A year.
For most, it was nothing.
For me—
It was everything.
I didn't waste a single day.
Not after what happened.
Not after nearly dying from my own arrogance.
This time—
I built properly.
The cave became my world.
Silent.
Hidden.
Perfect.
My body changed first.
It had to.
An eight-year-old vessel wasn't enough.
Not for what I intended.
Not for what I was.
So I trained.
Relentlessly.
Taijutsu.
Not basic movements.
Not childish imitation.
Madara Uchiha's taijutsu.
Every stance.
Every strike.
Every shift in weight.
Every micro-adjustment of balance and posture.
I didn't just learn it—
I became it.
His reflexes flowed through me.
Not physically at first—
But mentally.
Then instinctively.
Then naturally.
Dodging before attacks even came.
Reacting without thought.
Moving with precision that didn't belong to a child.
My body struggled to keep up.
At first.
Muscles tore.
Bones ached.
Limits were reached—
Then broken.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Kurama watched silently most of the time.
Occasionally amused.
Occasionally impressed.
You're pushing this body hard, he noted once.
"I need it to catch up."
Because my mind—
Was already far beyond it.
And that gap?
Was unacceptable.
So I closed it.
Day by day.
Then—
Ninjutsu.
The five basic chakra natures.
Fire.
Wind.
Lightning.
Earth.
Water.
With Kakashi's affinity—
And Indra's talent—
It wasn't difficult.
It was… inevitable.
Fire roared at my command.
Lightning bent and snapped through the air like a living thing.
Water flowed.
Earth shifted.
Wind cut.
Not as powerful as they would be later.
Not yet.
But perfectly controlled.
Perfectly executed.
No wasted movement.
No wasted chakra.
Efficiency above all.
Then—
Fūinjutsu.
Complex.
Precise.
Beautiful.
Seals layered upon seals.
Formulas refined.
Structures improved.
Storage seals.
Barrier seals.
Trigger-based constructs.
And most importantly—
Space-time formulas.
The Flying Thunder God.
At first—
It was crude.
Slow.
Inefficient.
Now?
I stood in the center of the cave.
Dozens of marks spread across the walls.
The floor.
The ceiling.
Even outside.
I exhaled slowly.
Focused.
And vanished.
No delay.
I reappeared instantly at the far end of the cave.
Then again.
And again.
Each movement seamless.
Clean.
Precise.
"…Better."
Not perfect.
Not yet.
But close.
Very close.
Minato's version—
Was art.
Mine?
Was becoming something else.
More flexible.
More adaptable.
Something I would eventually evolve far beyond its original design.
Kurama's voice rumbled faintly.
You've gotten fast.
I smirked slightly.
"Fast isn't enough."
Because I knew what I was aiming for.
Untouchable.
Not just speed—
But inevitability.
Then came meditation.
Silent.
Still.
Endless.
Expanding chakra reserves wasn't something you rushed.
It was built.
Layer by layer.
Control by control.
Each breath refined my pathways.
Strengthened my core.
Expanded capacity.
And with Kurama—
The process accelerated.
Not recklessly.
Not like before.
Carefully.
Guided.
Balanced.
Yin.
Yang.
Perfect harmony.
My chakra grew.
Slowly.
Steadily.
Not yet at the level of legends.
But far beyond what any child should possess.
Far beyond what this world expected.
And all the while—
Black Zetsu worked.
Information flowed back in fragments.
Small at first.
Then larger.
Names.
Places.
Rumors.
Structures.
Gods.
Demigods.
Monsters.
The world was taking shape.
Piece by piece.
And I was learning it.
Understanding it.
Preparing for it.
One year.
My body—
Now strong.
Refined.
Dangerous.
My mind—
Sharper than ever.
My abilities—
Stabilized.
Expanded.
Controlled.
And this—
Was only the beginning.
I stood at the edge of the mountain one night.
Looking out across the distant land.
Quiet.
Calm.
"…It's time."
Kurama stirred slightly.
For what?
A faint smile formed on my face.
"To step out of the shadows."
Because I had prepared long enough.
And now—
The world of gods…
Was about to meet something new.