The morning air was crisp and cool as Naruto made his way toward Training Ground Three.
He had spent the night as he always did—training with shadow clones, studying techniques from his copied scroll, pushing his body and mind toward greater capability. Sleep remained elusive, a concept that belonged to a different version of himself, one that still had the luxury of rest.
The sun was just beginning to rise, painting the sky in soft shades of pink and gold. Naruto walked through the empty streets with measured steps, his mind cataloging the previous day's events and their implications.
Kakashi had promised to change. To actually teach them. To make up for his failures.
Whether that promise would hold remained to be seen. Words were easy. Actions were what mattered.
As he approached the training ground, he noticed something unusual.
Kakashi was already there.
This alone was remarkable—the jonin had never arrived before his students in the entire time they had been a team. But more striking than his presence was his behavior.
He was pacing.
Back and forth across the clearing, his single visible eye wide, his usually composed demeanor completely shattered. His hands kept moving—running through his hair, gesturing at nothing, pressing against his masked face as if trying to confirm he was awake.
"This isn't possible," Naruto heard him mutter as he drew closer. "This doesn't make any sense. This violates at least seven laws of nature and probably more. How is this—what is—I don't—"
"Kakashi-sensei."
The jonin spun at Naruto's voice, his expression wild. "Naruto! Good, you're here. You need to—I mean, you should probably—look, I don't know how to explain this, but—"
"Explain what?"
Kakashi opened his mouth, closed it, then simply pointed toward the far side of the training ground.
Naruto followed his gesture and saw Sakura and Satsuki standing near the wooden posts, apparently engaged in conversation. He noted their presence without any particular reaction—until his analytical mind processed what he was actually seeing.
Their figures had changed.
Again.
When he had first noticed their transformations on that strange day at the Academy, their curves had already been dramatically exaggerated beyond normal human proportions. Now, somehow, they had grown even more pronounced.
Sakura's chest had expanded significantly, straining against her red qipao dress in ways that seemed to defy the structural integrity of fabric. Her hips had widened proportionally, creating an hourglass silhouette that was almost cartoonish in its extremity. The dress itself appeared to have been modified—or perhaps had simply stretched—to accommodate her new dimensions.
Satsuki's transformation was equally dramatic. Her already impressive figure had amplified further, her curves now rivaling what Naruto could only describe as physically improbable. Her modified Uchiha outfit clung to her form, somehow containing proportions that should have made movement difficult if not impossible.
And yet both girls moved with perfect grace, apparently unencumbered by their exaggerated anatomies.
"Do you see it?" Kakashi's voice was strained. "Please tell me you see it. Tell me I'm not losing my mind."
"I see it," Naruto confirmed. "Their proportions have increased since yesterday."
"Increased?! They've—that's not—" Kakashi made a strangled sound. "How are you so calm about this?!"
"I don't experience emotional reactions to stimuli."
"Right. The whole... empty thing." Kakashi pressed his palm against his forehead. "But surely even you have to admit this is strange? People don't just... grow overnight. Not like that."
Naruto considered this. The observation was accurate—normal human biology did not allow for such rapid and dramatic physical changes. And yet he had witnessed it happening twice now, first at the Academy and again this morning.
"It is anomalous," he agreed. "But I noted similar changes when I first saw them at the Academy several weeks ago. Their figures had already transformed significantly from their previous appearances."
"And you didn't think to mention this?!"
"It didn't seem relevant to our training or missions. Additionally, no one else appeared to notice the changes, which suggested either a perceptual filter affecting others or a psychological phenomenon I didn't understand."
Kakashi stared at him. "A perceptual filter. You thought there might be a genjutsu making everyone except you not notice that four girls in your class had developed... that?" He gestured vaguely toward Sakura and Satsuki.
"It was one hypothesis. I had no way to confirm it."
Before Kakashi could respond, Sakura and Satsuki noticed their presence and began walking toward them. Their movements were graceful despite their exaggerated proportions, each step causing motions that drew the eye almost against one's will.
"Naruto-kun!" Satsuki called out, waving enthusiastically. The gesture caused her chest to bounce in ways that made Kakashi quickly avert his gaze. "Good morning! Did you sleep at all last night?"
"No."
"You really should try," Sakura added, coming to stand beside him. Her green eyes were warm with concern, seemingly oblivious to her own transformed appearance. "Even a few hours would help."
