Naruto - Azure Awakening

Kaoru's gaze remained fixed on the figure ahead. The man moved slowly. He looked lost in thought, almost detached from the world around him.

Kaoru's mind raced.

[That's Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki.]

He knew from memory that Utakata was very different from Yagura, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki. Utakata was peaceful, compassionate even, and wouldn't attack unless provoked.

But…

All of that information came from the anime he remembered. And this? This was no anime. This was the real world, where people were far more complex than characters with neatly assigned personalities written by an author.

[What if he's not the same? What if this Utakata is completely different?]

Kaoru's stomach churned as another thought struck him. Even if Utakata was the same person he remembered, there was no guarantee he'd be kind to some random boy who crossed his path.

The potential benefits of befriending a powerful Jinchūriki were immense, but the fear of dying—which would absolutely happen if Utakata was hostile—far outweighed the risk.

Kaoru made his decision.

[Nope. I'm not taking that chance.]

He leapt behind a massive tree, pressing his back against its rough bark. His breath hitched as he glanced around, ensuring he was out of sight. For a moment, he considered using the Body Flicker Technique to retreat further, but then hesitated.

[What if Utakata or the Six-Tails sense my chakra? They'd chase me down.]

Instead, Kaoru crouched lower, straining to hear the faint sound of Utakata's footsteps. Leaves crunched softly beneath the man's feet as he continued walking, seemingly unaware of Kaoru's presence.

But Kaoru could barely focus over the pounding of his own heartbeat.

[Why is my heartbeat so damn loud?] he cursed, trying to steady his breathing and calm his pulse.

Seconds felt like hours as Kaoru waited, every muscle in his body tense.

Finally, the footsteps grew fainter.

Utakata didn't stop, didn't pause, didn't even glance in Kaoru's direction. If he noticed Kaoru, he showed no sign of it.

Kaoru exhaled shakily, his body relaxing for the first time since spotting the Jinchuriki.

"I think I survived," he muttered, peeking around the tree to confirm Utakata was far out of sight.

Still, he wasn't about to take any chances.

"Just in case, I'm going the opposite way," he murmured, standing and brushing dirt off his knees. "I do not want to run into him—or worse."

Kaoru cursed under his breath, frustration bubbling up. "I should've listened to Mei and stayed close to the outpost. At least then the guards could've helped if I got attacked."

His original plan had been simple: find a quiet, secluded spot far from anyone's eyes and study the scroll. But after this encounter, that plan no longer seemed worth the risk.

[If someone spots me reading, so what? It's better than stumbling across someone like Utakata again… or someone even worse.]

With that thought in mind, Kaoru turned and began heading back toward the cave, his pace quick but cautious.

<<<>>>

There were plenty of empty houses in the Terumi settlement, as many families had already moved to Takime Alley. For his temporary stay, Kaoru was given one of these vacant homes.

The house was spacious, but its emptiness was undeniable. Aside from the basic furniture and essentials brought in for Kaoru's use — cups, plates, and a few necessities — the rooms were barren. Yet, Kaoru wasn't bothered. If anything, he was thrilled.

[Bigger empty space means a bigger training ground,] he thought with a grin.

Kaoru had gathered a pile of leaves from the forest earlier, bringing them into the house specifically for his wind chakra training. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he picked up one of the leaves and held it between his fingers, narrowing his focus.

The leaf-cutting exercise was deceptively simple in theory but incredibly challenging in practice. To begin, Kaoru had to channel his chakra into the leaf — but not just any chakra. He needed to refine it into the sharp, cutting energy characteristic of the wind element. If done correctly, the chakra would slice cleanly through the leaf.

However, controlling the shape and flow of chakra to mimic the nature of wind wasn't easy. The exercise demanded intense focus and precise control, forcing Kaoru to visualize the chakra as a blade within his palm.

[It's like trying to turn water into a razor,] he mused as he concentrated on the leaf.

The first few attempts were frustratingly ineffective. His chakra either scattered harmlessly into the leaf or didn't reach it at all. But after what felt like hours, the faintest tear appeared along the edge of the leaf.

Kaoru froze, staring at the tiny cut.

[Finally.]

