"Damn it—!"
Naruto staggered back a step, panting heavily as sweat poured down his face. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, breathing like a bellows.
"The Perverted Sage said the size of a barrier depends on two things," Naruto muttered to himself. "Your understanding of sealing techniques… and your chakra reserves."
He clenched his fists.
"My chakra reserves definitely aren't the problem. So that means… what I'm lacking is understanding."
Jiraiya had been very clear about it.
With enough mastery, the Celestial Shroud Formation can expand tens—no, even hundreds—of meters.
That was what the Perverted Sage had said.
Today was the fifth day of training.
Naruto had already memorized the hand seals, learned the formulae, and mastered the purification and circulation of chakra required for sealing techniques. Compared to before, he had made enormous progress.
And yet—
Maintaining the Celestial Shroud Formation was still unbelievably difficult.
Jiraiya hadn't exaggerated in the slightest.
This sealing technique was terrifyingly hard.
"Damn it…" Naruto groaned, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. "If this keeps up, I won't finish in ten days."
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
"If I fail… Big Brother System will electrocute me."
"And the Perverted Sage will definitely be disappointed, too…"
Naruto bit his lip.
"I still want to learn the Uzumaki Clan's strongest sealing technique from him."
His clothes were soaked through. Five days of nonstop training had pushed his body far beyond its limits. His muscles trembled with exhaustion, and even his thoughts felt sluggish.
But then—
Naruto remembered Jiraiya's expression when he praised him.
Even the legendary Sannin called me a genius.
His eyes burned.
"What right do I have to give up?!"
Even so…
He was really tired.
Both his body and mind were screaming for rest.
Suddenly, a reckless idea flashed through Naruto's head.
And before common sense could stop him, he made a decision that went completely against all logic and tradition.
"Big Brother System…"
Naruto raised his head.
"Electrocute me!"
[...]
For a brief moment, the system nearly crashed.
[This request is extremely abnormal. The system refuses to comply.]
Naruto immediately protested, "No, no, I'm serious! I really want an electric shock!"
"If I don't get stimulated, I'm afraid I won't be able to continue!"
"Aren't you supposed to be a Hokage System?" Naruto argued loudly. "Can you really just sit there and watch me slack off?!"
The system ignored him completely.
"…Tch."
Naruto clicked his tongue.
"Fine! If you don't care, I'll just sleep here!"
He immediately found a shady spot beneath a large tree, leaned against the trunk, and lay down flat on the ground.
Just as he closed his eyes—
[Warning. The host must master the Celestial Veil Formation within ten days.]
[Please do not slack off. Begin training immediately.]
Naruto crossed his arms stubbornly.
"I won't!"
[Requesting host compliance…]
[Failure to comply will result in Lightning Edition Punishment.]
[Countdown initiated. Five seconds.]
Naruto's eyes snapped open.
Instead of fear, there was anticipation.
He was exhausted.
He needed stimulation.
Strong stimulation.
[4… 3… 2…]
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Hadi!"
Inside his body, the Nine-Tailed Fox exploded in rage.
"…No!"
[1…]
Naruto straightened his back, bracing himself like a warrior awaiting judgment.
"You damned brat!" Kurama roared. "Don't drag me into your suicidal nonsense!"
[0!]
In the next instant—
BOOOOM!!!
A violent baptism of lightning erupted without mercy.
Lightning struck from outside to inside, from inside to outside, from top to bottom, left to right—completely engulfing Naruto's body!
He was roasted like a human lightning rod.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"
Naruto's scream echoed through the forest, shaking birds from the trees.
Inside him, Kurama suffered even more terribly than Naruto himself.
"You—! You absolute scoundrel!"
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
Man and beast, bound by fate, shared the torment together.
"STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!" Kurama roared in fury.
But Naruto didn't care at all.
Strangely enough—
"It's been a long time since I got electrocuted…" Naruto gasped amid the lightning. "Why does it… suddenly feel kind of good?"