Naruto observed both girls carefully, searching for any indication that they were aware of their physical changes. He found none. They behaved exactly as they had the day before, as if nothing unusual had occurred.
"Sakura. Satsuki." He kept his voice flat, neutral. "Have you noticed anything different about yourselves this morning?"
Both girls blinked at him, confusion crossing their features.
"Different?" Sakura asked. "Different how?"
"Your physical proportions appear to have changed since yesterday."
The two girls exchanged glances, then looked down at themselves. Sakura's brow furrowed, and Satsuki tilted her head.
"I don't think so?" Satsuki said slowly. "I feel the same as always. Do I look different to you?"
"Yes. Significantly."
"Huh." Satsuki examined herself with apparent curiosity, running her hands along her exaggerated curves as if encountering them for the first time. "I guess maybe my clothes feel a little tighter? But that happens sometimes. Growing and stuff."
"This exceeds normal growth parameters by a considerable margin."
"Does it?" Sakura looked down at her own dramatically expanded figure with a puzzled expression. "I mean, I guess I have been developing a lot lately. But that's just puberty, right?"
Kakashi made another strangled sound. "Puberty does not work like that. Nothing works like that."
Both girls turned to look at him, their expressions shifting to concern.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. "Are you okay? You seem stressed."
"Stressed? STRESSED?" The jonin's voice cracked slightly. "I'm watching two of my students exhibit physical changes that violate everything I know about human biology, and neither of them seems to notice, and my third student is treating it like a mildly interesting observation about the weather, and—" He stopped, taking a deep breath. "I need a moment."
He walked away, moving toward the treeline with the deliberate pace of someone trying very hard to maintain composure.
Satsuki watched him go with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong with sensei?"
"He's disturbed by your physical transformation," Naruto explained. "He believes it defies natural law."
"But I haven't transformed." Satsuki looked down at herself again, her hands cupping her impressive chest as if to confirm its presence. "I've always been like this. Haven't I?"
"No. At the Academy, before the graduation exam, you had a different figure entirely. Male, in fact. You were Sasuke Uchiha."
Satsuki's expression went blank for a moment. Then she laughed—a bright, bubbly sound that seemed entirely at odds with the topic.
"Sasuke? That's silly, Naruto-kun. I've always been Satsuki. I've always been a girl." She pressed herself against his arm, her exaggerated curves molding around him. "I would remember being a boy. That's kind of a big thing."
Naruto considered arguing further but recognized the futility. Whatever was happening—whatever had changed Sasuke into Satsuki, whatever had transformed these girls' bodies, whatever was preventing them from recognizing the changes—it was beyond his current understanding.
He filed the anomaly away for future investigation and refocused on the present.
"Kakashi-sensei said he would train us properly today. We should prepare."
"Oh, right!" Sakura's expression brightened. "He was actually really helpful yesterday. If he keeps teaching like that, we'll get so much stronger!"
"I hope he teaches us more fire jutsu," Satsuki added. "I want to get better at the Grand Fireball. Maybe make it bigger. Or hotter. Or both!"
The two girls began discussing training goals, their earlier confusion about physical changes apparently forgotten. Naruto observed them with his usual detached analysis, noting how quickly they had dismissed the topic.
It was as if their minds simply... refused to engage with the inconsistencies.
A defense mechanism? A side effect of whatever had caused the changes? Or something else entirely?
He didn't know. But he intended to find out.
Kakashi eventually returned, having apparently composed himself through force of will. His visible eye still held a slightly wild edge, but his voice was steady when he spoke.
"Alright. Training. Let's focus on training." He clapped his hands together with perhaps more force than necessary. "Today we're going to work on combination attacks. Coordinating your abilities to create effects greater than the sum of their parts."
The training session proceeded with intense focus—Kakashi demonstrating techniques, correcting forms, pushing all three genin to their limits. He seemed almost desperate to distract himself from the inexplicable situation with his female students, throwing himself into instruction with manic energy.
Naruto appreciated the dedication, whatever its source. He absorbed the training eagerly, his shadow clones multiplying the benefits.
Throughout the session, Sakura and Satsuki performed admirably despite their exaggerated proportions. They moved with grace and precision, their bodies apparently having adapted perfectly to their new dimensions. If anything, they seemed more capable than before—stronger, faster, more coordinated.
