Chapter 2 : The Hidden Training
The Next Day
The sun rose over Tazuna's home, casting a soft golden glow across the training ground where Team 7 had gathered for another day of Kakashi's regiment. Sasuke stood, as always, with a cool, focused look, while Sakura observed her teammates with mild concern. Naruto, however, was visibly different today. His usual fiery energy seemed dimmed, his movements slower and less precise, his expression slightly strained.
Kakashi began their morning drills, as usual, ordering them to go through their exercises. Sasuke leapt into action immediately, his competitive nature driving him forward, while Naruto lagged behind. He stumbled slightly during the warm-up run, falling out of pace with Sasuke, something he'd usually stubbornly fight to avoid. His attempts at ninjutsu were sloppier than normal, the hand signs coming out awkward and rushed.
Naruto's chakra control wasn't much better either—he stumbled through the exercises, trying to cling to the determination that had burned in him the night before. But fatigue was already dragging at him, and it showed. His breath came out heavier, his movements slower.
"Come on, Naruto! Keep up!" Sakura called out, though there was a hint of teasing in her voice, as she noticed Naruto's sluggishness. "You're supposed to be the one with all that energy, right?"
Naruto shot her a half-hearted glare, his usual snark absent. "I'm… I'm fine!" he replied, forcing out a grin and giving a thumbs-up, though he could barely hide how tired he felt. His muscles ached from last night's training, and his chakra reserves were already lower than they should've been.
Sasuke glanced briefly at Naruto, noting the lag, but said nothing. His own focus remained entirely on improving his own skills, unaware of the deeper struggle Naruto was going through.
Kakashi, however, wasn't so easily fooled. As he watched from the sidelines, his one visible eye followed Naruto's sluggish movements with mild concern. He's slower than usual, Kakashi thought. And sloppier, too. His normally sharp attention to detail was off. While Naruto wasn't exactly the most coordinated ninja, he usually had enough raw energy to push through.
Kakashi's mind wandered back to last night. He had seen Naruto sneaking out of the house after everyone else had fallen asleep. At the time, Kakashi hadn't thought much of it. Naruto had always been one to work through his feelings by training, and given what they'd been through—Sasuke nearly dying, the confrontation with Zabuza and Haku—it made sense that Naruto would need to blow off some steam.
But now, watching Naruto struggle through the drills, Kakashi's curiosity was piqued. Is he overdoing it? Still, he decided not to push the issue—yet. Naruto's tendency to act impulsively was nothing new, and for now, Kakashi chose to let it slide. He'd keep an eye on him, though.
As the day wore on and training wrapped up, Naruto dragged himself through the final set of exercises. His breaths were ragged, his legs heavy, and by the time Kakashi called it a day, he was on the verge of collapsing. He leaned against a tree, wiping the sweat from his brow, though he refused to let anyone see how drained he really was.
Kakashi approached him with a water bottle, eyeing Naruto's hunched posture. "You're looking pretty tired today, Naruto. You might want to pace yourself. No need to burn out, you know?"
Naruto blinked up at him, forcing a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Heh, I'm good! I'm just… uh, warming up, that's all!" he said, though his voice lacked its usual confidence.
Kakashi's eye crinkled in mild amusement behind his mask. "Mm-hm," he said, clearly not buying it, but choosing not to press the issue. He handed Naruto the water bottle and left him with a simple nod.
Naruto took a long drink, his mind racing with thoughts of the previous night's training. Tonight, he thought, I'll work even harder. I'll get stronger, no matter what!
That Night
As the night deepened and the village fell into a quiet stillness, Kakashi sat by the window, casually reading one of his books. His senses remained sharp, even when he seemed completely absorbed in his reading. He didn't need to wait long before he felt Naruto sneaking out again.
He sighed softly, not even bothering to look up. Again, huh? It was the second night in a row, but Kakashi wasn't entirely surprised. Naruto's restless nature was predictable, especially after what they'd been through.
Probably just training by himself again, Kakashi mused. He could tell Naruto had been pushing himself hard all day, though it seemed like the boy hadn't yet learned his limits. Still, he decided to let it go for now. After all, there wasn't much he could do to stop Naruto's stubborn drive—Naruto wasn't one to sit still when something weighed heavily on him. Plus, Kakashi had a hunch that Naruto was simply trying to burn off the stress that had built up since the bridge incident.
But Kakashi made a mental note: if Naruto kept sneaking out after tonight, he'd have to step in. If he's overworking himself, it'll only slow him down in the long run. For now, though, Kakashi let him be, confident that Naruto would tire himself out soon enough.
Naruto's Night Training
Meanwhile, Naruto found himself back in the forest clearing, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten as he summoned the excitement he'd felt the previous night. This time, he was determined to push even further. He already knew the power of his Shadow Clones to speed up his training, but tonight he had a more structured plan. He wasn't just here to blow off steam—he was here to make real progress.
With a wide grin, Naruto made the hand signs and created dozens of Shadow Clones, watching as the clearing suddenly filled with identical versions of himself. The clones immediately split into groups, each one focusing on a different area of training. Some ran up trees, focusing on chakra control as they practiced tree-climbing, while others pulled out kunai for target practice, launching them at the bark of nearby trees. A group of clones broke off into pairs, sparring with each other in basic taijutsu exercises, their movements clumsy but determined.
Naruto, standing in the center of it all, crossed his arms proudly. "Heh, with this many clones working at once, I'll be way stronger than Sasuke in no time!" He imagined the look on Sasuke's face when he finally surpassed him, and the thought made him grin even wider.
He watched his clones work tirelessly. Some continued tree climbing, trying to hold their chakra steady as they walked up the vertical trunks. Others flung kunai at distant targets, hitting the marks with varying degrees of success. Several pairs of clones engaged in mock taijutsu battles, their fists and feet flying in well-practiced katas, while a few others—more misguided—dropped to the ground and began cranking out push-ups and sit-ups, all under the misguided assumption that Naruto would gain physical strength from their efforts.
What Naruto didn't realize, of course, was that the physical gains from these exercises wouldn't transfer to him—he wasn't thinking about the technicalities, only the results. And he was so focused on the progress he imagined he'd make that he pushed aside the weariness already creeping into his limbs. His chakra was depleting fast, but Naruto kept pressing on.
The clones continued working through the night, each one focused on a different aspect of training. And though Naruto's body felt the weight of exhaustion, the thrill of getting stronger kept him moving.
He just had to push a little harder. Tomorrow, he'd be even better.