A/N: A combination of factors delayed this chapter, namely A.I., trips, and a mental block, but it is done. Hopefully this is still up to par.

…

[Wilderness outside of Tanzaku Gai]

Naruto yawned and rotated his neck in an attempt to wake himself.

"I take it this isn't your first time being woken up this early?" Jiraiya asked emphatically.

It was an embarrassing and awkward situation wherein Naruto had been shaken awake by Jiraiya, the rush of adrenaline flowing through his veins as he lightly gasped awake, his hand about to reach for the comfortable grip of a weapon. He would have felt despair had he not calmed down after remembering that the war was over: he was no longer deep in enemy territory, and that he had put his weapons away. Months after the coalition put a halt to Elesh Norn's ambitions during the New Phyrexian Invasion of the Multiverse, and he thought he'd had that reflex under control after time spent traveling. Perhaps this was meant to be a reminder as to how bad of a conflict the Invasion was - truly, no conflict on this world would ever hold a candle to the sheer scale of the devastation he'd witnessed during the Invasion, not after the Phyrexians had burned so many worlds.

"I'm familiar with the situation," Naruto admitted calmly.

"Get used to it, though you can rest assured that it's not a wartime situation…not yet, anyway," Jiraiya explained, "Anyway, we're out here to help you iron out the basics of chakra control before we get around to teaching you how to do the Rasengan properly. Ah, here we are…this is perfect."

The place where they stopped was in front of a titanic tree; not as big as some of the trees in the vicinity of Konoha, but it was impressive nonetheless. What it lacked in girth, it more than made up for in height being about the size of a large house, though it was still thick enough that it'd take five people to give it a hug.

"The fact that you were even able to perform the Rasengan, even if it's an imperfect recreation, tells me that you have the foundations for it," Jiraiya noted, "However, given how unstable it was, you still need work on your chakra control before we go any further. So for your next lesson, you're gonna be climbing a tree…without your hands. Now I sense your skepticism, so why don't I give you a little demonstration?"

Jiraiya clapped his hands together. After a few seconds, the older man took a stroll up the trunk of the tree, his hands in his pockets even as he suspended himself below a branch.

"Now this might've been a trick that would've helped me and my raiders in the war," Naruto noted, "If we were able to climb up walls like that, we'd have been able to ambush enemies better…not to mention it'd help us plant explosives in very unexpected places."

"Glad you can see the practical uses of this exercise," Jiraiya noted, "That being said, the trick behind this lesson is to teach you how to consistently control your flow of chakra through your feet - too much, and you put a hole in the tree; too little and you can't stick on as long. Now get moving, and mark your progress; you've bought us ten days, but time is still of the essence if we're gonna convince Tsunade to come back with us and be our Hokage."

Naruto wasted no time in applying the lessons he'd been taught, clapping his hands together to draw chakra then focusing it on his feet before running up the tree.

Time was burning and he had no time to waste as he drew his knife and sprinted up the tree. The blade of his knife was a little on the heavy side, but that was because it was meant largely as a tool first, and a weapon second. That said, it still had a false edge to give it more utility in a fight should he be bereft of any other weapon, and it was just big enough that it could serve well as a machete in a pinch. Thus, it was sturdy enough to handle him slashing it into a tree trunk and leaving a deep impression with every thwack.

Every pass he made on the tree, Naruto got further up the tree as he got a better sense on how to control the amount of chakra he needed to get closer up. As he got better by the hour, his control over his chakra steadied…not too different from keeping his mana flow constant for spells that required concentration. Thus he was able to prolong the length of time he could stay stuck on the tree, the unsteady sprinter's pace slowed to a steady and confident jog, his progress inching steadily up to the third quarter.

By the time four hours passed, Jiraiya had called Naruto to stop, releasing the chakra before righting himself in midair, breaking his fall.

"Good enough for now, you seem to have gotten the hang of it."

"I've been meaning to ask you, Naruto, where did you learn to fight like that?" Jiraiya asked, handing him a flask of tea, "Tsunade and I still beat you, but I did note that your movements were crisp, almost dance-like; that tells me that on top of actual combat experience, you had a hell of a teacher at your foundation. So I can only assume you learned it somewhere on your journey home, maybe e it even began. Tell me a bit about it."

"I got the basics in Strixhaven University learning from my Blade History teacher, Professor Cao," Naruto explained, in between sips, "Master duelist, warrior-savant, battlemage par excellence, grandmaster of all weapons, and an avid historian - all titles he'd earned rightfully…as I learned the hard way."

