Traning And Traning..

-----

Naruto finally found his voice and continued, "I guess it all started before I was even born..." Kurama responded swiftly, "It began when your mother was only half your age." Naruto fell silent, lost in thought as he processed the words.

Seeing 'Yuki' as a lost cause, Kurama pressed on, "So, when are you going to start your training? You've already wasted two days." Naruto, seizing the opportunity, quickly nodded. He summoned a clone and instructed it to buy weights and other necessary supplies.

Naruto wasted no time and immediately began his physical training. He started with the basics—push-ups, running, and squats—to warm up his body and build a foundation. Once he felt his muscles beginning to respond, he moved on to more intense exercises, like lifting heavy rocks while running laps around the training ground. Sweat dripped from his brow as he pushed his limits, determined to grow stronger with every movement. The sheer intensity of his focus left no room for distraction, each rep and stride driven by his unwavering resolve.

As soon as Naruto felt his body reaching its limit and could no longer continue, he would sit down to catch his breath and recover his strength. During these moments of rest, he shifted his focus to practicing the leaf concentration exercise—a method designed to enhance his chakra control. Placing a leaf on his forehead, he concentrated intently, channeling his energy with precision. The rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing helped him regain his composure while honing his control over his chakra, turning every break into an opportunity for growth.

'I don't recall any memories of Naruto practicing chakra control. On top of that, my merging with Naruto has caused our spiritual strength to rise significantly, which directly led to a sharp increase in chakra reserves—and even worse control. To make matters worse, I can sense a constant trickle of the Nine-Tails' chakra leaking into my system. It's slowly but surely merging with my own chakra, further expanding my already immense reserves.'

Kurama considered teasing him for thinking about Naruto as if he weren't Naruto himself but decided to hold his tongue, letting the moment pass in silence.

The day was uneventful. Naruto focused on his physical training, pushing his body to its limits. Whenever fatigue set in, he shifted to practicing chakra control, using the time to refine his focus. He chose not to create any additional clones, as the ones he had already summoned were busy gathering knowledge, Anything beyond that would guarantee him unbearable pain.

By the time evening arrived, Naruto was utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically. Lacking the energy to even stand, he asked one of his clones to carry him back to his apartment. He didn't have the strength to entertain any thoughts; the moment he collapsed onto his bed, sleep claimed him instantly.

The next day unfolded much the same as the last. The clones were still taking their time meticulously reading through everything. It didn't take long for Naruto to realize the reason behind this.

'The clones aren't as sharp as the original. That means a single clone won't make as much progress as I would on my own. They might even need to reread a single book multiple times just to provide me with a perfect memory of it.'

Accepting this limitation, Naruto decided not to dwell on it further. Instead, he threw himself back into his intense training routine, determined to keep pushing forward.

---

(A/N: I'm doing it to limit his improvement to some degree. It wouldn't matter much when you can create thousands of clones anyway.)

---

This continued throughout the rest of the day. As Naruto focused on the leaf concentration exercise, he noticed one of his shadow clones rushing toward him.

"Boss, I think it's best for you to stop your training for today," the clone said.

Naruto didn't respond verbally but shot him a questioning look. Picking up on this, the clone quickly explained, "Boss, the information-gathering task is complete. Even though you'd survive thanks to the Nine-Tails, it's still risky to push yourself further. That's why you should rest while we dispel ourselves one by one, giving you the memories gradually and allowing you to process them properly."

Naruto slowly stood up, letting the leaves fall from his body, and offered a faint smile to his shadow clone. Without a word, he began making his way toward his apartment, his steps slow but steady, with the clone silently following close behind.

As they reached the door of the apartment, Naruto glanced at his clone with a smirk. "Don't you wonder why I didn't tell you to dispel?"

The clone gulped nervously but said nothing, already resigned to his fate. Seeing this, Naruto nodded in satisfaction and continued, "I'm in the mood for something heavy to eat today. How about..."

After placing his order Naruto made his way to take a bath. He took his time in the bathtub enjoying the melting pain from today's traning.

Then after eating finally settled down to sleep.

After placing his order, Naruto headed to the bathroom and took his time in the bathtub, letting the warm water soothe the aches and pains from the intense training. He relaxed as the tension in his muscles slowly melted away. Once he finished, he enjoyed a hearty meal before finally settling into bed, his body and mind ready for much-needed rest.

