After Tazuna arranged accommodations for the team, Naruto imdiately turned to Shigure with a look of urgency.
"Shigure! Wanna keep training? I still can't finish the last step!"
He was referring to the final phase of learning the Rasengan—a stage he just couldn't seem to master. His chakra control wasn't refined enough, and the demands of the final step were too high for him at the mont.
"Then let's work on chakra control."
Chakra control training, huh?
Kakashi gave Shigure a subtle glance. From the way he spoke, it sounded like this kid already knew the thods for chakra control training?
They soon arrived at a forest clearing near the harbor. The area had plenty of sturdy trees—not far from the sea—making it a great spot for basic chakra control drills like tree climbing and water walking.
"Alright," Shigure said. "The first step in chakra control training: tree climbing."
"Tree climbing?" Naruto and Sasuke exchanged confused looks.
Was that… supposed to be a technique?
But before they could ask, Shigure leapt onto a tree trunk, planting his feet firmly against the bark so that his body was completely horizontal—parallel to the ground.
Then he casually began walking up toward the treetop, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"That's tree climbing," he said over his shoulder.
Kakashi nodded quietly from the sidelines.
As expected… Shigure's already mastered the basics of chakra control.
His form was perfect. His movents smooth and efficient. Not a single ounce of chakra wasted.
"How… how is that even possible?" Sasuke muttered, dumbfounded.
"It's easy," Shigure called down. "Just concentrate your chakra to the soles of your feet and start walking. The trick is figuring out the balance for yourself."
By the ti he finished explaining, he had already reached the top of the tree.
He flipped down effortlessly and landed on his feet.
"Alright, ti to get to work! I've got my own training to do."
Naruto nodded and rushed over to the nearest tree, determined to begin.
Sasuke, however, kept watching Shigure. He was curious—what kind of training would soone like him be doing?
But instead of anything flashy, Shigure just strolled off to the side and began simple physical exercises: push-ups, sit-ups, squats.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
That's it? Just basic body training? Is he slacking off?
But there was more to it.
At this stage, physical condition was the only area where Shigure hadn't fully t the threshold.
Despite having three high-level taijutsu skills sitting in his passive ability bar, his body still wasn't quite where it needed to be to fuse his Kekkei Genkai.
According to the analysis of the Great Sage, passive developnt alone would take ten more days to reach the required level for combining Boil Release and Ice Release.
But if Shigure trained actively, it might only take two.
And conveniently, they had exactly three days left in the Land of Waves.
So Shigure made his decision: he'd use this window to bring his body up to standard, so he could begin the fusion as soon as they returned to Konoha.
As Naruto and Sasuke continued their tree climbing exercises, they gradually fell into a quiet competition—each trying to outdo the other.
By midday, both had finally reached the treetops, panting and dripping with sweat. The training had pushed their chakra control to a new level.
But when Sasuke looked back toward Shigure, he was stunned.
Shigure was still doing the sa physical drills. Sa form. Sa pace. No signs of fatigue.
Wait… has he been doing that nonstop since morning?
Sa motion, sa speed, sa rhythm—for hours straight?
Even his breathing hadn't changed.
Sasuke stared. So did Naruto.
"Is he even human…?" Naruto whispered.
They were completely exhausted from chakra control training, yet Shigure looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat.
Kakashi, of course, had already noticed.
"This kid's training regin is even more insane than Guy's…"
"We're done with tree climbing. What's next—?" Sasuke asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
But before he could finish, Shigure answered imdiately:
"Next is water-walking. Let Kakashi-sensei handle the details."
Sasuke and Naruto turned toward their teacher, who was still calmly reading his book.
With a sigh, Kakashi snapped it shut and said,
"Alright, follow ."
By the riverbank, Kakashi began teaching them the water-walking thod—a more advanced chakra control exercise than tree climbing. The principle was the sa: concentrate chakra into the soles of your feet to stand on water.
Now the real test of balance and chakra modulation would begin.
Water-walking training was different from tree climbing.
Because the surface was fluid and constantly shifting, the chakra infused into the soles of the feet had to flow as well—and its flow rate needed to adjust in real-ti with the water's movent.
That ant one thing: fine-tuned, dynamic chakra control.
Thankfully, Naruto and Sasuke had already grasped the fundantals of chakra control from their tree climbing training. Now, it was just a matter of adapting to this new challenge.
After three hours of falling, splashing, and yelling, both of them finally managed to stand steadily on the water's surface and even walk a short distance.
They continued their training for the rest of the day before returning to shore to catch their breath.
Across the clearing, Shigure was still going at it—his body repeating the sa fluid, precise motions at an unwavering pace.
"This guy… doesn't he get tired?" Naruto muttered, stunned.
For the first ti, Naruto felt like soone outclassed even his abnormal stamina.
Sasuke watched in silence, swallowing hard. At first, he had looked down on Shigure's physical training. But after seeing him maintain perfect form without pause for an entire day, he understood.
So that's why… during the fight with Zabuza, Shigure's raw strength could suppress him.
This is how he trains… in private.
Swish! Swish! Swish!!
Suddenly, a cry rang out from nearby.
"It's happening! It's happening!"
Naruto stood in place, both hands cradling a glowing orb of blue chakra—one that crackled and pulsed with violent energy.
Even Kakashi, still observing from a distance, widened his eye.
"That's…"
BOOM!!!
Naruto hurled the Rasengan at a nearby tree.
The impact was imdiate—chakra exploded outward as the massive trunk was torn apart. A deep crater carved through its center, and the tree ca crashing down in a heap.
Naruto looked at the destruction, panting, his lips curling into a wide grin.
Shigure approached with a rare smile on his face.
"You finally did it. Congratulations, Naruto."
Naruto scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.
"Hehe… Thanks, Shigure."
Sasuke, still catching his breath, turned to the destroyed tree… then to Naruto… and then clenched his fists.
"Damn it… Even Naruto's mastered such a powerful jutsu."
"At this rate… am I… Uchiha Sasuke… really the weakest in Team 7?"
Shigure clapped his hands once.
"It's getting late. Let's finish today's training with so taijutsu."
He turned toward the others, smiling faintly.
"Wanna spar with ? No sword, no jutsu—just pure hand-to-hand combat."
Naruto lit up instantly.
"Sure! I'm in!"
He stepped forward without hesitation.
Shigure then looked toward Sasuke.
"What about you? Want to join?"
Sasuke's gaze didn't waver. His eyes narrowed, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Of course."
...
TN:
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