The final sliver of sunset dyed the training grounds blood-red.
Naruto knelt on one knee, sweat dripping from his chin and splattering onto the cracked earth beneath him.
He lifted his vivid blue eyes, staring unblinkingly at the silver-haired jōnin standing atop a shattered wooden post.
"Thirty minutes until nightfall," Kakashi said lazily, idly shaking the bells in his hand.
The crisp metallic chime echoed sharply through the silent training ground.
"If you still can't get them by then," he added, "your punishment doubles."
Naruto wiped the sweat blurring his vision with his wrist guard.
Despite his exhaustion, a familiar stubborn grin tugged at his lips.
"Don't look down on me! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"
One hour earlier · Edge of the training ground
Iruka hurriedly tightened his forehead protector, then rubbed Naruto's blond hair apologetically.
"A last-minute mission came up," he said. "I asked Kakashi-senpai to give you some special guidance."
"Special guidance?"
Naruto eyed the silver-haired ninja leaning against a tree suspiciously. The man was hiding most of his face behind Icha Icha Paradise.
"But you said I was staying behind for theory makeup lessons…"
"Theory, huh…"
Kakashi closed the book, his visible eye curving into a crescent smile.
"How about some practical training instead? If you can snatch this bell from me before dinner—"
With a flick of his wrist, two bronze bells appeared, chiming softly.
"I'll waive all your punishments and treat you to Ichiraku Ramen."
The moment he heard Ichiraku, Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Really?!"
"Of course." Kakashi tied the bells to his waist. "But if you lose—"
"I won't lose!" Naruto had already dropped into a fighting stance.
They faced each other in silence.
Kakashi casually flipped through his book. Naruto, however, did not rush in.
Three years of secret training had taught him patience—observation before action.
Kakashi's posture seemed relaxed, but there were no openings. Even the rhythm of his page-turning matched his breathing.
"He's evaluating you," Madara's low voice echoed in Naruto's consciousness.
"Use basic taijutsu. Don't expose my influence."
Naruto nodded almost imperceptibly—then shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Kakashi didn't even look up. He sidestepped the straight punch purely by sensing the airflow.
But Naruto was ready.
His right leg whipped out in a vicious arc, sweeping low!
"Oh?"
Kakashi hopped back lightly, a faint smile forming beneath his mask.
"Your taijutsu's improved quite a bit."
"This is just the beginning!"
Naruto bared his fangs and surged forward again—this time, faster.
His movements were clean and efficient. Every strike carried precise angle calculations.
Kakashi still kept one hand in his pocket, blocking with his right alone—but the laziness in his eye was slowly replaced by focus.
"No wasted movements… even the force application is—"
As he blocked the tenth strike, Kakashi's pupil contracted.
"This isn't the Academy's style."
Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tails rhythmically tapped its claws against the iron bars, crimson chakra sparks scattering.
"Hey, hedgehog," the Kyūbi sneered.
"That silver-haired ninja's no pushover."
Madara's silhouette flickered in the darkness.
"I know. And stop calling me hedgehog."
"He's not some weakling," the Nine-Tails grinned widely.
"You really think he won't see through your little trick?"
Madara didn't respond—but the turbulent surge of his chakra betrayed his vigilance.
Hatake Kakashi—
Konoha's Copy Ninja.
The Fourth Hokage's direct disciple.
If he got serious, Naruto had no chance.
Back in reality, Naruto was slammed into the dirt once more—but he instantly sprang back up, grass clinging to his blond hair.
"Seventeen attacks. Zero hits."
Kakashi finally closed his novel.
"Still want to continue?"
"Quit talking!"
Naruto wiped the dirt from his mouth and suddenly altered his breathing.
His movements took on a strange rhythm, each step tracing an invisible spiral.
Kakashi's gaze sharpened.
That's not ordinary taijutsu.
Naruto's fist surged forward, wrapped in spiraling force—leaving a faint blue chakra afterimage in the air!
"This is—?!"
Kakashi crossed his arms to block, his limbs vibrating violently as his boots carved shallow trenches into the ground.
Before he could adjust, Naruto flipped midair, his right leg descending like a battle axe.
"I've got you!"
Just as his fingers were about to touch the bell—
Kaboom.
Kakashi dissolved into white smoke.
"Good tactics," a voice said from behind.
Naruto felt a numbing shock at the back of his neck.
"But you're still far too inexperienced."
Inside the seal, the Nine-Tails' laughter exploded.
"Madara, look at your precious kid—can't even grab a bell."
Madara ignored the taunt.
"The experience gap is too large," he said calmly.
"And the opponent isn't weak. For Naruto, this is already a passing performance."
"Then how about I lend him a hand?" the Nine-Tails sneered.
Suddenly—
Naruto, still sprawled on the ground, dug his nails deep into the soil.
A violent surge of frustration boiled up like magma.
At the emotional peak—
Dark red chakra seeped from his pores like living flame.
"You behave yourself!"
Madara's chakra erupted, manifesting as black chains that wrapped tightly around the red energy.
"You're harming Naruto!"
As Madara completely suppressed it, the crimson chakra dispersed instantly.
Only the lingering force—enough to make nearby grass sway without wind—proved it had been real.
Kakashi stood three meters away.
At some point, his forehead protector had been pushed up.
The crimson Sharingan in his eye flashed with unmistakable shock.
But he quickly lowered the protector again.
"Time's up."
He dropped his hands from their seals.
The bells glinted coldly in the dying sunlight.
"You lose."
Naruto lowered his head in silence for a moment.
Then he suddenly looked up, grinning brightly.
"Tomorrow! Tomorrow I'll definitely get them!"
Kakashi studied him for a long while—then smiled.
"Just remember," he said lightly,
"your punishment doubles."
"Nooooo!!!"
Naruto's scream echoed across the training grounds.
That night, the Hokage Office remained brightly lit.
The Third Hokage's shadow stretched long across the floor.
Kakashi stood by the window, dust from the training ground still clinging to his silver hair.
"His taijutsu…" Kakashi chose his words carefully.
"It incorporates the essence of an ancient school. And his chakra control precision is nowhere near genin-level."
The Third exhaled a ring of smoke.
"Who do you think is guiding him?"
"I'm not sure."
Kakashi's eye glinted faintly in the shadows.
"But to push a child this far in such a short time…"
He paused.
"That person is likely not beneath you."
Meanwhile, Naruto sat by the riverbank, knees hugged to his chest, skipping stones across the water—three skips.
"Dad… am I still… not good enough?"
For once, Madara did not mock him.
Cool blue chakra drifted around Naruto like mist.
"Today, you forced him to use fifty percent of his strength."
"Really?"
Naruto shot up, the gloom vanishing instantly.
"Then tomorrow!"
"Focus on your fundamentals," Madara interrupted, his tone gentler than usual.
"Next time, make him go all out."
Deep within the sealed cage, the Nine-Tails' lips curled upward unconsciously.
It seemed… to enjoy this world.