Naruto made his way through the town, weaving past market stalls and villagers going about their morning routines. He stopped at a general store and bought a sleeping bag and a small tent, thinking ahead in case it rained. The weight of the bag and tent in his arms didn't bother him; it was part of preparing for serious training.
Once he returned to the forest, he carefully picked a spot near the river. The area was calm, secluded, with the gentle rush of water and the soft rustle of leaves creating a natural rhythm. He cleared a patch of ground, laying out the tent and unrolling the sleeping bag with precision. The earthy scent of damp soil mixed with the river's freshness as he worked.
When he finished, he stood back, hands on his hips, and smiled.
'Alright,' he thought, looking over his setup. 'I'll be here for a week. Might as well make it comfortable. But now… time for the next training. Arguably the hardest.'
He glanced at the river flowing steadily before him. Its surface glimmered under the sunlight, almost taunting him with its calmness. Naruto took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, then shrugged off his jumpsuit, leaving him in only his underwear. Alone and determined, he didn't feel embarrassed—just ready.
He held up his hands and performed the familiar seals, summoning about fifty shadow clones in a burst of white smoke.
Twenty of them rushed straight into the river, spreading out like soldiers preparing for battle. They would help him test and control the water flow using chakra, pushing the limits of what he could handle.
The other thirty scattered around the clearing. Some practiced taijutsu, throwing punches and kicks in fluid, precise motions.
Others focused on chakra control exercises, balancing on tree branches or walking along logs. A few meditated, channeling chakra quietly into leaves, rocks, and small objects to refine their precision.
Naruto stationed the clones strategically, making sure every area was covered. He glanced over the setup, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
'Alright,' he muttered, flexing his fingers. 'This is it. Let's see what I can do.'
He stepped into the river with the twenty clones, water rippling around his legs. The coolness was refreshing, a sharp contrast to the heat of training intensity.
He planted his feet firmly on the riverbed, closed his eyes, and focused.
"Let's start!" he shouted, voice carrying over the gentle rush of the water.
"Yeah!" the clones echoed in unison, their energy crackling faintly as they channeled chakra into the flowing river.
Naruto grinned. This was it—the beginning of a week that would push him past the limits of what he thought was possible.
The water flowed around him, the sun gleamed through the trees, and every fiber of his being hummed with anticipation.
After several hours of trying to manipulate the river, Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow and groaned. Nothing. Zero progress. The water flowed as if mocking him, teasing his efforts.
'Alright… clearly brute force isn't cutting it,' he muttered, stepping back and letting the water ripple past his feet. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.
Then an idea sparked. He clapped his hands together. "Listen up! We're changing strategy."
The clones froze, glancing at him expectantly.
"Instead of all of us trying to stop the entire river at once," Naruto explained, pointing downstream, "we're going to split the river into sections. Each clone is responsible for their own area — kind of like Olympic swimmers on a track. One at a time, working in sync. Understand?"
Heads nodded. Some even raised a thumb or gave a quick salute.
"Good. Let's see if this works," Naruto said, rolling up his sleeves and wading back into the water.
At first, it was messy. Currents collided, clones overcompensated, and small whirlpools formed, drenching Naruto in icy water. But gradually, the plan began to take shape. The clones moved in a fluid rhythm, their chakra pulses timed like a synchronized dance. Naruto's own control sharpened, focusing not on the river as a whole, but on sections, feeling each droplet respond to him.
A faint thrill ran through him. The water started to slow — just slightly — but it was enough. Just enough to spark that fire in his chest.
'Maybe… it's working,' he thought, eyes narrowing in concentration. He could almost feel the river bending to his will. Finally, some progress.
Hours passed. The sun dipped lower, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Naruto, exhausted and shivering, finally pulled himself out of the water. The clones standing in the current faded one by one.
Poof!
The rush of experience flooded his mind — sensations of balance, timing, control — and for a few minutes, the pain of absorbing it all was almost unbearable. He collapsed onto the soft forest floor, gasping for air, mud sticking to his sweat-soaked skin.
'Alright,' he muttered, trying to catch his breath. 'I'll continue tomorrow. For now… Taijutsu training.'
He glanced over at the other clones sparring nearby. Some practiced with kunais, their movements precise and deadly. Others relied on hands-to-hand combat, their strikes quick and fluid. A few focused solely on kicks, spinning and leaping with sharp precision.
Naruto walked over, letting the heat from their movements inspire him. He raised a hand, defusing them all.
Poof!
