Early Morning, 5:00 A.M.
The sky above the Land of Rain remained a dull, oppressive gray—no sign of dawn broke through the cloud cover.
"Get up!"
With a sharp bark, the leg of a cot was kicked—hard.
Nishikawa Tetsu blinked blearily awake and found Fugaku, fully geared up, standing over him. His dark circles were even deeper than yesterday's, but his eyes gleamed with an unsettling brightness.
"You have three minutes. Wash up and get ready. Meet me behind the camp, in the forest."
Without another word, Fugaku spun and exited the tent. His retreating back carried a very clear aura:
He couldn't wait to test something.
Minato rubbed his tousled golden hair and yawned."Fugaku-senpai sure gets up early."
Tetsu tightened the straps on his gear. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth."Probably lost sleep thinking about what I said last night."
Behind the Camp – Rocky Clearing.
Rain continued to drizzle, polishing the rocks until they gleamed slick and dangerous.
Fugaku stood before a massive slab of obsidian-colored stone, inhaling deeply. He turned to face the two younger shinobi, his expression deadly serious—like a priest about to perform a sacred rite.
"Nishikawa Tetsu, watch carefully."
He began forming hand seals.
This time, he wasn't rushing. His movements were deliberate, focusing on the way chakra flowed through each formation.
"Snake – Ram – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger."
Upon the final seal, Fugaku didn't immediately release the jutsu.
Instead, he puffed his cheeks and resisted the urge to spew fire. Following Tetsu's late-night theory, he focused on compressing the chakra density in his throat, manipulating the chakra-to-air ratio to increase combustion efficiency.
His throat burned.
Too dense—too hot.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
FWOOSH—
There was no roaring explosion, no thunderous blast.
What emerged was not a giant orange fireball, but a narrow, spectral-blue column of flame, barely half a meter wide.
It roared through the rain like a laser cannon.
Sssssssss—
Where it struck, the solid granite didn't shatter—it melted.
A perfect, one-meter-wide hole bored through the slab, its interior glowing red-hot, still bubbling like lava. Steam hissed upward in thick curls, carrying a pungent chemical scent.
"...Whoa."
Minato instinctively took a step back, azure eyes wide. He could feel the heat from several meters away—this wasn't just hot. It was terrifyingly efficient.
Fugaku exhaled a plume of white steam, rubbing the edge of his singed lips. He stared at the hole he'd carved—stunned.
"That... only took a fraction of the chakra I normally use."
He turned slowly toward Tetsu, disbelief and awe mingling in his gaze.
"This… is what you meant by complete combustion?"
Tetsu approached, crouched beside the smoldering crater, and nodded after a quick inspection.
"The oxygen ratio wasn't perfect, which is why the center flame still had traces of discoloration. But yes—your fire technique reached over 1500°C. Congratulations, Fugaku-senpai. Your Fire Style just evolved."
Fugaku took a long, steady breath.
Gone was the last trace of disdain from his eyes. What remained was the quiet recognition due a formidable comrade—one whose strength lay not in brawn, but in brains.
"You've proven your theory."
His tone shifted suddenly, strict once again."Which means it's my turn to fix your weakness."
He pointed toward the towering forest trees.
"I'm not worried about Minato. You're the problem, Nishikawa Tetsu."
"Your chakra pool is small. That means every drop counts. Your control's sloppy. So—"
He jabbed a finger upward."Tree-walking. No hands. Channel chakra into your soles and walk vertically. It's the best way to train fine chakra control."
At this point in the timeline, tree-climbing and water-walking weren't yet standard Academy curriculum—they were secret techniques passed down by jōnin.
"Understood."
Minato nodded and stepped forward, taking a deep breath.
With a surge of chakra, he took off.
One step. Two. Three. Four. Up and up—until he reached the highest branch, then casually dangled upside down and waved.
"That wasn't so hard!"
"..."
Tetsu and Fugaku fell silent.
"...Monster," Tetsu muttered internally.
Fugaku's eyebrow twitched. He turned to Tetsu with a look that said, "You see this? That's a prodigy. Now let's see what you can do."
Tetsu shrugged and approached the tree.
Instead of charging up, he pulled out a small notebook and began scribbling formulas.
"...What the hell are you doing?" Fugaku growled.
"Calculating."
Tetsu didn't even glance up."I weigh 42 kg. Friction coefficient of tree bark in rain is approximately 0.6. Factoring in gravity and slippage, optimal chakra output is..."
"STOP. JUST—GO!"
Fugaku kicked him square in the rear.
Tetsu staggered, hit the trunk—and promptly got launched.
WHAM.
He landed face-first in the mud.
"Too much chakra," Fugaku stated flatly."You're climbing a tree, not punting it."
Tetsu groaned, dusted himself off."Right. Margin of error. Overshot by about 15%."
He'd laughed at Naruto and Sasuke struggling with this in the anime—but it was no joke.
One Hour Later
WHACK. CRASH. THUD.
The sounds of controlled failure echoed through the woods.
Minato lounged atop the tree, admiring the misty scenery.
Fugaku stood at the base, arms crossed like a foreman overseeing an underperforming worker.
Tetsu, meanwhile, endured fall after fall—adjusting his chakra output every single time.
Though clumsy, he never repeated the same mistake twice.
And slowly—he improved.
Eventually, muddy, scratched, but determined, Tetsu stood ten meters high, gripping the bark with chakra-infused feet.
He exhaled.
"Chakra-gravity dynamic balance model: complete."
"Acceptable."
Fugaku huffed, turning away—but internally, he was stunned.
Most Genin took days to master this.
Tetsu had done it in an hour.
"Now that you've got the basics, next is water-walking. But before that—"
Fugaku reached into his pouch and pulled out two thin slips of paper.
"Jiraiya-sama left you in my care. That means I handle your growth."
"This is chakra nature paper. Channel your chakra into it. Fire makes it burn. Wind splits it. Lightning crinkles it. Earth crumbles it. Water dampens it."
Minato went first.
The slip split cleanly, then wrinkled, then burned.
"Wind, Lightning, and Fire. You're well-matched for high-speed, high-precision jutsu."
Then both turned to Tetsu.
He already had an idea, but confirmed it with a deep breath and slow chakra injection.
The paper crinkled, soaked, then at the edges—crumbled.
"Lightning, Water, and Earth."
Fugaku's eyebrows rose."Three types? Surprising. Your chakra may be shallow—but your affinity is diverse. Lightning is primary?"
He pondered for a moment, then added:"Lightning can stimulate cells for speed and penetration. Combined with your so-called science… You might carve a path no one's walked."
Tetsu studied the damp, shredded slip in his hand.
In his mind, images bloomed:
Electromagnetic induction.Water electrolysis.High-voltage trap seals.
"...Looks like my Scientific Ninja Tool project just found its power source."
His smile turned sharp.