Chapter 431: Sprite of the Water
Out at sea.
"Alright, up next is a brand-new experience called Water Spirit," Naruto announced to the students standing in formation.
"Water Spirit? What on earth is that?"
"Yeah, I've never even heard of it."
"Maybe it's another training exercise?"
"It couldn't be like those manga and web novels, where a tribe of water sprites lives at the bottom of the ocean, could it?"
The freshmen chimed in one after another.
Clearly, the name of this training was deeply deceiving, preventing any of them from guessing what it actually entailed.
However, a few students who recognized the term stared out at the surrounding ocean, recalling their parents' harrowing descriptions of the sea and this specific drill. Their faces instantly paled in utter horror.
No way... You've got to be kidding.
"Next, one of our instructors will demonstrate the Water Spirit experience for you. You'll be undergoing this trial regularly in the future," Naruto concluded.
Boruto and his classmates listened with rapt attention.
Something we'll be doing regularly? Just what kind of experience is this?
Poof!
Moegi produced a giant stack of surfboards, plucked one from the pile, and bolted straight off the floating platform onto the open sea.
"Teacher, be careful!"
Watching their instructor dive headfirst into the ocean, many students gasped in shock.
Before long, however, their shock turned into absolute jaw-dropping amazement.
Like a true sprite of the water, Moegi stood atop her surfboard, soaring through the air between towering, deep-sea waves.
The joyful smile on her face made it clear she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
And it wasn't just ordinary enjoyment—whenever she glanced back at the terrified freshmen, her grin grew noticeably wider.
Of course I'm enjoying this! Back in my day, Teacher Tonbo put me through this exact hell—now it's finally your turn, Moegi snickered to herself.
She had originally been a kindhearted, innocent girl, but thanks to Teacher Tonbo's mischievous influence, she had inherited a little bit of that wicked humor herself.
Seeing the new generation experience the exact training that had once terrified her to her core made her feel inexplicably cathartic.
Thinking back to her youth, she had almost peed her pants right here.
Watching Moegi's graceful moves, Konohamaru let out a wry, embarrassed smile.
However joyous Moegi felt right now was directly proportional to how humiliated she had been as a child.
Clearing his throat, he addressed the freshmen, "That's right! Your goal is to ride those surfboards and play among the raging ocean waves!"
Play?
Play my foot!
What kind of 'playing' is this?!
The turbulent, violent ocean resembled a raging leviathan, snapping its massive jaws open and roaring relentlessly. Breathtaking, terrifying waves surged forward one after another, as if threatening to drag the entire world down into its bottomless abyss.
As far as the eye could see, the ocean was a deep, suffocating blend of pitch-black and dark navy, stretching out across the horizon like an endless sheet of dark silk. The darkness was so thick that sunlight could barely penetrate it, casting only faint, murky reflections upon the water's surface. Standing at the edge, the freshmen felt overwhelmingly small and fragile, as if they could be swallowed whole by this boundless void at any moment.
"No way..."
"I'm scared!"
"Guys, face your fear! Let our youth burst forth! ...Wait, hold on, let me think about this first."
"We're gonna die out there!"
As the freshmen panicked among themselves, the sea grew even more eerie and daunting. Stripped of daytime's warmth, nothing remained except a deathly, ominous stillness. The waves slammed against the platform beneath their feet with low, thunderous booms—sounding like howling demons clawing their way out of hell, sending shiver after shiver down the students' spines.
In the far distance, weird glints of light occasionally flickered across the water's surface like the glowing eyes of mysterious sea monsters, making the atmosphere infinitely more terrifying. Confronted by a sea like this, an uncontrollable wave of dread washed over every child present.
"I'll take the lead."
Mitsuki stepped forward with his usual gentle smile, walked straight up to the stack of surfboards, and picked one up.
Watching his calm strides, the freshmen behind him widened their eyes in disbelief.
Boruto's eyes were practically bulging out of his head—he couldn't believe Mitsuki was actually this fearless.
Even he himself felt scared out of his mind.
As for the others, the reaction was immediate—especially among the young girls, who instantly swooned over Mitsuki's cool composure.
"If you're brave enough to go, then so am I! Youth is all about braving the unknown world!"
Seeing someone step up, Metal Lee felt his temporarily suppressed passion roar back to life.
His father was a world-renowned taijutsu master, and his grandmaster was even more legendary—widely acknowledged as the strongest taijutsu user in the entire Shinobi World.
He refused to bring shame to their name!
Metal Lee stepping forward brought an appreciative gleam to Naruto's eyes.
Naturally, Naruto was equally impressed by Mitsuki—he hadn't expected these kids to be so remarkably brave.
Glancing over at Boruto, Naruto let out a subtle sigh.
With Boruto's mastery over taijutsu and ninjutsu since childhood, this training wouldn't pose a challenge at all once he overcomes his fear. Teacher Tonbo's custom training methods really are spot on!
This freshman orientation had been conceptualized by Tobitake Tonbo and refined by Konoha's higher-ups.
Seeing it in action today proved its immense worth.
As his own son, Naruto was well aware of Boruto's underlying capabilities. As long as the boy played to his true potential, he would pass with flying colors.
In fact, Boruto was the most naturally gifted shinobi talent Naruto had ever seen.
Noticing his father's expectant gaze, Boruto felt his heart pound so hard it nearly burst from his chest.
No... I can't be afraid! I can't let Dad down! I have to be brave! Boruto's pupils constricted before he steeled his resolve, marching forward with firm, deliberate strides.
He exuded the tragic, resolute aura of a hero marching off to an uncertain fate.
That heroic stance instantly drew admiring gazes from the girls—especially a young girl named Sumire Kakei, as well as Sarada.
Their eyes glittered as they watched him step up.
Mitsuki offered a warm smile to the two boys walking up beside him and said, "I'll be taking off first. Try to keep up, Boruto... and you are?"
"Metal Lee! I won't lose to you!" Metal Lee declared, firing himself up.
"Mitsuki, I won't lose to you either! I'm going to make my dad see what I'm truly made of!" Boruto summoned every ounce of his courage.
"Fair enough. See you out there!"
With a bright smile, Mitsuki tossed his surfboard down and threw himself straight toward the roaring ocean, landing flawlessly atop the board as it hit the water.
Whoosh!
Standing firm on his surfboard, Mitsuki was instantly launched skyward by a massive swell, soaring high into the air.
Yet, he adjusted his body in midair almost effortlessly, yielding to the ocean's momentum and guiding its raw force.
Within moments, the surfboard felt like an extension of his own limbs as he danced gracefully among the towering wave crests.
Small as his figure was against the vast expanse of the sea, his completely fearless heart inspired several other freshmen.
Though still terrified, a few more students summoned the courage to walk up and grab surfboards of their own.
Metal Lee let out a brave laugh and dashed out onto the water as well.
However, as the roaring waves rushed closer and closer, a fresh spike of primal dread tried to creep back into his chest.
No! I'm a genius of hard work! I won't embarrass my dad! I'm going to be the very first to complete the Eight Extremes training—I refuse to give in to fear and let my youth wither here!
"HAAAH!"
With a fierce, spirit-forging roar, Metal Lee charged out into the wild surf with his surfboard.
Right beside him, the moment Metal Lee sprinted forward, Boruto gritted his teeth and plunged out onto the waves right along with him.
"I'm definitely going to make my old man look at me in a new light! I'm no coward!"
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