The year came to an end.
Shorai balanced training, library visits, and diligent calligraphy practice—all while watching the village's growing tension. Uchiha patrols faltered, ANBU movements increased, and the air thickened with unrest.
Still, the Academy demanded results.
Iruka stood before the class, scroll in hand.
"Assessment results."
Sasuke: 1st in taijutsu and shurikenjutsu—his precision unmatched.
Shorai: 1st in chakra control, calligraphy, and theory-based subjects—edging out Sakura by a narrow margin.
Ino and Hinata: tied for top overall, excelling across theory, history, and cooperation.
Naruto: near the bottom, as always.
Shorai studied the list.
Good. But not enough.
He looked at the empty weeks ahead.
Chakra. That's the bottleneck. Everything depends on it.
He slipped away to his hidden training spot.
Activating the Reality Stone, he summoned a spectral guide.
"Prioritize chakra reserves and control," he said. "Everything else follows."
The construct nodded. "Water walking next. But don't neglect meditation or internal flow."
Shorai stepped onto the warped pond. Chakra flared.
One step.
Fell.
Again.
And again.
Water walking demanded constant, shifting output—no rhythm, no stability.
He pushed until his reserves burned empty.
Then ran. Push-ups. Sit-ups. Meditation.
The construct guided, corrected, adjusted.
"The fastest way to grow chakra is to push both body and spirit. Yang energy through exhaustion. Yin through stillness."
Shorai nodded.
He studied the Transformation Technique—theory only, as practical jutsu weren't taught yet. He memorized the 12 special animal seals, visualized chakra pathways, practiced shaping.
Then sparring.
Then tenketsu practice on a marked dummy, striking with precision.
He didn't have the Byakugan.
But he had memory.
And will.
And a loophole.
He trained until his body screamed.
Until his mind blurred.
Until the night swallowed him whole.
And still, he whispered:
"Not enough."