"Well it's no wonder your fighting style is so direct," Jiraiya noted, "You can't get any more straightforward than a master duelist, though I did note the warrior part of your style when you weren't doing your magic. However, I doubt that's all you learned if your reflexes are as fast as they were when you were fighting me and my Kage Bunshin."

"Well that's because after I graduated, I spent the next four years wandering the Multiverse trying to find my way home," Naruto explained, "Everywhere I went, I had to keep learning new tricks in order to survive; more fighting techniques, more spells, all of it I had to learn from experience. Some of the things I experienced were wonderful, some of them were terrible - in any case, I keep those experiences as a reminder of just how much more is out there, of how this world is just one island in a much bigger archipelago within a much grander sea.

"Anyway, even as I kept learning new things, the lessons I learned under Professor Cao formed the core of the way I fought - mind your footwork, watch out for opportunities to chain attacks together, pace yourself between spells, and mind your rhythm in your dance with the enemy. From what I understand, he was like that even when he was alive."

Jiraiya sighed sympathetically. "I'm sorry, it must've hurt for you to have lost him."

"Actually, he's still around and teaching," Naruto corrected.

"I don't understand, you said 'when he was alive'," Jiraiya asked with a quizzical tilt of his head, "So how can he still be teaching if he's dead?"

"Professor Cao is a spirit, a literal ghost of the man he once was," Naruto explained, "When I was last in the Plane of Arcavios, he was still teaching his Blade History class in Lorehold. A real taskmaster with high standards for his students and a tongue as sharp as his blade, but he's a fair taskmaster - he wouldn't chew your ear off unless he had very good reason. And believe me, he's chewed my ear off plenty, mostly for things like losing control over my central line and letting my footwork lapse."

"I'll take your word for it," Jiraiya said, "Though this Cao character sounds a lot like my sensei. Anyway, time to get back to work; you've made quite a bit of progress. Now that you've got a break, time to see what you can do after a bit of rest."

Naruto rotated his neck before looking up at the tree, noticing his progress. Inspecting his progress, he saw how much of the tree was covered in as many craters as there were cuts, with spots of bark missing in certain areas, though it was cratered near the roots from too much chakra. The gashes had made it quite far up the trunk - he was getting closer, and he felt his control over his chakra tighten with every attempt.

Naruto clasped his hands together, made as much chakra as he could muster up before focusing it onto the soles of his feet, and made his way up the tree. There was no need to rush as he walked up the trunk, his control at the level where he didn't need to experiment any longer…no need to sprint when he could confidently stride towards the top of the tree. It wasn't too different from managing the amount of mana needed to cast some spells, it just took some getting used to.

As he kept up his progress, Naruto found himself making his way past the highest mark he was able to arrive at, lightly strolling his way up the tree branch.

"Okay then, we'll call it quits for today," said Jiraiya, "You've got the idea of what you're doing. Tomorrow, we're gonna get started on a more difficult exercise."

…

[Elsewhere]

It'd been a good few days since her team had been sent out to this corner of Hi no Kuni.

Team Asuma had been given the mission to exterminate a bandit gang that had set up shop in the forest here.

It didn't take long for the job to be done, having proven once again the efficacy of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. All it took to end the bandit gang was a well-planned operation wherein their boss was held hostage, lining them up for Choji to bowl them all over.

With their mission accomplished, Team Asuma was afforded a day of respite before they had to go back to Konoha. But they had to get back to the inn soon.

While alone, Ino's thoughts had gone to Uzumaki Naruto. She had no idea what to think of the boy and his return, most of the time he'd spent was either in his forge or cramming his way through the Ninja Academy.

The former was understandable…with word of his possible demise, it was likely that his accounts would be frozen, if not redistributed among the populace, leaving him penniless…though given the reported quality of his work, she wondered exactly what he was thinking when joining the Ninja Academy. All told, and if he saved wisely, he could very easily make a comfortable living for himself, making high-quality bespoke arms for discerning Konoha Shinobi that aren't afraid to open up their purse strings. She knew this, because she'd seen Tenten's spear in the Shi no Mori during the Chūnin Exams…and while she had no appreciation for weapons, she knew just by looking at it that it was very high-quality.

