The sun hung lower than it should've—warm evening light stretching across the grass and creating long, dramatic shadows. Naruto had run off to chase a squirrel he claimed was "talking smack." Ethan suspected he just needed to burn off the last four hours of chakra adrenaline.
Which left Ethan and Sasuke alone.
A very different type of training atmosphere.
Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets, posture straight, eyes cool.
But beneath the usual calm?
A storm of emotions.
Frustration.
Pride.
Determination.
And something else—something sharp.
Ethan felt it even without chakra sensing.
"You're thinking too loud," Ethan said softly.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I don't think loud."
"You do today."
Sasuke didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Naruto's success had lit a fire under him—not jealousy, but a fierce, stubborn need to prove himself. Not to defeat Naruto. Not even to outshine him.
To grow.
To reach the unreachable place he carried in his heart.
Ethan tossed a new wooden dummy into place.
"Alright. When you're ready."
Sasuke walked toward it without another word.
---
I. Sasuke's Struggle — "Too much control can be a cage."
Sasuke channeled chakra into his arm.
Perfectly shaped.
Perfectly contained.
Perfectly balanced.
Too perfect.
He struck.
The dummy shook.
A small crack formed.
But there was no burst.
Sasuke scowled.
Ethan stepped closer. "You're doing what you always do."
"Which is what?"
"Suppress everything."
Sasuke's jaw tightened.
"Chakra bursts aren't about purity," Ethan continued. "They're about momentum. Pressure. Letting the energy move instead of trapping it."
Sasuke stayed silent, eyes narrowing.
"You're strangling your chakra," Ethan said.
Sasuke's voice dropped, low and ice-cold.
"I can't afford to lose control."
Ah.
There it was.
The truth.
Not spoken loudly.
Not with emotion.
Just… raw.
Ethan's expression softened. "Then let's teach you how to control release, not suppress power."
Sasuke looked up at him sharply.
And for the first time that day—
He listened without walls.
---
II. Ethan's Method — "Not every skill is learned alone."
Ethan raised a hand. "Give me your wrist."
Sasuke blinked, thrown off. "What?"
"Trust me."
A long pause.
Then Sasuke reluctantly extended his arm.
Ethan placed two fingers against Sasuke's wrist, not to hold him—just to feel.
"Channel chakra again," Ethan instructed.
Sasuke did.
The flow was clean. Efficient. Measured.
Too measured.
"Now," Ethan said softly, "don't shape it. Don't polish it. Just let it move to your hand naturally."
Sasuke stiffened. "That's sloppy."
"No," Ethan corrected.
"That's human."
Sasuke hesitated—then obeyed.
The chakra shifted.
It wavered.
It surged like water breaking past a dam.
Ethan nodded. "Good. Now compress it—not to control it, but to guide it."
Sasuke's chakra tightened around his fist like a coiled thread.
"That's it," Ethan murmured.
"Now step in.
Exhale.
And instead of hitting the dummy—
hit through it."
Sasuke inhaled.
The air around his arm shimmered.
He stepped forward—
sharp, clean footwork—
twisted his shoulder—
and punched.
This time—
BOOM.
A controlled, cold burst of chakra detonated at the moment of impact.
The dummy tore off its post.
The trunk behind it split a full hand-depth.
Sasuke froze.
Then slowly lowered his fist.
Ethan stared.
"…That wasn't just a burst," he said quietly.
"That was precise compression release. A more advanced version."
Sasuke looked at his hand as if seeing it for the first time.
"How strong was that?" he asked.
"Stronger than Naruto's," Ethan admitted.
Sasuke's lips twitched—almost a smile.
---
III. Panel Response — "Prodigy Trajectory Detected"
A faint shimmer flickered at the corner of Ethan's awareness.
[NARUTO NODE — UCHIHA ALIGNMENT UPDATE]
• Sasuke's Combat Growth Rate: +12%
• Chakra Control Projection: High
• Burst-Style Variant: Compression Release (Unique)
[SOCIAL TRAJECTORY SHIFT]
• Sasuke → Ethan: Trust +2
• Sasuke → Naruto: Rivalry +1 / Respect +1
• Team-Balance Risk: Low
[RECOMMENDATION]:
Begin paired drills soon. Their growth curves complement.
Ethan exhaled softly.
So the universe was satisfied.
Good.
---
IV. The Moment After — "Quiet pride, loud heart."
Sasuke stepped back, wiping the light sweat from his forehead.
"Again," he said. "I want to refine it."
Ethan chuckled.
"Alright. But take a second to breathe."
Sasuke gave him a look.
Ethan raised a brow.
"Fine. Fine. Do it your way."
They reset the dummy.
Sasuke tightened his stance.
But this time—just barely—there was a spark in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not grief.
Not loneliness.
A small, budding thrill.
The thrill of progress.
Of power grown honestly, not inherited.
Of becoming someone capable.
---
V. Naruto Returns — Chaos, Comedy, and Amazement
Naruto burst back into the clearing with grass in his hair and a squirrel sitting on his head looking equally offended.
"GUYS!! GUYS!! You won't BELIEVE what—"
He froze.
He stared at the shattered dummy, then at Sasuke, then at the dented tree.
"…You didn't."
Sasuke crossed his arms smugly.
"I did."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
Ethan sighed.
Here we go.
Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the collar.
"WE'RE FIGHTING RIGHT NOW—"
"No."
"—RIGHT NOW—"
"No."
"—COWARD!!"
"No."
Ethan gently peeled Naruto off Sasuke.
"Relax. You're both improving. And you'll learn his version too."
Naruto blinked.
"…I get the cool boom?"
"Eventually."
Naruto screamed cheerfully and punched the air.
The squirrel screamed less cheerfully and abandoned ship.
Sasuke hid his smile behind one hand.
---
VI. Closing — Three Kids, One Path
Evening deepened.
Naruto practiced "boom hands" while accidentally blasting dust clouds.
Sasuke quietly refined his compression release with surgical precision.
Ethan corrected their stances, footwork, breathing—
feeling something warm grow in his chest.
Three kids.
A wounded prodigy.
A lonely hero.
A stranger from another world.
Training together.
Growing together.
Changing the future by accident.
Ethan felt the Node hum—
Satisfied.
Aligned.
Stable.
And he couldn't help but smile.
Tomorrow, the real challenge began.
Teaching them to combine their chakra bursts in actual combat movement.
He was already tired thinking about it.