After completing his mission for the day, Naruto found himself standing outside one of Konoha's open training grounds.
The wind was gentle. The tall grass swayed in slow, lazy waves. It was quiet—peaceful—but Naruto wasn't here to relax.
He stepped onto the field with a determined look.
"Alright... time to train."
He stood still for a moment, frowning.
"What should I even do first? Push-ups? Running? Target practice? Hmm..."
The longer he thought, the more options crowded his mind—push-ups, running, sparring, maybe some shuriken drills.
Soon he wasn't planning anymore—he was overthinking.
"Argh, too many thoughts!" he shouted, shaking his head.
"Push-ups first. I'll figure the rest out later!"
Action first. Thinking can come after. That's how Naruto's brain worked.
He dropped to the ground and got into position.
At this point in his life, he didn't understand chakra control.
He had no idea how to mold it, shape it, or use it in training like most of the other genin. So for now, all he could do was build his body—
pure taijutsu and physical training.
He only knew what was taught in the academy, but that was enough for now.
He started his push-ups.
"One… two… three… four…"
His body moved rhythmically, his face slowly turning red with effort.
"One hundred one… one hundred two… one hundred three…"
By the time he hit two hundred, his arms trembled violently. On the last rep, he collapsed.
"Huff… huff… D-damn… that's brutal…" he groaned, barely managing to flip over onto his back.
He lay there, drenched in sweat, staring at the clouds. Every muscle screamed in protest.
"I'll rest for a bit… then it's squats and running next," he muttered with a weak grin.
"The more I push myself, the faster that timer drops… I gotta keep going."
After a few minutes of lying there like a dropped bag of rice, Naruto forced himself back up.
His arms were cramping, shoulders burning—but he clenched his fists.
"I'll do one hundred laps," he said to himself, looking at the edge of the training field.
Even he knew it sounded ridiculous.
But he didn't hesitate.
He started running laps around the field at a steady pace.
At first, it was easy. He completed ten laps with no problem. Twenty came and went. He passed thirty, then forty…
But after lap fifty, the burn kicked in.
His legs grew heavy. His breathing became rough. Still, he kept going.
"One more… just one more…" he whispered like a mantra, over and over.
By lap ninety, his legs felt numb. His vision started to blur from the heat and effort.
"Hah… finally… it's done…" Naruto gasped as he stumbled past the hundredth lap mark.
And then—he dropped.
Face-first into the grass, limbs sprawled out, breathing like a fish out of water.
"Is this hell…?" he muttered, eyes barely open.
"Finally, it's over…"
"What a relief… I thought I was dying… Ahh man, that was too much."
He turned his head slightly, thoughts drifting as the pain and exhaustion caught up.
"Alright… time for the last exercise of the day—squats," Naruto mumbled, still lying flat.
He tried to sit up but found out that he is unable to even stand up on his own let alone do any excercise.
It was like gravity had quadrupled. His body refused to move and Every muscle in his throbbed with pain.
No matter how hard he tried, he just collapsed again.
"Ugh… I think I've reached my limit," Naruto muttered, exhaling sharply.
Even if I wanted to train more… there's just no way. I can't even lift my own body, let alone do squats.
He gave up and flopped onto his back, arms spread wide, eyes half-lidded.
"I can't even go home like this…"
His mind wandered as he rested in the grass.
I hope Kakashi-sensei gives us a C-rank mission soon… If I have to chase another lost cat, I'll lose it. I didn't become a ninja to run a pet rescue service…
A cool breeze blew across the field. The grass brushed against his skin.
The chilled earth beneath him was oddly comforting.
But then—
There was a shift in the air.
Naruto felt it. Something was approaching.
He turned his head slightly… and his expression darkened.
Charging toward him—kicking up grass and dust—was a huge, wild-looking dog.
Its tongue flopped out. Its eyes were wide. And it was charging like it had just spotted its new favorite chew toy.
Unfortunately, that chew toy was Naruto.
"...Oh crap."
In an instant, all of Naruto's exhaustion vanished.
He bolted upright like he'd never been tired in his life, adrenaline surging.
The dog slowed slightly, confused.
Naruto stood tall, pointing dramatically.
"Hey! You listen here! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage! So you can't bite me, got it?!"
The dog paused.
What the heck is this kid even saying?
Still, it didn't stop.
Naruto raised his hand higher, continuing confidently,
"And do you know what my ninja way is?!"
The dog, for some strange reason, slowed down and tilted its head. Curious?
Naruto's smile widened.
He cleared his throat.
"Ahem! My ninja way is to conquer everything with strength!"
The dog barked once. Loudly. Not impressed.
"But…" Naruto said, voice dropping dramatically,
"If we run into something stronger… way stronger… there's only one thing to do."
The dog narrowed its eyes.
Naruto's next words came out in a blur as his legs launched him like a rocket:
"RUN!!"
And just like that—Naruto dusted.
He took off so fast he left a Naruto-shaped puff of dust behind.
The dog blinked, stunned.
Then:
"GRRRR—!"
It took off after him, snarling furiously.
From far ahead, Naruto's voice rang out through the streets of Konoha:
"IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM—RUN FASTER!!"
He scrambled up a wall, leapt over a rooftop, and vanished.
The dog skidded to a stop, panting, glaring in the direction Naruto had disappeared.
"Woof, woof…"
Next time, the dog thought darkly, that brat's gonna learn the true power… of my Pooky Gang…
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[ A/N :
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