That said, among the members who actually saw Naruto in action after his return was Shikamaru, who witnessed him pulling off Jutsu nobody's ever heard of when they took on the sand monster that Sabaku no Gaara had turned into. These were Jutsu that nobody had ever seen before, and yet they had the power to menace…even being able to summon a very literal dragon to take him on. Add to that, he saw the way Naruto fought without his strange Jutsu - it was a very direct, dance-like style but there was no doubt that he knew how to handle himself should it ever come to a straight fight. All this before he'd graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Now that he'd been made into a Genin, she had no idea what to think of him. Even before his graduation, she'd been so busy with her own missions, as well as the Chūnin Exams that she didn't get a chance to really interact with him. To be fair, Ino didn't really interact with Naruto much even before his disappearance, but she remembered him to be a lonely little child that the adults told her to stay away from. That said, she knew him enough to know that he was a pretty nice and honest boy…though from the few times she'd encountered him after his return, he seemed distant, like his eyes were set ahead on the horizon.

Sooner or later, she or the other Genin of her alumni would have to reconnect with him whenever they got the chance. Given the probability that she and her team was very likely going to collaborate with him in the future, they would have to speak with him again sometime. After all, it helped if she knew who her possible colleague was, and what he could bring to the table now that he's back.

Ino's thoughts were interrupted when she heard melodious strings filling the air as she crossed a fountain. Her attention was quickly turned towards a hooded figure strumming on a biwa outside a musical instrument store. Their form was hidden under the loose robes and poncho, though she made out a hunched back, though it could just as easily be a backpack being worn underneath. However, despite the fact that their form was hidden under loose clothing, intuition had told Ino there was a good chance that the biwa player was a woman.

Strangely enough, a biwa was normally played using a bachi to pick at the strings, but the strings were strummed without one, the biwa player handling the strings with a pair of gloved hands. Whoever she was, she was quite good, even though she was playing her instrument in an unorthodox manner…mesmerizing, as a matter of fact, her tempo was very slow, but relaxing. And the musician's movements seemed focused, almost like a trance - unaware as she drew in a crowd, themselves mesmerized by the music she was playing, same as Ino.

When the song had come to a stop, Ino felt a smidge of disappointment, wanting the apparent bard to keep playing. The applause had gotten the bard's attention, who seemed nervous from the way she was looking at the crowd…she then took off as though she'd seen a ghost. Curiosity, as well as a desire to bring the woman in for questioning had prompted Ino to follow her, hoping to capture her to ask who she was. For an apparent hunchback, the bard was quite fast on her legs as she ran down an alley.

By the time she reached her destination, Ino could not find her quarry - she'd disappeared without a trace.

However, what drew her eye was a tiny, shining thing on the floor.

As she picked it up, she found it to be a large, gold-tinted white feather - likely one of the ones used to help birds fly, as it was too big and with clean lines to be a downy feather. Still warm too, which meant that it was very recently shed from the wing, though she thought she'd felt a certain amount of power lingering in this little feather.

At this, Ino wondered who or what it was she was chasing down, and what it meant.

…

[Nanohana Onsen, outskirts of Tanzaku Gai]

Naruto wondered what was going on when Jiraiya brought him to an onsen.

"Now then, onto our next exercise," Jiraiya began, "I'm betting you have a pretty good idea of what this one is about."

"Yesterday was all about consistent chakra control over a still surface," Naruto surmised, "So I'm guessing this exercise is about fluctuating chakra control."

Jiraiya smiled. "Good, saves me the trouble of explanation. As you've said, you're gonna be using the chakra control exercise to walk on the surface of water…like a water strider. You're gonna have to cross this expanse with a twist: you have to constantly control your chakra output in order to adjust for changes in the surface of the water."

"Hence why we're in an onsen," Naruto added, "I mess up, I get dunked in hot water."

"So I guess all that education elsewhere really did pay off. Get started."

Naruto began the exercise as he was told. He applied the lessons he learned from the tree-climbing exercise to get a feel for the amount of chakra he needed to output for a strong footing. Fluctuating didn't even begin to describe the sensation he felt at the soles of his feet as his sandal was nearly engulfed by the hot water, and he pulled out his leg before he was scalded. He needed to walk before he was confident enough to run - to that end, he loosened control of his chakra output on his feet just a bit before feeling a solid sensation under his feet.

It was as he suspected; while the tree needed much stiffer control over his chakra output, Naruto needed to loosen that control ever-so-slightly to account for the fluctuating surface of the water…to let the solid platform he was to walk upon adapt to the surface of the water. It was then that he understood just how much more difficult the lesson was, despite the fact that the pool was nowhere near the same area as the tree he'd been climbing the day before.

