The break after the first year at the Academy gave Kuro a long-awaited respite from Sarutobi-sensei's lessons, but that didn't mean he planned to waste time. Over the past year he had taken a huge step forward in his development, yet there were still many aspects that required polishing — for example, chakra control. Thanks to Sukuna, he had massive reserves, but his control still needed work.
Today he finally decided to try a technique he had been putting off for a long time — walking on water. He had mastered the basic exercise, tree-walking, almost immediately upon arriving in this world, but he never got around to the second stage. Kuro came to a small lake not far from the Nara clan grounds. The water reflected the sunlight, swaying slightly from the gentle breeze.
"Alright, let's see how hard this is," he muttered to himself.
Concentrating chakra in his feet, he carefully stepped onto the surface of the water. Almost instantly his legs sank, and with a splash he plunged into the cool depths. Surfacing and shaking his short spiky hair, he grimaced.
"Great start," he snorted, climbing back onto the shore.
Analyzing the mistake, he realized that staying on water required a much finer chakra adjustment. If, for example, tree-walking required matching the amount of chakra to each step, then here he needed to create an evenly spread supporting layer. Pulling himself together, he tried again, and on his second attempt his feet stood firmly on the water, which now seemed covered by a film of chakra that prevented him from sinking.
"Maybe Sukuna's genius passed on to me too?" he smirked, examining his reflection.
In the following days Kuro continued his training. Not only did he master water-walking, but he also tried combining it with movement during combat. On one of these days Shikaku found him — apparently he was also interested in learning the skill, or at least that's what he claimed.
"You know, you could just wait for rain and walk on puddles," Nara remarked lazily, watching his friend train.
"Yeah, and you could also recharge from sunlight while lying under a tree and meditate in deep sleep — you already told me about your training plan," Kuro replied mockingly.
"It's perfect, isn't it?" Shikaku sighed, still stepping onto the water.
However, the Nara heir didn't succeed as fast as Kuro. He spent half the day falling under the water until he finally managed to adjust the chakra flow correctly. Seeing this, Kuro only smirked as he watched his friend stay on the lake's surface for a couple seconds longer than before.
"Congratulations, now you can drown slightly slower than before."
"Truly, what an honor…" Shikaku drawled, rolling his eyes.
In the evenings after training, Kuro and Shikaku often stayed on the clearing, discussing various things. Talking to Shikaku was always easy, despite his lazy personality. He was wise beyond his years, and Kuro often caught himself thinking that in his company he could discuss much more complex and interesting topics than with other classmates.
Another month passed like this: training, chakra experiments, and evenings with friends — sometimes joined by members of the Akimichi, Yamanaka, or Namikaze clans.
Kuro felt that this was exactly the kind of time he would have wanted to experience in his previous life, but knowing the horrors of the future still didn't allow him to lose himself entirely in childish carefreeness. He also thought about other ways to train chakra control — Rasengan immediately came to mind, though Minato hadn't even created it yet. Honestly, all Kuro remembered about learning that technique was something about water balloons and a cat helping him.
He could also start practicing chakra threads and medical ninjutsu. Had Kuro not known that he would one day obtain Reversed Cursed Technique and the Deer Shadow that wielded it, he would've prioritized medical ninjutsu first — after all, he had no desire to die a second time. But it was unlikely anything could compare to RCT, except maybe the Strength of a Hundred Seal… though who would ever grant him access to that? …Unless he saved Nawaki's life, perhaps then it might be possible.
Soon the second year at the Academy began, bringing some changes to Kuro's schedule. He quickly adapted to the new workload. In addition to numerous theoretical lessons, they now began learning the basic taijutsu style of Konoha. This became a serious trial for many children, but Nara viewed it simply as another stage in becoming a shinobi. Despite his physical advantage, he understood that in the future he might face an equal opponent, and without proper preparation and foundation, the chance of losing would be quite high.
Still, school was school — life in Konoha went on as usual. One morning, right before class began, Choza burst into the room with a huge grin on his face.
"Hey, everyone!" he announced loudly. "In three days it's my birthday! And of course, you're all invited! Mom promised tons of food!"
