To forge iron, one must first be strong.
Since no one was going to hold his hand, Naruto had no choice but to rely on himself.
At this moment, he felt exactly like Konohamaru back then—
Left alone to struggle with Rasengan while his teacher disappeared without explanation.
Recalling Tianzang's movements and mental formula, Naruto began practicing while muttering under his breath.
He repeated the sequence again and again.
Move.
Pause.
Think.
Adjust.
Repeat.
After several rounds, Naruto suddenly stopped.
"Wait… this doesn't seem right…"
He frowned.
"I don't remember this part being done like this…"
He scratched his head in frustration.
After all, Tianzang had only demonstrated it once.
And the movements were extremely complex.
There was no way he could memorize everything in one go.
Worse still—
He only remembered the first few lines of the mental formula.
The rest?
Gone.
"Damn it…"
Naruto sighed deeply.
Even someone as stubborn and resilient as him felt helpless at this moment.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Just as he was feeling dejected—
Whoosh!
A beam of light shot toward him.
Naruto instinctively tensed.
Then he saw a book floating in front of him.
Immediately after, a familiar voice echoed.
"Here."
"Practice according to this."
Naruto looked up.
"Master!"
It was Tianzang.
"Thank you, Master!"
He clasped his hands respectfully and reached out to take the book.
Then he muttered,
"Seriously… if you had given me this earlier, I wouldn't have wasted so much time…"
Sitting cross-legged, Naruto opened the book and began reading carefully.
Only then did he realize—
Each movement was paired with a precise formula.
Nothing was random.
Nothing was optional.
Every gesture, every breath, every thought followed strict rules.
"No wonder…"
"That's why it felt wrong earlier…"
After reading several times, Naruto stood up and began practicing again.
At first, he was clumsy.
He had to read while practicing.
Turn a page.
Look.
Move.
Look again.
Adjust.
Soon, he realized this wasn't efficient.
"If I keep doing this, I'll never get better…"
So he changed his approach.
He memorized a small section first.
Then practiced it repeatedly.
Only after mastering it did he move on.
Step by step.
Slow but steady.
Gradually, his movements became smoother.
More natural.
More connected.
Before he realized it, he was completely immersed.
Time slipped away unnoticed.
Nightfall
When Naruto could no longer clearly see the words on the page, he finally looked up.
"Huh?"
"It's already dark?!"
He turned toward the palace.
The lights were on.
Naruto was speechless.
"Didn't you say you'd come check on me?"
"It's this late already…"
"So you're not coming, huh?"
He sighed.
"Forget it…"
"I'll just rest a bit."
But then another problem appeared.
Where was he supposed to sleep?
Just as he was feeling troubled—
A figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Ahhh—!"
"Ghost!!!"
Naruto almost instinctively formed hand seals.
Before he could release Fire Style—
Boom!
Flames suddenly ignited around the training ground.
Only then did he realize.
"Ah… Master!"
Tianzang snorted.
"How's your progress?"
Naruto cupped his hands.
"Not very good yet…"
"Show me."
Naruto was stunned.
"Now?!"
"What? Inconvenient?"
"No, no!"
"I'll do it right away!"
He hurriedly put down the book and began performing.
Because of Tianzang's sudden appearance, Naruto felt nervous.
His movements were slightly stiff.
But thanks to his afternoon practice, he still completed the sequence properly.
After finishing, he wiped his sweat and looked at Tianzang expectantly.
Tianzang nodded.
"Not bad."
"Just as I thought."
"You're still trash."
Naruto: "..."
"…Master, that's a bit harsh."
"That's enough for today."
"Continue tomorrow."
With that, Tianzang turned and left.
Naruto hurriedly called out.
"Master! Wait!"
"I still have questions!"
But Tianzang had already disappeared.
Naruto sighed.
"Where should I sleep tonight?"
A voice drifted back faintly.
"Go back to where you came from."
"Oh…"
So he had to go back down the mountain.
Naruto packed his book into his clothes and hurried off.
But soon…
Something awkward happened.
He walked around the mountain peak three times.
And still couldn't find the way down.
"…What the hell?"
He scratched his head anxiously.
"Is there even a road?"
"Does Master usually just fly?"
Suddenly, realization struck him.
Of course.
For people like them, who needed roads?
They just flew with chakra.
But—
He couldn't fly yet.
No one had taught him.
Naruto almost cried.
To make matters worse—
Grrrr…
His stomach growled.
He was starving.
After training all afternoon, he hadn't eaten.
He tried knocking on Tianzang's door.
No response.
"Seriously…"
"You sleep this early?!"
He tried wandering again.
Still nothing.
Then he looked at the cliff.
"Should I climb down…?"
A cold mountain wind blew up.
He shivered.
"Forget it!"
"No way!"
In the end, he gave up.
"I'll just sleep here…"
He returned to the palace.
After searching, he found no guest rooms.
So he chose a corner near the lamp.
Closed the door.
Sat down.
Took out his book.
And continued reading.
When Naruto focused on studying, he forgot hunger completely.
Eventually, exhaustion overwhelmed him.
He curled up.
And fell asleep.
The Next Morning
Sunlight streamed in.
Suddenly—
"Get up!!!"
Naruto jumped.
"Ah!"
He stood up instantly.
"Master! Good morning!"
"Come."
"Train."
Tianzang turned and walked away.
No explanation.
No sympathy.
Naruto followed helplessly.
Training Ground
"Again."
"Show me."
Naruto felt dizzy.
He hadn't slept well.
He was hungry.
His body was sore.
But he still began practicing.
Suddenly—
Whoosh!
A whip appeared in Tianzang's hand.
Smack!
"Aaahhh!!!"
Naruto jumped.
He grabbed his butt in pain.
"Master?!"
Tianzang said coldly,
"Train properly."
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"That hurt like hell…"
But he didn't dare complain.
He focused again.
"Wrong."
"Your formula is wrong."
"Read the book."
Tianzang's cold voice made Naruto shiver.
He hurriedly took out his book.
At this moment—
He was truly scared.
And deeply understood one thing:
His master's training…
Was far more terrifying than Kakashi's ever was.