Naruto: Reaching the Stars

"Look, Kisuke! I did it!" Minato shouted with excitement before forming a tiger seal and flickering to the side.

"Ah, I... I can see that," Kisuke replied, his eye twitching as he watched Minato flicker across the training ground.

One day. Just one freaking day. That’s all it took for Minato to learn the Body Flicker Technique.

Where’s the fairness in that?

Kisuke had spent three grueling weeks, tirelessly training every single day to master the Body Flicker.

He had been genuinely proud of his accomplishment, knowing his talent was above average.

But then this... this freak comes along, with barely any knowledge of chakra manipulation, and after just one night of training—

"So..." Minato suddenly flickered beside him and asked, "What do you think? I managed to complete the second level of the Body Flicker, and I feel like I could master the third level if I keep practicing for the rest of the day."

Kisuke's eye twitched slightly at that before he let out a defeated sigh. Ever since he met Yoruichi, he realized he wasn't exceptionally talented. His real advantage lay in his future knowledge and the many useful exercises he knew.

He understood that by using this knowledge and training hard, he could get a head start on his peers, which would help close the gap between him and the truly talented.

But what would he do when he met someone with monstrous talent who trained just as hard as he did? Would he ever be able to catch up?

'No, don't be hasty. I shouldn't compare myself to others. That will only poison my spirit and might drive me to do things I don't want to.' Kisuke was determined not to let the pursuit of strength consume him, or he might end up like Orochimaru.

'If Guy and Lee can do it, then so can I.'

"What's wrong?" Minato asked, noticing him lost in thought.

"It's nothing..." Kisuke shook his head and smiled. "To be able to learn the Body Flicker in a single day, I've got to say you're the most talented person I've ever met."

"Ah... thanks." Minato smiled awkwardly at the praise. Yesterday, Kisuke had repeatedly told him that practicing the Body Flicker wouldn't be easy—even Kisuke himself had taken three weeks to master it.

But after practicing all night, Minato had managed to get the hang of it, realizing he was quite talented. Still, he didn’t let that discovery change how he acted.

"Is there any other jutsu you could teach me?" Minato asked eagerly.

'Why am I feeling like I’m the one being used here, not the other way around?' Kisuke muttered with a sigh.

"Hmm, did you say something?" Minato asked.

"It's nothing," Kisuke replied. "I know a few more jutsu and could teach them to you." He smirked. "But you have to call me Sensei."

"Hai, Sensei!" Minato saluted without hesitation, causing Kisuke to look at him in bewilderment.

"Don't you have any self-esteem?"

"Nope!" Minato replied with a sheepish smile.

Kisuke sighed, his plan to mess with Minato dashed away. "Forget about it."

"If you want to learn more jutsu, we need to work on your chakra control first. You probably noticed during your execution of the Body Flicker that you used more chakra than necessary."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that too," Minato nodded, already aware of his shortcomings. "Is there anything I can do to improve my control?"

"Of course..."

Kisuke then showed him various chakra control exercises, and they practiced them for the next few days.

After Minato managed to hold a leaf on his forehead for over forty minutes, they moved on to tree climbing, where he had to stick to the tree using as little chakra as possible.

Next, they found a shallow stream where they practiced water walking.

Even though Kisuke had already mastered these exercises, he didn’t slack off. Instead, he practiced even harder, coming up with new ways to make the challenges more difficult.

And he immediately saw the results. Competing with Minato was both frustrating and exhilarating. Watching real talent bloom right in front of him ignited his competitive spirit, making him less lazy.

****

Standing in Training Ground 43, Kisuke called out to Minato, who was standing a short distance away. "Are you ready?"

"Bring it on," Minato replied confidently, forming a series of hand seals.

Kisuke smiled and quickly threw a small rock at him. The moment the rock was about to hit, Minato vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a log in his place. 

"Substitution Jutsu, huh? Not bad," Kisuke murmured, no longer surprised by Minato’s rapid progress.

Minato reappeared a few meters away, smirking. "See? I told you I mastered it—"

Before Minato could finish his sentence, a small rock hurtled toward him, striking his forehead before he could react.

Kisuke chuckled. "You're getting cheeky, Minato. But do you think the enemy would just stop attacking after you perform a Substitution Jutsu?"

Minato rubbed the red bump forming on his forehead and muttered, "That was so uncalled for..."

"Hehe, I always adhere to the saying 'no pain, no gain.' That pain in your forehead will remind you not to let your guard down after evading an enemy attack," Kisuke said, his tone rigorous.

"Is that really the reason...?" Minato couldn’t help but feel there was more to it than what Kisuke was saying.

"Enough chit-chat. Let’s see how many times you can perform the Substitution Jutsu," Kisuke said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "And remember, you're not allowed to attack back."