From that moment, the exercise became slightly easier. Each successive leaf required less effort, and the cuts grew cleaner and more precise. Kaoru's confidence grew as well.

[My affinity for wind might not be great, but it's definitely not bad,] he thought, recalling his struggles with earth chakra. His progress with wind felt far smoother by comparison.

Kaoru's gaze drifted to a few stones sitting on the floor nearby.

[I still have to train that too,] he sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair.

His experience with the earth element had been less than encouraging. No matter how hard he tried, the stone he focused on simply refused to budge. He'd made no noticeable progress, and it was clear his affinity for earth was low. Still, he was determined to learn at least a few defensive jutsu.

Setting the thought aside, Kaoru returned to his training plan for the day.

First, he would exhaust a portion of his chakra on the wind training. Then, he'd study the "old scroll" he found in the library. Finally, he'd finish with a session focusing on his Kekkei Genkai, the Suijingan.

Kaoru frowned slightly as his thoughts turned to the drawbacks of his unique ability.

[There must be a way to at least reduce this pain,] he thought grimly.

Every time he pushed the Suijingan to its limit, the aftereffects were brutal. The blinding headaches left him vulnerable, slowing his reflexes and dulling his focus. Worse still, the chakra consumption was insane.

Kaoru hoped that as his mastery over the Suijingan improved, it would demand less chakra. Until then, he had to endure the pain and adapt to fighting under such conditions.

[If I can't control the pain, I won't be able to rely on my Kekkei Genkai in high-stakes fights.]

With that thought in mind, Kaoru picked up another leaf and focused his chakra. His progress was already evident — most of the time, he could cut the edge cleanly.

[At this rate, it shouldn't take me more than a week to start learning actual techniques,] he analyzed.

Hours passed as Kaoru worked through every leaf he'd gathered. By the time he cut the last one, the room was an absolute mess, scraps of leaves scattered across the floor. But he didn't care.

Even if the progress wasn't groundbreaking, it was still progress. And now, he was ready to move on to the next step — one he'd been eagerly anticipating.

Kaoru stood, stretching briefly before pulling the "old scroll" out of his backpack. Sitting down at the table, he unrolled the parchment, his eyes lighting up as the title greeted him once again:

Shifting Flow Sword Style.

Excitement bubbled in his chest. He'd always enjoyed studying scrolls, but this one felt different. It felt important.

The scroll began with an explanation of what a weapon means to a shinobi. Rather than providing practical instruction, the text delved into philosophy, describing the relationship between a warrior and their weapon.

Kaoru furrowed his brow as he read.

The scroll claimed that there is no such thing as a perfect sword movement, and that the best form of the sword is one that has none.

[What does that even mean?] he thought, confused. The concept felt contradictory, almost abstract.

Still, Kaoru decided not to dwell on it. He resolved to finish reading the entire scroll before analyzing its contents in detail.

Time seemed to slip away. By the time Kaoru finished his first read-through, four hours had passed. He'd skimmed parts of the scroll — particularly the philosophical sections and body exercises — but the information he gleaned was enough to excite him further.

"This isn't just about swords," Kaoru murmured, his fingers running over the aged parchment. "The techniques and style described here could apply to almost any weapon."

It wasn't that the scroll taught how to use every tool individually. Instead, it outlined a method and philosophy that allowed a shinobi to adapt the principles to most weapons.

[This is invaluable,] he thought, his excitement growing.

Kaoru leaned back in his chair, staring at the scroll as ideas and possibilities swirled in his mind. But he needed to make a decision. The night was already late, and there wasn't enough time for everything.

[Either I skip Kekkei Genkai training and pull an all-nighter, or I stop now, train my Suijingan, and continue tomorrow.]

He sighed, muttering to himself, "Patience, Kaoru. Let's not rush things."

He carefully rolled up the scroll and placed it back into his backpack as though it were a fragile gem that might crumble at the slightest mishandling. Once it was secured, he sat cross-legged on the floor and set a cup of water in front of him.

Kaoru had come to realize that common training methods weren't effective for his Kekkei Genkai. If he wanted to grow, he'd need to create exercises tailored to the unique demands of his Suijingan.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them. His irises glowed brilliantly, like radiant gemstones, as his Suijingan activated. Fixing a calm, focused gaze on the water, Kaoru began his exercise.

