Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

Watching Neji and Sasuke spar, with Lee and Squirtle hard at training, Naruto lounged back comfortably on a deck chair under a sunshade, taking on the role of supervisor.

As for Tenten and Sakura's training, Naruto was too lazy to watch or care.

In the past, Naruto might have cozied up to Tenten, the 'little rich girl', or tried to curry favor with Sakura to get a meal at the Haruno household. But now, with Gato's assets under Zabuza's management, Naruto was financially secure, so these two girls no longer caught his attention.

"Alright, stop for a moment."

Naruto called out, feeling somewhat bored as he noticed the inefficiency of their current efforts.

Amidst everyone's confusion, Naruto walked over to the large crater he'd created yesterday and quickly formed hand seals, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

A fierce water dragon appeared behind him, but instead of attacking, Naruto directed it into the crater, transforming it into a small lake in mere moments.

"What's the point of this?" Sasuke asked in confusion.

Naruto explained calmly, "In battle, you won't always fight on solid ground. What if you encounter an enemy skilled in water combat? You need to adapt to different environments."

He continued, "From now on, train in the water. You need to be able to move here as if you were on solid ground. Understood?"

"As expected of Naruto, only you would come up with such a brilliant idea."

Lee, always enthusiastic about challenging training, immediately jumped into the water and started swimming laps.

"Squirtle, squirtle!"

Squirtle dove in eagerly as well. As a turtle, it might be slower than Lee on land, but once in the water, things changed. Its speed even increased, almost matching Lee's swimming pace.

The science behind it was simple: Squirtle's shell wasn't just for protection. The round shape and grooves reduced water resistance, allowing it to swim faster.

"To think you can keep up with me! That's the spirit, Squirtle! I'll push myself harder. If you swim one lap, I'll swim two, and if I fall short, I'll add another lap!"

Lee declared, pumping his fist in determination. He then sped up, quickly widening the gap.

"Squirtle, squirtle!"

Although Squirtle is gentle in nature, it refuses to give up easily and starts to speed up to catch up with Lee.

As the two found their rhythm in weighted water training, Neji and Sasuke hadn't moved. As natural prodigies, they sensed that Naruto's intentions were not as simple as they seemed.

"Move as if on solid ground, huh?"

Neji quickly caught on. Then, he formed a hand seal, channeled Chakra to his feet, and confidently stepped onto the water.

Splash!

Neji managed to stand on the water but didn't have time to savor his success before the waves created by Lee and Squirtle's swimming threw him off balance. Thankfully, he quickly increased his Chakra output and managed to retreat to the shore.

Seeing this, Sasuke understood the exercise as well.

Unlike solid ground, the water's shifting surface created an unstable footing. Maintaining a steady Chakra output, as one would for tree climbing, wouldn't work here. One needed to constantly monitor and adjust their Chakra output to stay balanced on the water's surface.

'Naruto said to fight in water, but just standing on the water is difficult enough, and we must control the Chakra output accurately.'

'This training is very difficult, but it also helps to improve one's practical combat skills.'

"Naruto, as expected of you!"

Sasuke couldn't help but give Naruto a thumbs up.

For Sasuke, this training would yield benefits far beyond what most could imagine.

Because of the factor of the Cursed Seal. As long as a large amount of Chakra is released, his Cursed Seal will be out of control. If Sasuke can accurately control the Chakra, he will be able to further skillfully control the degree of release of the Cursed Seal, which will help him master the Cursed Seal faster.

"Alright, go give it a try. If you wait too long, Neji will be proficient at it, and then your self-confidence will be hit again."

Naruto said with a shrug, signaling for Sasuke to get moving.

It wasn't that Naruto thought Neji was more gifted than Sasuke, it's just that Neji is from the Hyuga Clan.

"Byakugan!"

Neji formed a hand seal and activated his Byakugan.

The Byakugan's greatest strength lay in its insight, allowing him to see chakra flow within his body clearly. This meant he could watch the Chakra gathering at his feet as he moved onto the water's surface and adjust his output precisely to counter the water's unpredictable waves.

Compared to everyone else's trial and error, Neji's approach was almost like cheating.

"Small, large, small, large!"

Neji then stood on the water again, muttering to himself according to the movement of the waves.

Sure enough, through observation with the Byakugan, he could see the water's instability and maintain his stance despite it.

Whoosh!

At this moment, a stone suddenly flew towards him. Neji was busy defending himself and failed to adjust his Chakra output in time, so he ended up splashing into the water.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

Neji frowned as he looked at Naruto. He'd been so close to success, only to be interrupted.

'Could it be that Naruto was partial to Sasuke?'

Naruto replied calmly, "In a real fight, anything can happen in an instant. If you're only looking at your feet, your enemy will have taken your head before you notice."

"That's… true."

Neji's anger faded, and he reflected on Naruto's words.

In real combat, there was more to consider than simply staying on the water's surface. Fights required adaptation to the shifting battlefield.

Byakugan provided him with convenience, but it also somewhat fixed his thinking. He had to break out of this pattern and make good use of Byakugan as a tool instead of relying on it completely.

"I understand now. Thank you, Naruto," Neji said sincerely."

Naruto nodded, "Good. Keep training!"

Casting a sidelong glance at Tenten and Sakura, Naruto scolded, "You two, don't just keep hitting stationary targets. I get that you're worried about getting wet, but that's no excuse. Those four in the water are perfect moving targets for practice!"

"But what if we hurt them?" Tenten asked worriedly.

"Then your aim isn't good enough. You've trained with weapons to hit exactly where you intend. There are plenty of non-lethal areas on a body… As long as you hit them accurately, they'll be fine."

Naruto's tone grew stern, "If they can't dodge your Ninja Tools, that's their issue. They deserve the injury if they can't keep up."

"Naruto, that's too harsh!" Sakura frowned and protested, "We are all companions, there's no need to go to such extremes, right?"

"If you don't want to train, you're free to leave. No one's stopping you."

Naruto said coldly, "The purpose of training is to prepare for actual combat. It's far better to be hurt here than killed by an enemy!"

"But…"

Sakura tried to counter, only for Sasuke to interrupt coldly, "Sakura, if you're unwilling to go through with it, then leave. I'm here to train!"

Sasuke knew very well that intense training was the only path to rapid improvement.

Neji nodded in agreement, "I'm also training. Tenten, just throw it boldly, and it's okay to aim at the vital points. Naruto is right, if we get hit, it's because we are not skilled enough, and we deserve to be injured."

"Alright, I'll do my best!"

Tenten still has a lot of trust in Neji and agrees to train with him.

Splash!

Lee stopped swimming, and the playful smile on his face turned serious, "Sakura, even though I like you, I can't side with you on this. I agree with Naruto."

"Squirtle, squirtle!"

Squirtle splashed the water in support.

"Everyone... why are you all like this? Why can you accept such training?"

Sakura couldn't understand it at all, 'Proper training would be enough. Why did they want to hurt themselves in training like this?'

"How can a flower from a greenhouse understand the harsh reality of the Shinobi World?"

Naruto shook his head in disdain and said to the others, "I have always believed in one thing, and I hope you can remember it. That is, only those who endure the toughest hardship can reach the top..."