Naruto got home and tossed his bag onto the floor with a dull thud before collapsing on his bed face-first. His entire body felt heavy, like someone had strapped sandbags to his limbs.
'The run back was hellish. That's what I get for racing Gai-sensei and Lee… Those two aren't human, I swear. But… it was fun. I didn't really learn anything new, but I enjoyed the trip anyway,' he thought as he let out a long groan.
A few minutes passed before he finally rolled off the bed and stood up, stretching his back until it cracked. He peeled off his dusty shinobi clothes and slipped into some loose, casual wear—an old white shirt and shorts that were comfortable enough to sleep in. Grabbing his toiletry bag, he dragged himself out the door and made his way to the public baths.
The steam hit him instantly. Warm, comforting, almost hugging him. He sank into the water with a sigh that seemed to come from the bottom of his soul.
'Man… this hits the spot.'
He rested his head against the stone edge, eyes half-closed.
'So far… I feel like I'm at least at jonin level. Maybe stronger. Hard to say. But Sasuke? Pfft. I can take him right now, no question.'
He snorted lightly at his own confidence, lifting a hand out of the water and watching droplets slide off his fingers.
The truth was, gauging strength in the ninja world was messy. Rank meant nothing when you had monsters like Madara and Hashirama walking around in the past. The modern era…? Not so much.
'Like seriously… Madara beat all the Hokage at the same time. That's insane. Either ninjas got weaker, or Kishimoto just stopped caring halfway.'
Naruto frowned at the water.
'As good a storyteller as Kishimoto is, man… he wasted half the stuff he created. Kekkei Genkai? Rare, powerful, loaded with potential. The war arc could've been insane with all of them. But nope—Sharingan and Rinnegan, all day, every day. It's like he forgot the rest existed. Dumb.'
He splashed a little water out of mild frustration. The Naruto world was huge—mysterious clans, lost bloodlines, forbidden jutsu… endless possibilities. And yet somehow the rarest abilities ended up being the most overused.
When he finally stepped out of the bath, his muscles felt loose and warm, the lingering tension faded. He dried off, dressed, and trudged back toward his apartment under the cool evening air.
By the time he pushed open his door, the exhaustion had finally caught up to him fully. He didn't even bother turning on a light. He just stumbled to his bed and collapsed, sinking deep into the mattress.
No training tonight. Not even a shadow clone. He was asleep the moment his head touched the pillow, breathing softly as the room grew still and quiet around him.
...
The next morning, the sun rose above the Hokage Monument, spilling warm golden light over the rooftops of the Leaf village. The rays shined directly through Naruto's window, hitting him square in the face. His eyes opened instantly.
He stretched, spine popping in several places.
'I seriously need better weights… these ones feel like kid stuff now.'
Today was all about power. Proper weights, proper training, and letting the two greatest taijutsu maniacs on Earth push him until he questioned life itself.
He threw on his training gear—a fitted black shirt, black track pants, shinobi sandals. His chakra was already stirring with anticipation.
Jogging out of his apartment, he honed in on a familiar, fiery chakra presence. Gai's chakra signature was fluctuating wildly, like a bonfire caught in the wind.
'Yeah, that's him. Morning Gai is always… intense.'
When Naruto arrived, he found Might Gai in his usual natural habitat: defying physics. He was doing push-ups with his feet planted on a narrow wooden pole, body perfectly straight, not a single tremor. Each time he lowered himself, the ground cracked slightly.
'Of course. Just Gai being Gai.'
Gai suddenly launched into a front flip, landing perfectly on both feet with a dramatic gust of wind blowing back his hair and jumpsuit.
The moment he spotted Naruto, his grin widened like a sunrise.
"GOOD MORNING, NARUTO! What brings you here on this BEAUTIFUL, YOUTH-FILLED DAY?!" he boomed, voice echoing across the training grounds.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Just looking for a training partner. I wanna get better at taijutsu."
Gai's pupils seemed to sparkle. Literally sparkle.
In less than half a second, he was behind Naruto, one arm wrapped tightly around his shoulder. "You came… to me? Oh, what a youthful honor! First, we shall begin with the basics: a green jumpsuit and a proper bowl cut—!"
"Nah," Naruto said flatly, expression dead.
Gai froze in dramatic heartbreak… for exactly one second.
