After the targeting practice, we had normal subject classes again. Math. Language. Geography. Then the Academy day ended.
I was free.
Today I did not need to go to the library. So I already had a plan.
Chakra control.
Learn Body Flicker.
Then meditation.
But first, I needed a quiet place. I searched for almost an hour before finally finding an empty training ground. It had a few trees and no other students around.
Perfect.
Time to practice tree walking.
Birds chirped softly. The wind moved through the leaves. The training ground was peaceful.
And in the middle of it stood me.
I stared at a tall tree in front of me.
"Alright," I muttered. "This is basic shinobi training."
In canon, Naruto and Sasuke took about a week to learn tree walking. Sakura learned it in one day. As far as I remember, none of them had done serious chakra control training before the Wave mission.
And my chakra control?
It should be much better than Naruto's at that stage.
So logically, I should learn this in one day.
Okay… maybe two.
But not more than that.
I rolled up my sleeves dramatically.
"Today," I declared quietly, "I ascend."
I closed my eyes and focused.
"Chakra to the feet… steady flow… calm mind…"
I pushed chakra downward, feeling it gather at the soles of my feet. I lifted one foot.
Placed it against the tree trunk.
Paused.
It did not slip.
"…It's working."
Encouraged, I placed my second foot on the tree.
I leaned forward confidently.
And immediately slid down the trunk like wet soap.
FWIP.
I hit the ground flat on my back. For a few seconds, I stared at the sky. Then I slowly stood up and brushed dirt off my clothes.
"That was a warm-up," I said quickly.
No one was there to hear me.
Attempt Two. I slapped my cheeks lightly.
"Serious mode."
Deep breath.
"More chakra."
I focused harder this time and pushed more chakra into my feet.
I stepped onto the trunk and I stuck.
My eyes widened.
"Oh!"
I carefully lifted my other foot.
One step up.
Then another.
Then another.
Confidence rushed through me. "I am a natural-"
CRACK.
Too much chakra surged into the bark. A chunk of the tree exploded outward. The force pushed me backward. I flipped in the air and tumbled across the grass. I finally stopped upside down against a rock.
For a few seconds, I just hung there awkwardly before sliding down.
"…The tree is defective," I muttered.
A crow sitting on a nearby branch cawed.
I slowly turned my head.
Our eyes met.
It cawed again.
Louder.
"…You saw nothing."
The crow tilted its head.
I stood up.
Attempt Three. Now I was annoyed.
"Fine."
I removed my shirt and tied it around my forehead like a warrior preparing for battle.
"This time… precision."
I ran toward the tree.
Jump.
Foot.
Stick.
It worked again. I climbed one step.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
I grinned widely.
"I am unstoppable."
And then, I looked down.
Huge mistake.
The moment my brain remembered gravity, my feet forgot chakra control.
I began sliding.
SKRRRRRRRRT.
I dragged down the trunk in the least dignified way possible.
I stopped at the bottom. Hands pressed against the bark.
Face smashed lightly into the tree.
I stayed there for a second.
Slowly, I looked left.
Then right.
"…No one saw that."
Caw!
I glared at the crow.
"Except you."
The crow flapped its wings proudly.
I sighed.
"Fine. Round four." Now it was personal.
Very personal.
"Okay, tree," I said, cracking my knuckles.
"You've had your fun."
I closed my eyes and focused harder than ever before.
No rushing.
No overloading.
Just tiny, steady control. Small amounts of chakra.
Precise flow. I stepped onto the tree.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Ten.
My eyes widened.
"I'M DOING IT."
I kept climbing.
Slow.
Careful.
Halfway up the tree. The wind blew gently through my hair. For a moment, I actually looked cool.
Like some legendary shinobi training in secret. I raised my fist dramatically.
"I HAVE MASTERED-"
Suddenly,
FLAP!
The crow flew right past my head.
I flinched. My focus shattered. My chakra flow broke.
And I dropped.
"AAAAAH!"
THUD.
I hit the ground hard.
Leaves scattered around me. The crow flew away calmly.
Probably laughing.
I lay flat on the grass, staring at the sky.
My body hurt.
My pride hurt more.