The moment the lightning faded, Naruto staggered… then stood up straight.
His fatigue was gone.
His body buzzed with energy, and his spirit felt strangely refreshed.
Kurama fell silent for a long moment.
"…You have masochistic tendencies," he said darkly. "Don't involve me in this, you damned brat."
Naruto shrugged.
"Well, whose fault is it for living inside my body?"
"Just endure it."
Kurama was furious—but utterly helpless.
"This brat imprisoned me, refuses to use my power, and still forces me to suffer alongside him…"
"Why me?!"
"When I finally get free, I'll tear you into pieces!"
Naruto laughed loudly.
"If you ever get free," he said cheerfully, "I'll already be dead. So how are you planning to tear me apart?"
Kurama froze.
…Damn it.
There really was no way to deal with this idiot.
All he could do was sulk in silence.
After that single lightning strike, Naruto was completely revitalized.
He immediately returned to training.
Pain and joy intertwined as he shouted:
"Celestial Shroud Formation!"
This time, Naruto was fully focused.
No distractions.
No stray thoughts.
Every strand of chakra, every ounce of strength, every trace of concentration and willpower was devoted entirely to the technique.
He closed his eyes.
Quietly, he sensed the flow of chakra within his body.
Then—like threading a needle—he guided it outward with extreme care, releasing it from his body.
The chakra spread—
And transformed into a transparent sphere expanding in all directions.
"Open!"
"Expand!"
Naruto roared internally.
His chakra ballooned outward rapidly—but under precise control, it didn't shatter!
Buzz—buzz—buzz!
This time, the barrier expanded to a three-meter radius before stabilizing.
Naruto's eyes snapped open.
"I did it!"
"It's only three meters… but I finally formed a barrier!"
The Celestial Shroud Formation was a sensory barrier. For it to be truly useful, it naturally needed a large range.
At only three meters, even if an enemy was detected, it would already be too late.
But even so—
This was a massive breakthrough.
According to Jiraiya, the Celestial Shroud Formation was designed specifically to counter invisible enemies, chakra-concealing opponents, and masters of visual genjutsu.
Within the barrier, everything was perceived through chakra.
No matter how skilled the enemy was, even the faintest disturbance could not escape detection.
Any attempt to confuse the user with visual genjutsu became meaningless.
Naruto gasped for breath.
"As long as I succeed once… the rest will be easier."
"Careful control. Maintain the barrier. Expand the range…"
"The Perverted Sage said that ten to one hundred meters was the most basic level of mastery…"
Naruto didn't stop.
He resumed his brutal training immediately.
Jiraiya came to observe him from time to time.
He was genuinely shocked that Naruto had managed to form the barrier in just five days.
But he also knew—
This was only the beginning.
By the ninth day, Naruto had expanded the Celestial Shroud Formation to fifty or sixty meters.
Still, he was far from the hundred meters required.
Jiraiya smiled faintly.
"It seems that even a true genius would struggle to master this in ten days…"
But he had underestimated Naruto.
Shadow Clones were used to their absolute limit.
Training efficiency skyrocketed.
Combined with relentless, sleepless dedication—
Finally, late on the tenth day—
Naruto pushed past his limits.
The Celestial Shroud Formation expanded to one hundred meters!
"I did it!!!"
Naruto laughed in triumph.
Within the barrier's range, every movement was laid bare.
The rustling of leaves.
The shifting of shadows.
Even an ant crawling across the ground could not escape his perception.
Of course—
He had already sensed Jiraiya's presence.
"Perverted Sage!" Naruto shouted. "I know you're hiding in the bushes! Come out!"
Jiraiya stepped forward, stunned.
"Naruto… did you really finish it?"
"A hundred-meter Celestial Shroud Formation," he murmured. "With flawless detection…"
"…That's incredible."
Naruto laughed proudly.
"Hehe! That's just how geniuses work!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)