[Dialogue layout:]
Naruto's thoughts: Here I go.
Naruto speaking to Vision using telepathy: "Vision? Why are you bald?"
Vision speaking to Naruto through telepathy: "I do not possess biological hair follicles, Naruto. My body was designed for efficiency, not aesthetics."
If Naruto kept staring at him, unimpressed, Vision might add dryly:
"Would you prefer I had hair? Perhaps something spiky like yours?"
If Naruto laughed and started suggesting ridiculous hairstyles—like making Vision's head look like Jiraiya's or giving him a wild mane like a lion—Vision would sigh and humor him. Maybe he'd even create an illusion of himself with flowing golden locks, just to watch Naruto burst into laughter.
"Is this satisfactory? Or should I add a headband for dramatic effect?"
---- ---- ----
Naruto sat cross-legged against the middle training stump, staring up at Vision with stars in his cerulean blue eyes. He still couldn't believe this was happening—someone was actually going to teach him. And not just anyone, but a being from another universe! It felt like a dream, and for once, it was one he didn't want to wake up from.
"So, Vision-sensei," Naruto grinned, practically vibrating with excitement. "What are you gonna teach me first? Awesome fighting techniques? Supercool jutsus? Or maybe—"
Vision raised an eyebrow, cutting off Naruto's momentum before he could get carried away. "Not so fast, Naruto," he said, his tone patient yet firm. "Before we move on to intermediate techniques, we need to start with the fundamentals."
Naruto visibly deflated, shoulders slumping. "Like what?" he muttered, already dreading the answer.
"The most pressing issue we need to address is your lack of chakra control," Vision explained. "You've already practiced the leaf-balancing exercise, but that alone won't be enough."
Floating effortlessly to a nearby tree, Vision gestured toward its towering trunk. "From what I've gathered by observing your clansmen's minds, I have enough information to teach you what you need to know. That said, the next step in your training is tree climbing."
Naruto blinked. Then he frowned. "Tree climbing?" He got to his feet and walked closer to Vision. "Uh... I already know how to climb trees, y'know. Not exactly a big deal."
"No," Vision corrected. "Not in the way I'm referring to."
Naruto tilted his head. "Then what's so special about it?"
"The exercise uses the tree as a training tool," Vision explained, his synthetic voice calm yet instructive. "You'll need to push your chakra into the soles of your feet, using it to 'stick' to the tree. Your goal is to walk up and down its surface without using your hands—until the action becomes second nature to you."
Naruto's frown deepened as he mulled over the information. "Wait... Have the other clan kids already mastered this?"
Vision shook his head. "No. This is an exercise typically introduced at the Chūnin level when shinobi begin refining their chakra for elemental techniques. If you can master this now, you'll be ahead of them."
Naruto's lips slowly curled into a smirk.
"Well," he said, cracking his knuckles, "why didn't you just say that from the start?"
Naruto rushed toward the tree with all the enthusiasm he could muster, already picturing himself sprinting up to the highest branch like some kind of ninja prodigy. Unfortunately, he forgot one very critical thing—chakra.
The moment his foot hit the bark, he managed a few steps before his momentum stalled. Gravity wasted no time punishing his mistake, and he crashed down onto his back with a loud thud, the impact knocking the air right out of his lungs.
Vision chuckled, floating a few inches above the ground. "Naruto, you forgot to use chakra."
"Oh," Naruto wheezed, rolling onto his side and pushing himself up with a groan. His face flushed with embarrassment. "Yeah... I forgot. My bad."
Brushing the dirt off his jacket, he turned to glare at the tree, as if it had insulted him. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Still, the idea of falling again wasn't exactly appealing.
Instead of rushing in blindly, he walked up to the base of the trunk and flopped onto his back, lifting his legs so his feet pressed against the bark. Closing his eyes, he focused, channeling his chakra into the soles of his feet. It was a weird feeling, like trying to balance on an invisible thread.