Another anomaly to investigate.
During a brief rest period, Naruto found himself flanked by both girls, each one pressing close enough that their curves molded against his sides. It had become a familiar position—they gravitated toward him constantly, seemingly unable to maintain distance for long.
"You're doing so well, Naruto-kun," Sakura said, her voice warm with admiration. "The way you integrate new techniques so quickly... it's amazing."
"Your shadow clones are incredible," Satsuki added. "Having multiple of you training at once... I bet you could master anything if you had enough time."
Naruto accepted their praise without reaction. Compliments, like everything else, failed to penetrate the void inside him.
But he noticed something as they spoke—a subtle shift in their attention, a sharpening of focus that hadn't been there before. Their eyes lingered on him with an intensity that went beyond simple adoration.
It was almost... possessive.
"Naruto-kun," Satsuki said softly, her voice dropping to a register that seemed designed for privacy. "After training today... would you like to come to the Uchiha compound? I could make dinner. We could spend time together. Just the two of us."
"I was going to ask him to study with me," Sakura interjected, her tone carrying a competitive edge. "I found some medical texts that might interest him. We could review them together at my house."
"He'd rather have dinner than study, Billboard Brow."
"He'd rather learn something useful than eat your cooking, Uchiha."
"My cooking is excellent!"
"You burned water last week!"
"That was one time!"
Their argument escalated, drawing Kakashi's attention from across the training ground. The jonin watched them with an expression that mixed exasperation with lingering unease.
"Ladies," he called out. "Save the rivalry for after training. We still have work to do."
Both girls immediately fell silent, their attention snapping back to their sensei with almost military precision. But the competitive tension between them remained, an undercurrent that Naruto noted without fully understanding.
They were fighting over him. That much was clear. But the intensity of their competition seemed to have increased along with their physical changes.
Another variable to consider.
The training session concluded as the sun began to set, painting the sky in brilliant shades of orange and red. Kakashi dismissed them with instructions to rest and recover, his gaze lingering on Naruto with an expression that was difficult to interpret.
"Naruto. A word."
The two girls immediately tensed, clearly reluctant to leave Naruto's side. But a pointed look from Kakashi sent them toward the training ground's exit, though they both cast longing glances over their shoulders as they went.
Once they were out of earshot, Kakashi spoke.
"The changes in Sakura and Satsuki. You said you noticed them at the Academy, before you were even assigned to this team."
"Yes."
"And others didn't notice? No one commented on the... dramatic alterations?"
"No one appeared to perceive anything unusual. Teachers, students, civilians—all of them interacted with the girls as if nothing had changed."
Kakashi was silent for a moment, processing this.
"But you noticed."
"Yes."
"Why you and not others?"
Naruto considered the question. It was something he had wondered himself, though without any emotional investment in the answer.
"I have theories. The most likely explanation involves the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within me. Its chakra may provide some form of protection against perceptual manipulation. Alternatively, my emotional detachment may make me resistant to effects that rely on psychological influence."
"Either explanation suggests this is the result of a jutsu or technique of some kind."
"That is my assessment as well."
Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Do you have any idea who or what might be responsible?"
"No. I have insufficient data to form conclusions."
"And the girls themselves? Sakura, Satsuki, and the other two you mentioned—Ino and Hinata. Do they seem... different? Beyond the physical changes?"
Naruto thought carefully. "Their personalities have shifted. Satsuki in particular—she was previously Sasuke, male and focused on revenge. Now she is female, cheerful, and focused primarily on me. Sakura, Ino, and Hinata have all developed an intense devotion to me that was not present before. Their behavior patterns center around my presence and wellbeing."
"That's... concerning."
"Agreed. Whatever is affecting them has altered not just their bodies but their minds as well."
Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair, his expression troubled. "We should report this to the Hokage. If there's some kind of technique affecting Konoha's genin—"
"The Hokage is aware of the changes. He mentioned Satsuki by name during our conversation yesterday, using her female name without apparent recognition that she was previously male."
"So he's affected too."
"It appears so."
"But you're not. And now, neither am I." Kakashi's eye widened slightly. "Do you think your telling me about it somehow... broke the effect for me?"
"Possible. Or my resistance to the effect may be contagious through direct communication about its nature. I lack data to confirm either hypothesis."
