The next morning, I woke up at 3:45 AM to JARVIS blasting elevator music in my head.
«Good morning. Today's forecast: physical pain with a chance of chakra exhaustion.»
You're enjoying this, aren't you?
«I am incapable of enjoyment. I am simply observing your suffering with great interest.»
Same routine. Shadow clone in my bed. Sneak out the window. Hop the fence. Run to Training Ground 3.
---
The clearing was empty. No silver hair. No orange book. No Kakashi.
Of course. He's late.
«The guy has a documented history of tardiness. I calculate a 94% probability he will arrive within the next 45 to 90 minutes.»
Great. Guess I'll train.
I dropped and started my push-ups. Fifty. Sixty. Seventy. My arms were screaming.
«82. 83. 84. Your form is deteriorating. Straighten your back.»
I fixed my posture. Kept going.
thirty minutes later, I was at 106 push-ups when Kakashi finally showed up.
He walked into the clearing like he'd just woken up from a nap. Hair messier than usual. Book in hand. Eye doing that half-lidded thing that made him look either bored or high.
"You're late," I said, not stopping my push-ups.
"I saw a UFO."
I paused. Looked up at him. "A UFO."
"Yes. Unidentified Floating Object. Had to stop and observe its flight patterns. For the safety of the village."
I stared at him for a solid five seconds.
"UFOs don't even exist."
"That's not..." I stopped. Took a breath. "You know what? Never mind."
I finished my hundredth and something sus number of push-up and sat back on my heels. The leaves were still stuck. Five of them. Perfect.
Kakashi's eye flicked to my arm. He tilted his head.
"How many?"
"106."
"And the leaves?"
"Didn't fall once."
He was quiet for a second. Then he closed his book.
"Huh."
That was it. Just "huh." Like I'd told him the weather was nice.
«He is impressed. His physiological response indicates elevated heart rate and pupil dilation.»
He doesn't look impressed.
«He is Kakashi Hatake. He never looks impressed.»
I guess...
---
Kakashi led me to a river. Training Ground 3 had one running along the east side. Not deep. Maybe up to my waist. Water was water and cold-looking.
The sun was just starting to come up. Sky was orange. Birds were doing their morning thing.
"New exercise," Kakashi said. "Watch."
He stepped onto the water.
Just… walked onto it. Like it was solid ground. His feet didn't sink. Ripples spread out from under his sandals, but he stood there like it was nothing.
He looked at me. Took one step back onto the bank. Then another. Then he walked away.
"Wait," I said. "That's it? You're not gonna explain anything?"
"Nope."
"You just showed me and now you're leaving?"
"Yep."
He was already walking toward the trees. Book open. Not looking back.
"Figure it out," he called over his shoulder. "I'll be watching."
And then he was gone.
What the actual FU--
«He is hiding in the treeline. Approximately 20 meters east. His chakra signature is suppressed but detectable.»
I don't care where he's hiding. He didn't tell me anything! How am I supposed to learn water walking from just watching him do it once?
«I recorded the demonstration. Analyzing chakra flow patterns.»
You can do that?
«I can do many things. Stand still and let me work.»
I walked to the edge of the river. Stared at the water. Took a breath.
Okay. How does this work?
«The principle is similar to tree walking, but the surface is unstable. You must maintain a constant, even flow of chakra to the soles of your feet. Too much, and you'll push through the surface. Too little, and you'll sink.»
So it's like tree walking but harder.
«Correct. Tree walking requires adhesion. Water walking requires repulsion and surface tension management. The margin for error is significantly smaller.»
Great.
I stepped onto the water.
My foot hit the surface. For half a second, I felt it hold. Then my chakra spiked, my foot went through, and I fell face-first into the river.
Cold... So cold. Water up my nose, in my ears, down my shirt.
I surfaced, sputtering. Kakashi was probably laughing his ass off in the trees.
«Failed attempt logged. Adjusting parameters. Try again.»
I climbed back onto the bank. Dripping wet. Shivering.
Tried again.
One foot stuck. The other one slipped. I twisted, tried to catch myself, and went down again.
«Second attempt logged. Anomaly detected: uneven chakra distribution between feet. Correcting.»
