Training

That night, Hui slept deeply. Perhaps he had let out the emotions he'd been holding inside, and no longer felt burdened.

The following evening, Hui and Chuanhe went to a secluded riverbank.

"If you want to train your chakra control, there are a few good methods: Water Walking, climbing walls, and climbing trees. There's no way to cheat your way through it. Once you've mastered them all, I'll tell you what the next stage of training is."

Chuanhe sat cross-legged and explained to Hui, who was standing in the river.

"Father, make it harder for me. I want to make up for the time I've lost," Hui said seriously, standing on the water.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he lost control of the chakra beneath his feet and plunged into the river with a splash.

"Then try practicing Water Release Ninjutsu on the water's surface, Hui."

"But, Father, my affinities are Fire and Earth. I don't have Water."

"Hmm. Haven't the teachers at the Ninja Academy covered this yet? I overlooked that. Having a natural affinity doesn't mean you can only use those kinds of jutsu. With enough training, every ninja can theoretically master all five elemental releases."

"You can try it now. Use this Water Ball Technique. Like the Fire Ball Technique you've learned, it's an E-rank jutsu that's more like a magic trick."

"If you can successfully use this jutsu in an environment without water, it means you've gained a Water affinity."

"All right, Father. Once I've gained a Water affinity, can I practice the Water Mirror Technique?"

Hui hadn't forgotten the Water Mirror Technique, the first jutsu he'd ever learned from his father.

Since it was the first, Hui had never been able to forget it.

"Of course. So you can make things harder for yourself again. And think about the specific connection between the Water Clone Technique and the Water Mirror Technique," Chuanhe teased.

Hui fell into the water again, then climbed out. "I'll do my best."

As Hui formed Hand Seals and performed the jutsu again and again, his stamina and chakra steadily dwindled. His body began to feel as if it couldn't take any more, but when the feeling passed a certain point, it all cleared away.

That feeling again. Hui was startled. He focused on his back. This had to be connected to it.

His consciousness slowly sank into it. In a daze, Hui seemed to see a stretch of lush green grass. Just as he tried to take in more of his surroundings, a gentle force came over him, softly pushing him "out."

Hui opened his eyes and found himself still standing on the water. Was it just my imagination?

His father was still on the bank. And his hands seemed to be forming Hand Seals?

Hui's memories felt a little hazy. Was it because he'd fallen into the water just now?

"What's wrong, Hui? Giving up already?" His father's familiar voice reached his ears.

Hui jolted. "No! How could I? I'll never give up."

Putting aside those pointless thoughts, Hui focused all his attention on how to distribute his chakra precisely.

At his own request, the training was now hellishly difficult for a beginner.

Most ninjas needed several days just to learn how to balance the chakra in their feet.

But Hui had to perform a jutsu at the same time, which put his ability to multitask to the test.

The sun had set, and stars began appearing in the sky one by one.

Hui felt he'd reached his limit. He began breathing through his mouth without meaning to, and sweat poured from his body, then trickled into the water beneath his feet.

Hui stopped forming Hand Seals. He'd performed the Water Ball Technique for the first time. He smiled, beaming with joy. Even though he'd done it in an environment with water, it was a good start, wasn't it?

"Hui, you really did it," Chuanhe said from right beside him.

Hui felt a pair of strong arms lift him up, and then his view suddenly rose.

"That's enough for today. Time to go home, Hui."

Just as he had a few years ago, Hui once again sat astride his father's shoulders.

Hui didn't know when he'd gotten home. By the time he woke, it was already the next morning.

Amber was still lying on top of his blanket. Hui deftly slipped out without waking her. He took stock of his body and found himself feeling refreshed all over. Is this what it feels like after training? Hui wondered silently.

Sasuke seemed a little angry today. He hadn't spoken to Hui all morning, which puzzled him.

During lunch break, Sasuke finally turned to Hui with a gloomy expression. "Where did you go yesterday? You didn't even tell me, and my senpai wasn't there either. I waited for an hour, you know? An entire hour."

Hui awkwardly scratched his head. "Sorry, sorry. I was busy training yesterday and completely forgot."

"Training? What kind of training?" Sasuke immediately latched onto the keyword.

"Basic training. Father taught me how to control my chakra more precisely."

"I don't care. If you're going today, I'm coming with you. Remember, Hui, you owe me this," Sasuke declared with an air of arrogance.

"Me too, me too! Can I come along?" Naruto called out.

Hui couldn't refuse his two friends. The training group grew from one person to a three-person team.

"Gather your chakra in the soles of your feet and distribute it evenly. Then you'll be able to stand on water. So? Pretty simple, right?" Hui explained.

The two boys found it exciting to stand on the water for the first time. Naruto even jumped up and down in excitement. As expected, the next moment he lost his balance and fell into the water. Hui quickly reached out and pulled him back up.

Naruto gulped down fresh air. "Huff, huff. I'm saved. Thanks, Hui."

"Hmph. A dead last is still a dead last."

Expecting Sasuke to show concern in a moment like this seemed impossible. Especially when it came to Naruto.

"Take this, you show-off!" Naruto suddenly kicked up a spray of water that splashed Sasuke.

Sasuke reflexively shut his eyes, then lost his balance too and fell into the water.

Hui paid the two no mind. He'd gotten used to it over the past couple of days. Whenever those two were together, it was as if some kind of chemical reaction occurred. It just didn't seem right if they didn't start bickering.

And as they kept at it, they gradually went from struggling to walk to wrestling on the water.

They're amazing. They're way more talented than I am. They're the real geniuses. I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants.

Watching the two become more and more adept at Water Walking, Hui relaxed and began his Water Release training.

They didn't know that a short distance away, in the shadows, a group of masked figures was watching them intently.

Even behind his mask, the leader's face revealed that he seemed to have only one eye.

He made a few hand signals. One of the others nodded and vanished from the spot.