Sacrifice and Devotion

"The principle behind Cherry Blossom Impact is to gather chakra in your fist or another part of your body, focus it at a single point, then release it..."

"To master this technique completely, you must have perfect control over your chakra. Otherwise, even if you gather all of it, the power you can unleash will be limited."

"Before you train in Monster Strength Fist, Kazan, you need to complete these exercises."

Tree Climbing and Water Walking.

The Ninja Academy did not teach these exercises. In the original story, Naruto and Sasuke only learned about them from Kakashi after graduation.

The method was simple: gather chakra beneath your feet so that climbing a tree or walking on water felt no different from walking on level ground.

The difficulty lay in the body's chakra points. Chakra beneath the feet was the hardest to control.

So once a ninja completed Tree Climbing and Water Walking training, his control over chakra would rise to a new level.

Hiruzen Sarutobi demonstrated it himself, walking up a tree as though he were strolling along a level road.

"Master Tree Climbing first. Then move on to Water Walking."

"Okay!"

Kazan bumped his fists together, then formed Hand Seals and created several Shadow Clones.

The little Kazans, all bright-eyed and eager, each picked a tree and began practicing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Kazan and his Shadow Clones, the corner of his mouth twitching.

What a shame. If Kazan had Kakashi's talent for Ninjutsu, his future achievements would surely surpass Kakashi's.

His chakra reserves were astonishing.

If Kazan's background had not been so thoroughly documented, Hiruzen would have suspected he belonged to the Uzumaki Clan.

Hiruzen had not known Hashirama Senju as a child, but he imagined that even if the First Hokage had possessed more chakra at that age, the difference could not have been large.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

"..."

Before long, Kazan and his Shadow Clones were tumbling from the trees in a tangle of limbs.

Tree Climbing and Water Walking were simple in principle, but far from easy to master.

Even a genius like Sasuke had taken more than a week.

There was no shortcut. He could only learn through repeated trial and error, working to control his chakra until his control improved.

Of course, some people were born with exceptional chakra control.

Sakura Haruno, for instance, had completed the training in very little time.

It was not that her talent for Ninjutsu exceeded Sasuke's. Sakura Haruno had an extraordinary gift for Medical Ninjutsu.

As for Kazan—

His talent for Ninjutsu was nothing special, and he had even less potential as a medical ninja. But he had his Shadow Clones to help him.

After training for a while, he would dispel his Shadow Clones, review all their memories, think through what he had learned, then create more clones and keep practicing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not leave entirely. He kept a Shadow Clone there to guide Kazan personally.

The sky gradually darkened.

Kazan still had not stopped. After finishing his work, Hiruzen Sarutobi brought a large wild boar to him in person.

With the moon high overhead, the old man and the boy sat around a fire and roasted meat.

"Your mother and father loved you very much, Kazan."

"More than anyone, they wanted to stay by your side and watch you grow up."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke without warning. Kazan's expression turned briefly awkward.

This old geezer was about to use that Will of Fire spiel to brainwash me again.

"But there are things we have no choice but to do."

"Why?"

Kazan asked at just the right moment.

"Because the village is a great tree, and everyone in it is one of its leaves! One day, we will wither and fall. But the fallen leaves will become nourishment, allowing new shoots to break through the earth..."

The name Konoha meant "tree leaves."

From the moment Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha founded Konoha, sacrifice and devotion had been part of the village.

"Where the leaves dance, the fire lives on... Do you understand, Kazan?"

"I understand."

He had not lived through it himself, but he could understand.

His own world's Dragon Nation had come through hardship the same way. The sacrifices of those who came before had bought the peace of today.

In an age of war, no one could stand apart from it.

Until the Guangdong Army was wiped out, the Sichuan Army would not march!

That saying captured it best. Of the Guangdong Army's nine hundred thousand soldiers, only three thousand remained after the fighting, and white mourning cloth hung from every household.

"So war can't be avoided anymore?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You taught me Monster Strength Fist."

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. This was a perceptive child, far more thoughtful than his carefree appearance suggested.

He thought of his disciple Jiraiya, who was just as bold on the surface yet keenly perceptive beneath it.

"Until you graduate, I'll devote myself to teaching you!" Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer directly. "Kazan, you're strong—stronger than many others! I hope that one day, I'll see you become a towering tree that can shelter Konoha."

And then give everything, even my life, for Konoha?

There was no such thing as a free lunch. Hiruzen Sarutobi expected a great deal in return for this generous offer.

This was how Hiruzen Sarutobi won people over. It was sophisticated, yet simple at its core.

He forged an emotional bond so they would willingly risk their lives for Konoha.

"I will." Kazan nodded with feigned earnestness, and Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled in satisfaction.

Bonds were what held the village together most firmly.

The next day.

Kazan continued training.

After a full day with fifteen Shadow Clones working at once, he completed his Tree Climbing training despite his unremarkable talent for Ninjutsu.

He kept practicing until he had mastered it completely, then moved on to Water Walking.

His goal was not to climb trees. It was to improve his control over chakra.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sent a Shadow Clone to guide him again that day.

It was spring, and the water was still cold, but Kazan's sturdy body could withstand it. Each time he fell in, he climbed out and tried again.

After each stretch of training, he dispelled his Shadow Clones and sorted through their memories. He progressed so quickly that even Hiruzen Sarutobi was surprised.

He was learning more than ten times faster than an ordinary person.

Unfortunately, ordinary people could not train this way.

Only a ninja like Kazan, with vast chakra reserves and a will as hard as steel, could manage it.

Kakashi, for example, would be limited to a single Shadow Clone.

Water Walking was trickier than Tree Climbing, but Kazan still mastered it in only two days.

From Tree Climbing to Water Walking, the entire course of training took Kazan just three days.

Of course, without his Shadow Clones, it would probably have taken him half a month, even with Hiruzen Sarutobi guiding him.

"Can I start now?"

"Yes. You can try training in Monster Strength Fist."

Watching Kazan race across the water, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"First, gather chakra in your fist. Compress it, then punch with all your strength."

Kazan did as instructed. Controlling chakra in his hands was several times easier than controlling it beneath his feet.

It brought Jiraiya to mind. When the Perverted Sage fought Pain, he had even formed Hand Seals with his feet to cast Ninjutsu.

Jiraiya's chakra control had clearly reached an almost unbelievable level.

Boom!

Kazan threw a punch and easily blew a tree apart.

The result made him frown.

That punch had been weaker than one thrown with his physical strength alone.

He could feel that his chakra control had improved considerably. So why had it turned out like this?

"Don't be surprised. That was the power of your chakra alone. You haven't combined it with your physical strength yet. Keep going..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not surprised. Monster Strength Fist was not easy to master.

The technique suited only those freaks with more chakra than they could use.

The more chakra they had, the more powerful it became.

An ordinary ninja like Kakashi had to ration his chakra carefully and could not make good use of the technique. Ninjutsu was far more efficient for him and better suited to his fighting style.