The next Day~

Naruto woke up with a sharp pain in his head, his hand instinctively clutching his forehead. It had taken the entire night for his mind to process all the information his clones had gathered, and the resulting headache was excruciating. The pain felt as if his brain were being torn apart, like a living hell.

After what felt like an eternity, the pain finally began to subside. Naruto slowly regained his senses and, refusing to waste any more time, quickly summoned a shadow clone to prepare his breakfast.

After devouring a satisfying meal, Naruto rushed to the training ground at full speed, determined to make the most of the day.

As soon as Naruto reached the training ground, he swiftly began performing the hand signs for shadow clones, summoning over five hundred of them in an instant. The field was soon flooded with countless Narutos, their presence turning the landscape a vibrant shade of orange.

Naruto wasted no time, his voice commanding as he continued, "I will be dividing you all into groups. Each group will focus solely on the task assigned to you. Is that clear?"

In perfect unison, all the clones responded, "Aye, boss!"

Naruto nodded with a satisfied smirk, his eyes gleaming with determination, and began allocating the groups:

______

Leaf concentration - 50 clones

Tree climbing - 50 clones

Water walking - 100 clones

Hummingbird stance - 100 clones

Shirukenjutsu - 25 clones

Combact tactics - 25 clones

Wind nature chakra conversion - 100 clones

Genjutsu dispelling - 25 clones

Body replacement jutsu - 25 clones

______

Naruto organized the clones into specific tasks based on their abilities. Fifty clones were assigned to the leaf concentration exercise, while another fifty were tasked with tree climbing. One hundred clones would focus on water walking, and another hundred were given the hummingbird stance. Twenty-five clones were dedicated to perfecting their shurikenjutsu, and another twenty-five worked on combat tactics. One hundred clones were assigned to wind nature chakra conversion, and twenty-five clones were focused on genjutsu dispelling. Lastly, twenty-five clones were tasked with practicing the body replacement jutsu.

As Naruto watched all the clones diligently working on their designated tasks, he decided not to waste a moment and immediately began his own physical training.

Timelapse~

The days passed in a blur, each one marked by relentless training. Naruto's progress was nothing short of extraordinary. With the help of his clones, he was improving at a terrifying pace. While he focused primarily on his physical development, his clones made significant strides in every task assigned to them. In just six days, Naruto had mastered both leaf concentration and tree walking to their maximum levels.

Noticing that an extra hundred clones were free, Naruto assigned them to work on kenjutsu. He decided to focus on mastering the Cutting Stone Swordstyle, a technique that originated from the Senju clan. This style revolves around enveloping the sword with wind chakra, maximizing its cutting power—an ideal fit for Naruto, given his wind element affinity.

The training for water walking wasn't far behind. In just another five days, the clones had perfected the technique. Naruto decided to put their progress to use by having them assist the combat tactics team. He instructed the clones to serve as practical dummies, simulating various combat scenarios. This would not only help the combat tactics team refine their strategies, but also aid Naruto in developing a sharper, more adaptive thought process during battle.

Genjutsu dispelling proved to be relatively easy for the clones to grasp. They mastered the 'kai' technique in just three days, after which they began focusing on identifying genjutsu. To do this, they practiced using D-rank jutsu on themselves, refining their ability to recognize and counter illusions more effectively.

The progress with the Body Replacement Jutsu was equally impressive. Even after mastering it, Naruto didn't allow the clones to stop. Initially, the technique had been difficult, with little progress to show. However, after six more days of relentless practice, the clones discovered a way to minimize the hand signs required by memorizing the chakra pathways the jutsu followed, significantly improving its efficiency.

The progress with the Hummingbird Stance was moderate. While the clones quickly learned the katas, applying them in actual combat proved challenging. Naruto struggled to determine the best moves to gain an advantage in a fight, as the fluid, defensive nature of the stance required careful judgment and adaptability. He found it difficult to decide when to strike and when to evade, which made refining the stance in real combat situations a slower process.

The slowest progress came from the Wind Nature Chakra Transformation training. It took over a week just to begin the first step: transforming chakra into wind nature and using it to cut a leaf. However, as Naruto's clones continued to master the chakra control exercises, their progress in wind chakra transformation accelerated. By the time two weeks had passed, the clones had perfectly mastered the leaf-cutting technique, their control and precision with wind chakra improving steadily.

