Training Ground 3 wasn't technically reserved for Academy students that morning, but nobody used it this early except people with something to prove—or something to protect.
Ethan arrived first, stretching lightly under the shade of the old training posts.
The panel gave a soft pulse of green.
[NODE STATUS: Stable]
[Chakra Adaptation: 7%]
[Branch Integrity: Low-Risk]
Perfect.
Then the morning exploded.
"NIIIIICE! I BEAT SASUKE HERE!"
Naruto crashed through the bushes like a one-boy stampede.
Ethan stepped aside calmly as the blond skidded past and face-planted into a log.
Sasuke arrived moments later. Silent, composed… and definitely trying not to smirk.
"You tripped," he said. "Again."
Naruto popped up. "I was SPEED-TRAINING!"
"You were screaming."
"LOUD SPEED-TRAINING!"
Ethan clapped once. "Alright, gremlins. Warm-up's over. Movement drills today."
Naruto's grin brightened.
Sasuke's competitive aura sharpened.
And Ethan braced himself mentally because:
Two feral children with chakra = a physics hazard.
---
I. The Drill Setup — "Don't think like a human. Think like chakra."
Ethan drew three circles into the dirt—small, medium, large.
"Today you'll learn how to shift chakra while moving," he explained.
"Tree-walking was about control. This is about fluidity."
Naruto tilted his head.
Sasuke's brows knit together with interest.
Ethan continued:
"Chakra doesn't like being forced. If you push too suddenly, it spikes.
If you hesitate, it leaks.
Movement drills teach you to adjust chakra mid-motion."
Sasuke nodded once.
Naruto blinked.
"Bro, you're gonna have to say that again except, like… less nerdy."
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"Run. While using chakra. Correctly."
"OHHH!" Naruto said. "I got that!"
"You don't," Sasuke muttered.
"SHUT UP YES I DO!"
Ethan smiled faintly.
Every day with them was a sitcom waiting to explode.
---
II. Exercise One — The Circular Dash
Ethan pointed to the smallest circle.
"Channel a little chakra to your legs. Little. Then run tight loops without blowing yourself off the course."
Naruto: "I WILL BECOME A CHAKRA TORNADO!"
Sasuke: "…I'm going first."
Sasuke stepped into the circle.
He moved—quiet, low, efficient.
A soft blue glow shimmered at his feet.
His chakra was tight but stable.
He completed two rotations—then slipped a fraction.
Still impressive.
Naruto rushed in before Ethan could comment.
"WATCH THIS!"
He pumped waaaaay too much chakra into his legs.
Naruto instantly shot forward like a caffeine-powered missile—
—made one loop—
—started the second—
—overshot the turn—
—and BLASTED OFF THE COURSE INTO A TREE.
THUD.
Ethan sighed. "Naruto—"
The boy raised a thumbs-up from behind the trunk.
"M'fine!"
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This is embarrassing."
Ethan patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Wait until he improves. Then it gets worse."
"THAT'S NOT—HEY!!"
---
III. The Teaching Moment — "Balance is movement."
Once Naruto stopped bouncing around like a loose firecracker, Ethan gathered both boys.
"Tree walking teaches you balance when still.
Movement drills teach you balance while shifting."
Naruto scratched his cheek. "But I can barely do balance standing still."
"You can," Ethan said softly, "when you're focused."
Sasuke watched that interaction carefully.
Not jealous—just thoughtful.
Ethan demonstrated:
A small pulse of chakra.
A light step.
A shift in weight.
A smooth rotation through the circle.
Not flashy—just controlled.
"Chakra isn't a power source," Ethan said, stepping out.
"It's a language. Learn its rhythm."
Sasuke's eyes sharpened.
Naruto looked like he was hearing secret ninja wisdom.
(He was.)
---
IV. Progress — Naruto's Breakthrough and Sasuke's Frustration
They resumed the drill.
Naruto's Issue: too much chakra, too little awareness.
Sasuke's Issue: too much awareness, too little chakra.
Naruto's loops got steadier—still chaotic, but less explosive.
Sasuke improved precision, but his flow kept stalling.
Naruto panting: "Sasuke's too stiff! He runs like he swallowed a stick!"
Sasuke glaring: "At least I don't run like a drunk raccoon."
Ethan coughed hard to hide a laugh.
"You're both wrong," Ethan said.
"You're thinking about each other instead of yourselves."
Both froze.
"Chakra responds to your emotion," Ethan continued.
"Not someone else's shadow. Not someone else's expectations."
Sasuke's breath caught—not visibly, but Ethan felt the shift.
Naruto whispered, "So I gotta… stop trying to be faster than Sasuke?"
"Yes."
"And I gotta stop trying to be… better than Naruto?"
Sasuke flinched.
Ethan didn't smile.
He just said, "You have to try being you."
For a moment—just a moment—the rivalry softened.
---
V. Exercise Two — Acceleration Shifts
Now Ethan pointed to the larger circle.
"This one's harder. You'll change chakra levels mid-run."
Naruto's eyes widened.
Sasuke inhaled sharply.
Ethan demonstrated again:
• low chakra
• shift to medium
• drop to low
• spike to high (brief)
• stabilize to medium
• gentle slow-down
The technique wasn't flashy—it was elegant.
Naruto muttered, "Dude—you look like water."
"That's the point," Ethan said.
Sasuke stepped forward. "My turn."
He started slow.
Increased chakra—too quickly—but corrected himself.
He stumbled—caught himself—stumbled again—
Ethan's voice cut clean through the tension.
"Don't force it. Breathe. Let your body lead."
Sasuke tried again.
This time, he flowed.
Not perfectly—but enough.
Naruto's turn looked like this:
• low
• high
• too high
• explosion noise
• Naruto screaming
• Ethan catching him mid-air
• Naruto shouting: "WHY IS THIS SO HARD?!!"
Ethan set him down gently.
"Because it requires patience."
Naruto paused.
"…Oh."
Then:
"…Sasuke teach me!"
Sasuke looked like someone had offered him a frog to eat.
"Why would I—"
Naruto grinned. "Because if I get better, you'll try harder too."
Sasuke froze.
Then sighed.
"…Fine."
Ethan stepped back.
This—this—was the real goal.
Not chakra.
Not technique.
Connection.
---
VI. Progress at Last — A Team Forms Itself
As the sun began to lower:
Naruto completed the acceleration drill without blasting off the course.
Sasuke completed it with fewer pauses and no slips.
They weren't perfect.
They weren't even "good" by ninja standards yet.
But they were better than yesterday.
Better than they had been alone.
Naruto plopped onto the ground.
"I'm starving."
"Same," Ethan admitted.
Sasuke didn't say a word… but he didn't walk away either.
Ethan sat with them.
Not their leader.
Not their teacher.
Just—someone who cared enough to stay.
And for the first time since entering the Naruto Node, he felt something shift:
[BOND LEVEL — Naruto: C → C+]
[BOND LEVEL — Sasuke: D → D+]
[Branch Integrity: Strengthened]
Good.
Very good.
Tomorrow they'd try the wall sprint.
And maybe, if they didn't kill themselves, chakra evasion.
But for now—
Tonight belonged to these quiet, exhausted kids leaning against a tree, sharing roasted sweet potatoes and tired smiles.
Ethan looked up at the sky.
"Yeah," he whispered.
"This world is worth protecting."