Then he recovered instantly. "Very well! Then we shall proceed to the next step—WEIGHTS! Follow me down the PATH OF YOUTH!"
He blasted off in a green blur, leaving a crater where he stood.
Naruto chased after him, grinning despite himself.
'Yeah… this is gonna be fun.'
---
One Hour Later
Naruto was on his knees, forehead practically touching the dirt. Sweat dripped down his chin and eyelashes, forming small puddles beneath him. His arms trembled. His legs refused to move. His lungs burned.
Meanwhile, Gai stood nearby like he'd just finished a casual morning stroll.
Naruto glared at him through exhausted eyes.
'No wonder Kishimoto always had this guy away on missions. If he was around during Pain's attack, Pain would've been folded like laundry.'
Gai placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "Naruto… your youthful soul shines brighter than the sun itself."
Naruto tilted sideways and nearly fell over. His vision was spinning.
"These weights," Gai continued proudly, "are a symbol of commitment! Before we begin the Ultimate Ninja Training Session of Youth, you must complete today's duties while wearing them! I shall now take my leave!"
And without another word, he flipped upside-down and began running away on his hands—fast. Faster than most chūnin on their feet.
Naruto stared in dead silence.
'…Yeah. This guy's insane.'
He planted his palms on the ground and slowly pushed himself upright. The extra-heavy weights pulled at his limbs like anchors. His knees buckled. Every step felt like gravity had been set to "punish mode."
But he moved anyway—one shaky step at a time.
---
A short distance away, Gai continued hand-running, a proud smile tugging at his lips.
'I gave him weights even heavier than mine. Jiraiya once mentioned that Naruto trained with weighted gear too… that boy truly is serious about training. His flame burns brightly… perhaps even brighter than Lee's…'
He wiped a single dramatic tear from his cheek as he ran faster on his hands.
....
Hours later, Naruto dragged himself up the stairs of his apartment building one slow, tortured step at a time. The weights strapped to his limbs felt like they had fused with his bones. Every stair felt like lifting a boulder.
By the time he reached his floor, he was panting lightly—Naruto Uzumaki, who could outrun most jōnin, panting from climbing stairs.
He blinked when he saw someone sitting by his door.
Sakura.
She was hugging her knees lightly, glancing at something in her hands before she quickly hid it behind her when she noticed him approaching. Her eyes widened at the sight of him.
"…What happened to you? Did you get hit by a train?" she asked, half joking, half genuinely concerned.
Naruto stood there like a zombie, swaying slightly. "You could say that."
'I forgot trains exist here… The Naruto world is wild. One moment it's walkie-talkies like it's normal, next moment it's messenger birds. Make up your mind.'
Sakura stood up, dusting her skirt off, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, cheeks going pink.
"Well, I was thinking maybe… we could hang out. I mean, we got back from the mission but we haven't really… talked."
She swayed a little, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her gloves.
Naruto blinked slowly. His brain was working at reduced speed due to exhaustion, but he still managed a smile. "Uh, sure. Why not? Later around four? I'm free then."
Her blush deepened, but she nodded. "Great. I'll see you then… and take a bath or something. You're sweaty as hell."
With that, she waved awkwardly and walked away down the hall, occasionally glancing back when she thought he wasn't looking.
Naruto exhaled a long, tired breath and bent over slowly to grab his key. His arms trembled. His back complained. Even his shadow clones would've refused to help right now.
He stepped inside his apartment and the wooden floor creaked dangerously under the combined force of the weights and his tired stance.
He eyed his bed.
'Nope. Not risking that. If it breaks I'll cry. And Tsunade might punch me for wasting village repairs money.'
He slid down to sit on the floor—though honestly, with how heavy the weights were, "crashing" to the floor was more accurate. Sitting was risky too. He might need a rescue team to get him back up.
But he crossed his legs anyway and rested his hands on his knees.
He closed his eyes. His breathing slowed. The swirling chaos of the day faded into silence.
Naruto began meditating, clearing his mind, drawing his chakra inward like a slow tide. The warmth of it pulsed softly through him, steady and comforting. Even with the exhaustion, even with the weights, the energy responded to him—calm, obedient, alive.
Outside, the village continued with its usual noise.
Inside, Naruto sank deeper into his meditation, focusing on every beat of his chakra network.
Training never really stopped. Even resting was training if he made it so.
TO BE CONTINUED