Boom!!!
A terrifyingly compressed sphere of Wind Release Chakra erupted from Naruto's body and shot into the distance.
Moments later, a deafening explosion shook the desert.
The impact carved a massive crater into the earth, resembling the aftermath of a meteor strike. Sand dunes were blasted apart in every direction as a violent shockwave swept across the landscape like a volcanic eruption.
Naruto stood there, breathing heavily.
Although exhausted, his face was filled with excitement.
"This is the true power of Wind Release Chakra Mode!"
His eyes sparkled.
"And there's still that other technique…"
"Hurricane Style: Wind-Powered Body Movement Technique!"
The instant he activated it, Naruto's body vanished.
He merged with the wind itself.
Even Hinata's Byakugan could only catch brief glimpses of his figure as he streaked across the desert like a ghost.
"Incredible…"
Hinata couldn't hide her surprise.
Naruto moved silently through the air, his speed reaching astonishing levels.
He had become one with the wind.
"Hahahaha!"
Naruto laughed excitedly.
"As long as there's wind, Uzumaki Naruto is invincible!"
"And even if there isn't any wind, I can create it myself!"
"With this technique, who in the entire ninja world could catch me?"
"Who could possibly be faster than me?"
Hinata smiled softly.
"At this point, there are probably very few people in the ninja world who can keep up with you, Naruto-kun."
Naruto grinned.
"That's what I think too!"
Then a sudden realization struck him.
"Wait…"
"Flying?"
His eyes widened.
"Could I actually fly?"
Without hesitation, Naruto manipulated the surrounding currents of wind.
Using the Wind-Powered Body Movement Technique, he pushed himself upward.
Whoosh!
His body rose rapidly into the sky.
A loud sonic boom echoed through the desert as he shot more than ten meters into the air.
For a brief moment, Naruto remained suspended above the ground.
Instead of immediately falling, he glided through the sky while controlling the wind around him.
Hinata stared in shock.
"N-Naruto-kun…"
"Are you really flying?"
Naruto's excitement exploded.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hinata!"
"I think I really am flying!"
"This is amazing!"
Looking at Naruto soaring through the air, Hinata's eyes shone with admiration.
"That's incredible, Naruto-kun…"
For the first time in his life, Naruto experienced the freedom of flight.
He was still just a child.
The joy of leaving the ground and soaring through the sky was simply irresistible.
Unfortunately, the sensation didn't last long.
Gradually, his body began to descend.
The wind could no longer keep him aloft.
Naruto landed and scratched the back of his head.
"Hm…"
"It seems I can only maintain it for a short time."
"I feel like I should be able to stay airborne much longer."
"This is only my first attempt. There's still plenty of room for improvement."
Hinata nodded thoughtfully.
"I think so too."
"Now that you've understood the true meaning of flow, your control over wind has improved tremendously."
"You can even use opposing winds as part of your own power."
"The Wind Release Chakra surrounding your body has become an extension of yourself."
Naruto blinked.
"An extension of myself?"
Hinata smiled.
"Think of it as wings."
Naruto's eyes lit up instantly.
"Wings!"
"I understand!"
Without wasting another second, he launched himself into the air again.
This time, he focused on reshaping the Wind Release Chakra flowing around his body.
He streamlined the chakra to reduce air resistance.
He adjusted wind currents around him, turning unfavorable winds into supportive forces.
Most importantly, he attempted to transform the chakra surrounding him into a pair of wings.
Real wings.
Wings that would allow true flight.
However, accomplishing such a feat was far from easy.
The Wind Release Chakra surrounding his body was constantly rotating and flowing at high speed.
To form stable wings, that same chakra needed to maintain a fixed shape while continuing to move.
The two requirements directly contradicted one another.
Yet Naruto had faced impossible challenges before.
Contradictory training methods.
Extreme chakra control exercises.
Countless impossible tasks.
Compared to those experiences, this was simply another obstacle to overcome.
So he continued.
Again and again.
Attempt after attempt.
Failure after failure.
He fell from the sky repeatedly.
Sometimes he crashed headfirst into the sand.
Sometimes he rolled helplessly across the dunes.
Occasionally, he landed so badly that even Hinata winced.
But Naruto never stopped.
He rose.
He tried again.
