Training, Sleeping, Beating Up Naruto

Wu Liang skipped the afternoon shuriken-throwing class. He simply wasn't interested. Since he couldn't cheat his way through it, why bother practicing? Wasn't cultivating in the classroom better?

For some reason, Naruto did not go to class either. Wu Liang had previously promised to teach him the Senju Clan's Chakra Refinement technique once he had finished studying it. Thus, all afternoon, Wu Liang explained to Naruto how to extract cellular energy from his cells, and how to combine it with spiritual energy in a certain ratio to form Chakra.

At first, Naruto could not sense the existence of cellular energy at all. However, his spiritual energy was exceptionally strong, and he could easily sense it. Yet he still could not sense his cellular energy. Wu Liang had no choice but to use the clumsiest method: he guided his own Chakra into Naruto's body. The Yang-nature Chakra activated Naruto's cellular energy and made it more active, allowing Naruto to clearly sense it. After that came mixing it with spiritual energy.

Experiment after experiment, failure after failure, but Naruto did not give up. Finally, just before school let out, a faint strand of Chakra was born in Naruto's dantian. He had finally found the ratio of spiritual energy and cellular energy best suited to his body. The benefit of cultivating Chakra was that once the first strand of Chakra formed in one's body, the body would automatically remember the ratio used to create it. From then on, one only needed to use the Chakra Refinement technique to extract Chakra.

In his previous life, Wu Liang had looked up Naruto's Chakra affinities. The information card listed many: fire, wind, lightning, earth, water, Yang, and more. However, apart from wind, his innate affinity, the others had all come from fusion with the tailed beasts. As for Yang-nature Chakra, Naruto should possess it now as well. His mother had belonged to the Uzumaki Clan, so he should have inherited a Sage Body, though not the Sage Body itself.

Sure enough, while Naruto cultivated, Wu Liang, who possessed a Sage Body, easily sensed that Naruto's Chakra had Yang-nature. But it was of no damn use. Even if Naruto had Yang-nature Chakra, at most he could help treat others' injuries. He could not use Yin Release.

More importantly, Naruto's Chakra extraction speed was no slower than Wu Liang's. This was probably due to the Uzumaki Clan's physique. After all, the Uzumaki Clan was born with powerful bodies and enormous Chakra reserves. They were known as the longest-lived clan and also made the best jinchuriki for sealing tailed beasts.

After school, Wu Liang told Naruto to wait for him at home. He then went alone to the Hokage Building and walked straight inside. The Third Hokage must have known Wu Liang was coming, because no one came out to stop him.

Standing before the Third Hokage again, Wu Liang found him somewhat curious about why he had come. The Third Hokage asked, "A Liang, what brings you here?"

"Stop playing dumb. I know you already know I've started cultivating. I came to ask you for ninjutsu." Wu Liang curled his lip.

"Is that so? Have you tested your Chakra affinities? What ninjutsu do you need?" The Third Hokage looked at Wu Liang with a genial smile, unbothered by his attitude.

"I have water, fire, earth, and Yang-nature Chakra affinities. I need Water Release, Fire Release, and Earth Release ninjutsu, as well as some Medical Ninjutsu." Wu Liang got straight to the point.

"Oh? Then what techniques do you need for those affinities?" The Third Hokage still smiled warmly.

"Just give me any Fire Release and Earth Release techniques. For Water Release, I need the Second Hokage's techniques. As for Medical Ninjutsu, I need Chakra Scalpel and Healing Technique. Mystical Palm Technique would be even better." Wu Liang said.

"Is that so? The highest-level Fire Release technique I can give you is the Great Fireball Technique. For Earth Release, defensive techniques would be best—Earth Flow Barrier and the more advanced Earth Flow Rampart. As for Medical Ninjutsu, I can give you everything you mentioned. But I cannot give you the Second Hokage's Water Release techniques. Cultivating my teacher's Water Release requires extremely vast Chakra reserves. I can first give you some ordinary Water Release techniques." The Third Hokage continued smiling at Wu Liang.

Wu Liang pondered for a moment. "That works too. But after I graduate, I want to be allowed to choose one of the Second Hokage's techniques. That should be acceptable, right?"

"No problem. But taking so many techniques at once, you may not even master them before graduation." The Third Hokage took a puff of smoke. "All right, go home. I'll have someone deliver the techniques you requested tonight."

Hearing the Third Hokage's promise, Wu Liang did not press the matter further. He turned and left without hesitation.

After returning home, he made a fragrant meal. Once he and Naruto had finished eating, they each went off to cultivate.

The Third Hokage truly kept his word. While Wu Liang was bathing, the Anbu had already placed all the ninjutsu scrolls on his desk. Did the Anbu all have some kind of problem? Couldn't they deliver them directly? Why did they have to wait until Wu Liang was bathing?

Starting the next day, Wu Liang set himself a training schedule. He got up at five in the morning, ran around Konoha to train his body, and then went to school with Naruto. At school, he refined Chakra. Whatever ninjutsu the Ninja Academy taught was secondary; ideological and political education was the main course.

