Training

In Training Ground Seven, the tension was palpable. Kai stood a few feet in front of Naruto and Sasuke, each boy glaring at the other. Sasuke's memories of the village had faded over time, his family's massacre and his subsequent departure shadowing his early years. Now, he returned as a pupil of Kai, the one man whose strength defied comprehension.

Naruto, on the other hand, hadn't seen Sasuke since childhood and was visibly annoyed. In his eyes, the Uchiha had always been the one everyone fawned over. Learning that Sasuke had been under Kai's tutelage for the past three years did nothing to improve his mood.

Naruto, unable to contain his frustration, turned to Kai. "Hey, you said you were gonna train me. What's he doing here?" he demanded, pointing at Sasuke.

"I can't adjust my strength enough to spar with you," Kai replied simply. "Sasuke will be your sparring partner."

Sasuke's lips curled into a slight smirk, while Naruto missed the layered meaning of Kai's statement. Not only was Kai too powerful to adjust his strength for Naruto, but Sasuke would also have to do the same.

"Fine," Naruto huffed, "but he better not hold back."

"Don't worry about that," Sasuke retorted, unsheathing his sword. "I never hold back."

Naruto clenched his fists, chakra already beginning to swirl around him. "Alright, then. Show me what you got."

Kai moved back to give them space. He simply nodded, gesturing for them to begin. The nod was a signal both acknowledged. It was time to spar.

With a burst of speed, Naruto lunged at Sasuke, aiming a punch directly at his face. Quick as lightning, Sasuke sidestepped and swung his sword in a broad arc. Naruto barely had time to dodge; the tip of the blade grazed his cheek.

Sasuke glanced briefly at Kai, who watched intently but made no move to interfere. This was their test, and he was merely the observer. Understanding flashed between master and pupil—a silent dialogue in the language of combat.

Naruto clenched his jaw. "Alright, no more playing around," he shouted, summoning shadow clones that appeared in a puff of smoke around Sasuke.

Sasuke maneuvered his way out, slashing through the clones, each disappearing in a cloud of smoke. His Sharingan eyes flickered, quickly analyzing Naruto's chakra pattern.

Sasuke made quick work of Naruto's attacks, effortlessly evading or countering with a blend of techniques taught by Kai and enhanced by the lotus seal. The unique circular seal, emblazoned on Sasuke's chest, activated with every breath, enriching his chakra and fortifying his body. The result was devastating for Naruto; he couldn't land a hit.

Kai watched intently, finally speaking up. "Sasuke, lower your power. I thought I made it clear."

Naruto snorted, visibly frustrated. "I don't need any handouts!"

Kai turned his eyes toward Naruto. "The weak don't get to act brave. Either get stronger or stop pretending."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching, but he didn't retort.

Sasuke sheathed his sword and deactivated his Sharingan, reverting to more basic techniques so as not to overwhelm Naruto. Naruto, however, took this as an invitation to go all out.

Gathering his chakra, Naruto let out a guttural cry, "You're gonna regret this!"

His body burst into action, chakra flaring around him as he executed a series of rapid-fire Rasengans. Sasuke dodged effortlessly, parrying with simple palm strikes and footwork.

Naruto, furious but undeterred, yelled, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Multiple clones fanned out, each brandishing a Rasengan. They lunged at Sasuke from all angles.

Sasuke dodged again, but this time he had to employ more evasive maneuvers to avoid the coordinated attack. While it wasn't enough to break through his defenses, the effort displayed gave him pause. He looked at Kai, who gave a slight nod, recognizing the progress, however slight, in Naruto's approach.

Naruto, breathing heavily but not defeated, stood upright. "I told you you'd regret it."

Sasuke gave him a rare, approving nod. "You're getting there. But remember, the journey ahead is long."

Kai turned to Naruto, his expression unchanged but his gaze intent. "Naruto, Jiraiya is your master, right?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Pervy Sage taught me loads of stuff over the last three years."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you so bad at Shadow Clone Jutsu? I can't imagine he'd neglect to teach you."

Naruto tilted his head, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Kai's eyes locked onto Naruto's, and for a brief moment, he pondered whether the blonde really didn't know. "Create three clones."

Kai pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Sasuke. "This is Chakra Nature Paper. Infuse your chakra into it."

Sasuke complied, and the paper crumbled on one end while the other burned. "Two chakra natures," Kai said, before turning to Naruto. "Create three clones."

He then passed a similar piece of paper to one of Naruto's clones. "Send your clones over there," he gestured to a distant point. "When they arrive, one will infuse chakra into the paper, one will stand in front of the clone, and the other behind. Got it?"

Naruto nodded, still unsure of the purpose but intrigued. His clones scampered off to the designated spot, and after a few seconds, they vanished, transferring their experiences back to Naruto.

"All right! I've got Wind Nature, and I win a ramen bet against Sasuke! But wait, how do I know all this?" Naruto's face was a mix of confusion and excitement.

Kai sighed, a rare overt expression of emotion for him. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu isn't a regular cloning technique; it's dangerous. It splits your chakra, making you vulnerable. But it also transfers all experiences the clones have back to the original. Given that you can create so many, you should leverage that advantage."

Kai observed Naruto's momentary bewilderment as the young ninja processed the experience his clones had just undergone.

"What do you mean?" Naruto tilted his head, still grappling with the sudden influx of knowledge.

"Your Shadow Clones," Kai began, choosing his words carefully, "are not just duplications; they're extensions of you. Whatever they learn, you learn when the technique is released." He paused, looking Naruto straight in the eyes. "You've had this powerful tool at your disposal and yet, you've only scratched the surface of its potential."

Naruto blinked, taking a moment to digest Kai's words. "So, you're saying I could have been learning things three, four, a hundred times faster?"

Kai nodded. "Exactly."

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