relatives had almost all passed away, so naturally, no one had taught him this training method.
"This is called Tree Climbing, a basic technique for Chakra control," Naruto's voice came from above. "Your Chakra capacity is decent, but in my eyes, you're like an idiot carrying a bucket that leaks everywhere."
"Why was the Katon you're so proud of blown away by me? Because I can exert one unit of power with one unit of Chakra, while you can only exert one unit of power with ten units of Chakra. The remaining nine units are wasted by your crude control."
Sasuke-kun stared intently at the upside-down Naruto, his shock beyond words.
So... is this where the gap lies?
"Catch."
Naruto tossed down a scroll from the tree.
"Gather Chakra at the soles of your feet and maintain a delicate balance. If it's too weak, you'll fall; if it's too strong, you'll crush the bark. When you can walk to the top of the tree in one breath, you'll have mastered the basics."
Sasuke-kun took the scroll, a fire burning in his eyes. He finished reading the scroll without saying much and immediately dashed toward the nearest tree.
Bang!
On the first step, the bark exploded, and Sasuke-kun was sent flying.
"Hmph."
Sasuke-kun climbed back up, wiped off the dust, and with an even fiercer look in his eyes, charged up again.
[Detected that the Causal Target is undergoing effective cultivation...]
[Chakra control slightly increased.]
The energy transmitted through that void thread was significantly larger than when Sasuke-kun was practicing blindly yesterday, but Naruto was clearly not satisfied yet.
Would you like to see Sasuke-kun's progress after a week of training, or should we focus on Naruto's next meeting with Aizen?
A bonus episode will be released at 100+ Power Stones, and another after two new 5-star reviews.