The next morning, sunlight streamed through the classroom windows of the Konoha Ninja Academy. The students had just taken their seats when the instructor walked in, carrying a thick stack of lesson plans under his arm. He clapped his hands once, his tone brisk.
"Alright, everyone, settle down! Today, we'll be reviewing the basics of chakra theory and hand seals! "
A wave of chatter ran through the room. Some of the children perked up eagerly, while others groaned. Theory classes were always boring—especially compared to sparring.
But for Naruto, today was different. He sat quietly at his desk, arms folded, eyes sharp and focused. This was his chance to confirm whether the Academy's chakra knowledge could offer him anything new.
The instructor turned to the blackboard and began drawing diagrams—chakra nodes, meridian channels, the energy flow paths through the body. "Now, as we've discussed, " he said, "chakra is a mixture of your physical energy and your spiritual energy. Balance is the key. Too much physical energy, and your chakra becomes unstable. Too much spiritual energy, and it becomes weak. "
He paused and looked around. "Can anyone explain why this balance is so important? "
Several hands went up, mostly from clan heirs. The teacher nodded toward a boy in the front row. "Yes, Nara Shikamaru? "
The boy yawned before answering lazily. "Because… imbalance means chakra control gets harder. That makes jutsu inefficient. "
The teacher smiled. "Correct. Very good. "
He looked pleased—until he noticed another hand raised at the back of the room. Naruto.
The teacher blinked. It was the first time the boy had ever voluntarily participated. Usually, he just sat quietly, ignoring everyone.
"Yes, Naruto? "
Naruto stood up, his expression calm and confident. "There's actually another reason balance matters, " he said. "When physical and spiritual energy fuse evenly, chakra resonance becomes smoother. That means less internal friction—so chakra loss drops by about 30%. "
The teacher froze. So did the entire class. "What did you just say…? "
Naruto repeated patiently, "Uneven chakra fusion causes internal friction. If you reduce that friction, the flow stabilizes naturally, which means higher efficiency in refining and molding chakra. "
The classroom went dead silent. The instructor's jaw hung slightly open. That level of understanding…was something even some chūnin instructors couldn't explain clearly.
"…That's… correct, " the teacher finally managed to say. "Completely correct. "
He blinked several times, then added weakly, "Where did you learn that, Naruto? "
Naruto smiled faintly. "I just… thought about it. "
The teacher stared for a long moment before laughing awkwardly. "R-right, of course. Good thinking! "
But inside, his mind was spinning. He just thought about it? No, that explanation was far too advanced to be coincidence. Was the Hokage secretly tutoring this kid? No one that age should even know the concept of chakra resonance!
As the lesson continued, Naruto remained calm, listening quietly while taking meticulous notes. Whenever the teacher introduced a new topic, Naruto's mind instantly broke it down—analyzing, connecting, refining.
In his mind's eye, chakra networks appeared like glowing lines, each correction and improvement forming effortlessly. He didn't just learn—he understood. And every moment of understanding made his control sharper.
Soon, it was time for practical exercises. Today's task was Leaf Concentration Training—the first and most basic step in chakra control. Each student was handed a green leaf.
"Your goal, " the teacher said, "is to channel a steady stream of chakra and make the leaf stick to your forehead. If you can hold it for ten seconds, you pass. "
The students began at once. For most of them, the leaf either fluttered away or slipped down their faces. Even the talented ones like Sasuke needed a few tries before managing five seconds.
But Naruto? He placed the leaf on his forehead, closed his eyes, and—
Shhhk. The leaf glowed faintly blue as chakra enveloped it perfectly. It didn't tremble. It didn't even move.
Ten seconds passed. Then twenty. Then thirty.
The teacher stared, dumbfounded. He pulled out a stopwatch out of habit, but the seconds kept ticking with no change.
Finally, at the one-minute mark, he cleared his throat loudly. "Alright, Naruto, that's… more than enough! "
Naruto opened his eyes. "Already? " He lifted the leaf off casually, as if nothing special had happened.
The teacher forced a smile. "Y-yes, excellent work. "
But inside, he was thinking something else entirely. He didn't just hold the leaf steady. The chakra density around it was completely uniform!
That level of control was unheard of for an Academy student. Even most genin couldn't maintain such stability.
After class ended, the teachers gathered in the staff lounge, murmuring among themselves. "I heard Uzumaki Naruto showed extraordinary chakra control today. " "Yeah, Iruka's class. He said the boy could stabilize the leaf for over a minute. " "Over a minute! ? Is that even possible? "
One of the older instructors frowned. "Did he show any signs of using the Nine-Tails' chakra? "
Iruka shook his head. "No. It was pure chakra—refined, stable, and perfectly balanced. "
The others exchanged uneasy glances. The implications were clear. If this continued, Naruto's potential would surpass every other student at the Academy. And that kind of power… was both a blessing and a threat.
Meanwhile, Naruto walked home through the afternoon sun, hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his face. He could feel the chakra flowing naturally within him now— smooth, obedient, like an extension of his will.
He didn't need anyone's approval anymore. Not the teachers, not the Hokage, not the villagers. He was walking his own path, step by step.
And if the world wouldn't accept him— then he'd make a world that would.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 50 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: www.patreon.comTheShadowMonarch