Third time.
Both feet touched the surface. I stood there for three seconds. Four. Five. My heart was pounding. I was actually doing it!
Then my left foot sank. I wobbled. Flailed my arms like a dying bird. Caught myself for half a second before my right foot followed and I splashed back into the river.
«Third attempt. Duration: 11 seconds. Improvement noted.»
I did it for eleven seconds!
«You did it for eleven seconds. Then you failed.»
But I did it.
«You are wet. Again.»
I climbed out. Dripping. Freezing and Grinning like an idiot.
One more time.
«Your chakra control levels are at 82%. Acceptable. Proceed.»
I stepped onto the water.
This time, something clicked. The chakra flowed evenly. My feet stayed on the surface. I stood there. Five seconds. Ten. Fifteen. Thirty.
I was standing on the river. Like it was nothing.
"Holy crap," I whispered.
«You are currently standing on a body of water. This is not 'crap.' This is physics violation plus your not Jesus.»
Shut up, JARVIS. Let me have this.
I took a step. My foot held. Another step.
Then I got cocky. Tried to run. My chakra wobbled, my feet slipped, and I went down again.
But for thirty seconds, I was a god.
---
From the trees, Kakashi watched.
He'd seen a lot of kids learn water walking. Most took days. Some took weeks. The fastest he'd ever seen was a prodigy from the Uchiha clan who figured it out in an afternoon.
This kid just did it on his fourth try.
Fourth... Try.
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. He'd been suspicious of Ryū since the first time he saw him training at 4 AM. The chakra reserves. The control. The way he moved like he'd been doing this for years.
Now this...?
Interesting, he thought.
He stepped out of the trees. Walked toward the river. Ryū was standing on the bank, dripping wet, shivering, but smiling like he'd just won the lottery.
"Not bad," Kakashi said.
Ryū looked up. "You were watching."
"I said I would be."
"How long did it take most people to learn that?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Days. Weeks. Some never do."
Ryū's smile got wider. Then he caught himself. Tried to look humble. Failed.
«Your 'humble' expression is unconvincing. You look like you are constipated.»
JARVIS...
«yes?»
Shut yo ass up.
«I can't do that theoretically, since I don't have a "ass"»
"..."
Kakashi reached into his vest and pulled out a scroll. Old-looking. Sealed with a tag i didn't recognize.
"What's that?"
"Gravity seal."
He unsealed it. A small Seal appeared in his palm. It looked like a rectangular sticker, covered in tiny kanji.
"This is an experimental training tool. Not many people use it. For good reason." He held it out to me. "It increases the gravitational force around your body. Makes everything heavier. Running, jumping, breathing. Everything."
I took it. Looked at the tiny writing.
«Scanning. The seal manipulates local gravitational fields by converting chakra into mass-attraction force. Warning: Improper use can cause severe physical damage.»
How severe?
«Crushed bones. Organ failure. Death.»
Cool. Cool cool cool.
"Start low," Kakashi said. "One-point-five times normal gravity. That's enough for now. If you crank it too fast, you'll hurt yourself. Permanently."
"How do I activate it?"
"Press it to your skin. Channel chakra into the seal. It'll bond."
I pressed the seal to my forearm. Channeled chakra.
It felt like someone dropped a blanket on me. Not a heavy blanket. A wet one. Like the air itself got thicker. My arms felt heavier. My legs. Even my eyelids.
«Gravity increased to 1.5x standard. Physiological stress detected. Your heart rate has increased by 18%. Your breathing is 22% more labored. Adjusting…»
I took a step. It felt like I was walking through honey.
"Weird," I said.
"It'll feel weirder when you turn it up. Don't turn it up yet."
"When can I turn it up?"
Kakashi's eye crinkled. The closest thing to a smile he ever showed.
"When you can run faster than me."
"You're a jōnin."
"Yes."
"That's gonna take years."
"Then you have years to practice." He turned, book already open. "I'll check on you next week. Try not to break anything. First get used to this then you can turn it up"
He walked away. Didn't look back.
I stood there, feeling the weight of 1.5 times gravity pressing down on me.
JARVIS. How bad is this gonna suck?
