"Good morning, my boy."
Kakashi's calm voice drifted across the quiet forest clearing. Naruto straightened his back immediately, excitement sparkling in his eyes. Kakashi held up a single leaf between his fingers as the morning breeze rustled through the trees.
"The ninjutsu I demonstrated earlier is called Wind Release: Wind Cutting Technique," Kakashi explained. "Many shinobi in the Anbu are able to master it. It's considered a relatively common Wind Release technique."
Naruto listened with full focus.
"This jutsu is the opposite of your Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. While Great Breakthrough relies on raw power and overwhelming air pressure, Wind Cutting Technique requires incredibly delicate chakra control."
Kakashi lifted the leaf slightly.
"The secret is simple in theory, but extremely difficult in practice. You must generate two separate wind pressures—equal in power but opposite in direction—then intersect them. As the two wind streams grind against one another, the pressure difference creates a slicing force sharp enough to cut nearly anything."
He flicked his wrist lightly.
"Like this."
A flash of wind was released, silent and clean. The leaf split precisely in half, the pieces drifting off in opposite directions. Naruto gasped.
"Wow! That's awesome, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi nodded. "Although this technique is common, mastering it is not easy. Controlling the flow of two opposing wind chakras and making them intersect at the perfect point requires exceptional precision."
Naruto clenched his fists eagerly. "I get it! I'll start training right away!"
But Kakashi smiled behind his mask and placed his hands in his pockets.
"Wrong, Naruto."
Naruto froze. "Huh?"
"My special training for you is different."
He lowered his voice, serious and unwavering.
"I want you to study both Wind Release: Great Breakthrough and Wind Release: Wind Cutting Technique at the same time."
Naruto stared. "W–what?! Both at once?!"
Kakashi nodded. "Since you've chosen both paths, you must master both simultaneously. If you can't learn both jutsu together, you will never reach the advanced Wind Chakra Mode you dream of creating in the future."
Naruto's eyes widened. This was his unique, customized training—completely tailored to his rare potential.
Two different wind release styles.
Practiced alternately.
At the same time.
No one had ever trained like this before.
But Naruto quickly regained his usual fiery confidence. "Oh! I understand, Kakashi-sensei! Leave it to me! I can do it!"
Kakashi's eye curved in a smile. "Not so fast, Naruto. This special training isn't simple."
He paused, letting the suspense build.
"My condition is that you must perfectly master both Wind Release jutsu within three days."
Naruto nearly choked. "T–three days?! That's impossible!"
"And," Kakashi continued, ignoring him, "you may use Shadow Clones. However, neither the real you nor the clones are allowed to repeatedly train the same jutsu. You must alternate."
He raised a finger.
"One attempt of Great Breakthrough. Then one attempt of Wind Cutting. And repeat."
Naruto grabbed his head and groaned. "Kakashi-sensei! Are you trying to make me go insane?!"
Kakashi simply replied, "Naruto, this training is extraordinarily difficult… but I believe you can do it."
Naruto froze.
Those words—Kakashi's belief in him—ignited something warm in his chest. In that moment, the impossible didn't feel impossible anymore. He clenched his fists.
"I got it, Kakashi-sensei! I'll master both jutsu in three days!"
At that very moment, the system inside him triggered a notification.
[System Mission: Begin dual Wind Release training according to Kakashi Hatake's instructions.
Master both jutsu within 3 days or receive the System's Lightning Release punishment.]
Naruto shivering for a moment—not from fear, but from a sudden surge of determination.
"Alright! Let's go!"
He formed a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Ten clones appeared around him. He didn't dare create more; training with clones was dangerous when the load was too heavy.
Naruto and his clones shouted together—then chaos erupted.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutting Technique!"
The two completely opposite jutsu were trained alternately, forcing Naruto to constantly shift between overwhelming power and needle-like precision. This continuous cycling drained chakra rapidly and overloaded the mind.
It was like swinging a sledgehammer with full strength one moment, then trying to thread a needle with trembling fingers the next—over and over.
Even though Naruto had battled through missions and endured harsh training, this was utterly brutal. Within minutes, both he and his clones grabbed their heads, groaning.
"Aaaaah!"
"This is insane!"
"My brain is gonna explode!"
At first, Naruto had used two Shadow Clones to help him combine Wind Release: Gale Palm with the Shuriken Technique during Asuma's training. But now, even clones had to alternate between jutsu—the difficulty multiplied.
More clones were useless. They would only make it worse.
Meanwhile, Kakashi relaxed on a large boulder nearby, casually reading his book.
Tazuna, however, frowned deeply.
"Kakashi… isn't this a bit too much for Naruto? He looks like he's suffering."
Kakashi didn't look up. "If he wants to achieve goals beyond ordinary shinobi, he must undergo training beyond ordinary shinobi. This is normal."
Tazuna sighed. "Those who can become ninja… truly must endure hardships others can't."
Suddenly, he sensed something. He turned around—but saw nothing.
Kakashi flipped a page. "It's your grandson, Inari. He's been following us secretly for a while."
Tazuna blinked. "Inari…? That child… he still hasn't been able to let go."
"But perhaps Naruto can help him regain his courage. If he sees Naruto's effort and willpower, maybe he'll understand something."
Kakashi's voice softened. "Naruto has that kind of influence."
Behind a tree, Inari watched silently.
Naruto was a mess—sweating, panting, dizzy—but he never stopped. Even when he complained loudly, he immediately returned to training.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust roared, shaking leaves and trees.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutting Technique!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes, steadying his breath. His chakra fine-tuned itself with painful effort, forming intersecting air currents that sliced a small leaf in two.
Sweat drenched him. Unable to bear the heat, he tore off his jacket and continued training shirtless, muscles straining with every technique.
Sweat dripped like rain.
Inari watched, stunned. The scene overlapped with memories of his father—how he forced himself to keep working, building bridges, fishing, and resisting Gato's tyranny under the burning sun.
"Hmph…"
Inari grumbled softly.
"What's the point?"
"In the end, you'll give up… won't you?"
"There are no heroes in this world…"
But Naruto didn't respond. He just kept training.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest…
Sasuke sprinted through the trees, frustration burning inside him. Sweat ran down his face as he slashed kunai marks into the tree trunk each time he climbed higher.
At first, his improvement was quick. But by the afternoon, progress slowed to a crawl.
And he was still nowhere near the treetop.
Sasuke panted, anger rising.
"Damn it… how can simple tree climbing be this hard? Naruto is already way ahead of me…"
He clenched his fists.
"What do I do? I bragged in front of him earlier. If I fail… he'll tease me forever!"
Just then, he noticed Hinata training near the riverbank, practicing walking on water. She released chakra under her feet in controlled bursts, managing to stay above water—though barely. Her posture trembled as she tried to balance.
Because she came from a clan trained in chakra control, she progressed steadily, but it was clearly difficult.
Sasuke looked around. Naruto and Kakashi were far away. No one else was here.
His pride wavered. He hesitated, then moved closer to Hinata.
As Hinata tried again, her chakra slipped, and she fell into the water with a splash.
But she didn't give up—she stood again immediately, preparing for another attempt.
Then she noticed Sasuke watching her.
Her face turned bright red.
"S–Sasuke… is something wrong?"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)