Training (3)

Beneath the canopy of towering trees, their leaves rustling gently in the warm breeze, Naoki stood with determination etched across his young face. The forest around him buzzed with life, birds chirping and insects humming, creating a natural symphony that accompanied his training. Shizune and Tsunade, two of Konoha's most skilled kunoichi, had taken on the task of mentoring the eager boy, their eyes gleaming with a mix of pride and anticipation.

Shizune, her short dark hair framing her kind face, began the lesson with a gentle smile. "Alright, Naoki-kun," she said, her voice carrying a hint of excitement, "we're going to start with the basics of ninja tool handling. Watch closely as I demonstrate the proper technique for throwing a shuriken."

With fluid grace, Shizune plucked a shuriken from her pouch and assumed a stance. Her movements were precise, each muscle working in perfect harmony as she launched the star-shaped projectile. It whistled through the air, embedding itself deep into the centre of a distant target with a satisfying thunk.

Naoki's eyes widened in awe. "Wow, Shizune-neesan! That was amazing!" he exclaimed, his enthusiasm palpable.

Shizune chuckled softly. "Now it's your turn, Naoki-kun. Remember, it's not just about strength. Let the motion flow through your entire body."

Naoki nodded, his face scrunching up in concentration as he mimicked Shizune's stance. He drew his arm back, the shuriken glinting in the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. With a sharp exhale, he released the projectile. It spun through the air, wobbling slightly before veering off course and clattering harmlessly to the ground.

"Eh?" Naoki's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "What did I do wrong, Shizune-neesan?"

Shizune approached him, her voice encouraging. "Don't worry, Naoki-kun. It takes practice. The key is to let the motion flow like water through your body. Use the momentum from your feet, all the way up to your arm."

As Naoki continued to practice, his throws gradually improved. The forest echoed with the sound of shuriken striking wood, punctuated by Shizune's patient guidance and Naoki's determined grunts.

After an hour of intense practice, Shizune introduced a new challenge. "Now, let's move on to senbon," she said, producing a thin, needle-like projectile. "These require even more precision and control."

Naoki's brow furrowed as he examined the senbon. "Shizune-neesan, you mentioned these are used in medical ninjutsu. Do you use them in your techniques?"

A mischievous glint appeared in Shizune's eyes. "As a matter of fact, I do," she replied, rolling up her sleeve to reveal a concealed launcher. "But I use them in a rather unconventional way."

As Shizune explained the intricacies of senbon use, Naoki listened intently, his mind absorbing every detail. When it came time for him to try, he found the delicate projectiles more challenging than the shuriken. His first attempts barely made it halfway to the target, but with each throw, his technique improved incrementally.

Meanwhile, at the nearby river, Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, her honey-colored eyes fixed on Naoki's shadow clones as they attempted to manipulate the water. The legendary Sannin's presence exuded strength and wisdom, her blonde pigtails swaying gently in the breeze.

"Tsuna-nee," one of Naoki's clones called out, confusion evident in his voice, "I'm having trouble understanding why we're focusing on manipulating existing water instead of creating it from chakra."

Tsunade's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Listen up, kid," she said, her tone firm but not unkind. "Mastering Water Release isn't just about creating water out of thin air. You need to understand how water behaves, how it flows and responds to your chakra. That's why we start with manipulating existing water."

She approached the river's edge, her steps confident and purposeful. With a swift motion, she dipped her hand into the cool water, causing it to swirl and rise at her command. "See this? This is what you're aiming for. Once you can do this, creating water from chakra will come more naturally."

Naoki's eyes widened in amazement. "That's incredible, Tsuna-nee! But... it looks so easy when you do it."

Tsunade let out a hearty laugh. "Ha! Easy? Kid, I've been doing this longer than you've been alive. Now, get back to work. I want to see that water moving by the end of the day!"

Encouraged by Tsunade's words, Naoki redoubled his efforts. He plunged his hands into the river, his face a mask of concentration as he attempted to infuse his chakra into the water. At first, nothing happened, the liquid remaining stubbornly still.

"Remember," Tsunade called out, her voice carrying over the sound of the flowing river, "don't just release your chakra. Condense it, give it form. Imagine you're shaping the water with your very will!"

Naoki closed his eyes, focusing intently on the feeling of his chakra. Slowly, ever so slowly, the water around his hands began to ripple. A small whirlpool formed, growing steadily larger as Naoki's control improved.

"That's it!" Tsunade exclaimed, a rare note of excitement in her voice. "Now you're getting it, kid!"

As the day wore on, Naoki alternated between practicing with Shizune and Tsunade. His shadow clones dissipated one by one, each dispelling rush of memories adding to his growing understanding of both ninja tools and water manipulation.

By the time the sun began to set, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and pink, Naoki was exhausted but exhilarated. His aim with shuriken had improved dramatically, and he could now create respectable ripples and small waves in the river with his chakra.

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged pleased glances as they watched their young pupil. "Not bad for a day's work," Tsunade remarked, a hint of pride in her voice. "But don't get cocky, kid. We've got a long way to go."

Shizune nodded in agreement. "That's right, Naoki-kun. Tomorrow, we'll build on what you've learned today. Get some rest; you'll need it."

As they made their way back to the village, Naoki's mind raced with all he had learned. The weight of the ninja tools in his pouch and the memory of the water responding to his chakra filled him with a sense of accomplishment and excitement for what was to come.

The forest around them gradually quieted as night fell, the day's training session coming to an end. But for Naoki, this was just the beginning of his journey to becoming a skilled shinobi, guided by two of Konoha's finest kunoichi.

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A/N- I apologise if it's very information heavy, however from what I've seen on other fanfics, people take whatever they read and use that principle on other fanfics, so I wanted to show, the way I think it works, and how it'll work on this fanfic. Also, I didn't just want to have a sentence saying that MC practised and just learned it, I wanted to show how he learned, the method he used to learn it and what mistakes he made while learning and how to improve on it, I hoped it would make it more realistic. Also, many things in Naruto, such as how to train something has never been really shown or mentioned before, so some stuff will be AU, however I will try retain as much as cannon as I can when it comes to facts, timeline sequences or training.

Another important thing which I'm sure many of you have noticed is that, I'm not the best when it comes to dialogue, however, I will slowly improve the more I write. Which tbh I have improved massively compared to when I first tried to write this fanfic, which was tbh horrendous, I still have the writing saved as a means to show me how much I've improved.

Btw, if there's something you think could be improved on, or hope to have your ideas introduced to this fanfic, please comment, also if you want pls send power stones. I have no clue what they do, but whenever I see someone send me some, I feel motivated to write more. Also, I love interacting with comments, and it actually makes me proud when I see people contributing to something I created. So if you have any perhaps Jutsu ideas, preferred water and earth jutsu, please comment them.

Another important note is thank you to Hyuga_Tobirama, thank you for the images you have sent which has been a huge help, also thank you for the power stones you have sent and the many others that have as you have been my core motivation to keep writing.

https://discord.gg/vgJrmuV7

Anyways, thanks for reading, hope to see you in the next chapter.