Chapter 2: A Promise to Rise
The morning sun slipped through the cracks of Naruto's thin curtains, casting a warm glow on the small, cluttered room. The boy stirred awake, blinking sleep from his eyes. For a moment, he forgot about the voice from last night—until it returned.
{"Morning. Sleep okay?"}
Naruto bolted upright. "So that… wasn't a dream."
{"Nope. I'm still here. Ready to start your journey?"}
He rubbed his head, still trying to make sense of everything. "Yeah, but… what exactly are you?"
{"Let's just say I'm like a living encyclopedia in your head—with personality."}
Naruto squinted. "That sounds creepy."
{"Better creepy and helpful than quiet and useless."}
"…Fair."
He pulled on his worn-out orange jacket and tightened his sandals. "So what now? You gonna tell me how to shoot fire out of my mouth or something?"
{"Not yet. We start with the foundation—chakra control."}
Naruto groaned. "Ugh, that sounds like schoolwork."
{"Yes, but this time, you'll actually learn something. You failed the Clone Jutsu twice because your chakra control is terrible. All that energy? You can't mold it properly."}
'So that's why Iruka-sensei always looked so disappointed…'
{"Your chakra reserves are massive—way more than any normal academy student. But you're wasting most of it with poor control."}
Naruto stood up, pacing. "Alright, fine. Where do we start?"
{"Tree climbing. Without using your hands."}
He blinked. "Wait, what?"
{"You'll channel your chakra to your feet and use it to stick to the tree's surface. It'll teach you how to mold and maintain chakra consistently."}
Naruto opened his window and looked out at the nearest tree behind his building. "…That sounds kinda cool."
{"Let's head there. I'll talk you through it."}
Ten minutes later, Naruto stood in front of the thick trunk, palms on his hips.
{"Focus your chakra to the soles of your feet—not too much, not too little. Then try walking up the trunk."}
He took a breath, focused… and dashed forward. His foot hit the bark—and slipped.
SMACK!
Face-first into the dirt.
"Gahh!! That hurt!"
{"Too much chakra. Try again, but dial it down a bit."}
Naruto gritted his teeth and wiped his nose. "Alright, again."
And again.
And again.
He fell over twenty times, scraped his arms, bruised his shoulder, and got splinters in places he didn't think were splinterable.
But he kept going.
'This voice… this thing… it's the first one to actually believe I can be better. I'm not gonna let that go to waste.'
{"You're doing better than most genin would. You've got stamina, determination… just need more control."}
By midday, he managed to walk up halfway before losing his balance and jumping off. He landed with a roll, grinning.
"I did it! Kinda!"
{"It's a start. If you do this every day in secret, you'll be light-years ahead of your classmates by the time of the next exam."}
Naruto looked at his hands. They were dirty, bruised—but steady.
"…Hey. Voice. You think… someday I could become Hokage?"
{"If you keep working like this? Not just Hokage. You could become something the world's never seen before."}
He grinned wider. "Then let's do it. Let's shock everyone."
{"That's the spirit. But remember… this stays between us."}
He nodded. "Yeah. Our secret."
As Naruto began climbing the tree again, panting, falling, trying again, something began to shift inside him—not just strength, but clarity.
And far away, unseen by the boy, shadows stirred. One teacher would soon offer Naruto a forbidden shortcut… and reveal a dark truth about what lived inside him.
But for now, the only thing Naruto cared about was planting his foot on that bark—and rising higher.
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