The whole class perked up. No one doubted that a party at the Akimichi house would be generous and fun. Kuro smirked and exchanged glances with Shikaku.
"You're going, right?" Shikaku asked lazily, leaning on his hand.
"Of course. Who would refuse free food?" Kuro grinned.
Shikaku only snorted; he was pleased, knowing how important this celebration was to Choza. Kuro pondered what to give his friend. He didn't want to settle for something banal like sweets — although he was sure Choza would love that too.
Maybe something related to training? Something useful in battle?
Thinking about this, after class he went to one of the weapon shops, hoping to find a suitable gift.
A few days later, the promised celebration finally arrived — unusually loud and lively. The Akimichi estate was filled not only with the birthday boy's friends but also with many influential people of the village, including the heads of the Nara and Yamanaka clans. Despite the presence of such important figures, the children didn't feel intimidated — the party was exactly what everyone expected: fun, full of laughter, and of course, mountains of meat.
Kuro arrived right on time, not wanting to appear rude. Holding a neatly wrapped scroll, he was already looking forward to Choza's reaction. When it was finally his turn, Akimichi eagerly accepted the scroll from Nara's hands.
"It's a sealing scroll," Kuro explained with a smirk. "You can store lots of useful things in it — including food — and it won't even spoil."
Choza's eyes immediately lit up, and a wide joyful smile appeared on his face.
"That's genius! Now I can take whole supplies with me and not worry about anything going bad! Thanks, Kuro!"
"Use it well," Nara replied with a small smile, seeing his friend's genuine happiness.
Meanwhile, the celebration continued. Loud laughter, cheerful shouts, and clattering dishes filled the estate. There was indeed an abundance of food, and Choza, full of enthusiasm, proposed a friendly eating competition. Many eagerly agreed — especially Nawaki.
The adults watched the festivities with soft smiles, sitting at a separate table filled with the most exquisite dishes. The head of the Akimichi clan, a powerful and good-natured man with thick sideburns, looked at his son with pride as the boy led the competition with genuine excitement.
"He clearly takes after you," Shikuma noted, lazily sipping tea.
"Yes, but you know, when I was his age, I could eat twice as much," Akimichi chuckled, taking a hearty bite of meat.
Yamanaka snorted, watching his son energetically cheer for his friends.
"This is a good event," he remarked. "The children are happy, and we adults can discuss matters in a less formal setting."
Meanwhile, the eating competition among the children was in full swing. Choza confidently held the lead, but Nawaki was desperately trying to catch up, chewing so fast it looked like he might choke at any moment. The other participants were already falling behind, while the spectators cheered loudly for the favorites.
Kuro stood aside, watching the commotion with a faint smile. At that moment Uchiha Mikoto approached him, gracefully holding a cup of tea.
"You're not participating?" she asked, raising a brow.
"I don't think I stand a chance against them," Kuro replied, nodding toward the Akimichi and Senju battling for the title of the most gluttonous.
Mikoto smiled slightly, crossing her arms.
"Strange. Usually you never miss a chance to show off your superiority."
"You mean those times when I beat you during sparring?" Kuro asked with an intentionally innocent expression.
Mikoto's eyes narrowed, though playful sparks danced in them.
"You're unbearable."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment!" she huffed, crossing her arms tighter. "Anyway, you seem pretty content. I guess you enjoy watching this farce?"
"Yeah, moments like these matter," he admitted. "Sometimes you just want to enjoy the atmosphere instead of being the center of it."
She looked at him carefully, as if weighing his words.
"Maybe you're right…"
"Maybe?" Kuro repeated with ironic emphasis.
"Don't get cocky."
"Of course, princess."
With a slight frown — and trying to hide a tiny smile — Mikoto quickly walked away. Nara watched her go, feeling that their relationship had warmed just a little.
The evening drew to a close, but laughter and chatter lingered in the Akimichi estate for a long time. Kuro savored the moment, fully aware that difficult days awaited them ahead. But for now… for now he could simply allow himself to be a child.