Asuma Sarutobi stood with his arms crossed, watching the boy in front of him. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Naruto's chakra reserves were enormous—far beyond what any ordinary genin should have. His taijutsu was explosive, his instincts sharp, and he could already use high-level ninjutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique.
The young man in front of him was no ordinary ninja.
After finally dispersing his clones, Naruto wiped sweat from his forehead, gasping for breath. Then, with that familiar grin of pride, he blurted out:
"Ha! How was that, Asuma-sensei?! Pretty amazing, right?"
Asuma raised an eyebrow and exhaled a lazy ring of smoke.
"I'm not your sensei," he said calmly. "And besides… I never agreed to teach you any ninjutsu."
Naruto's grin faltered. "Ehh?! Then am I not qualified enough or what?!"
Asuma gave a small chuckle. "It's not that." He studied the boy thoughtfully. "With your current power, you're more than qualified. You're already a natural genius."
Naruto blinked, clearly surprised by the compliment.
Asuma flicked the ash from his cigarette. "But tell me, how much do you actually know about Wind Release ninjutsu?"
Naruto puffed his chest proudly. "I'm already practicing one! It's called Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
He stepped forward eagerly, forming hand seals as he shouted:
"Boar! Dragon! Hands clasped—Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm!"
He thrust his palms forward with all his strength.
And then—nothing happened.
Not even a breeze.
The silence was deafening.
Naruto's eyes widened in confusion. "Huh?! What the—"
Asuma's expression softened slightly. "Your hand seals are fine. Your chakra is fine, too."
He flicked his cigarette again, letting it fall to the dirt. "But your problem lies in the basics—chakra control, balance, and release. Without mastering those, no Wind Release jutsu will ever work."
Naruto frowned. "Chakra control? You mean, like walking on water and stuff?"
"Exactly," Asuma replied. "Those exercises are designed to teach precise chakra manipulation. Since you didn't experience those properly during your Genin training, trying to force elemental ninjutsu now is like trying to build a house without a foundation."
Naruto scowled stubbornly. "But Sasuke didn't go through all that either! And he can already use Fire Release! That's not fair!"
The name made Asuma pause. His eyes flickered. "Uchiha Sasuke?"
He exhaled deeply. "I've heard of him… The last Uchiha of Konoha. He reminds me of Kakashi in his youth—another prodigy cursed by his own genius."
Naruto's brows furrowed, but Asuma continued.
"It's true, some people can unleash elemental ninjutsu without perfect chakra control. But it's inefficient. It drains enormous chakra for little effect." He smiled faintly. "Uchiha Sasuke's a natural genius. Even without proper training, he could ignite Fire Release techniques on instinct."
Naruto clenched his fists. "Then I'll just train until I can do the same! Please, Asuma-sensei!"
He bowed his head deeply, shouting with all his heart. "Please help me train!"
For a moment, Asuma said nothing. He just watched the boy's burning determination. Then, slowly, he smiled.
He was already helping Naruto in his own way—the kid just hadn't realized it yet.
"It's not impossible for me to teach you," Asuma said at last, "but first, you'll have to pass a small challenge of mine."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "A challenge? I can do it! Anything!"
Asuma's lips curled into a grin. "Good. Then your first task is—climbing a tree."
Naruto froze. "Huh?! Tree climbing? That's the challenge?!"
Asuma chuckled softly, smoke curling from his lips. "Yes. But not just any climbing. You can't use your hands—you'll climb using only your feet."
Naruto's jaw dropped. "What?! That's impossible!"
Asuma didn't respond with words. With one hand in his pocket and his cigarette in the other, he casually walked to a nearby tree. Then, without hesitation, he stepped onto the trunk—vertically.
His feet stuck to the bark as if it were solid ground. Step by step, he walked upward, the cigarette glowing between his fingers. When he reached the top, he swung onto a branch and looked down at Naruto with a smirk.
He took a deep drag and exhaled a perfect smoke ring that drifted lazily through the air. "See? Basic ninja training."
Naruto stood there, mouth open wide in awe. "That's… that's so cool!"
Asuma gestured with his cigarette. "To do this, you must channel chakra to the soles of your feet. Control it precisely—too little and you'll fall, too much and you'll blast the bark right off."