After a long silence, I sighed. "…Let's try Body Flicker now."
I slowly sat up and looked at the tree again.
It stood there quietly.
Still.
Tall.
For some reason, it looked menacing.
"…You win this round," I muttered.
I stood up and dusted myself off.
"Hopefully I have better luck with Body Flicker than with tree walking."
Because if I failed that too, the crow would never let me live it down.
I had already read the Body Flicker scroll last night. I understood the theory.
Channel chakra into the legs. Release it in a sudden burst.
Move so fast that it looks like you disappeared.
Simple in theory.
Hard in reality.
Attempt One
I crouched dramatically. "Focus chakra in legs… explosive movement… disappear like a ninja."
I pointed at a rock about ten meters away.
"That rock will never see it coming." I formed the hand sign from the scroll.
Deep breath.
"Body Flicker!"
I pushed chakra into my legs and ran.
Very fast.
Very normal running.
Ten seconds later, I reached the rock.
"…Okay. That was just sprinting."
A squirrel climbed onto the rock and stared at me.
Judging me.
Attempt Two
"Faster," I muttered. "I just need to run faster."
This time I pushed more chakra into my legs.
"BODY FLICKER!"
I launched forward.
For one glorious second, I actually moved much faster.
Then I tripped.
Maybe on a root.
Maybe on my own foot.
I cartwheeled across the field and slid face-first into the grass. Dust floated around me.From the ground, I muttered,
"…This is turning from a training montage into a bad comedy show."
The squirrel was still watching.
Unimpressed.
Attempt Seven
By now, my hair was full of leaves and dirt.
But there was progress.
I could feel it.
It wasn't just about running faster. It was about timing.
Chakra must burst all at once.
Not gradually. A sudden release.
Like an explosion.
I stood up again.
Target: the same tree from earlier.
"That tree has mocked me long enough."
The tree stood silent.
Unmoved.
Unbothered.
I focused. Chakra gathered in my legs.
Muscles tensed.
"Body Flicker!"
WHOOSH
For a moment, the world blurred. I actually vanished forward in a burst of speed.
And slammed directly into the tree.
THUNK.
I slid down slowly until I was sitting at its base.
"…I forgot to steer."
I lay there for a moment, staring at the sky through the branches.
Progress?
Yes.
Grace?
Absolutely not.
But at least this time, I actually flickered.
Attempt Twelve
The sun had moved across the sky.
My face was dirty. One sleeve was torn.
But I was too stubborn to quit.
"Again."
I focused. Chakra gathered in my legs.
This time, controlled.
Not too much.
Not too little.
Burst.
WHOOSH.
I shot forward. Ten meters.
Instantly.
I stopped.
Cleanly.
Silence filled the training ground. My eyes widened.
"…I DID IT."
I raised both fists in victory.
And immediately lost balance and fell over.
But that did not matter.
I had done it.
Attempt Twenty-Something
Now I was addicted.
Again.
WHOOSH.
I overshot and landed inside a bush.
Leaves everywhere.
Again.
WHOOSH.
I appeared next to the rock perfectly, then kept running because I forgot to stop.
Again.
WHOOSH.
I flickered only three meters and crashed into a wooden training post.
By late evening, the training ground looked like a small disaster site.
Flattened grass.
Scattered dirt.
Broken twigs.
And me.
Completely exhausted.
I sat up slowly.
Smiling.
"…I can actually do it."
Not perfectly.
Not smoothly.
But it worked.
That was enough for today. I forced myself to stand one more time.
One final attempt.
Small chakra burst.
Controlled.
WHOOSH.
I disappeared from one side of the clearing and appeared behind the tree.
Clean.
Stable.
No crash.
No fall.
I froze.
Looked around.
Then whispered softly,
"Naruto Uzumaki… the Red Flicker of Death."
The cool title lasted exactly three seconds before my legs gave out.
I collapsed flat on my back.
From a nearby branch, the same crow watched silently.
It had seen everything.
The failures.
The crashes.
The small victories.
I raised a weak thumb toward the sky.
"…Totally worth the concussions."
The crow cawed once.
This time, it almost sounded impressed.