Training Ground 15.
Below the Hokage Mountain.
Ryuku stood silently next to Hiruzen, waiting patiently for the old man to speak first.
A few minutes earlier, when Naruto and Ryuku were leaving after everything was completed, Hiruzen had suddenly stopped Ryuku. The action scared the shit out of him; for a moment, he thought he had been found out. But he quickly calmed down after noticing the old man's unthreatening demeanor. Shortly after, without saying a word, Hiruzen brought him to this place.
The Third Hokage glanced around Training Ground 15, a spacious area with scattered trees and large boulders unevenly placed across the terrain. Then, he turned his gaze toward the calm boy standing slightly taller than him and began speaking slowly:
"Do you know why we came here, Ryuku?"
How am I supposed to answer that?
Since you specially brought me to a training ground without Naruto, it's obvious you're plotting something… It's either about Naruto, or you've brewed up a little scheme of your own.
Despite the thought, his outer expression remained confused as he shook his head slightly.
"No, Hokage-sama."
Nodding, Hiruzen gave a light chuckle and began to explain:
"I brought you here for a special reason."
Ryuku listened silently.
Hiruzen continued, his face drifting into a nostalgic look.
"You have a natural talent in Medical Ninjutsu — a kind that appears maybe once in a generation."
Looking up at the sky, he sighed a cloud of smoke from his mouth.
"If Tsunade were here, she would've taken you as her student without question. But sadly, she's missing…"
Ryuku gave a slight nod, calmly reacting to whatever the old man was getting at.
"So… I've made a decision." His voice turned a bit more serious, snapping out of his reminiscence.
"In her place, I'll teach you a technique of hers — one that would perfectly complement your advanced chakra control."
Oh... That's probably Enhanced Strength he's talking about… I'd have learned it myself eventually, though... Never mind, let's see how it goes…
Ryuku's eyes widened slightly, and he immediately bowed his head. "I'm truly grateful, Hokage-sama. I'll make sure to live up to your expectations."
Hiruzen chuckled, his mood visibly improving. "Well, well. It's not a high-level Medical Ninjutsu, since even I'm not that well-versed in that field. Instead, what I'm going to teach you is a destructive, offensive technique that will definitely come in handy on your path as a Shinobi."
He walked over to a nearby tree and continued, "It's called Chakra Enhanced Strength."
Ryuku gave a quick nod, his expression one of surprised excitement—though it was mostly an act.
"Focus," Hiruzen said as he began to demonstrate. "By channeling chakra into your limbs, compressing it to the extreme, and releasing it at just the right moment, you can do things like this."
His right arm, already coated in dense chakra, shot forward—
And then—
BOOM!
A deafening shockwave erupted as his punch connected. The sheer force of the air burst slammed into Ryuku, nearly knocking him off his feet. Even though he was standing a fair distance away, the pressure was still overwhelming.
Bastard… Didn't even warn me to step back… If I hadn't reinforced my footing with chakra in time, I might've been blown apart! Hokage, my ass… trying to kill a Genin like me…
Only after the dust finally settled did Ryuku see the extent of the damage done to the tree.
And what he saw left him utterly aghast.
Tree? Forget the tree— even the massive boulders behind it were shattered into rubble. Only a thick stump remained, jutting out from the ground.
"..."
"Hoho, I went a bit overboard with that one," Hiruzen chuckled apologetically, turning toward Ryuku—who was already walking silently toward another tree a few meters away.
The Hokage looked visibly amused.
"Hokage-sama, I'll give it a try now. Please excuse me," Ryuku said politely, though he was grinning inwardly.
Watch closely, you monkey...
Hiruzen remained where he was, puffing on his pipe in a relaxed manner. He knew Ryuku had excellent chakra control, especially for someone so young.
Maybe he'll pull it off in ten tries, he guessed. And if the boy wished to experiment with Chakra Enhanced Strength, Hiruzen had no intention of stopping him.
After all, Ryuku had done a fine job befriending Naruto—and as long as he stayed loyal to Konoha, Naruto would likely follow the same path. That kind of bond, born of true friendship, was the foundation of the Will of Fire that Hiruzen so firmly believed in and had always tried to instill in others.
However, what happened next left the old man wide-eyed in absolute shock.
W-What...
BOOMMMM!!!
The sound was thunderous—like an explosion. A fierce shockwave rippled outward, flinging debris and dust in every direction. Hiruzen's cloak whipped violently in the wind for what felt like forever. Alarmed, he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to appear next to Ryuku, worried the boy had hurt himself.
But his concern turned out to be unnecessary.
H-How is he completely unscathed...?
Hiruzen thought, stunned.
Ryuku stood firm, not even slightly scratched. His expression was calm... too calm.
Then Hiruzen turned to look at what lay ahead—what had once been the tree.
His mouth slowly fell open in disbelief.
T-This is...
For the first time in many years, a genuine thrill surged through Hiruzen's aged heart.
Ryuku stood in silence, shocked. Even he hadn't expected that pouring most of his chakra reserves into a single outburst would cause such devastation.
The tree was completely gone—no stump, nothing. Even the ten-meter stretch ahead had been cleared of boulders. The ground itself was cracked, with the epicenter being where the tree once stood.
My chakra's already starting to recover... but most of it's gone.
The technique's good, but it needs to be toned down a bit for practical use...
It was only then that he noticed Hiruzen standing beside him.
Crap... I totally forgot about him.
Turning with an apologetic look, he said, "Forgive me for being reckless, Hokage-sama. I got excited and used more chakra than necessary."
Hiruzen looked at him, and to Ryuku's surprise, simply smiled.
"It's just a training ground. Nothing to worry about. You must be tired after using that much chakra all at once, right?"
Ryuku gave a quiet nod.
Hiruzen clasped his hands behind his back and added,
"You can go home and get some rest. After all, you've clearly exceeded my expectations—which only proves how refined your chakra control really is. Not everyone your age can do what you just did. But that doesn't mean you can slack off in your training, understood?"
"I understand, Hokage-sama. I'll continue to work hard," he said seriously, before adding with a subtle smile, "For Konoha."
Hiruzen gave a small nod. "Good."