«You will be slower. You will tire faster. Your muscles will ache constantly. Your joints will protest. You will want to remove the seal approximately 47 times per day.»
And the upside?
«When you eventually remove it, you will be faster, stronger, and more durable than any other child your age. Assuming you do not cripple yourself first.»
You're really selling this.
«I am a skill. I sell nothing but facts.»
I started walking back toward the orphanage. Every step was work. My legs felt like they were filled with sand.
This is gonna be a long week.
«This is going to be a long childhood.»
I know...
---
I snuck back into the orphanage through the window. Clone me was still in bed, pretending to sleep. I dispelled it, climbed under the blanket, and closed my eyes.
Fifteen minutes later, Nonō knocked on the door.
"Ryū. Time to wake up."
I groaned. Not acting cuz Everything hurting like hell
I sat up. My arms screamed. My legs screamed. Even my back screamed.
"You look tired," Nonō said, frowning. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Fine," I said. "Just didn't sleep great."
She studied my face for a second, then nodded. "Breakfast is ready. Eat well."
I ate. Rice, miso soup, some pickled vegetables. It was harder than usual. My arms were so heavy I could barely lift the chopsticks.
«Your fine motor control is impaired by 34%. Recommend eating with your hands to conserve energy.»
I'm not eating with my hands. I'm six, not a caveman.
«Your dignity is noted. Your chopsticks are on the floor.»
I looked down. I'd dropped them. Didn't even notice.
I picked them up. Tried again.
---
After breakfast, I headed to Naruto's apartment.
The red light district, It was a small building. Old. Run-down. The kind of place landlords rented to people they didn't care about.
I banged on the door.
"Coming! Coming! Hold your..."
The door flew open. Naruto stood there, hair even messier than usual, holding a bowl of ramen in one hand. Noodles hanging out of his mouth. Half a boiled egg stuck to his cheek.
"Mmph," he said.
"You're not ready."
"Mmph mmph!" He pointed at the clock on his wall.
"We have fifteen minutes."
He shoved the rest of the noodles in his mouth, dropped the bowl on the nearest surface, and grabbed his bag.
"Okay! Ready!"
"You have egg on your face."
He wiped it with his sleeve. Missed.
"We gotta go!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me down the stairs.
We ran.
Or rather, Naruto ran. I jogged. The gravity seal was making everything harder. My legs felt like they were in concrete.
"Come on, slowpoke!" Naruto yelled, already half a block ahead.
"I'm… coming…" (A/N: No... Not in "that" way).
«Your speed is reduced by 40%. Your endurance is reduced by 55%. You are going to be late.»
I know. Broo.
We made it to the Academy with two minutes to spare. I collapsed against the wall outside the classroom, breathing like I'd just run a marathon.
Naruto looked at me. "You okay? You've been weird all morning."
"Fine. Just tired."
"You look worse than yesterday. Did you eat something wrong?"
"I don't know."
The bell rang. We walked inside.
Sasuke was already in his seat. Front row. Perfect posture. Didn't look at anyone.
I shuffled to my seat. Dropped my bag. Sat down.
«You have 7 hours and 42 minutes of Academy instruction remaining. Followed by training with Naruto. Followed by your 4 AM wake-up tomorrow.»
Are you trying to make me cry?
«I am setting expectations.»
I put my head on the desk.
Just for a second.
---
END CHAPTER 10
Xx-----xX
Author's Note – Regarding "Jarvis" (Great Sage)
A few of you have pointed out that I've been nerfing Great Sage (affectionately called Jarvis in the fic). After going back and rewatching Tensura, which I hadn't done in a long time, I have to admit: you were right.
I misremembered some of the Sage's capabilities and held it back more than I intended. That's on me.
From Chapter 15 onward, that changes. Jarvis will function much closer to his canon Tensura counterpart, faster analysis, better skill synthesis, more proactive combat support, and the kind of "I already calculated 9,000 outcomes"
Thank you for the honest feedback. I'd rather fix it late than never.
Now let's get back to breaking the Naruto power scale.
---
Check out my P@treøn for advance Chapter's.
---
Give some power stones or I'll be under your bed tonight >:)