The mental image of Neji's condescending smirk was burned into Naruto's mind. He had held his ground, but the sheer technical skill of the Hyuga prodigy was a gap he couldn't ignore. Back in the familiar, damp chamber of his mindscape, he paced restlessly before the Kyuubi's gate while Garp watched, his arms crossed.
"You were reckless, sloppy, and you relied on your thick skull to save you," Garp said, his voice a blunt instrument. There was no praise this time.
"But I didn't lose!" Naruto shot back. "My Tekkai worked!"
"It was a clumsy, last-ditch effort that still sent you flying! If he had followed up properly, you would have been finished," Garp countered, his tone sharp. "Your will is a hammer, brat. Against a normal opponent, that's enough. But against a rapier like that Hyuga boy, a hammer just tires itself out hitting empty air. You need more than just a hammer. You need a toolbox."
He cracked his spectral knuckles, a wide, predatory grin spreading across his face. "Your body is now a lump of forged steel. It's time we started sharpening it into a proper weapon. Your training enters a new phase."
The next morning, Gai and Lee found Naruto in his usual training field, but he wasn't running laps. He was standing in front of a cluster of medium-sized boulders.
"Naruto-kun, what is this youthful new exercise?" Gai inquired.
Naruto, following Garp's instructions, just grinned. "Old man Garp says if my fists ain't strong enough, I just gotta punch stuff 'til they are!"
"That's not what I said, you moron!" Garp yelled in his head, but he was laughing.
Before Gai could question the name "Garp," Naruto took a deep breath, settled into a crude fighting stance, and slammed his fist into the nearest boulder. The impact resulted in a sharp crack—of Naruto's own knuckles. He yelped in pain, shaking his hand wildly.
Lee looked horrified, but Gai's eyes widened, a flicker of understanding in them. "I see! You are not just training your fists, but your spirit! To challenge the immovable! To push past the limits of pain! WHAT A POWERFUL DISPLAY OF YOUTH!"
And so, Naruto's new public regimen began. To any observer, he was just Gai's weird student who had taken to punching rocks. But in secret, it was Garp's method of conditioning, forcing Naruto's unique physique to adapt, hardening his bones and flesh beyond human limits.
The real training, however, happened in the mindscape.
"You're a brawler, brat. That's good. It's instinct," Garp paced before the great gates, his spectral form radiating intensity. "But instinct isn't enough. We saw that with the Hyuga. You relied on your chin and your guts. A real fight requires a toolbox, not just a hammer. For the next seven months, until your graduation, we're not just building the engine. We're building the whole damn war machine. We'll build your style on three pillars. First, Boxing, second, Kick Boxing, and third, Grappling."
The training was broken into three pillars.
First was Boxing. Mornings were a blur of footwork drills, bobbing and weaving around imaginary opponents until his legs burned. Garp was a relentless teacher, his spiritual "Fist of Love" smacking Naruto's head every time he dropped his hands or forgot to pivot. "A punch's power comes from the ground, you idiot! Your feet, your hips, then your shoulder! It's a chain! Don't break the chain!"
Second was Kickboxing. Naruto's afternoons, once spent on basic katas with Gai, were now spent secretly brutalizing the training ground. He kicked a thick oak tree until his shins were numb, then raw, then healed stronger than before. Garp taught him how to flow from a jab into a powerful roundhouse kick, how to check an opponent's kick, and how to use devastating knee strikes in close quarters.
The final pillar was Grappling. Gai, at Naruto's odd request, had "youthfully" provided him with a massive, heavy training log. Publicly, Naruto would practice basic throws. In private, Garp taught him the vicious reality of close-quarters combat. He learned how to apply chokeholds, how to use an opponent's momentum for powerful hip throws, and the brutal mechanics of joint locks. It was not the elegant grappling of a sport; it was the life-or-death struggle of a warrior.
His sparring sessions with Rock Lee became a showcase of his progress. Two months into the new regimen, Lee rushed him with a Leaf Whirlwind. Instead of bracing for impact, Naruto sidestepped with the grace of a boxer, dropped his hips, and seamlessly executed a hip throw. Lee landed on his back, breathless and utterly stunned.
"Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed, his eyes wide with admiration. "That was not the Strong Fist! Your movements are so… unpredictable!"
Naruto just grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Just trying to keep up with you, Lee! Gotta try new things, right?" It was the perfect cover.
Might Gai stood before the Hokage's desk, his usual boisterous energy tempered by a serious, professional demeanor.
"Hokage-sama," Gai began, "You asked for a report on Naruto Uzumaki's progress."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, setting down his pipe. "I did. Your assessment of the boy is… unique. Tell me what you have seen."
"He is a prodigy," Gai stated, the words holding immense weight coming from him. "Not of Ninjutsu, perhaps. But of Taijutsu? He is a once-in-a-generation talent. His work ethic is second only to my Lee, but his body is a fortress. His rate of growth in strength, durability, and technique is unlike anything I have ever witnessed."
Gai's eyes gleamed with passion. "He absorbs every lesson like a sponge and then applies it with a brawler's instinct that cannot be taught. With the right guidance, I believe Naruto Uzumaki will become a pillar of Taijutsu for this village, a physical powerhouse on par with the greats."
Hiruzen listened intently, the report both thrilling and deeply unsettling him. A pillar of the village… or a loose cannon forged by an unknown master?
Later that week, Kakashi Hatake, dressed in his standard Jonin flak jacket, leaned against a dango shop, reading his Icha Icha book. He had been relieved of his ANBU duties nearly three years ago, a transition to prepare him for his upcoming role as a Jonin team leader. He no longer had the official duty of watching Naruto, but old habits—and old promises—died hard.
"Kakashi! My eternal rival!" Gai's voice boomed as he approached.
"Yo, Gai," Kakashi said, not looking up from his book. "That's a new shade of green. Very… vibrant."
"Do not mock the colors of youth!" Gai struck a pose. "I have just come from giving my report to the Hokage on my prized students!"
Kakashi's visible eye flickered with interest. "Oh? And how is the little one doing? Still trying to punch rocks into submission?"
Gai's grin was blinding. "He is no longer trying, Kakashi! He is succeeding! His power is magnificent! His fists are like tiny cannons!"
"Hm," Kakashi mused, finally closing his book. He had seen the results himself from afar. The boy's movements were sharper, his power more focused. "He's come a long way from the talentless prankster everyone thinks he is."
Gai nodded, his expression serious for a moment. "He is more than anyone knows. He will be a splendid shinobi."
Kakashi watched Gai leave, a thousand thoughts running through his mind. A pillar of taijutsu… He had a feeling his future Genin team was about to become far more complicated, and far more interesting, than he had ever anticipated.
The night before the Genin graduation exam, a twelve-year-old Naruto stood in front of the mirror in his apartment. He was still short for his age, but the childish softness was gone, replaced by the wiry, coiled strength of a fighter. He wore the goggles the Third had given him pushed up on his forehead like a makeshift headband.
"You nervous, brat?" Garp's voice asked from within.
"Nah," Naruto said, though his heart was thumping. "It's just another test."
"Damn right it is," Garp said, his voice taking on a serious tone. "Everything we've done for the past five years has been for tomorrow and the days that follow. You've forged your body. You've sharpened your fists. But none of it matters if you forget the most important lesson."
"I know, I know," Naruto sighed, a grin touching his lips as he recited the mantra that had been drilled into him. "I'm a loudmouthed, talentless dobe."
Garp's deep laugh echoed in his mind. "That's right. You're a failure. You're the village idiot. You're no threat at all."
Naruto met his own gaze in the mirror, his blue eyes holding a new, hard light.
"Until you're not."