The combined experience hit him like a ton of bricks — every punch, every block, every kick he'd observed and performed. He groaned but smiled, already feeling his body adapt.
Then he spawned three new clones, each radiating focus and energy. They stepped back into a triangular formation around him, their expressions serious.
"Come at me seriously. No holding back," Naruto said, adjusting his stance.
The clones nodded. Their playful smiles vanished, replaced with blank, determined stares. They were ready.
Naruto grinned, heart pounding. ' Now we see what I've really got.'
He clenched his fists, muscles tensing, as the first clone lunged forward, faster than his eye could initially track.
Naruto's eyes flicked between the three clones, noting their positions. One lunged from the right, fists clenched; another came straight at him, low and quick; the third circled from the left, spinning on the balls of his feet.
He smirked, tightening his stance. "Alright, let's see what you've got!"
The first clone, from the right, threw a rapid series of punches, each aimed at Naruto's torso and ribs. Naruto leaned back, twisting his body, letting the blows glance off his forearms.
He countered with a low sweeping kick, catching the clone mid-step and sending him sliding across the dirt with a grunt.
The clone from the middle didn't hesitate. He dropped low into a crouch, aiming a powerful palm strike at Naruto's chest.
Naruto leaped backward, flipping over a nearby rock, landing softly. The clone adjusted instantly, rolling forward and springing back to his feet.
The third clone, circling from the left, launched a spinning back kick. Naruto ducked, feeling the rush of air as the clone's foot whistled over his head. Without breaking rhythm, Naruto pivoted, landing a sharp side kick to the clone's midsection. The clone stumbled but recovered gracefully, flipping backward into a defensive stance.
Naruto grinned, adrenaline surging. "Not bad, not bad at all."
He used a burst of speed, rushing toward the middle clone first. The two collided in a flash of fists and feet, exchanging blows like lightning. Punches landed, blocked, and parried.
Naruto spun under a high kick, twisting into a reverse elbow strike that caught the clone across the shoulder. Sparks of dirt flew as the impact slid him back.
Meanwhile, the clone from the left closed the distance again, aiming a series of hooking kicks and spinning knees. Naruto jumped, flipping backward over a fallen log, and landed in a crouch.
He extended a leg in a sweeping kick, catching the clone's ankle mid-spin. The clone toppled, rolled, and sprang up, eyes blazing with determination.
The clone on the right had recovered from the earlier sweep. He charged again, faster this time, his fists glowing faintly with chakra control from Naruto's earlier exercises. Naruto anticipated, weaving a series of dodges and counter-strikes in rhythm — a dance of movement, precision, and timing.
His hands blurred as he delivered a combo: two punches to the chest, an elbow to the jaw, and a spinning back kick. The clone tumbled backward, landing in a heap.
Now all three were back on their feet, breathing hard. The forest echoed with the sound of rushing movements, rapid footfalls, and the occasional grunt. Leaves swirled as the clones adjusted their stances, forming a triangle around him once more.
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
He feinted a move to the right, baiting the nearest clone into a strike. When the clone lunged, Naruto pivoted, letting him overcommit, then spun in a 360-degree backflip, simultaneously kicking the middle clone in the chest. The clone flew backward into a tree trunk, leaves raining down.
Before the third clone could capitalize, Naruto dashed forward, moving in a zig-zag pattern, striking the clone's ribs with rapid jabs, then spinning into a crescent kick that knocked him off balance. The clones staggered, clearly impressed — their movements became sharper, but fatigue was setting in.
Naruto's breathing was steady, his body perfectly attuned to movement. He combined fluid dodges, spinning kicks, elbow strikes, and sweeping low kicks, flowing seamlessly from one attack to another, exploiting openings with the instinct of a battle-hardened shinobi.
Finally, with a synchronized burst, he leaped into the air, arms crossed, landing two powerful side kicks and a jumping elbow strike. All three clones were pushed back, landing hard on the forest floor. Naruto landed lightly, crouching, fists clenched and chest heaving.
The clones froze, staring at him. Naruto's grin spread wide. "Heh… not bad for one guy, huh?"
Poof!
White smoke enveloped the clearing as the clones defused, flooding Naruto with the raw experience of three simultaneous Taijutsu fights. Pain shot through his muscles and bones as the sensations slammed into him, but he collapsed onto the ground grinning.
"Yeah… that was awesome," he muttered through the soreness, already imagining how much faster and stronger he'd get tomorrow.
TO BE CONTINUED