White Hair Ninja?

The next day, Naruto appeared in the woods by the river, using the space door to arrive. Once there, he went straight to a big tree and began pounding away at it.

At the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage had just settled in and was curious to see how Naruto's training was progressing. As he peered into the crystal ball, he saw the boy once again relentlessly punching a tree.

This worried the Third Hokage. He rubbed his temples, recalling Naruto's wild punches against Uchiha Sasuke the previous day.

Damn it! He thought. Letting him win once yesterday... Now the kid probably thinks he can become something by just beating up a tree!

The Third Hokage remembered when Naruto had first managed to refine chakra. The boy had spent three days struggling to master the Clone Technique, repeating it thousands of times.

Genius, or just stubborn?

The Clone Technique wasn't particularly difficult, yet Naruto took three days to learn it. Normally, even a novice could grasp it within a week. But Naruto had a massive chakra reserve, unlike any other ninja. Without it, he would've collapsed from chakra exhaustion long ago.

Now, the Third Hokage feared Naruto was throwing himself into another misguided physical training regimen. From the way he was hitting the tree, it didn't seem like he was even using half his strength. Yet he persisted, day after day...

The Third Hokage sighed and turned off the crystal ball. Out of sight, out of mind. But concerned for Naruto's wellbeing, he gave a directive to Anbu.

"Bring Metkai and Kakashi to see me."

"Yes, Lord Third Hokage!"

Meanwhile, by the river, Naruto's thoughts raced as he continued hammering the tree trunk with his fists. The surface of the tree began to dent visibly, sawdust flying with each punch. It wouldn't be long before Naruto needed new training equipment.

Not far away, Metkai and Kakashi observed Naruto's actions. After about half an hour, they both felt a headache similar to the Third Hokage's.

"Kai, will this kid ruin himself if he keeps training like this?" Kakashi asked.

Metkai, though passionate about youth and hard work, was equally concerned. "Well... he's got enthusiasm, but without the right training methods, his youth won't last."

When the Third Hokage had mentioned a hardworking child in the village, Metkai had been excited, even considering taking the child as a disciple. But upon learning that the child was the Nine Tails Jinchūriki and the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, Metkai had hesitated. While passionate, Metkai wasn't all muscle and no brain. He knew accepting the village's Jinchūriki as an apprentice might not sit well with the Third Hokage.

Kakashi, watching Naruto, was reminded of his late teacher, the Fourth Hokage. The resemblance between the two was striking, stirring up old emotions. He realized that Naruto's misguided training was due to a lack of guidance. The boy had no one to properly teach him.

The two Jōnin looked at each other and silently agreed to approach Naruto, hoping to give him some guidance. But as they walked past him several times, Naruto remained focused on the tree, seemingly oblivious to their presence.

In reality, Naruto had noticed them immediately—one with white hair, the other with a green jumpsuit. Their appearances were too distinct to miss. They'd passed by him multiple times, clearly sent by the Third Hokage. But their intentions were still unclear to him.

Annoyed, Naruto finally spoke up. "Hey! You two uncles! What's your deal? Can you stop pacing in front of me? I'm trying to train here!"

Metkai and Kakashi both winced at the boy's bluntness. The holes in the tree and Naruto's poor punching form made it obvious he wasn't really training, more like tree chopping.

However, they were both amazed by Naruto's physical resilience. The kid was only six years old! Wrong technique and all, yet still managing to knock chunks out of a tree. Most kids his age couldn't dream of that.

"Yo! Kid!" Metkai called out, with his usual enthusiasm. "My best friend and I were just passing by and noticed you were training... not quite right. If you keep this up, you might..." He glanced at Naruto, who seemed perfectly fine despite his flawed methods, and hesitated. "Let me show you the proper way to throw a punch!"

Naruto was confused. Was his punching form really wrong? It shouldn't be... He'd seen enough martial arts and boxing in his previous life. He'd even beaten Sasuke yesterday using these moves. Surely, they were effective!

But before he could dwell on it, the green-clad Metkai started demonstrating. "Young man! The proper technique involves using your legs, hips, and finally, your fists."

Boom—

Metkai struck the tree with precision, showing a perfect form. He continued to demonstrate, throwing punches and kicks, making sure Naruto could see the basics of physical attacks.

"Got it?" Kakashi asked, his tone as flat as ever.

Naruto watched intently and nodded. "Got it!"

Seeing Metkai's demonstration, Naruto quickly understood the mechanics. In his mind, he compared it to a concept from his previous life's anime—how the body could have three hearts, all vital for power generation. With Metkai's guidance, Naruto re-envisioned his movements and threw a punch.

Boom—

The punch sent splinters flying as it collapsed a section of the tree. The already weakened tree couldn't withstand the force and fell.

Kakashi's eyes widened. Even without Tsunade's legendary strength, this kid had just knocked down a tree with a single punch. Naruto's strength was remarkable, especially for a child his age. Kakashi couldn't help but think that this level of power could hurt even an experienced ninja.

Metkai, impressed, gave Naruto an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Excellent! Your form is perfect! Keep at it, young man! Your youth should never be limited!"

Kakashi, rubbing his temples, was exasperated. Was it really okay to say that? If Naruto became obsessed with physical training, the Third Hokage would surely have words for Metkai.

Touched by Naruto's effort, Metkai decided to take Kakashi to the training ground, where they could spar and rekindle the flames of youth.

As the two Jōnin left, Naruto stood by the fallen tree, mulling over the new technique. With proper form, he could punch a hole the size of a fist through the tree.

But...

Naruto estimated that at this rate, there wouldn't be enough trees in this forest for him to punch through.