"You're addicted to studying, aren't you?!"
Naruto could almost hear the mocking voice of the system in his head as he slumped against the academy desk. Ten minutes of frantic chakra refining had just bumped his reserves up by a whole three points, and the refining technique itself had climbed to fifty-eight in proficiency. The numbers blinked cheerfully in his mind's eye.
Great. Wonderful.
Except he felt like he'd run ten marathons.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he gulped for air. Finally… class is starting. He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his orange jacket and tried to relax.
The door slid open. Mizuki-sensei stepped in, all calm professionalism.
"Today," Mizuki announced, "we will continue with—Chemistry."
Naruto's stomach dropped.
Chemistry? Again?
"Aaaaah!" he groaned inwardly, though he managed to keep his mouth shut. Why does a ninja have to study something like Chemistry?!
Still, he forced his eyes wide and sat up straight. He'd learned his lesson from the last class: focus or suffer. He locked his gaze on the blackboard and slipped into that razor-sharp state of concentration the system rewarded.
It worked—but at a cost. His mind throbbed, his body ached, and his endurance frayed by the minute. If the previous lesson had been pure torture, this one was its evil twin. Yet he refused to look away. He would endure. He had to endure.
Lightning Release training awaited him, and that was worse than any chemical equation.
A soft chime echoed in his head.
> You have fully focused on the lecture for the first time.
Mastery of [Chemistry] increased. Proficiency +3. Current proficiency: 19 points.
"Only nineteen?!" Naruto muttered under his breath.
"Wasn't it sixteen before? That's barely an increase… even worse than physics class!"
Still, the visible numbers kept him going. They reminded him that effort mattered, that he was moving—slowly—toward something greater.
And other people noticed.
Students who normally ignored him began whispering.
"What's with Naruto today?"
"Did he… turn into a different person overnight?"
"Think he's possessed?"
"Shh! Don't be ridiculous. My dad said never to joke about that…"
Even if they didn't know the full story of the Nine-Tails sealed within him, the adults' wary attitudes had rubbed off on the children. They were used to keeping their distance. But a hyper-focused, hardworking Naruto was impossible to ignore. Whether he was the lazy prankster of old or this suddenly diligent version, he drew every eye in the room.
Sakura Haruno frowned at the chatter.
Is he… like this because of me? she wondered, then shook the thought away. Better not comfort him. He'd only misunderstand.
So she drifted back to Sasuke's side.
But the one watching most intently wasn't Sakura.
It was Sasuke himself.
His expression stayed cold, but inside his thoughts churned.
What is that dobe trying to pull?
Does he really think an ordinary loser can change his fate?
I won't lose to him. I can't. I still… I still have to kill that man. I can't afford to fall behind.
The memory of a blood-soaked night flashed before Sasuke's eyes—his family's lifeless faces, his brother's crimson Mangekyō Sharingan glowing like twin curses. Rage tightened his chest.
"Shut your mouth!" he snapped suddenly at Sakura and Ino when their whispers reached him.
"S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura's eyes widened. Everyone nearby fell silent, startled by his outburst.
Ino blinked, then huffed. "What's his problem?"
"Don't ask me," Sakura muttered. "And anyway—we're rivals in love, remember?"
"You'll lose, forehead girl!"
"Ino Pig!"
Their bickering barely registered. Sasuke had already turned away, fists clenched, diving into silent practice right there at his desk.
The ripple was immediate.
"Huh? Sasuke-kun is training too?"
"He's a genius—why would he need to work that hard?"
"Is it because of Naruto?"
"No way. Sasuke-kun is on a completely different level!"
Naruto, half-lost in his own battle, caught the commotion and turned his head. His eyes widened when he saw Sasuke working with the same grim intensity.
That jerk's practicing too? Did he see me working and get scared of being overtaken?
A grin tugged at Naruto's lips. Yeah… that's gotta be it!
> Warning: Lightning Release baptism countdown… 5… 4… 3…
"Ahhh! You don't have to remind me!" he hissed back at the invisible system.
If that Sasuke's training this hard, I need to go ten—no, a hundred—times harder!
He snapped back into practice mode.
Across the room, Sasuke did the same.
They didn't speak, but the tension crackled like a live wire.
The whole class felt it: a silent, searing contest of wills, as if lightning itself leapt between them.
---
Eight endless lessons later, the final bell rang.
Naruto should have been relieved, but the system had other plans.
> Host detected leaving for home. Journey recognized as taijutsu training opportunity.
Recommended action: weighted frog jumps on the route home.
Naruto gaped. "…Frog jumps? Weighted frog jumps? Give me a break!"
> Lightning Release baptism countdown… 5… 4… 3…
"Fine, fine!" he yelped. "I'll jump, okay?!"
He stuffed his books and practice weapons into his bag, slung it across his back, and crouched dramatically, as though marching toward glorious sacrifice.
The entire classroom froze.
Sasuke, Sakura, Mizuki—every teacher and student stared, bewildered.
"Is he… squatting to hop home?"
"Has he finally lost it?"
Only Iruka-sensei, watching from the hallway, smiled with quiet pride.
Naruto… effort is good. Just don't burn yourself out.
---
Outside, the late-afternoon sun painted the training fields gold.
Naruto began the long series of weighted frog jumps, each bound heavier than the last. His bag thumped against his shoulders like an extra set of shackles.
From the next training ground, a boy with a bowl-cut and magnificent eyebrows paused mid-kick. Rock Lee's eyes lit with admiration.
"That determination… incredible!" he whispered, fists tightening with resolve.
Farther away, hidden among the trees, a pale-eyed girl watched silently. Hinata clasped her hands, cheeks warm.
"Naruto-kun… you can do it," she murmured.
---
The road home stretched forever.
"Five hundred one… five hundred two… five hundred three…" Naruto counted under his breath.
Every muscle burned. Sweat soaked his clothes until they clung like wet towels. His legs trembled so violently he thought they might snap. He'd survived a full day of mental torture in class and hours of chakra refinement. Now this.
I, Naruto Uzumaki, he thought bitterly, am carrying burdens no normal twelve-year-old should carry.
Yet he didn't stop.
He wouldn't.
The memory of the Lightning Release baptism was enough to keep him leaping, no matter how his body screamed.
> Lightning Release avoided. Taijutsu proficiency +4. Stamina +2.
A weary grin spread across his face.
Maybe, just maybe, all this was worth it.
---
To be continued…