After finishing his Rasengan test, Naruto decided to move on to chakra control exercises. He walked toward the nearest tree, brushing his hand along the bark before grinning.
"Alright, let's see if I still got it."
He focused chakra into the soles of his feet and stepped forward. With practiced ease, he began to walk up the trunk, one step after another. The bark crunched faintly beneath his sandals as he climbed higher, the wind brushing against his face. He reached the top branch and crouched there, balanced perfectly, his reflection visible in a nearby stream.
'Huh. Guess muscle memory's a thing here too,' he thought proudly.
Without wasting time, he jumped down and landed smoothly, knees bent. His next target — the small river flowing near the clearing. The surface shimmered beneath the sunlight, gentle ripples dancing across it.
Naruto inhaled, channeling chakra evenly to his feet, and stepped onto the water. For a moment, he sank slightly — then stabilized, standing tall atop the surface like it was solid ground.
A satisfied grin stretched across his face. "Nice. Feels weirdly natural now."
Just as he was about to continue, he heard the familiar whoosh of movement above the trees. A moment later, his earlier clone dropped down beside him, holding a small takeout bag triumphantly.
"Mission accomplished!" the clone announced, waving the steaming package.
Naruto's stomach growled on cue. "Perfect timing, man. I'm starving."
The two sat under the shade of the tree, tearing open the containers. The smell of ramen filled the air — warm broth, pork slices, and noodles glistening under the sunlight. They ate in silence for a while, slurping noodles and occasionally sighing in contentment.
By the time they finished, both were leaning back with full bellies.
"Man," the clone said, patting his stomach, "we should train like this more often."
Naruto chuckled, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Yeah, maybe. But now it's time to get serious."
He stared up at the sky for a moment, clouds drifting lazily above.
'Okay,' he thought, 'I've got the basics down, but I need to move forward. Let me think… how did Naruto learn his chakra nature again?'
He closed his eyes, mentally replaying the steps from the manga — Yamato's demonstration, the paper test, and the leaf-splitting exercise. After a minute of focused thought, he nodded to himself.
'Got it. Step one — find out my nature and practice splitting leaves. Let's start with that.'
He created several shadow clones — one after another until the clearing was filled with six identical Narutos, including the one who brought ramen earlier.
"Alright, listen up!" he called out, clapping his hands together. "Each of you grab a leaf from the trees. Our goal is to split it perfectly in half using chakra control. Don't rush it. The point is to understand the process, not just finish fast. Got it?"
All six clones nodded eagerly. "Got it!"
They scattered around the clearing, each one grabbing a leaf and sitting cross-legged under a tree. The real Naruto joined them, holding his own leaf between his palms. He closed his eyes, concentrating.
He pushed chakra through his hands — steady, focused — trying to direct it into the fragile leaf. The goal was to force his chakra to cut it cleanly, as if slicing through with invisible blades. But the leaf only twitched, vibrating lightly before crumpling in his hands.
"Tch. Not easy," he muttered.
Still, he didn't stop. He adjusted his breathing, channeling energy more precisely this time. Sweat rolled down his forehead as minutes turned to hours. The sun climbed higher, bathing the forest in golden heat.
Then — snap!
The leaf split neatly down the middle.
Naruto froze for a second, staring at the two perfect halves resting in his palms. Then a huge grin broke across his face.
"I did it," he whispered, eyes wide with satisfaction.
From across the clearing, shouts erupted.
"I did it!"
"Hey, mine's cleaner!"
"Liar, I got mine first!"
"Wanna fight over it?!"
Naruto couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head as he watched his clones bicker like kids. "Doesn't matter who got it first. We all did it — that's what counts."
With that, he clapped his hands together. "Alright, guys. Time to wrap up."
Poof!
A thick cloud of white smoke filled the air as the clones vanished one by one. Naruto stumbled slightly, clutching his head as a rush of information — dozens of experiences, sensations, and tiny moments of frustration — slammed into his brain all at once.
"Ah—damn, that part still hurts," he muttered, wincing as the overload settled.
When the dizziness faded, he stood up slowly, a confident smile spreading across his face. He reached for another leaf and placed it between his palms. This time, the cut came instantly — effortless, precise.
He exhaled, satisfied.
"God, this jutsu's such a freakin' cheat," he said with a laugh, shaking his head.
The breeze rustled through the trees, carrying away his laughter as he looked up toward the sky.
But it wasn't time to celebrate yet.
'Splitting a leaf is just the start,' Naruto thought, his expression turning serious as he stood. 'Next… I need to stop a whole river flow with my chakra.'
He made his way through the forest until he found a narrow stream running between moss-covered rocks. The water sparkled beneath the morning sun, calm but steady—perfect for chakra control training. He crouched near the edge, feeling the cool mist brush against his skin as he studied the current.
'Not too fast. Good,' he noted to himself, running his fingers through the water. 'This'll be perfect for later.'
But after a moment, he exhaled and stood up. 'I should go check on Pervy Sage before he starts worrying. He probably thinks I wandered off again.'
With that, Naruto dashed off, leaping over roots and ducking under branches until the trees thinned and the dirt path turned to cobblestone. Within a minute, the familiar wooden inn came into view. He pushed open the door and climbed the stairs to the room he and Jiraiya had rented.
"Ero-Sennin, you—" he began, opening the door.
His words froze mid-sentence. Jiraiya was sprawled on the bed, snoring softly, one arm draped around a woman. Naruto's eye twitched.
"...Unbelievable," he muttered, closing the door with a resigned sigh.
'Freaken Perv'
He went back downstairs and asked the innkeeper for a piece of paper and a pen. Sitting at a small table near the window, he scribbled a short note explaining that he'd be gone for about a week to train alone, and not to bother looking for him. Folding it neatly, he returned upstairs and slid it under the door.
'There. He'll find it when he's done being… well, himself,' Naruto thought, shaking his head.
Outside again, he stretched, feeling the warm sunlight hit his face. 'I'll need to stock up on supplies if I'm gonna be out there for days. Can't sleep on the ground forever.'
He reached into his pouch, pulling out a fat green frog wallet that jingled heavily with ryo. The sight instantly brightened his mood.
"Heheheh! It's nice to be rich," he grinned proudly, walking down the busy street.
Several passersby stared, whispering among themselves as he laughed to himself.
"Mommy, what's wrong with that mister?" a little girl asked curiously, tugging on her mother's sleeve.
"Don't mind him, sweetie. There are a lot of… strange people in the world," the mother replied, pulling her daughter away.
Naruto froze mid-laugh, blinking as her words sank in.
'...Damn,' he thought, his grin faltering slightly. 'That kinda hurt.'
Cue : Sorrow and Sadness Ost 🎶
TO BE CONTINUED