As for the Third Hokage, he would spy on Wu Liang and Naruto for two hours every noon, then stop caring about them. Wu Liang only began practicing ninjutsu when no one was watching him. Of the water, fire, and earth Chakra affinities he possessed, Water Release was the one he had the greatest affinity for. Both Fire Release and Earth Release were more difficult for him to practice than Water Release.

This continued until the Uchiha clan massacre, when things slowed down. The entire village was under martial law, so Wu Liang could not go out to train his body. Sasuke, who had once been fairly cheerful in class, never smiled again and became incomparably gloomy.

Wu Liang also noticed that when he went to the Hokage Building, Danzo, whom he sensed with his spiritual perception, had even more bandages on his body. His entire arm was wrapped up. Wu Liang understood that Danzo had likely finished the Sharingan transplant surgery. This made Wu Liang even more wary of him. Danzo possessed Shisui's eye. Although Wu Liang's million-year Wisdom Skull made him immune to all genjutsu, who knew whether Shisui's Sharingan genjutsu would work?

Since Wu Liang had been dragging Naruto along to train during this period, Naruto did not run around causing trouble like he did in the original story. But even if Wu Liang had not brought Naruto along, Naruto would not have caused mischief just to draw attention to himself anymore. In the original story, Naruto had acted up everywhere because he wanted people to notice him. Now that he had Wu Liang, a friend who acknowledged him, there was naturally no need for such pointless behavior.

Every morning, besides Naruto, another watermelon-headed boy ran around the village training with Wu Liang. He was Rock Lee, one of the Konoha Twelve. Meeting Rock Lee like this was perfectly normal. In the original story, Rock Lee also trained diligently every day. When he discovered that two boys had begun running around the village every morning, he had taken the initiative to join them. After all, having companions made training more motivating, didn't it?

Training Ground 3—the training ground where Team 7 fought over bells in the original story—was where Wu Liang practiced Water Release every evening. There was a small river there, making it convenient for Water Release training.

Standing on the river's surface, Wu Liang rapidly formed hand seals. Water Release: Water Disruption!

A fan-shaped surge of water burst from Wu Liang's mouth, spreading over a wide area ahead of him. Once it dispersed, Wu Liang formed hand seals again. Water Release: Water Clone Technique!

Wu Liang used the only two Water Release techniques he had in every conceivable way, dispersed them, then started again, becoming more proficient through repeated practice.

"Seria, why was the Second Hokage's Water Release so powerful? It practically felt like Ocean Release." Wu Liang sat on a tree branch, resting as he spoke to Seria.

Seria said, "Host, I've wanted to tell you this for a long time. The Second Hokage's strength was not reflected in his Water Release. He was powerful because he was intelligent. His research speed was incredible, and forbidden techniques emerged one after another. As for that Ocean Release effect, honestly, it was because his Chakra was so powerful. Kisame is the best proof of that. Kisame also created similar effects because he had a massive amount of Chakra. You should not obsess over the Second Hokage's Water Release ninjutsu. Besides, the techniques you are using now were used by the Second Hokage too. The Third Hokage did not hide anything from you. The Second Hokage only had a few S-rank Water Release techniques, so it is normal that he would not give them to you."

"Uh, thinking about it carefully, that's true. Who knows how the Second Hokage's brain was wired? He invented so many forbidden techniques—the Flying Thunder God Technique, Impure World Resurrection, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, and so on." Forget it, no more thinking about that. Wu Liang glanced at Naruto, who was practicing tree climbing not far away. Time for today's beat-up-Naruto session. Then Wu Liang smiled and said, "Naruto, how high can you climb now? Need some help?"

"No, no, no, I don't! I can climb five meters now!" Naruto immediately shook his head and pointed at the marks on the tree.

Wu Liang's lips curled upward. "That's only five steps. Not enough. Catch this!"

Four or five shuriken flew from Wu Liang's hand, instantly blocking Naruto's escape routes. If Naruto wanted to flee, the only way was up the tree in front of him. Naruto had no choice but to sigh, gather Chakra beneath his feet, and climb the giant tree. It was not as if he had never tried escaping without Chakra, but if he did that, all that awaited him would be Wu Liang's various release techniques.

Thud, thud, thud, bang!

The tree trunk beneath Naruto's feet was studded with shuriken. The final sound was Naruto falling and smashing into the ground. Naruto lay beneath the tree, on the verge of tears, and looked up at Wu Liang. "A Liang, can you stop ambushing me every day after you finish training? I'm really tired."

"That won't do. Your Chakra control is far too weak. You've practiced even the most basic tree climbing for over a week. This can't go on. You need to keep working hard." Wu Liang grinned at Naruto. He would never admit that beating Naruto up after training was the happiest part of every day. Hahahaha, this feels amazing. Naruto had not climbed trees this slowly in the original story, but there was no helping it. He was still young. Though he had Chakra, he could not control it well. Moreover, Wu Liang could sense the Nine-Tails struggling from time to time, disrupting Naruto whenever he was climbing smoothly.