The weeks merged into a grey streak. Team 7's life entered a new rhythm—monotonous, sluggish, consisting of an endless succession of D-rank missions.
"I won't weed this old hag's garden anymore!" Sakura shrieked, ripping out a particularly stubborn weed along with clumps of earth.
Kakashi, as always, was meditating with his book at the edge of the roof.
"Calm down," Sasuke hissed. The brush in his hand moved with grim, irritated efficiency. He hated this. Every stroke of paint on the fence felt like a criminal waste of time stolen from training.
Naruto remained silent.
He was painting too, but without irritation. His movements were steady, hypnotic.
Monotonous labor became a tool. While his hands moved up and down, his mind went inward. Qi circulation through the meridians, again and again, synchronized with the rhythm of the work.
Over these weeks, he felt the changes. Quality food from Ichiraku and constant practice had densified the energy. He had reached the peak of the Middle Stage of Body Tempering. The next "bottleneck" was close. He felt it like a dam ready to burst.
"She escaped! Again!!!" Sakura's screech cut the air.
The mission to catch Tora the cat. A genin's worst nightmare.
Sasuke and Sakura darted through the alleys like two enraged furies, kicking up dust and knocking over trash cans.
Naruto stood in the middle of the street. Kakashi lazily cocked an eye.
"Naruto, don't want to help?"
A nod. Eyes closed.
Qi Sensory: Expansion.
The world turned into a map of vibrations. A chaotic flash to the left—Sakura. A sharp spark to the right—Sasuke. And a tiny, frightened pulsation hiding under an old porch three houses away.
He didn't run. Simply walked. Calm steps around the corner. Crouched down. His hand slipped into the darkness under the rotting planks.
A jerk—and a desperately hissing ball of fur hung in the air, held by the scruff of its neck.
He walked up to his teammates, who had just collided heads at the intersection.
"Looking for this?"
Sakura stared at him, breathing heavily.
"How... How did you do that?! We were chasing her for an hour!"
A shrug.
"Just got lucky."
Sakura frowned. He got "lucky" too often. Passing the exam, the bells, now this damn cat... A glance at Sasuke—he looked ready to kill. A glance at Naruto—absolute calm.
She had to admit: since getting his forehead protector, he had become... different. Still Naruto, but not the one she knew.
...
Night. Sanctuary.
Limit reached.
Months of strengthening bones and marrow were complete. It was time for the final step—the transition to the Late Stage of Body Tempering.
Strengthening Internal Organs, the scroll read.
Naruto sat in the lotus position. He knew: it would hurt. Muscles and bones were the external frame. Organs were the core of life.
Deep breath.
The flow of Qi directed not along the meridians. Inward. Forcible pushing of pure, icy energy into the liver, kidneys, lungs.
Agony.
Not the sharp flash of a fracture. Not the burning of torn muscles. It was an all-consuming feeling, as if he were being frozen and burned simultaneously from the very inside.
His body rebelled. Lungs spasmed, refusing to inhale. His heart skipped a beat, then pounded in panic, trying to expel the "foreign" substance.
A stifled scream echoed off the stone walls.
Naruto collapsed onto his side, his body arched.
Another session of self-torture, the Nine-Tails commented lazily, awakened by the surge of energy.
Teeth clenched to grinding, forehead covered in cold sweat. Naruto didn't stop. He continued to push. Saturate. Cleanse. Strengthen.
The pain reached a peak... and snapped.
Crack.
Something clicked inside. The barrier fell.
The agony vanished instantly, replaced by a wave of warmth. The organs, having undergone tempering, accepted the Qi. His heart beat steadily and powerfully, like a well-oiled machine. His lungs inhaled air with incredible efficiency, as if he had been breathing through a straw before.
Breakthrough.
Late Stage of Body Tempering.
Euphoria lasted a second. Then darkness rolled in.
The body, having survived the shock of transformation, began to shut down. Meridians emptied, eyelids grew heavy as lead.
Naruto climbed out through the secret passage and collapsed onto the grass of Training Ground No. 7. He had no strength to reach home. He remained lying there, looking at the stars through the foliage, trying to recover energy.
Sense of time evaporated. How long had passed? An hour? Two?
Quiet steps on the grass. Not a shinobi.
Naruto was too exhausted to lift his head. His sensory perception barely flickered.
"Naruto?"
A soft voice.
Ayame-neesan. She stood a couple of steps away, clutching a bundle to her chest. Moonlight outlined her concerned face.
"I... I saw you go to the training ground... you train so hard," she said quietly. "Dad made something, turned out to be too much. You're probably hungry..."
She came closer. Saw the pale face, clothes soaked with sweat, shallow breathing.
"Oh! Naruto, are you okay?! Hurt?"
An attempt to sit up failed. His body didn't obey. Weak movement of the head.
"No... just... tired. Very."
Ayame bit her lip. Sank to her knees beside him.
"You can't eat lying down."
Gentle but confident hands lifted his head and... placed it on her lap.
Naruto froze.
Softness. Warmth. The smell of broth and soap.
"Ayame-neesan?.."
"Hush," she whispered, unwrapping the cloth. Warm onigiri. "Acting like a fool. Driving yourself half to death."
A piece of rice touched his lips.
"Eat."
He had no strength to argue. He ate.
She just sat in the silence of the night training ground, running her fingers through his hair and feeding him by hand while he lay on her lap. Silent, unconditional support.
In that moment, he felt safer than he ever had in his entire life.
...
Morning. Hokage's Office.
Team 7 lined up in front of the desk.
"Good work with the Daimyo's garden," Hiruzen grunted, studying the report. "I have another..."
"Hokage-sama! Kanashi-sensei!"
The door burst open. The Daimyo's wife rushed in, clutching a new unfortunate animal in her arms. "My sweet Tora! She ran away again!"
A heavy sigh from the Old Man.
"Well then. Team 7, your mission..."
"Hokage-sama. Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto's voice sounded calm, but firm.
All eyes converged on him.
"We are ready for more."
Sakura gasped at such impudence. Kakashi's eyebrow crept up.
Sasuke, standing nearby, glanced briefly at his teammate and nodded.
"He's right. We're wasting time."
Hiruzen looked at them over his pipe. Calm, confident Naruto. Grim, but solidary Sasuke. A glance at Kakashi.
The jonin smiled beneath his mask.
"Think you're ready? ...Alright."
The Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke.
"A C-rank mission has just come up. Escort duty..."