Tentative, experimental steps were taken as he walked gingerly across the hot springs, getting used to the sensation as he managed the traverse across the pool of hot water. There was no point in running just yet, though he had a feeling it was at least as draining, if not more so than the amount of chakra needed to master the tree-climbing exercise.

"So, you ever think about what you're gonna do if we manage to get Tsunade to come back with us to be our Hokage?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto climbed out of the water.

"Well, I might work towards the Chūnin Exams," Naruto answered honestly, settling down on the floor, "I can't officially teach Konohamaru and his friends magic unless I become a Chūnin…hell, I'm gonna need more students if this Plane gonna make its mark on the new era upon us."

"Era?" Jiraiya asked, "What're you talking about?"

"The era of exploration that began in the multiverse not long after the war ended," Naruto explained, taking a breath, "On my way back home after the war, I noticed that a lot of people were traveling the multiverse, many of them not even Planeswalkers. The Omenpaths, like the one that opened up here in Hi no Kuni, were once used by a terrible enemy known as the Phyrexians to invade the multiverse in their crusade to twist and corrupt everything they touched into their vision of perfection. Now that the war is over and the Phyrexians are dead, the Omenpaths they opened in their attempt to conquer and assimilate the multiverse have effectively become a network of roads facilitating interdimensional travel, kicking off a new era unofficially known as the 'Omenpath Era.' I've seen so much traveling going on around in the multiverse, and now that I know an Omenpath is open on this plane, it's got me thinking: one of these days, we're gonna have to send people on an expedition along those interdimensional roads. We would need to see where the one in Hi no Kuni goes, and learn everything we can about the world on the other side so we can better prepare for the future. For that reason, I want us to have an expeditionary force of mages ready to send through the Omenpath at the Daimyo's command."

"I hope you realize that it's gonna take several years for you to get into a position to even speak to the Daimyo, let alone take you seriously," Jiraiya noted, "And in that time, it's probably going to be the same as it is now…only any mages you get to teach will have to swear fealty to the Daimyo, so you won't be as free to teach whoever you want. Add to this, the Daimyo is going to want tight control over that Omenpath."

"Any progress is better than none, but we've still gotta hustle a bit if we're gonna catch up with the rest of the multiverse," Naruto argued, stretching himself, "You're probably skeptical, but with the war I fought already over, the Planes are taking the time to rebuild; it's a time for healing, but it's also a very good opportunity for a potential growth spurt. With all this traveling going on in the multiverse, ideas and goods are bound to be exchanged, which could help fast-track a Plane's development should those ideas and goods make it back to their homes. Meanwhile, we're experiencing no shortage of setbacks in this world - true, there is balance and peace, but the whole point of balance is to set the stage for growth, not to prolong stagnation via periods of on-and-off warfare. If this continues, we'll be left behind while everyone else has the chance to grow by leaps and bounds…and that's the best case scenario."

"Well you aren't gonna get any traction if you try to rush things," Jiraiya countered, "I get it, you're genuinely worried about the state of the world, and of our ability to keep pace with the changes coming to the multiverse. But if you actually intend to help prepare this world for the coming era, you've got to slow down, and really take the time to understand it - you're gonna need to build a damn solid reputation in order for people to listen to you and not look at you as a madman. But before all that, you need to check that arrogance you brought with you at the door, and curb your desperation for progress - it's leading you to make dangerous choices, and one day it'll be the end of you."

Naruto glanced at Jiraiya.

He was about to tell him that that arrogance went both ways…until he remembered that he was, despite being born in this world, an outsider. As such, he didn't understand his own world, especially when considering both how long he'd been gone, as well as how young he was when he accidentally Planeswalked for the first time. He was out of touch with the Plane of Shinobu, and he knew it.

It was at this point that he recalled another lesson from Professor Cao…one that was delivered from the very first class:

"While you are all here in Strixhaven University to enhance your minds and to prepare for your future careers, many of you are drawn to this class for one reason or another. Some of you are here for the sake of fitness, others do it to learn self-defense techniques, though there are many that are here because hoplology is your major. Regardless of whatever brought you here, I expect to see hard-won results by the time of your graduation: at the start of this class, your skills in both combat and magic shall be broken down and put through the crucible. Flaws shall be purged, but skills and foundations strong and substantial enough to survive the smelting process will become the steel with which you shall reforge your fighting styles. For this reason, I shall personally oversee your introductory sparring matches against each other with an eye for detail; there are no winners and losers this time, as every move and stumble I see here is meant to inform me as to how much of each student I must break. But in all subsequent sparring matches after today, there will be winners and losers, for you are required to test your mettle against your colleagues - I've merely provided you with the steel and the guidance to shape it, it is your responsibility to own the way you shape that steel. So my students…let my lessons and the bonds you form in this class shape your journey to reforge and refine your fighting styles. Let the victories and defeats in your sparring matches inform your hammer blows as you shape and hone the steel I have provided so that your fighting styles become the best that you can make it. By the end of this class, you shall become more than mere warriors, for I expect you to become dancers of the battlefield - and with that said, I bid you welcome to Applied Blade History."

The thing he noted with every Planeswalker was that their travels eventually took them back to their homes. Gideon Jura would eventually make his way back to Theros, and Elspeth Tirel would find her way back to Capenna…though in the latter case, he was certain that the archangel was surprised at the demonic gangster culture that had cropped up in her absence. If friends like Ajani and Teferi managed to adapt and adjust to their home Planes after being away for so long, then so would he.

And so with a calming breath, he found the strength to hold his tongue…it seemed that he needed to be put through the crucible, yet again. With that in mind, he sat up, prepared to continue with the exercise.

"Back to work."

Naruto huffed, sat up, and continued with the exercise.

With every step he took, Naruto had a better feel for how much control over how much chakra he needed to output to walk on water, enough to jog his way midway across the surface of the pool. Still, he found himself getting back to solid ground every time he felt that he was losing energy…but he still saw progress as he was able to take longer strolls through the pool.

Much like with the tree-climbing exercise, Naruto found his chakra expenditure becoming more efficient with every attempt to cross the expanse of water. Still, it was hard work to account for the balance needed to account for the fluctuating surface of the water. That said, he was still able to get much further across the pool with better control.

"That's it for the day." Jiraiya noted.

Naruto stepped off the water and onto solid ground, Jiraiya waiting for him back on the other side.

"You're doing quite well for someone who has had very little experience with using ninjutsu," Jiraiya noted, "Tomorrow, we're gonna do a little bit of an obstacle course - you'll be doing both the tree-climbing exercise and the water-walking exercise to see if you're ready to learn Rasengan properly."

"Sounds like a midterm," Naruto added, "Well, we've all gotta take one step at a time."

"Out of curiosity, what's your Plan B if you don't get permission to teach more students in your magic?"

"Well, if I don't get to teach, there's always the forge," Naruto answered, "Maybe I'll get people curious about the worlds I've been to through my work…that, and I highly doubt I'm gonna be called out for ninja work all the time, so I might as well make some money between missions. Either way, it's a moot point until I become a Chūnin…I mean, let's be honest, there's not a lot of freedom to be had when you're still a Genin."

…

[Kitsunebi Forge]

Haku took stock of all the things that were in the gallery.

The attempted robbery had proven the necessity of keeping inventory of what was in there.

Every one of the more mundane works in the gallery were well and truly accounted for. By no means did Haku have much of an interest in arms and armor, but she knew how to appreciate quality. She knew that even though they weren't enchanted, everything on display was a highly functional work of art as-is. She knew this, because from time to time, she'd handled these weapons in the sparring space outside.

"I heard about the robbery," noted a voice from the doorway. Haku found Tenten looking on from the portal to the gallery, her new blade hanging from her hip. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Haku replied, "I highly doubt this'll be the last attempt on this forge."

"Which is where I come in," Tenten replied, "With no Hokage in the office, there's been an uptick in crime going around in Konoha. I guess with the cat gone, the rats have come out to play…so until my team's back in tip-top shape, I'm gonna help you watch over the store for as long as possible, hopefully by the time Naruto-kun comes back."

There was nothing that Haku could say to that; it was undeniable that she'd need help…at least for the near future "Your help is very much appreciated. Though I can't imagine you're only here to help me protect the shop."

"You could say that I'm here more out of curiosity," Tenten admitted, "About you, to be precise."

"What of it?" she asked, ice-crystals coalescing discreetly in her hand in the shape of an ice-dagger which could very easily be extruded into an ice-sword should the situation escalate. She didn't want to cause Naruto pain by hurting someone that was clearly close to his heart, but she was not going to hesitate when it came to self-defense.

"I just wanted to know how you met Naruto," Tenten replied.

There it was.

"There's really not much to say," Haku answered simply, "I was lost, and he gave me purpose."

