No Pain No Gain

Naruto grimaced, grabbed his injured finger, and with a sharp tug—

SNAP!

He yanked it back into place, gritting his teeth through the pain. A few of the students who were still watching flinched at the sound, but Naruto just rolled his wrist casually and walked off like nothing happened.

He made his way home, ignoring the throbbing in his hand. Once inside his apartment, he changed into some lightweight training gear: a simple black shirt, flexible pants, and bandages wrapped around his wrists and ankles for support.

Standing in front of his cracked mirror, Naruto tightened the last knot on his wrist wrap and grinned.

' Alright. I'm ready, ' he thought, fire sparking in his eyes.

Naruto took a deep breath, feeling the cool morning air fill his lungs. His body still ached from yesterday's insane training with Lee and Gai-sensei, but it was a good kind of ache—the kind that made you feel alive.

He cracked his knuckles, stretched his arms overhead, and started jogging toward the park, ready to push himself even harder.

Naruto arrived at the park, spotting Lee and Gai-sensei already stretching near the gym area.

"Ah! Naruto, my youthful apprentice of the morning sun!" Gai bellowed with a sparkling smile. "You're right on time!"

Lee, just as hyped, struck a pose. "Gai-sensei! Look at his energy! It burns with youth!"

Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Man, their energy is contagious, he thought.

Gai clapped his hands together. "Alright! Since you asked for it, today marks the beginning of your Taijutsu training! You may already be strong, Naruto, but to truly master Taijutsu, you must understand your own body better than anyone else!"

Naruto nodded seriously. "Got it."

"But first, wear these," Gai-sensei said, pulling out a heavy pile of gear from seemingly nowhere—weighted arm bands, a weighted vest, ankle bands, and a massive weighted waistband.

Naruto stared at them in horror.

'What the fuck?' he thought, blinking rapidly.

Gai-sensei's grin gleamed. "Naruto, these weigh a total of 100 kilograms—about 220 pounds—and you're going to wear them every day until your body forgets what it was like without them!"

Naruto's mouth twitched. "When am I gonna learn Taijutsu though?" he asked, half hoping there was some secret shortcut hidden behind the suffering.

"We'll talk about that when you're ready," Gai said, voice serious and proud like a general addressing his soldier. "Now, are you going to put them on—or are you a quitter?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. His pride wouldn't let him back down, not here, not in front of Gai-sensei and Lee. Without hesitation, he grabbed the gear and strapped it all on.

The moment the last strap clicked into place, Naruto nearly blacked out.

A crushing weight pressed down on every inch of his body. His legs trembled, his arms sagged, and even standing still felt like an impossible task. But he stayed standing, locking his knees and forcing himself to breathe through the shock.

Gai-sensei's chest swelled with pride. "Excellent! Your flames of youth burn brighter already!"

"Now, let's begin with a run... Well, a jog for Naruto!" Gai announced.

Naruto didn't even have the energy to groan.

'I feel like I'm going to die from this,' he thought grimly.

They set off, Gai and Lee bursting forward like human rockets while Naruto staggered after them at a snail's pace. His body screamed at him with every step, but he refused to use chakra to cheat.

' If I use chakra to lighten the load, I'll just stay weak. I want real strength—' he thought.

Each step felt like he was dragging a mountain behind him. Sweat poured down his forehead, soaking his clothes within minutes. But Naruto kept going, his fists clenched tightly, face set in determination.

A few passing villagers gawked at the strange sight—two green blur speedsters laughing joyfully ahead, and one tiny blond boy dragging himself forward like a dying man... but with a ferocious gleam in his eyes.

Naruto stumbled through the "jog," his body barely responding to his commands anymore. Every breath felt like sucking fire into his lungs. His legs burned so badly it was like someone had set them on fire and smashed them with hammers for good measure.

Ten minutes later, Naruto dropped to his knees and violently threw up everything he had eaten that morning.

Chunks of half-digested food splattered onto the dirt path as he coughed and gagged, his whole body convulsing.

Gai-sensei and Lee jogged in place ahead of him, waiting patiently with huge smiles on their faces—like this was all perfectly normal.

"Good! Excellent!" Gai called out. "True training begins when you reach the point of collapse! Your body must be broken down before it can be rebuilt stronger!"

Naruto wiped his mouth with the back of his trembling hand.

'This is hell,' he thought, dizzy.

His head was pounding, his vision blurry, and his heart slammed against his ribs like it was trying to escape his chest.

He tried to stand—only to immediately faceplant into the dirt.

Dust caked his face, but he gritted his teeth, trembling as he pushed himself up again, every muscle screaming in protest.

"I... I'm not done yet..." Naruto croaked, barely above a whisper.

Lee gave him a thumbs-up, tears streaming down his face. "Yosh, Naruto! Such burning youth!"

Naruto staggered back onto his feet and forced himself to keep going, dragging one foot forward at a time. His shirt clung to him like a second skin, drenched in sweat, and the weights seemed even heavier now, like they were trying to bury him alive.

By the end of the run—which for Naruto, was more of a crawl—he collapsed flat on his back, gasping desperately for air, arms and legs spread out uselessly.

Gai stood over him, arms crossed and nodding with approval.

"Not bad. Most would have quit halfway through the warm-up," he said. "You have the spirit. The flames of youth smolder within you, Naruto."

Naruto barely heard him. He was too busy trying not to pass out—or throw up again.

But deep inside, past the pain and exhaustion, a tiny spark of pride flickered.

' I didn't quit, ' he thought. ' I can really do this.'

Gai crouched down beside him, placing a heavy hand on Naruto's chest.

"Rest now, Naruto. This is only the beginning. Tomorrow, the real training starts."

Naruto would have smiled... if he wasn't so sure he was about to die.

Instead, he closed his eyes, letting unconsciousness take him like a warm, if slightly terrifying, blanket.

TO BE CONTINUED