Not wanting Minato to realize he was subjecting him to the same torture Yoruichi had put him through, Kisuke kept throwing rocks at him, one after another.

Minato scrambled to avoid them, using the Substitution Jutsu repeatedly. As the rocks kept coming, Minato quickly realized Kisuke wasn’t going to let up. He had to stay sharp, constantly on the move, and time his substitutions perfectly to avoid getting hit again.

The training was exhausting, but Minato could feel his reflexes sharpening with each successful evasion. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Kisuke was enjoying this a bit too much.

"You're doing great, Minato!" Kisuke called out, rocks in both hands and grin plastered across his face. "Just remember, the enemy won’t always give you time to rest. Stay on your toes!"

Minato gritted his teeth, determined not to let any more rocks hit him. He could see now that Kisuke was pushing him to his limits.

As the exercise continued, Minato's movements became more fluid, seamlessly switching between the Substitution Jutsu and Body Flicker to avoid the rocks. His chakra control was being tested with every move, forcing him to use only what was necessary to dodge while conserving enough energy for the next evasion.

Kisuke was also improving as well. ‘ as expected. Practicing throwing technique on a moving target is more effective.’

The enemies wouldn't just stand there and allow him to hit them with hidden weapons. They would try to avoid or deflected 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Minato shouted, "Stop, stop! I'm almost out of chakra!" Kisuke had repeatedly warned him about the dangers of completely exhausting his chakra—pushing yourself to the point of total depletion could leave you vulnerable, unable to defend yourself if an enemy were to strike and in extreme cases you'd die for chakra overused.

Kisuke paused mid-throw and clicked his tongue. He wanted to hit Minato now that he was slower, but seeing the red marks all over him, he lowered the rock.

"You did great today. That was a good exercise," Kisuke said, his tone cheerful.

Minato, panting and covered in dirt, managed a weak smile. "You're the only one who seemed to enjoy it."

"Hey, hold on. You asked me to help you train. It's not my fault you're a bit soft for my methods." Kisuke smirked.

Too tired to argue, Minato just shook his head. "Forget it."

The two sat quietly on the ground. After a few minutes of catching his breath, Minato stood up. "My turn to throw rocks now!"

"W-what? Hold on! Let's not be hasty," Kisuke said, backing away.

Minato grinned. "Like you said, the enemy won’t be stopped by talk no jutsu, so neither will I."

He picked up a rock, ready to throw, but suddenly, a loud shout echoed through the forest.

"Kisuke!!!"

"Shit!" Kisuke's expression changed.

"Who's that?" Minato asked, noticing Kisuke's reaction.

But instead of answering, Kisuke muttered, "Sorry for this," before dragging Minato behind him.

"W-what are you—"

Before Minato could finish, something hit his chest, and a wet splatter covered his face.

"Paint?!" Minato exclaimed, wiping his face as he stared at the bright splotch now covering his chest.

Kisuke winced, trying to stifle his laughter. "Uh... yeah, about that..."

Before Minato could respond, the voice rang out again, closer this time. "Kisuke!!!"

More paintballs flew toward them, but Kisuke was ready. He flickered to the side, dodging all of them, and Minato quickly followed suit.

A girl with short purple hair burst through the trees, a triumphant grin on her face. Her golden eyes gleamed as she spotted the two boys hiding behind the tree.

Minato blinked in surprise. "Who...?"

Kisuke groaned, already knowing what was coming.

Yoruichi casually strolled over, smirking. "I'm finally back! Did you miss me, bed-wetter Kisuke?"

“How many times have I told you not to call me that?” Kisuke's eye twitched in frustration.

"Then stop wetting your bed if you don’t like it—"

“I never wet the bed...” Kisuke started to argue but stopped with a sigh. What was he doing, arguing with a little girl? He was supposed to be the adult here. He should just ignore her.

A sudden chuckle caught their attention. Both turned to see Minato trying to suppress his laughter, covering his mouth. “Sorry… sorry!”

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, sizing Minato up before turning back to Kisuke. "Who's the midget?"

That instantly shut Minato up.

‘thats what you get for laughing.’

Even though Minato was indeed a bit short, Kisuke didn't want them to have the wrong impression of each other.

Minato’s face flushed with embarrassment, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Kisuke quickly stepped in.

"Alright that's enough, Yoruichi," Kisuke said, trying to defuse the situation. "This is Minato. We’ve been training together. Minato this is Yourichi"

Minato cleared his throat, trying to regain some composure. "Nice to meet you," he said politely, though he was still a bit rattled by the nickname.

Yoruichi glanced at him again, then shrugged. "Alright, I’ll let the ‘midget’ thing slide this time," she said with a grin. "But only because Kisuke didn’t try to deny it."

