Chapter 6-Training 3

~Thuak-!

~Thuak-!

~Clang-!

~... -

The sound of metal clashing against wood echoed through the secluded clearing, concealed by the dense forest.

In the center of it all stood a red-haired child, no older than four. Surrounding him were numerous circular targets, attached to the trees and the ground.

With an assured swing of his hand and a flick of his wrist, he sent a barrage of kunai and shuriken flying through the air, hitting the bullseye of each target with deadly precision. The young boy's skill was undeniably impressive.

However, he didn't stop there. Moving swiftly, he coated his feet with chakra and vertically ran up the tree and jumped. In mid-air, he executed a graceful spin and launched another wave of projectiles towards the targets.

But this time only a few of them hit their mark. Majority of them missed and clatterd on the ground.

On the other hand, with a graceful backward somersault, the young boy landed perfectly on his feet.

The boy's expression remained stoic.

"Tch, not enough," he muttered with a hint of frustration.

The young boy was none other than Katsuo.

It has been months since Katsuo learned how to use chakra, and he was eager to move on to learning ninjutsu.

However, his father was quick to pour a bucket of cold water on him.

According to him, his chakra reserves were massive, even by Uzumaki standards. So, he wanted Katsuo to achieve a certain level of control before delving into ninjutsu, as it would be more beneficial in the long run.

Since then he had learned tree walking, water walking and other various chakra control exercises.

Now running up a tree, walking on water was as easy as drinking water for him.

Katsuo walked over to the targets and started to collect the scattered kunai and shurikens. Picking up his tossed weapons from the ground, he couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration gnawing at his heart. Despite his efforts, he hadn't hit all the targets with the precision he had hoped for.

This level of skill was undoubtedly astounding for a child of his age, but for Katsuo, it was not enough.

And it couldn't be helped; his soul was originally from Earth. There, he had watched the Naruto anime, and because of that, he had some preconceived world view about this world.

Watching the likes of Itachi and Kakashi, who could accurately hit multiple targets with just a flick of their wrists, whether the targets were still or moving, had left a deep impression on him. They made it seem effortless, like a simple task even in the most challenging situations.

Hitting a thrown kunai in mid-air and changing its trajectory to hit the target, it was nothing short of incredible.

While Katsuo wasn't arrogant enough to actually beleive that he could match the likes of Itachi and Kakashi yet, it had given him an understanding of what was possible for shinobi in this world, and he couldn't settle for anything less than that level of skill.

It drove him to strive for more while also creating a sense of frustration when his current abilities fell short of his lofty expectations.

The level of skills Katsuo displayed today was nothing short of amazing. He made it look effortless, as if hitting those targets was second nature to him.

But that couldn't be further from the truth. Just a few months ago, when he first attempted to throw kunai and shuriken, he struggled to even get them to fly straight, let alone hit the targets. It was a frustrating and humbling experience for him.

Since then, he had trained in this skill relentlessly, to the point where the joints on his wrist swelled up from all the flicking and throwing.

Cuts and bruises on his fingers were a daily occurrence.

"Time to go home, otherwise mom will be worried."

==========================

"I am home," I called out as I entered the house.

"Katsuo, come here," My mother's voice echoed from the living room, and I headed there to find her with a frown on her face.

I approached hesitantly, knowing I might be in for some scolding.

"There you are," she said, holding out her hand. "Show me your hands, young man."

Looking at his bruised hands the frown on her face deepened.

"Again, Katsuo? How many times is it? I've told you before, don't push yourself too hard. You're still a child, and you should be enjoying your childhood."

Then, she just sighed and started to heal his wounds with medical ninjutsu.

"Son, I know you feel pressure knowing that your father is the head of the clan and you want to become like him and believe me we are very proud of you. But it's no excuse to push yourself too hard. Yor are still a child, you should play with your friends."

"Mom, I don't have any friends, remember."

...

"..... Right...-!!

Akari sweat-dropped, marveled at the fact that 'how was it possible for her cute little son to not have a single friend."

Yes there are other kids of his age in the clan and he has met them but thise one time meetings can't be called friendship.

"Katsuo, you have to put a little more effort into socializing," she said with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "You can't just expect friends to magically appear out of thin air."

Katsuo scratched the back of his head sheepishly, looking a bit embarrassed by his lack of social connections. "I know, Mom. It's just... playing with stupid kids is boring, and it's way cooler to become a Ninja."

Akari's eyes twitched at her son's remarks. 'Kami, what is wrong with this world? Aren't children supposed to make friends and play?' She couldn't believe her son's nonchalant attitude towards making friends.

'What is wrong with him?

Is he even a child?!' -

~Oh! she doesn't know how accurate she was~

"It's all his fault," she muttered darkly. "It's all that bastard, Kenji's fault. He has corrupted my baby boy..."

Katsuo's eyes widened as he saw his mother's hair seemingly come alive, swaying like tentacles. Katsuo backed away in fear, realizing he had accidentally triggered her wrath mode.

"Uh, I should probably go now," Katsuo said nervously, trying not to incur more of his mother's theatrical wrath.

As he quickly made his exit, he solemnly prayed for his father's safety.

.....

.....

.

.

.

His father who was busy with his work suddenly felt a chill in his spine.

In the end, it was all just a typical day in the Uzumaki household.

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A/N: Hit me with some power stones.

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