Tenten huffed in amusement, her tone taking on a slightly harder edge. "I highly doubt it's as simple as that. Your movements betray you as someone that's as good in a fight as I am, maybe even better…and yet, you've decided to play shopkeep for Naruto, which seems a little below your paygrade."

There was no way Tenten was going to let this go, that much was clear to Haku. "That's a story for another day. For now? You made me lose count when I was cataloging Naruto's inventory."

"Fair enough, but I expect you to have that story ready for me to hear." Tenten replied.

The two of them set about in the gallery, ensuring that an inventory was kept as to what remained in stock so as to tell Naruto of whatever was stolen should a more successful robbery occur. There was no doubt in Haku's mind that Tenten was doing her best to not act like a babe in a candy store.

Sure enough, Tenten stopped taking stock to look at one particular item.

It was mounted in its own display case, the blade itself on a stand, while its sheath was mounted behind it. Its fittings included a black leather ito wrap instead of silk, solid iron fittings, a two-tone gold and copper habaki. Underneath the ito wrap was a pair of menuki in the shape of bronze oni heads contrasting against the pale white samehada that enhanced grip…coupled with the prayer beads dangling from the lanyard ring near the butt-cap. She was also quick to note the appearance of a Hannya mask embossed into the guard, as well as a rough Hannya mask inlaid in white lacquer into the black lacquer saya, which had a purple silk sageo cord wrapped around it.

What truly caught her attention, however, was the blade itself. Whatever it was that Naruto did to treat it, the blade had a purplish sheen as the bright, clean spring steel edge contrasted against the cloying, smoky patterns of the tool and nickel steel spine. There was no yokote line near the tip that would've provided better penetration; just a consistent, appleseed grind throughout the edge that allowed for enhanced cutting and cleaving capabilities with wiggle-room given to thrusts. She also eyeballed the length of the blade, without its hilt, to be a bit longer than what was normal for a katana, which gave it that extra bit of reach without compromising on strength or performance.

"That would be Yami-ō," Haku explained, "Apparently, the first 'art project' work that Naruto had created since coming back to this Plane."

"Really nice work," Tenten mused, almost mesmerized by the quality of the work, "Is it anything like my spear Ryūsei?"

"According to Naruto, no," Haku added, "Per the agreement with the Hokage before his death, Yami-ō wasn't enchanted…not that he had a chance to do so even then, as he hadn't figured out what sort of enchantments to give this blade."

"Given what I know from Ryūsei, I wouldn't be surprised if Yami-ō didn't even need them," Tenten added.

Haku nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. "It's still a blank slate as far as enhancements are concerned - no seals or runes applied to it, no spells or enchantments cast upon it, just a high-quality steel blade that was ready to be customized on demand by its future owner at a later occasion."

Tenten nodded with approval. "Maybe I can put that thing through its paces one day."

Haku wanted to put Yami-ō through its paces with test-cuts, to see for herself how it performed, but she refrained. After all, despite knowing how strong his works were, she didn't want to accidentally break this blade without Naruto's approval.

With that done, the two of them returned to their work, cataloging Naruto's works.

…

[Sangiku-sha]

Shizune traversed the smoky interior of the bar Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya were staying at.

She was quick to find Naruto, sitting alone at a table, working on a few sticks of dango, as waiters went to work cleaning up another setting that was left behind…presumably by Jiraiya.

"Didn't think you'd come after the last time we met," he said.

"You don't have to worry about me trying to dissuade you from the bet," she replied, "You've made it perfectly clear that you're going to continue on regardless…though I can see you've gotten more confident since we've last met."

"Jiraiya's a bit intense, but honestly, he's got nothing on one teacher I've had," Naruto noted, offering to pour her a cup of tea, "That said, if you're not here to get me to back off from the bet, why are you here?"

"Call it curiosity," Shizune admitted, refusing the tea politely with a gesture, "I want to know what it was that you used against Tsunade-sama."

Naruto looked at Shizune with a searching gaze, undoubtedly wondering what it was that she wanted. "It wasn't like any Jutsu I've ever seen - not a single hand seal, and yet you only need to say its name in order to cast it."

"It's just plain magic," Naruto replied, opening a hand to create a tiny, glowing green sphere that hovered over his palm, "The mystic art of the multiverse."

Shizune craned in, looking at the little green ball of energy hovering over Naruto's palm…and indeed, she felt the power radiating from it like a tiny sun. "I highly doubt that's chakra."