Lastly, Naruto began to notice significant physical changes. Thanks to the combined influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra and his relentless training, he had grown to a height of 148 cm—almost matching Sasuke in stature. The Nine-Tails' chakra had accelerated his growth, and his hair had also grown at a rapid pace, which Naruto decided to let be. The baby fat that had once lingered on his frame had melted away as he pushed his body to its limits. He now bore a striking resemblance to the Fourth Hokage, albeit with his distinctive whisker marks.

His physical abilities saw the most dramatic improvement. His speed had reached nearly 70% of Rock Lee's pure physical speed. Over time, he discovered his body was more inclined toward strength, and so he shifted his focus to training his strength. Now, his raw physical power had surpassed even Rock Lee's, a testament to the results of his tireless training.

During this time, Naruto's friendship with Kurama also grew stronger. They had become more than just allies; they could now consider themselves partners of sorts.

Timelapse End~

'I only have about 14 days left before the Chunin Exams. I've made significant progress in various areas, and I'm confident I can beat Neji. But what worries me is Gaara. I know I'll have to fight him, and I'll need to defeat him. The real question is, am I capable of taking him down? I don't have a summoning animal like the toads or anything else to rely on.'

Suddenly, a mocking voice interrupted his thoughts. "There you go again, lost in your mindless rambling."

Naruto brushed off the comment and refocused on his thoughts. 'I have a plan. If I can master the second stage of Wind Chakra Transformation, there has to be something I can do.'

'Wait, what about creating a new technique?' Naruto thought. 'I can already coat my cheap sword with wind chakra without breaking it, so what if I create a jutsu that lets me send a moon-like slash of concentrated wind toward my opponent? And what if I cover my body in wind chakra to boost my speed? Even if that's not possible, I can at least coat my legs to enhance my speed and cover my hands to increase strength and cutting power.'

'Although I'll probably need over 400 clones to perfect these techniques within the time frame, they're the only real options I have. I can't just rely on Rasengan practice. The wind slash will help me cut through sand, and the wind-style cloak will boost both my offense and defense. I also plan to practice the Wind Dragon Jutsu I came across.'

With this in mind, Naruto returned to the grind.

As the days passed, Naruto dedicated himself entirely to wind chakra training and the creation of his new jutsu. The wind chakra slash proved particularly challenging, as the clones struggled to control the chakra without damaging the blade. Over the past 15 days, they had broken many swords in the process.

After countless days of trial and error, they had finally perfected the Wind Chakra Slash. Unlike the conventional wind techniques, such as Asuma's, this attack took the form of a razor-sharp, moonlit slash composed entirely of concentrated wind. The wind itself was intensely focused, gathered into a fine line of chakra-enhanced air that was unleashed in a single, swift moment. Its speed rivaled that of lightning, and the cutting power it possessed was unmatched, capable of slicing through almost anything in its path.

Training with the Wind Chakra Cloak proved to be just as challenging. The clones struggled to control the wind-natured chakra, as its destructive power was difficult to manage. The moment they began practicing, the force of the wind chakra would tear through them, causing them to disperse from the cutting damage.

However, their efforts were not in vain. Each time the clones dispersed, they gained valuable insight into where the chakra was causing issues, learning from their mistakes. It was a gradual process—each failure led to improvement. By the end of the month, they had finally perfected the Wind Style Chakra Cloak.

The Wind Style Chakra Cloak was similar to the Lightning Chakra Cloak in concept, but with key differences. While the Lightning Cloak emphasized speed and impact strength, the Wind Cloak focused more on cutting power and control. The main limitation of Naruto's version, compared to the Raikage's, was his lack of full control over the wind, which prevented it from reaching its maximum potential.

The Wind Style: Dragon Jutsu was relatively easier to master. In just four days, the clones had perfected it, even reducing the number of hand seals required. Within twelve days, Naruto was able to perform the technique with only eight seals.

Naruto also decided to buy a sword, not wanting to face Gaara with a weapon that could break at any moment. In the final three days of the month, he chose to focus solely on refining his skills. He created hundreds of clones, transforming them into random mobs, and engaged in intense battles with them to finalize his training.

To be continued~

-----

A/N: So how's it?