Naruto: Reaching the Stars

Over the next four months, Kisuke followed the same routine. His physical fitness, spiritual energy, and chakra control steadily grew, leading to an increase in his chakra reserves. Sadly, his weak physique became a burden, making his chakra capacity increase less significant.

Physically, he could now run almost 25 laps of the training ground, equivalent to 4.5 kilometers—nearly three times the amount when he first started. He could also do four sets of pushups with ten reps, six sets of sit-ups with fifteen reps, and three sets of pull-ups with ten reps.

While not bad results, they paled compared to Guy in his memories.

Despite this, he didn't let the results deter him. Although he wasn't aiming to be a Taijutsu ninja, there were many ways to strengthen his body, and the most notable technique was Tsunade's. Her technique had made even a civilian ninja like Sakura achieve unimaginable physical strength. Unfortunately, during his six months in this world, he had no contact with Tsunade or any notable character, largely because he wasn't actively searching for them. Even if he found her, he doubted she would take him seriously and might dismiss him. His only hope was that she might become his guiding Jonin after graduation, but that was still far away.

When it came to wind nature training, he saw no success. Training it made him realize how much harder it was than he thought. There was a reason why nature transformation was considered a high-level technique. Just imagining cutting paper wasn't enough to practice. Unfortunately, Daiki had yet to return from his patrol mission, so Kisuke had no one to rely on and had to figure things out himself.

As for the modified shunpo project he was working on, he was getting closer to his goal. After several weeks of constant failure, he realized that he first needed to master the Body Flicker technique to a professional level, at least to the point where he could perform it without hand signs. This would help him understand the jutsu better and learn how to properly let the chakra flow.

Currently, Kisuke was in the forty-third training ground, trying the new jutsu he had practiced for the last month. With a knot, a puff of smoke erupted from his body, and a log replaced him as he appeared a bit away.

"Yes! Finally, I'm able to use it to some degree," he grinned in satisfaction. Though his accomplishment might seem insignificant compared to real geniuses, he was genuinely happy anytime he managed to learn and perform a new jutsu. The satisfaction of seeing the results of his persistent practice was exhilarating, which made him feel a bit odd.

In his past life, he was never one to obsessively focus on anything. He would usually move on to something else as soon as he got lazy or bored. But now, things were different. He couldn't quite describe the feeling, but he knew he wouldn't get lazy enough to stop training. Perhaps it was because this world had supernatural powers, unlike his previous one, which always kept his interest.

'Whatever the reason might be, I will never stop, because it's interesting and exciting to learn about chakra and ninjutsu.'

Kisuke practiced the Substitution Jutsu a few more times to get used to it, then moved under the shade of a tree. After resting for a while and restoring some of his chakra, he pulled out a scroll from the ninja pouch Kirikou had bought for him.

"Kaifū no Jutsu" (Unsealing Technique).

With a puff of smoke, a variety of hidden weapons appeared in front of him—shurikens, kunai, and more.

"That rich little rascal really knows how to please someone," he muttered.

All these things were given to him by Yoruichi after she spent three weeks tormenting him during her stay in Konoha. To her, those days were refreshing, but to Kisuke, they were some of the worst of his life.

Every time he tried to focus on something, that little demoness would appear out of nowhere and start shooting paintballs at him, making it impossible for him to train.

He tried everything he could to chase her away, but she was simply faster and physically stronger than him. Even his complaints to Kirikou went unheard; instead, she encouraged him to play more with Yoruichi.

So, he spent three weeks in a constant state of tension, always on the lookout for when the little rascal would show up.

However, playing with her wasn't a total loss. It improved his Taijutsu and evasion techniques as he dodged her paintballs. He also learned to jump from tree to tree during their chases, though it was painful as he slipped and fell many times.

'Despite being annoying, she has a good heart,' Kisuke thought.

He gathered the hidden weapons and moved toward a tree with a clear circle drawn on its bark. Then, he started throwing them.

During his six months of training, he hadn't neglected practicing his throwing technique. Now, he could hit the tree with perfect accuracy 10 out of 10 times, hit the circle 7 out of 10 times, and hit the center of the circle 4 out of 10 times.

Bad? Yeah, he knew. But considering he had never thrown a weapon at a tree in his previous life, he considered himself pretty damn good for achieving these results in just six months.

After an hour of practicing his throwing technique, Kisuke collected the hidden weapons and sealed them back into the scroll. Even though he had Kirikou's permission to use hidden weapons, he didn't like to show her this secret stash. He didn't want her to get unnecessarily worried and tell him to wait for Daiki, which he wanted to avoid.

Looking up at the sky, he noticed the sun was almost at its peak.

"It's almost midday. Should I head back for lunch?"

After some thought, Kisuke decided to train a bit more before heading back. He returned to the shade of the tree where he had rested earlier and took out an air balloon he had bought two weeks ago.

Once he felt confident in his chakra control, Kisuke began the first stage of Rasengan training. Chakra shape manipulation was difficult, but by remembering how Naruto popped the balloon, Kisuke managed to replicate the technique and burst the water balloon in just over a week. However, it still used up too much chakra, so he spent a few more weeks practicing, trying to pop the balloon with as little chakra as possible.

Once he was satisfied with the results, he moved on to the second stage. His focus was now on instantly popping the air balloon while using as little chakra as possible before advancing to the third stage.

With a bang, the last balloon exploded, but Kisuke wasn't pleased. He still hadn't achieved the desired results, as he had used up too much chakra just to force the explosion. This meant his chakra control still needed work. He realized he had to find another way to improve it.

"But are there any methods left?" he wondered. He had already mastered the three basic chakra control exercises and didn't know of any advanced techniques.

"Whatever, I'll figure something out. I should head back home for lunch," Kisuke muttered, turning to leave. However, a sudden rustle in the bushes stopped him in his tracks.

The PTSD from Yoruichi's relentless attacks kicked in, and Kisuke reacted instantly. He pulled out a kunai and flickered backward, creating distance from the rustle.

"Who's there?"

"I'm so sorry to startle you. I didn't mean to," a voice called out before a small figure emerged from the trees. He was about the same height as Kisuke, with blonde hair and striking blue eyes.

"You are...?" Kisuke stared at the figure in shock, instantly recognizing him. Despite his youthful appearance, he looked just like he did in the series.

"Hi! My name is Namikaze Minato. Nice to meet you," Minato said with a harmless smile.