At first, he overdid it, and his feet repelled off the surface, pushing him away from the tree. Then he used too little, and his feet slid down like he was standing on ice. It took time, fifteen frustrating minutes of trial and error, before he finally found the right balance.
Taking a deep breath, Naruto planted his feet firmly and stood up—except now, he wasn't on the ground. He was standing sideways on the tree.
A wide grin stretched across his face as he took his first step up. Then another. And another. Step by step, he climbed, moving faster while his confidence grew. By the time he reached the highest branches, he whooped in excitement, then turned around and walked back down as easily as if he were strolling through the village.
"Congratulations, Naruto," Vision said, clapping his hands. "It seems you're a genius. Most Chūnin take several days to master this technique, but you did it in less than thirty minutes."
Naruto froze at the praise. His grin trembled slightly, and his vision blurred as warmth bloomed in his chest. He quickly wiped at his eyes, hoping Vision wouldn't notice.
"Thanks," he muttered, voice thick with emotion. No one had ever acknowledged him like this before, not his parents, not his clan, no one except Namori. And now Vision.
However, his moment of pride was short-lived.
"That doesn't mean you're finished," Vision said, his tone light but firm. "You need to keep going until you can do it without thinking. So hop to it." He waved his hand in a shooing motion.
Naruto laughed, shaking off his emotions, and dashed toward the tree, ready to keep pushing forward. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was truly getting somewhere.
✨🟣🔵🟢🟡🔴🟠✨
It had been three days since he mastered the tree-walking exercise and the next one was water walking. The sun hung high in the sky, its golden rays reflecting off the shimmering pond at Training Ground 9. A cool breeze rustled the treetops, but Naruto hardly noticed. He stood at the water's edge, eyes narrowed in determination, fists clenched at his sides.
"So... I just walk on it?" he asked, tilting his head at Vision.
"Correct," Vision replied, floating beside him with his arms crossed. "However, unlike tree climbing, where you apply a constant flow of chakra, water walking requires real-time adjustments. Too much chakra, and you'll repel the surface. Too little, and—"
"You sink," Naruto finished, nodding. "Got it!"
Taking a deep breath, he focused his chakra on the soles of his feet, just like he did with the tree. Confident in his ability, he took a bold step forward—
SPLASH!
The moment his foot touched the water, he was sent flying backward, his body skidding across the pond's surface like a skipping stone before he plunged in with an undignified yelp.
Vision sighed, watching as Naruto's blond head popped up from the water, sputtering.
"You used too much chakra," Vision noted, his voice calm yet slightly amused. "It's not a springboard, Naruto."
Naruto dragged himself to the shore, shaking like a soaked dog. "Tch... stupid chakra control."
Undeterred, he tried again. This time, he hesitated at the edge, staring at the rippling surface. He sent chakra to his feet more carefully and gingerly stepped forward.
For half a second, he stood on the water. A triumphant grin stretched across his face.
Then he sank like a rock.
After his third attempt, Naruto sat cross-legged on the shore, dripping wet and pouting. "I don't get it! I did everything right!"
"You're thinking about it too much," Vision observed. "You're trying to control the water rather than adapting to it. Chakra should flow naturally, adjusting with each step. Like breathing."
Naruto blinked. "Like breathing..." He stared at the water, deep in thought.
Taking another deep breath, he rose to his feet. He focused on the feeling of chakra flowing through his body—not forcing it, but guiding it like a steady stream. He stepped forward, carefully adjusting his output with each footfall.
One step. Two steps. Three.
He was walking.
A broad grin stretched across his face as he moved further onto the pond. "I'M DOING IT!"
And then—SPLASH!
Naruto resurfaced with a groan. "Ugh... Why do I keep falling in!?"
"You celebrated too early," Vision remarked, floating above him. "Again."
With an exaggerated sigh, Naruto swam back to shore. This was going to take a while. And it did. It took Naruto another five days of constant training to master the technique where he could walk on the water without falling into the pond.