Kakashi absorbed this, his tactical mind clearly working through implications. "If that's true, we could potentially free others by explaining the changes to them directly."
"Perhaps. Though the girls themselves rejected my explanation earlier. Their minds seem to actively resist acknowledging the inconsistencies."
"Different levels of effect, maybe. The subjects themselves are more deeply influenced than observers."
"That would be consistent with observed behavior."
They stood in contemplative silence as the sun continued its descent. Finally, Kakashi spoke again.
"For now, we watch and gather information. Don't do anything that might alert whoever is responsible—assuming there is someone responsible and this isn't some kind of natural phenomenon we don't understand."
"Agreed."
"And Naruto..." Kakashi hesitated. "Be careful. Whatever is happening, those girls are intensely focused on you. That kind of devotion, especially if artificially induced, can become dangerous."
Naruto considered this warning. The girls' attention had been nothing but positive so far—supportive, affectionate, protective. But he could see the logic in Kakashi's concern. Obsession, even benevolent obsession, had the potential to become harmful.
"I will remain vigilant," he said.
Kakashi nodded and turned to leave, then paused.
"One more thing. Your father—Minato-sensei—he was brilliant at analysis. At seeing patterns others missed. You've inherited that from him, I think." His voice softened. "He would have figured this out. And so will you."
It was meant as encouragement. Naruto recognized that intellectually. But like everything else, it failed to penetrate the void inside him.
"Thank you," he said, because it was the expected response.
Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving Naruto alone in the darkening training ground.
He stood motionless for several minutes, processing the day's events. The physical changes in Sakura and Satsuki. Kakashi's reaction. The growing mystery surrounding the transformations.
There were too many unknowns. Too many variables he couldn't account for.
But he would continue to observe. Continue to analyze. Continue to gather data until the pattern became clear.
It was something to do.
And doing something was marginally better than doing nothing.
He arrived home to find all four girls waiting outside his apartment.
Sakura and Satsuki were there, of course, their rivalry apparently set aside for the moment. But Ino and Hinata had also appeared, both of them exhibiting the same exaggerated proportions he had observed in his teammates.
In fact, their figures had also grown since he had last seen them.
Ino's curves now matched Sakura's in their dramatic scope, her purple outfit straining to contain proportions that seemed designed for fantasy rather than reality. Hinata's figure had expanded even beyond the others, her lavender top seemingly inadequate for the task of coverage.
All four girls looked at him with identical expressions of adoring devotion as he approached.
"Naruto-kun!" they chorused, the greeting carrying an almost religious fervor.
He stopped several feet away, observing them with clinical detachment.
"You're all here."
"We wanted to see you," Sakura explained. "We missed you."
"It's been hours since we were together," Satsuki added. "That's too long."
"We were worried," Ino said. "You shouldn't be alone."
"W-We want to take care of you," Hinata finished softly.
Naruto considered their words. They had seen him that morning—some of them had trained with him all day. And yet they spoke as if a brief separation was unbearable.
The intensity of their devotion continued to escalate.
Another data point.
"I need to train," he said. "I won't be available for social interaction tonight."
The girls' expressions shifted to disappointment, but none of them argued or protested. Instead, they exchanged glances and seemed to reach some silent agreement.
"Then we'll wait," Sakura said. "Until you're done."
"We don't mind," Satsuki agreed. "Just being near you is enough."
"We can watch you train," Ino suggested. "We won't interrupt."
"W-We just want to be close," Hinata added.
Naruto recognized that arguing would be futile. Whatever compulsion drove their behavior, it was clearly beyond simple persuasion.
"Do as you wish," he said, and entered his apartment.
True to their word, the four girls followed him inside and settled themselves around his small living space. They watched in attentive silence as he created shadow clones and began his nightly training regimen.
Hours passed. The clones practiced techniques, dispelled, transferred memories, were recreated. Naruto's skills continued to develop—his Chidori growing more stable, his elemental manipulation more refined, his understanding of the Flying Thunder God's theoretical framework more complete.
Throughout it all, four pairs of eyes never left him.
And despite his emotional emptiness, despite his inability to feel discomfort or unease, some part of Naruto recognized that Kakashi had been right.
This level of devotion was not normal.
And eventually, he would need to understand why.