And again.
And again.
Hours passed.
Whenever his chakra reserves ran dry and Wind Release Chakra Mode collapsed, Naruto activated the Yin Seal.
Fresh chakra surged through his body.
His strength recovered.
Then he immediately resumed training.
Take off.
Maintain altitude.
Fall.
Shape the chakra.
Control the flow.
Stabilize the wings.
Repeat.
The cycle continued endlessly.
Gradually, everything else disappeared from Naruto's mind.
The noise of the village.
The ongoing Chunin Exams.
Even the passage of time itself.
None of it mattered.
Only flight remained.
Even Hinata, who stood nearby watching over him, seemed to fade into the background.
Naruto clenched his teeth.
No matter how impossible it seemed, he would succeed.
He refused to give up.
The grueling training continued until sunset.
Then into the night.
Even past midnight.
Throughout the entire process, Hinata remained by his side.
Quietly.
Patiently.
She never attempted to stop him.
Nor did she try to convince him to rest.
She simply stayed nearby, prepared to help if anything went wrong.
If Naruto was injured, she would heal him.
If he collapsed, she would protect him.
For Hinata, that was enough.
Unfortunately, even after all those hours, Naruto had not achieved complete success.
His time in the air continued to increase.
His control over wind became more refined.
Yet he still couldn't fully transform the flowing chakra into stable wings.
Without that final breakthrough, true flight remained beyond his reach.
Eventually, the system forced him to rest.
Naruto had no choice but to stop.
"Hinata?"
He turned toward her.
"You stayed with me the whole time?"
Hinata smiled gently.
"Yes."
"I was worried that such intense training might put you in danger."
"So I wanted to stay nearby and protect you."
Naruto felt warmth spread through his heart.
"Hinata…"
"Thank you."
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"You don't need to thank me."
Then she smiled brightly.
"Besides, you've made incredible progress today."
"You mastered Flowing Wind Mode."
"You nearly perfected Wind Release Chakra Mode."
"And you've even gained the ability to fly."
"Do you realize how rare that is?"
"In the entire ninja world, only a handful of shinobi possess the ability to fly."
Naruto nodded.
"Maybe."
"But I don't think I've truly mastered it yet."
"Right now, I'm only gliding with the wind."
"To really fly, I need to do what you suggested."
"I need to transform the Wind Release Chakra around my body into wings."
"Only then will I achieve true flight."
He sighed.
"And honestly…"
"That probably isn't something I can learn overnight."
Hinata's smile became even gentler.
"Then I'll stay with you until you succeed, Naruto-kun."
Naruto was deeply moved.
"Hinata…"
She shook her head.
"No more thank-yous."
"We don't need those between us."
Naruto paused before breaking into a bright grin.
"Yeah."
"You're right."
Then he glanced at the night sky.
"It's getting late."
"You should go get some rest."
"Okay."
"Let's head back together."
"Sounds good."
Side by side, the two walked through the darkness toward Sunagakure.
Along the way, Naruto suddenly remembered something.
"The Chunin Exams."
"Are they finished yet?"
Hinata shook her head.
"There are too many finalists."
"The tournament will probably continue for another three days."
Naruto's eyes lit up immediately.
"Perfect!"
His fists clenched.
"That means I still have three days!"
"Within those three days, I'll completely master the ability to fly!"
Hinata nodded confidently.
"If it's Naruto-kun…"
"You can definitely do it."
And so, for the next two days, Naruto completely ignored the Chunin Exams.
While others focused on competition and glory, he devoted himself entirely to training.
Every waking moment was spent pursuing flight.
Hinata kept her promise.
She remained by his side the entire time, silently protecting and supporting him.
Several times Naruto exhausted every last drop of chakra in his body.
He even depleted the reserves stored within his Yin Seal.
Whenever that happened, Hinata immediately stepped forward to help him recover.
She healed his injuries.
Restored his condition.
And encouraged him to continue.
At one point, she jokingly remarked that Naruto's reckless training was helping improve her Medical Ninjutsu.
After all, she constantly had a patient who required treatment.
Naruto laughed at the comment.
Yet there was truth in her words.
As Naruto improved, so did Hinata.
The first day passed.
Then the second.
And finally...
The third day arrived.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)