Kisuke sighed. "I didn’t deny it because it’s pointless arguing with you."

"Smart move," Yoruichi replied, looking quite pleased with herself. She then turned to Minato. "So, Minato, are you any good at dodging?"

Minato blinked in confusion. "Dodging?"

Without warning, Yoruichi pulled out a paintball from her pouch and hurled it at him. Minato barely managed to tilt his head out of the way, the paintball whizzing past him.

"Hey! What was that for?" he exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.

Yoruichi smirked, nodding in approval. "You’ve got good reflexes. You'll make a great test subject."

"Test subject?" Minato asked, clueless about what she had in mind.

Kisuke groaned, immediately recognizing her intentions. He turned to Minato and shouted, "Run!"

"Huh?!"

Still confused, Minato watched as Kisuke flickered away. He turned back to Yoruichi just in time to see her launching more paintballs at him.

Startled, Minato did his best to dodge. Luckily, his recent training paid off as his reflexes were sharper, allowing him to anticipate and avoid the incoming paintballs.

"Run, little mice, run!" Yoruichi laughed, chasing after the boys while firing paintballs at them.

‘Great, here we go again,’ Kisuke thought with mild irritation, though a small smile crept onto his face.

****

The chase finally ended around lunchtime. Kisuke invited Minato over to his house to grab lunch and wash off the paint that covered him.

Minato tried to refuse, but after Kisuke’s repeated insistence, he reluctantly agreed.

‘Good thing Yoruichi doesn’t know Minato’s an orphan, or she’d probably try to buy him new clothes as an apology,’ Kisuke mused. Even though Yoruichi could be annoying, she had a good heart.

Once they arrived at Kisuke’s house, he introduced Minato to Kirikou, before they went to wash up.

Kisuke also lent Minato some clothes while his own were being cleaned and hung up to dry.

During lunch, Minato was a bit shy and reserved around Kirikou, but she quickly told him to treat their home like his own. Even then, he remained a little restrained.

Kirikou lightened the mood by chatting with the boys about their training and what they had been up to.

After lunch, Kisuke tried to send Minato on his way so he could help watch the store, but Kirikou insisted that he should spend time with Yoruichi since she had been away from Konoha for months. 

Seeing that she wouldn’t take no for an answer, Kisuke reluctantly agreed and went to meet up with Yoruichi, bringing Minato along.

****

Strolling through Konoha's streets, Kisuke noticed that the village seemed more crowded than usual, with new faces bustling about.

“Are you guys ready for the festival?” Yoruichi suddenly asked.

“Festival?” Kisuke thought. Come to think of it, Kirikou had mentioned something about it recently, but he hadn’t paid much attention.

“What? It’s the New Year’s Festival! Don’t tell me you forgot!” Yoruichi looked at him, exasperated. “It’s supposed to be the biggest event of the year. Everyone's going to be there!”

Kisuke shrugged, looking uninterested. “It's just a festival. Don’t get your hopes up.”

The village celebration seemed small in comparison to the grand festivals Kisuke remembered from Earth. Minato didn’t seem particularly excited either.

“No, this year’s different. It’s special,” Yoruichi said with confidence.

“Oh yeah? Why?” Kisuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yoruichi grinned. “Because there's going to be a big surprise. And I'll be performing in it!”

Before they could question her further, Yoruichi made a quick hand seal. With a puff of smoke, she transformed into a sleek black cat.

Kisuke blinked in surprise. "A transformation jutsu?"

The black cat Yoruichi purred and walked in circles around them before sitting and flicking her tail playfully. “Impressed?”

Minato crouched down to get a better look, his eyes wide with curiosity. "That's amazing!"

Yoruichi flicked her tail and, with another puff of smoke, returned to her human form. "This is just a taste of what you'll see during the festival. You two better not miss it!"

‘It looks like this festival might be more interesting than the ones back on Earth,’ Kisuke thought.

Minato suddenly turned to Yoruichi with wide, hopeful eyes. “Yoruichi-san, could you teach me how to do what you just did?”

Kisuke smirked, thinking, ‘This guy knows how to take advantage of people.’

“You want me to teach you the Transformation Jutsu?” Yoruichi asked, seeing Minato nod. She shrugged. “Sure, I guess. It’s not exactly a secret technique. But I must warn you, it will be quite difficult to learn. It took me some time to get the hang of it.”

“I’ll try my best!” Minato said eagerly.

Kisuke just smiled, knowing Yoruichi would be the one surprised.

***

A few days later, Minato stood on the training ground, formed a hand seal, and with a puff of smoke, transformed into a perfect copy of Kisuke.

“I did it!” he shouted triumphantly.

Yoruichi stared in disbelief, her eyes wide. “H-how?!”

She turned to Kisuke, who was standing beside her. “Where did you find this freak?”