Naruto soon defeated the last clone after a brutal exchange — their fists colliding again and again until one final strike landed clean.
Thmp!
His punch connected straight to the clone's jaw, sending it flying backward before it burst into a puff of white smoke.
Poof!
The forest fell silent again.
Naruto stood in the middle of the clearing, chest heaving, every muscle trembling from exhaustion. His knuckles throbbed, his arms hung heavy, and his skin glistened with sweat and dust. Slowly, his legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.
Huff… huff…
His heartbeat drummed in his ears — steady, raw, alive. For a long moment, he just stayed there, palms pressed to the dirt, feeling its roughness under his fingers.
This battle had been different. The clones hadn't held back — they had aimed for every weakness, every lapse in focus. Their blows had weight, their intent had edge.
He smirked faintly through his exhaustion.
'Guess I really am my own worst enemy,' he thought, a weak chuckle escaping him.
Despite the bruises and sore joints, something in him felt sharper — cleaner. His body moved faster now, reacting before he thought. The rhythm of combat still pulsed through his veins.
For the first time, he'd felt what it was like to fight someone truly out for his life. It terrified him. It thrilled him.
But as that thrill faded, the reality settled in — he was still far from where he wanted to be. Still too slow. Still too predictable.
He looked at his shaking hands, dirt and blood smeared across his skin, and exhaled a long breath.
"Still got a long way to go…" he muttered to himself.
Then, with a grunt, he pushed himself back to his feet. His legs protested, but he ignored it. The forest breeze brushed against his sweat-soaked shirt, cooling his skin.
He tilted his head back, watching the sky through the gaps in the trees — faint streaks of gold signaling the end of the afternoon.
'I need a bath,' he thought dryly, a half-smile tugging at his lips.
He picked up his fallen kunai, slid them back into their pouch, and started walking toward the village. Each step left shallow prints in the dirt, but his stride was steady.
He might've been beaten, bruised, and aching — but his spirit burned brighter than ever.
Tomorrow, he'd fight again.
Tomorrow, he'd be faster.
Tomorrow, he'd be stronger.
For now, though… a hot bath sounded perfect.
.....
Many days later, Naruto found himself back at the inn with Jiraiya. The place hadn't changed — the faint smell of sake clung to the air, the floorboards creaked at every step, and the paper walls did a terrible job of blocking out the "sounds of research" from the next room.
He'd rented his own room this time — for the sake of his sanity and sleep.
Of course, the reason was obvious. Jiraiya was still out there, prowling the town's nightlife like it was a mission.
Naruto rolled his eyes at the thought, flopping back onto his bed with a groan.
"Old fossil never stops," he muttered to himself.
Thump… creak.
The bed complained under the added weight, groaning like it shared his exhaustion.
'Reminds me of Quagmire,' he thought with a small snort. 'Though… at least Ero-sennin does it with consent.'
A smirk tugged at his lips, but it didn't last.
He sat up, elbows resting on his knees, and glanced down at the black training weights strapped around his limbs. They weren't seals — just old-fashioned weighted bands, heavy as hell. Even sitting felt like work.
To keep his bed from collapsing entirely, he'd stuffed bricks under the legs as makeshift supports. They held — barely. Each shift made the wood crack softly in protest.
He sighed. "At this rate, I'll need a new bed before I even make it home."
The room was small — one window, one table, a single candle flickering in the corner. Outside, the muffled chatter of the street mixed with the distant sound of music from the tavern where Jiraiya was probably being kicked out again.
Naruto looked toward the ceiling, eyes half-lidded. His mind wandered.
'Two more weeks,' he thought. 'Then it's back to the Leaf.'
He'd been training hard every day — running through forests, sparring with clones until his arms ached, and meditating until sweat dripped from his brow. Yet now, sitting here, everything felt… dull.
'Nothing here's exciting anymore.'
He'd walk through town and see the same faces, same stalls, same dull conversations. The shopkeepers smiled out of politeness, not interest. The kids played, but none of them had that spark.
'These people… total NPCs,' he mused, lips curling slightly. 'No drive, no dream, no nothing.'
He leaned back again, folding his arms behind his head.
Naruto sighed as he stared up at the wooden ceiling, the faint creak of the inn settling echoing in the quiet room. His mind, however, was far from still. The steady hum of chakra in his body mixed with the gentle flow of air around him.
'How can I make my wind nature more interesting… Honestly, I've been trying to figure that out.' He lazily turned on his side, staring at the dim glow of the lantern near his bed.
He'd been at it for days — channeling, focusing, cutting leaves, and firing off bursts of air — yet it all felt the same. Predictable. Weak. There was no creativity in it.
Unfortunately, in this world, not many people used wind nature, and those who did already had their own distinct style.
Asuma-sensei had his chakra blades — clean, sharp, and deadly up close. Temari had that massive fan of hers that turned every swing into a gale. And then there was Ōnoki with his insane dust release that erased matter entirely. Naruto frowned.
'I mean, I can manipulate it now, just not sure how to use it really,' he thought, lazily raising his palm to his face. A soft stream of air spun above his hand, brushing his cheeks gently. It was cool and controlled — proof that he'd improved.
'I can also shoot it forward,' he thought with a small smirk.
He sat up, stretching his back before focusing on the jacket hanging on the door. "Alright, let's see how sharp this is," he muttered.
He formed a quick hand seal, channeling chakra to his arm. A faint white aura shimmered around his palm before—
Wossh!
A concentrated gust shot forward, striking the jacket with enough force to make it flap violently against the wood. The impact left faint slashes on the fabric — nothing deep, but definitely noticeable.
Naruto blinked. "Whoa… not bad."
The air in the room settled again as he stared at his hand. The chakra had moved faster and cleaner this time — no turbulence, no wasted energy.
'If I can push that a little further… maybe I can make it cut, not just blow things away,' he thought, his brows furrowing as he sat cross-legged on the bed.
He started brainstorming, pacing mentally through every idea he could think of.
'Maybe I can use it like other anime characters… Aang from Avatar or Sukuna's wind thingy — that slash move I never really paid much attention to.' He rubbed his chin, grinning slightly. 'I should try it out. Maybe I could form wind blades from my hands or coat my kunai with it.'
He glanced at his hand again, now faintly glowing with a thin outline of wind chakra. It hissed softly, like the edge of a blade vibrating at high speed.
The thought alone made him excited. The possibilities were endless — slicing attacks, movement boosts, air currents to dodge faster, maybe even using it to propel himself mid-fight.
'Yeah… this could be fun,' he thought, grinning as the faint breeze in his palm swirled faster, stirring the air around him.
TO BE CONTINUED