He jumped down lightly, landing with grace. "It looks simple, but it requires delicate control. If you can reach the top within three days, I'll personally teach you Wind Release techniques."
Naruto's eyes blazed with fiery determination. "Got it!"
He clenched his fists and shouted, "I'll reach the top no matter what! You'll see, Asuma-sensei!"
He immediately gathered chakra beneath his feet and charged at the nearest tree.
"Here I go!"
He sprinted up the trunk… for exactly two steps—then lost balance and flew backward with a loud thud!
"AAAH!" he groaned, lying flat on his back, eyes swirling. "That hurt…"
Asuma smirked. "It's not that easy, is it? Go home, practice, and come back once you've done it. Three days. If you succeed, I'll train you personally."
Naruto winced, rubbing his back. "You got it! I'll definitely climb all the way up!"
And with that, he dashed off toward home, shouting to himself about becoming the best Hokage.
Asuma watched his retreating figure disappear down the road. A faint smile tugged at his lips. The boy's energy reminded him of someone—himself, perhaps, long ago.
Then, the sound of a sliding door broke the quiet. From the house behind him, an old man stepped out, his face calm but wise, pipe resting between his fingers.
"Asuma," said the familiar voice. "He didn't realize it, but you were guiding him all along. Why?"
It was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—his father.
Asuma turned, his expression unreadable. "Why? No reason. I just felt like it."
Hiruzen studied his son silently for a moment. "You still haven't forgiven me, have you?"
Asuma didn't look away. "There's nothing to forgive. I understand your position. As Hokage, you always have to think about the village first. But everyone has their own choices to make."
Hiruzen sighed softly, pipe smoke curling into the air. "Then tell me, why did you come back to the village after all this time?"
Asuma shrugged, his tone half-joking, half-serious. "I don't know. Maybe it was just a whim."
The old man smiled faintly. "Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're back."
He placed a gentle hand on Asuma's shoulder. "Welcome home, Asuma."
Then he turned and walked away, leaving only the faint scent of tobacco in the air.
Asuma watched him go, emotions swirling behind his calm expression. His father's words lingered in his chest like an unresolved melody.
What did he really want? What was he fighting for?
He didn't have the answer yet.
But one name echoed in his thoughts—Uzumaki Naruto.
That kid's determination burned like a wildfire. Maybe, just maybe, training him would help Asuma find his own path again.
With a small smirk, he glanced back at the tall tree. "Interesting kid…"
---
Naruto's Training
Naruto raced home, his mind buzzing with excitement. But instead of heading inside, he stopped in front of the large tree across the street—a tree that held a lot of history.
The Anbu once used this tree to secretly observe him. Iruka-sensei had once stood there too, watching him train when he was still a lonely prankster. Now, Naruto looked at it differently.
"Alright," he said with a grin. "This is the perfect tree for my training!"
He clenched his fists. "If I want to master Wind Release: Gale Palm in ten days, I'll need Asuma-sensei's help. But first—I've gotta prove myself!"
Naruto shut his eyes and began to focus.
Refine the chakra… control it… gather it under my feet… steady…
"Okay!" He took a deep breath, then charged. "Here I go!"
He leapt forward—and immediately crashed to the ground again. Thud!
He groaned, pushing himself up. "Still not working! Again!"
He gathered chakra once more and tried again.
Thud!
"Again!"
Bang!
"Again!"
And again. And again.
Each time he fell, he got up, brushing dirt from his face. His body ached all over. His chakra was nearly depleted. But his spirit—his spirit never wavered.
Sweat poured down his face, his breathing ragged. Yet every time he fell, he clenched his fists tighter.
"No giving up," he growled through gritted teeth. "I'll master this, even if it kills me!"
The sky slowly turned orange as the sun dipped behind the trees. The shadows lengthened, but Naruto continued. Again and again, he fell and climbed, fell and climbed—until his vision blurred and his legs trembled from exhaustion.
Finally, he collapsed under the tree, panting hard, staring up at the sky filled with evening stars.
"Just you wait… Asuma-sensei…" he whispered, a tired but determined grin spreading across his face. "Tomorrow… I'm climbing all the way to the top."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)