✨🟣🔵🟢🟡🔴🟠✨
Late at night, after Namori had turned in, Naruto was busy pulling a black mask over his face. Dressed in a traditional shinobi stealth suit—one he had swiped from the armory the previous day after slipping past the guards—he was ready for his mission. Vision had urged him to break into the clan's library, where the most advanced Uzumaki and Namikazi techniques were stored. Getting in wasn't going to be easy, but with the Infinity Stones at his disposal and his chakra control improving, he was confident he could pull it off—at least to a certain degree.
His heart pounded against his ribs as he sprinted along the high walls of the Uzumaki-Namikaze compound, his breath controlled but sharp with anticipation. He barely avoided a patrolling guard, pressing himself against the shadows as the man trudged past, muttering about how boring night shifts were. So far, so good.
Naruto reached the white tower that housed the clan's restricted archives and prepared to ascend—only for Vision's calm voice to ring in his mind.
"Stop, Naruto," Vision warned. "The second and third-floor outer walls are covered in hidden seals. If you try to walk up, the clan's head of security will be alerted."
Naruto bit back a curse as he ducked behind a thick bush, his gaze snapping toward the tower. He knew exactly who Vision was talking about—Kaito, his uncle, and the so-called Uzukage, the man in charge of the clan's security. Even though he wasn't a real Kage, the title alone showed how much influence he had. Naruto had spent years under Kaito's scrutinizing golden eyes, which always seemed to pierce straight through him as if searching for some sliver of worth inside him. As far as Kaito was concerned, Naruto had none.
Tch. Naruto scowled. No way in hell am I getting caught by that guy.
He closed his eyes and tapped into the Mind Stone, allowing its power to sharpen his sensory abilities. His chakra flared, and when he opened his eyes again, they glowed with a faint yellow hue. The world around him shifted—thin, glowing golden threads now shimmered across the tower's exterior, revealing the intricate sealing network embedded into the walls.
Damn it! Sneaky bastards.
"Alright, so how do I get in?" Naruto muttered under his breath, pressing himself deeper into the foliage as another guard lazily strolled past, yawning.
"Simple," Vision replied, materializing above him, his cape billowing despite the still night air. "You've already started learning how to harness the Mind Stone. Use it to levitate up to me, then phase through the wall when I give the signal. You'll have a ten-second window to slip inside before the barrier adjusts."
Naruto went rigid.
Levitate? Phase through a solid wall?
He swallowed hard, his confidence wavering. He'd technically done both before—but only in short bursts. Floating even a few inches off the ground made his stomach twist, and phasing through anything left him feeling like he was suffocating in an endless void.
"Nervousness is expected," Vision said, his voice even but firm. "But if you want to gain the power you seek, you have to push past your limits. Now focus, Naruto."
Naruto clenched his fists, forcing himself to inhale deeply through his nose. Focus. He could do this.
Closing his eyes, he reached deep into himself, feeling the warmth of the Mind Stone embedded in his skull. A tingling sensation spread through his limbs as he pushed a small amount of chakra into it.
Vision lifted a hand. "Now."
Naruto exhaled sharply, bent his knees—and shot off the ground. His stomach lurched as he ascended far too quickly, but he clenched his jaw and forced himself to adjust. Vision was already at the top of the tower, watching him closely. Naruto willed himself to keep steady, stretching out a hand as he neared the wall.
A flicker of hesitation struck him. Shit, shit, shit—
Then he clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and plunged forward.
The sensation was awful—like sinking into a thick, invisible sludge. A brief moment of panic surged through him before he felt himself passing through to the other side, tumbling onto solid ground.
He gasped and scrambled to his feet, his body trembling slightly.
"Not bad," Vision mused, his lips curving into a small smile. "You still lack refinement, but you made it inside."
Naruto grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow. His heart still pounded, but excitement flared inside him.
"Alright," he whispered, straightening. "Time to get what I came for."
*** End of Chapter 9 ***