From the surface of the water, several tentacles began to rise, swaying fluidly in the air. Their numbers grew until the cup was completely empty, every last drop suspended in the shimmering shapes. Kaoru guided the tentacles to morph into various forms, maintaining control over each one.

[Now starts the difficult part,] he thought, bracing himself.

He began changing the density of the water, but not uniformly. Each tentacle was compressed at different levels, requiring him to split his focus across every piece of water simultaneously.

The strain hit him immediately.

Though the amount of water was small and the chakra consumption manageable, the mental effort was overwhelming. Pain throbbed in his head, sharp and relentless, until he felt blood dripping from his nostril.

"Shit," Kaoru whispered, his voice strained. "The pain is too much."

His control wavered, but he forced himself to remain steady long enough to return the water to the cup. Finally, he deactivated the Suijingan, collapsing onto the floor.

For several minutes, Kaoru writhed in agony, his hands clawing at the ground as though searching for something to break or clench. The pain was blinding, his thoughts scattered and incoherent.

When the throbbing finally dulled to a bearable level, he lay on the floor, panting.

"God, this is too painful," he hissed through clenched teeth. "This training method better work, or I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

The intensity of the pain had caught him off guard. He had never experienced anything like it during his prior training. It didn't make sense.

"I've controlled way more water before and even changed its density," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "As long as I had enough chakra, it never hurt like this. So what changed?"

Kaoru replayed the exercise in his mind, dissecting every step.

Then it hit him.

[The problem isn't the water or the chakra. It's my mental capacity.]

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat up.

[The pain came from splitting the water into so many parts and giving each one a separate order. My brain couldn't handle it — it was overloaded.]

Kaoru frowned, the realization weighing heavily on him.

"So… the problem is my mind," he murmured. "But how am I supposed to overcome that?"

He felt a knot of frustration and helplessness tighten in his chest. For the first time, the challenge felt insurmountable.

"How am I supposed to become smarter?"

Kaoru stared at the cup of water in front of him, frustration bubbling up inside.

"Shit, I hate this feeling," he muttered through clenched teeth. "I don't care. I'll do it. Even if I have to keep doing this over and over again, the day will come when I can control my Suijingan freely."

It wasn't determination so much as angry venting, but it helped. The raw frustration faded just enough for logic and reason to kick in.

"Alright," Kaoru muttered, his voice steadier now. "Let's figure out where my limit is. How many droplets can I control without collapsing from the pain?"

Several hours passed in grueling trial and error. By the time his chakra was completely drained, he had his answer.

Kaoru had discovered that he could control three tentacles with no pain and five tentacles with manageable pain. Increasing the amount of water in the tentacles didn't affect his mental strain; it only increased his chakra consumption.

[Five it is,] he thought, wiping sweat from his brow. [I can handle this much pain if it makes me stronger.]

For a brief moment, Kaoru caught himself smiling, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

[I feel like a masochist… but it works.]

The plan formed quickly in his mind. He would train with five water sources until it became comfortable, then add one more. Slowly, steadily, he would push his limits.

Exhausted and aching, Kaoru finally climbed into bed. Every muscle in his body protested, and his head still throbbed faintly, but none of it mattered.

For the first time, he felt genuinely closer to mastering his Kekkei Genkai.

With that thought, a tired but satisfied smile crossed his face as he drifted into a deep sleep.

**

A/N - 

If you are enjoying the novel please give it a review, it will help me a lot.

I know chapters like this, where the focus is primarily on training, can feel a bit slow or even boring at times. But this is where characters make real progress. I'm not a fan of suddenly boosting a character's strength mid-fight — it feels like a little "plot armor"-y, and I'd rather show their growth through effort and hard work.

Kaoru is finally making progress in controlling his Suijingan, and I'm excited for what's to come.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Character Notes

Kaoru – Stubborn Yet Hopeful - "I can't become smarter, but I can outwork this stupid brain of mine."

Utakata – Peaceful but Easily Irritated - "I'm just walking through the forest, and suddenly I'm everyone's problem."

**