"That's because it's not," Naruto replied, "It's an energy called 'mana.'"

"I don't understand, how can there be a kind of energy other than chakra?" asked a befuddled Shizune, as Naruto dispelled the little green ball of energy.

Naruto himself was unsure of what to do next as he thoughtfully looked around the table, his eyes brightening with a good idea upon spotting the teapots and a pair of teacups. He reached for the teapot, and filled one cup with tea, and the other with hot water.

"Okay, here's what I've learned so far," Naruto explained, picking up the tea cup for emphasis, "Let's say this cup of tea is chakra. Now in any given cup of tea you have two parts, the water and the tea leaves - in the case of chakra, spiritual energy is the water from your own mental energy, and the tea leaves are life force which you source from your own stamina. From this brew, you get the power to use all kinds of ninjutsu so long as you have the chakra and the schooling to use it…however, to my knowledge, this is the only place where there's chakra."

Once he was done, Naruto put down the tea cup, leaving it in front of Shizune before picking up the water cup. "Now here we get to the cup of hot water. It doesn't have any flavor, but you can't deny that water whether hot or cold is essential for life, which sums up the nature of mana - it is spiritual energy, straight-up. Due to the fact that mana is usable by anyone who unlocks the ability to use it, it streamlines the process a little bit...no need to mix in life force. Not to mention that just like water, mana is everywhere in the multiverse - even now, without realizing it, we're swimming in a sea of mana.

"Both are capable of bending -not breaking!- the laws of all creation. Ninjutsu allows the user to bend the laws of nature more readily, effectively turning a Shinobi into a druid, a magic-user attuned to nature…though in execution, they are more like a lot of more militant monks I've met. But I estimate that given the spiritual aspect of chakra, a Shinobi with enough skill and strong enough Jutsu can potentially bend other laws, possibly even the laws of reality.

"Magic differs from ninjutsu in the sheer number of laws it allows a mage to bend right off the bat; there's so many laws in any given reality that even a novice magic-user can bend at least one simple set of laws. That said, skill still matters in magic, and I know of extremely well-learned and skilled mages who are capable of bending such complex laws as time and causality. In fact…"

After downing the tea, Naruto suddenly smashed the cup on the table, pieces of porcelain scattered all over.

Before Shizune could ask what was wrong with him, Naruto raised a hand for her to wait. With one hand occupied, she watched as one hand was engulfed in a white aura, shortly before something strange began to happen to the remains of the teacup. Pieces darted back to the center of impact, even the tiniest of fragments made its way back to the destroyed remains of the teacup - it was as though Shizune were watching the art of kintsugi before her eyes, minus the glue and the gold dust. Within seconds, the cup was put back together, with nary a crack left behind as Naruto refilled the teacup…it didn't even leak as he picked it up and toasted her.

"Kanpai."

"How did…" Shizune began, unable to explain what she'd just witnessed. While medical ninjutsu was a powerful art, she knew of no Jutsu that could repair a cup so thoroughly.

"A magical discipline known as 'archaeomancy'," Naruto explained, taking a sip of tea from the repaired teacup, "At a basic level, I would normally use this art to tell me the history of any given item…but further mastery allows manipulation of the strands of time, turning back the clock on any given item and restoring it to a previous state. I'm not so skilled at this art that I could use it to fix buildings, but I am good enough to use it to fix smaller things like vehicles with a bit of effort."

'Impressive' was the most prominent word that cropped up in Shizune's mind, 'fascinating' was another. The very idea of a different type of spiritual energy was one thing - that there was an art so fundamentally different from ninjutsu was nothing short of mind-blowing. However, all thoughts were brushed aside by a query she had on mind. "That's a nice trick, Naruto-kun, but I've got to ask: why tell me this?"

"I just wanted someone to hear me out," Naruto replied, sipping on the hot water from the other tea cup, "Someone with the curiosity and the open mind to listen."

There was a lot to process, and she needed some space to digest the impromptu lesson she'd been given. Shizune stood up, regarding Naruto politely. "You've given me a lot to think about, Naruto-kun. Perhaps you can tell me more about this art you call 'magic' another day…but until then, I bid you goodbye and good luck."

…

[Somewhere in Kaze no Kuni]

Blood was spilled on the sands of Kaze no Kuni as the merchant crept backwards, coming to a stop as his progress was halted by the accursed rock that saw fit to impede his escape.

