Their Respective Progress

After that day, Naruto's training regimen underwent some subtle changes.

Besides his Main Body continuing its high-intensity Taijutsu training, all his clones became landscapers.

Thus, the wild-growing plants throughout this forest received their first human intervention.

Countless tangled branches were cleanly cut from the trees without the use of any tools.

Naruto's Shadow Clones accomplished it all with the sharp Wind Release Chakra produced after mastering nature transformation.

At first, Naruto's instantaneous Wind Release Chakra output was insufficient, and he often could not sever a branch in a single stroke.

But as time passed, Naruto became able to cut them off in one go.

Having reached that point, Naruto began practicing finer control, striving to determine at a glance exactly how much Chakra was needed for each cut, without wasting even the slightest bit.

In a life-and-death battle against a powerful enemy, perhaps that tiny amount of saved Chakra would become the final straw tipping the scales of victory.

That was the purpose of training to precisely control every last bit of Chakra.

Such high-intensity training was exhausting. Each time he dispelled his Shadow Clones, it was a disaster for Naruto, forcing him to enter the Learning Space and idle there while digesting the returned memories.

But without question, the gains were equally gratifying. His Chakra control was improving at an astonishing rate.

Over the course of a year, Naruto completely trimmed the vast forest he used as his training ground.

During that time, Naruto went from only being able to focus completely on controlling a tiny wisp of airflow between his fingers to stirring up a fierce gale of flying sand and stones around himself with a mere thought.

By standard ratings, it was at least Force 5 wind.

If he continued at this pace, it would not be long before he could truly ride the wind and soar into the heavens.

It was also at this time that Naruto's training entered its second stage.

A team of fifty Shadow Clones was dispatched to a waterfall not far from his training ground to undertake advanced nature transformation training: cutting through the waterfall and stopping its flow.

Another team of fifty began carving.

The branches Naruto had cut down were not wasted; they all became his practice materials.

The branches were cut into sections, and Naruto began using them to carve whatever he wanted to carve.

For now, his practice subject was naturally himself.

Naruto's goal was to use his precisely controlled Wind Release Chakra as a carving knife and create a scale model of himself. It was an extremely difficult technical task.

To that end, Naruto had even specifically studied knowledge related to carving in the Learning Space.

Naturally, his initial attempts were disastrous, producing pile after pile of unpresentable junk.

Those scraps were not wasted either. They became practice materials for Sasuke, who trained alongside Naruto. After a year of training, Sasuke's strength had improved considerably. He had long since advanced from tormenting leaves to tormenting trees.

The discarded pieces left over from Naruto's practice were perfect for Sasuke to train his Lightning Fire Chakra nature transformation.

Then, after each day's training ended, Naruto obtained quite a bit of high-quality charcoal.

Some of it was used by Naruto for cooking, while more of it was sold as merchandise.

Naruto's face would have gotten him turned away if he tried selling things, and even if someone accepted them, they would likely cheat him on the price. Fortunately, Sasuke, the Uchiha clan's second young master, spared them that trouble.

This gave Naruto an extra source of income and completely solved the shortfall in his food budget.

After that, even though Naruto's appetite kept increasing due to his high-intensity training,

and there was now Sasuke, who never learned to cook and only knew how to open his mouth and eat, Naruto never again worried about food expenses.

Occasionally, the two even had enough spare money for a high-end meal.

Naruto did not find this life difficult, only fulfilling. Sasuke, who refused to admit defeat, had likewise never considered giving up. From beginning to end, his only goal had been to surpass Naruto.

Time passed quickly during training.

Before they knew it, dusk was approaching once more.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, good afternoon."

Then Naruto saw a Byakugan girl in a white dress emerge from the woods, carrying a lunchbox and wearing a gentle smile.

"Hinata, good afternoon." Naruto smiled and walked up to greet her.

Over the past year or so, the girl's hair had grown considerably longer, reaching her shoulders. It made her look even more gentle and beautiful.

Beyond the changes in her appearance, the girl had also worked extremely hard in her training.

Ever since learning that Naruto and Sasuke both used Shadow Clones to attend class, she had specifically asked her father to teach her the Shadow Clone technique. While her clone attended classes, she trained under her father's strict guidance.

She had always remembered that winter day.

Naruto-kun had appeared before her like a hero and rescued her from those three bullies. She remembered what he had hoped for her.

He hoped she could become strong.

So from then on, she had continued training diligently, becoming strong as he wished.

And after meeting Naruto-kun at the Ninja Academy, she hoped he would appreciate the charm of the confident, strong self she had become.

This was the motivation that kept Hinata moving forward.

"Good afternoon."

Only after Hinata came closer did Sasuke reluctantly offer a greeting.

Although they had met often over the past year or so since getting acquainted at the Ninja Academy, he still had little fondness for Hinata, the eldest daughter of the Main Branch of a rival clan.

"I brought bonito rice balls and Ichiraku Ramen. Let's eat together." Hinata did not mind Sasuke's somewhat cold attitude. Smiling gently, she opened the lunchbox she had brought and set it on the stone table.

She then took out the bonito rice balls and Tomato Miso Soup Sasuke liked, along with the Ichiraku Ramen Naruto loved.

Seeing this, Naruto and Sasuke did not stand on ceremony. They picked up the food and began eating.

Over the past year or so, after finishing a day of study and training, Hinata had come to this training ground every few days to visit Naruto. Most of the time, they simply chatted, though occasionally, like today, she brought food.

They were already very familiar with each other, so there was no need for formalities. That would only make them seem distant.

Hinata still had to return home for dinner with her family, so she quietly watched the two of them eat.

"Naruto-kun, do you remember my younger sister Hanabi? She's grown quite a bit now. She's so tiny and adorable." Once Naruto had finished eating, Hinata finally smiled and gestured with her hands.

"Of course I remember. Hanabi is already two years old, right?" Naruto naturally picked up the conversation and began chatting with Hinata.

Sasuke, beside them, felt somewhat superfluous.

He quickly finished eating, gave a cold snort, and went off to the side to continue training.

Go ahead and waste your time on girls. I'll seize this chance to slowly surpass you, Naruto!

With that thought, Sasuke worked even harder at making charcoal!