Naruto patted Konohamaru's firm shoulder, a satisfied grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Not bad, Konohamaru. Your Wind God Kick looks sharp. That little move just now had some finesse to it."
Konohamaru scratched his nose with a sheepish smile. "Only because big bro Naruto taught me well."
Naruto laughed heartily, feeling for a moment like a true mentor.
He handed over the long blade in his hand.
"I took this off an enemy and had it reforged by a master smith in the Land of Iron. Now I want you to have it."
Konohamaru accepted the sword carefully. The unusual design drew his attention, and he examined it with curiosity.
"This is... a full chakra-forged blade?" He tested it briefly, and his eyes widened in shock.
His uncle Asuma's signature Flying Swallow blades were also made from chakra metal, treasured so dearly that Konohamaru was never allowed to even touch them. The knives were tiny compared to this sword.
"This is too valuable!" Good upbringing kicked in. He couldn't take such a gift lightly.
Although reluctant, Konohamaru still attempted to hand the sword back.
Naruto waved it away without hesitation. "You are my little brother. A sword is nothing. Take it. Besides, with my strength now, I barely need a weapon anymore."
Only after hearing that did Konohamaru accept the blade.
"But I don't know how to use a sword..." Konohamaru held it awkwardly, looking troubled.
"Then learn. If no sword style suits you, create one yourself. What's the problem?" Naruto blinked, unable to understand why this was difficult.
His little brother should not fear obstacles. You face them head on.
"As your big brother, I will teach you a bit of swordsmanship today." Naruto declared proudly.
"What? You know sword techniques too?" Konohamaru stared in disbelief.
He had never seen Naruto use a sword in battle.
"Of course. Something this simple cannot trouble your big bro." Naruto smirked, taking the blade from Konohamaru.
"Watch carefully. I will only show you once." Naruto raised the sword, expression turning solemn.
Konohamaru swallowed hard and stood absolutely still, eyes locked on every tiny movement.
He could feel the air shifting, as if the atmosphere itself sharpened around Naruto.
Chakra surged violently from Naruto's body.
A shrieking wind spiraled around him, condensing tighter and tighter.
"Army-Cleaving Slash!" Naruto lifted the blade high and swung downward with full force.
WOOOM!!!
From the arc of his swing erupted a massive blade of wind, pure condensed chakra glowing deep blue like a storm given form.
The moment it left the blade, the wind slash expanded.
Ten meters. Twenty. Thirty. Forty.
In the span of a breath, a two-meter wide, forty-meter long wave of energy tore through the field like a guillotine of sky and steel.
Air itself seemed sliced apart.
Konohamaru's jaw almost hit the ground.
The wind pressure alone stung his face like needles.
Never in his life had he imagined wind chakra could be externalized like this. Compared to this, Asuma's Flying Swallow technique looked like a child's wooden toy.
CRAAACK!!!
At the far end of the training ground stood a granite target, reinforced by the Third Hokage himself using Earth Release. It might as well have been paper.
The forty-meter slash sheared through it cleanly, stone exploding into dust that sprayed like a storm of sand.
The energy continued its rampage into the forest beyond. Trees, rocks, obstacles, everything in its path fell in halves, scattered into debris.
When the wind finally died, the battlefield held a scar: a forty-meter trench gouged deep into the earth, rough and torn by countless wind blades.
Naruto scratched his head.
Weird. He had meant to shout "Mountain-Splitting Slash", but somehow said "Army-Cleaving Slash" instead. Oh well. Small details.
He casually handed the sword back to the stunned Konohamaru, patting his shoulder with his usual grin.
"See? Easy. The sword is just a conductor. What matters is controlling and compressing your wind chakra."
"If your chakra is strong enough, you could send a slash four hundred meters. Just try not to blow yourself away."
Konohamaru accepted the sword mechanically. He stared at the ruined landscape, then at Naruto, who acted like he had just shown a party trick.
After struggling for words, he finally croaked out, voice trembling with awe and admiration:
"Big bro... was that really Wind Release?"
Naruto ruffled his hair, laughing. "Of course. Wind can split mountains when sharpened right. Build your foundation first. Your body and spirit are everything. Now come on, big bro is treating you to ramen."
After a good feast of ramen, Naruto strolled over to Konoha's Logistics Division.
He wanted to check the progress of his gravity training room, one of the most effective tools he remembered for growth.
Konoha's logistics handled village supplies, but also had a research department dedicated to enhancing ninja strength. Naruto had proposed the gravity room idea to the department head before.
He entered the research wing and unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure.
Short pink hair, focused expression, poring over blueprints with staff members.
"Sakura?" Naruto raised a brow.
She looked up immediately. "Naruto?"
"What are you doing here?" he approached, and the staff members greeted him politely.
Naruto waved for them to continue working.