A Mere Trifle

Naruto formed Hand Seals and created a Shadow Clone.

The two Narutos stood shoulder to shoulder. One made faces while the other grinned foolishly, making for a rather comical sight.

Although Hinata had already seen Naruto's Shadow Clone earlier, witnessing it again with her own eyes still stirred up a storm of emotions inside her.

If anyone in the world understood Naruto best, it was surely her. After all, all those years of secretly watching him hadn't been for nothing.

Naruto had spent four years at the Ninja Academy and could barely manage the Clone Technique. Now he was using the Shadow Clone Technique with such ease.

She lifted her head and quietly glanced over at Qiushui. She had a vague idea of the answer: it had to be Teacher Qiushui who taught him.

The thought filled Hinata with a sense of admiration.

Teacher Qiushui was truly amazing.

Even after four years of lessons with Iruka-sensei, Naruto hadn't learned it. Teacher Qiushui had been here for less than a week, and Naruto had already mastered the more advanced Shadow Clone Technique.

A large stretch of open ground surrounded the Training Ground, even wider than the playground at the Ninja Academy.

Qiushui led the two of them along the edge of the open ground and began running laps.

The system's ninjutsu rewards could be mastered instantly, but physical fitness couldn't be built overnight. Qiushui wasn't the Raikage of Kumogakure or a top-tier healer like Tsunade. And since shinobi were glass cannons by nature, only a strong body could ensure they survived long enough to use their techniques.

As they ran, Qiushui occasionally glanced over at Naruto to check on him and offered guidance when needed. "Naruto, you always start off sprinting when you run. That's not right. You need to gauge your stamina and pace yourself. Otherwise, you'll run out of steam later."

He adjusted the swing of his arms as he ran, demonstrating for Naruto. "And your running form. Look, swing your arms like I do. Keep a steady rhythm, and you'll use less energy."

Naruto listened carefully and nodded. He adjusted his posture as instructed and kept running to Qiushui's rhythm.

By the fiftieth lap, surprise gradually appeared in Naruto's eyes.

Though he'd run a long way, he wasn't gasping for breath like he usually did.

The last time he ran fifty laps at school, his legs had gone weak halfway through. Today, he'd run even farther than that, yet he could still keep going.

Teacher Qiushui's advice really worked!

Hinata was just as surprised.

She often trained her stamina, and running a few hundred laps wasn't particularly difficult for her. But today felt different from usual. Her steps seemed lighter, her breathing smoother, as if some force were gently supporting her and making the run much easier.

"Hinata, lift your head and keep your chest up. Don't always run with your head down," Qiushui suddenly said.

He had noticed that whenever Hinata got a little closer to Naruto, she instinctively lowered her head.

Hinata blushed, but obediently lifted her head and adjusted her posture as Qiushui had told her.

Just then, a figure raced past them, stirring up a light breeze.

It was Uchiha Sasuke.

He was running around the Training Ground at incredible speed, his stride strong and his pace fierce. Before long, he had lapped Qiushui and the others. As he passed, the corner of his eye caught their "leisurely" pace. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and unconcealed pride flashed in his eyes.

So they weren't anything special after all.

He looked away and pushed off harder, speeding up even more. Soon he had left the three of them far behind.

"That jerk," Naruto muttered through gritted teeth. Seeing Sasuke acting so high and mighty, he instinctively wanted to race over and challenge him. But the moment he lifted his toe, Qiushui's words from earlier echoed in his ears.

He bit his lip and forced himself to swallow his impulse, dutifully sticking to his previous pace. His steps landed a little harder than before, as if he were taking his frustration out on the ground.

"Why is Sasuke-kun training here too?" Hyuga Hinata blinked, a faint note of confusion in her eyes.

She had been training somewhere else earlier, so she hadn't seen him when she arrived.

Two hours slipped by with the steady rhythm of their footsteps.

Naruto and Hinata sat side by side on the grass, their faces flushed as if they'd just been pulled from a steamer. Sweat trickled down their temples, gathering into large beads before dripping one by one into the grass. Their chests heaved, and their panting rose and fell. Neither had the strength to speak.

Qiushui stood nearby, as calm and collected as if nothing had happened.

Even he was a little surprised. His body had fully matured, and years of shinobi life had pushed his stamina to its limits. Long-distance missions lasting several days and nights were commonplace for him.

But during the nearly two hours they'd just spent running—seventy kilometers in all—even his old body would have been breathing a little heavily by now. Yet he wasn't even panting, and there was only a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. He suspected that obtaining five percent Otsutsuki blood had strengthened his body to some degree, causing this change.

He looked down at Hinata and Naruto sitting on the ground. Seeing that their breathing had begun to settle, he bent over and took two bottles of electrolyte water from the bag by his feet. He handed one to each of them. "Drink slowly. Don't choke."

Naruto took the bottle and gulped down nearly half of it in one go, not even bothering to wipe the water running from the corner of his mouth.

Hinata held her bottle in both hands and gave a slight bow. "Thank you, Teacher Qiushui."

Hearing Hinata, Naruto froze for a moment. Then he wiped his mouth and hurriedly added, "Thank you, Teacher Qiushui!"

Qiushui couldn't help smiling. "No need to be so formal. Get some rest."

He had them rest where they were for twenty minutes, then turned and walked to the edge of the woods. He carefully picked out two sturdy trees with rough bark. After choosing them, he stood beneath one and studied it for a moment before nodding with satisfaction.

The twenty minutes passed quickly.

Qiushui returned to the two of them. "For the next two hours, I'll teach you how to precisely control the chakra inside your bodies."

Naruto blinked, looking completely bewildered. Hinata tilted her head slightly, her expression puzzled too.

Qiushui didn't explain further. He turned and walked toward one of the trees. Drawing a deep breath, he let the chakra within him flow. Then he raised his right foot and planted it firmly on the trunk. As if walking on level ground, he took one step after another straight up the tree, his gait unhurried, as though gravity no longer affected him.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Naruto stared up at him, his eyes wide and his mouth open enough to fit an egg. His admiration was plain on his face.