It all started with a commission to get his caravan to Hi no Kuni. With the Daimyo's permission, his caravan was allowed to make the trip towards the waystation at the borderlands between Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni. All told, the deal was done, and his caravan was allowed to go home early after successfully negotiating for much-needed goods that Sunagakure needed…as well as much-needed funds to feed his family.

What nobody foresaw was that they'd be intercepted in the rocky outcrop midway between Sunagakure and the border by desert bandits as they were recuperating from a day's travel.

It happened so quickly.

One moment, his caravan was under attack by bandits, the next, the bandits were cut down. Within the span of a few seconds, a gang of forty had been assaulted by what the merchant saw as a monster. It looked like a statue, with missing parts filled in with flames as it took on a human shape, slicing and dicing with some kind of sword made of flames as it danced around the bandits' clumsy swings in a beautifully deadly and macabre waltz. Every once in a while, it hurled flaming javelins at some of them, without missing a step, creating space while engaging targets beyond the reach of its sword. By the time the rest of the bandits fled, all that was left was the monster of fire and stone.

He, if the general shape of the stones, and the face of the statue were any indication, dispelled his flaming sword then turned to regard the merchant and his caravan. Now that the creature was not in motion, he was able to see that the creature in its statue form wore armor over sculpted folds of cloth, and it strode towards him calmly. The cracked stone face was like a cavalryman's mask, as he looked down at him through the eye holes in the face of a man in his thirties with a thin, cleanly-cut mustache. Even frozen in that thoughtful expression, did the stone monster look intimidating, though his body language had softened somewhat, his flames not as intense as before.

"I apologize for my display earlier," said the statue, much to the merchant's surprise; the mouth wasn't moving, but the light from the flames pulsed in response to every word, "I have no love for bandits and their ilk. But perhaps you can point me in the direction of civilization?"

…

[Wilderness of Tanzaku-gai]

Naruto sped through the forest, intent on keeping pace with his teacher.

This was the third day of the foundational chakra control lessons, and he needed to demonstrate to Jiraiya that he had an adequate grasp over his chakra control as they ran through the forest on a pre-planned route back to town. Not a drop of mana was to be used for the course to count, as chakra control was to be demonstrated in this race. If he failed to keep pace with Jiraiya here, it would be a major setback, and he would have less time to learn the Rasengan properly.

The first leg had been easy - tree-climbing on a titanic tree similar to the one he was climbing on at the start, then hopping across the trees before using the tree-climbing exercise to climb back down. The second leg was to follow the creek downstream for a bit, using the water-walking exercise to cut through the forest.

The good news was that this was a pretty simple endurance run: no laps, no time trials, just a straightforward one-way path back to the edge of town. What made it hard were the few sudden turns that Jiraiya made - luckily, Naruto's time at war had taught him to be quick or be dead, and Professor Cao had drilled stamina into him before even that. Thus he was able to keep pace with Jiraiya, adjusting to the last-minute changes to the route.

And now, he was following Jiraiya through the final leg of the course. Unfortunately, this was where he would have to put both exercises into practice; the creek snaked through the woods, a veritable zigzag that went down. Using the tree-climbing exercise controlled his descent without losing Jiraiya, allowing him enough time to adjust his control for the water-walking exercise as the two of them cut a line towards the edge of town. That said, Jiraiya still kept the curveballs coming, forcing Naruto to take alternate paths that would enable him to keep tailing the old man.

Once the two of them crossed the last bend of the creek, Jiraiya's pace slowed to a jog as they stopped within view of Tanzaku-gai.

"Think I'm ready?" Naruto asked, in between breaths.

"Rest up for today, kid; starting tomorrow, you're going to learn to do a real Rasengan."

…

A/N: …and now we're done. Hopefully the next writer's block won't be as bad.

So many things happened in this chapter, and it's not even a fighting episode.

I plan for the next chapter to be a bit faster-paced, but I expect to try a take on the reunion of the Sannin…

As to the emphasis on Yami-ō, I'll leave it to speculation as to who will be its owner. We'll also address the flaming statue very soon as well.

…

Vocabulary/Translations/Notes:

Nanohana—means 'canola flower' (菜の花) in Japanese.

Habaki, menuki, ito, samehada, saya, sageo, yokote—these are all parts of a katana.

Hannya—this is a noh mask resembling your typical oni, it represents a jealous female demon

Yami-ō—the name of the sword is effectively "king of darkness" or "dark king" (闇王), and "yami" holds the same connotation as "Yami Yugi" ("Dark Yugi").