(PU) FIELD TRIP II

Despite all his warnings, every single one of them had tried walking on the hotel walls.

Naruto wasn’t even surprised when the manager stormed into his room the next morning, red-faced and waving a clipboard with a list of damages that ranged from scuffed wallpaper to, his personal favorite, an actual dent in the drywall of Greg’s shared room. It was exactly what he’d expected the moment he left them to their own devices last night and caught those guilty, too-bright looks in their eyes. He’d known then that every single one of them would ignore his warning.

What did surprise him—if only a little—was how earnest they were when he confronted them about it.

“We only get two days,” Taylor muttered, eyes fixed on the floor. “I thought… if I practiced more, I could get it before we went back.”

“Same,” Halle chimed in, arms crossed defensively like she was daring him to scold her. It was a startling sign of growth; just a few weeks prior, she wouldn't be caught dead without her headphones. Now, there were no signs of it on her person. “We don’t know when we’ll get another chance. Might as well push now.”

Greg, of course, was practically beaming with pride. “I was close! I just… put too much chakra in. Again.”

Even Sophia, who had acted the most nonchalant, didn’t deny it. She just shrugged, as if to say, of course I tried.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. It was hard to stay mad at them when he knew exactly where they were coming from. He remembered being their age, sneaking out at night to practice until his legs shook and his hands blistered because he was convinced every extra hour would put him one step closer to proving himself to the others and Sasuke, especially. In a way, it was cute. Stupid, and definitely reckless, but cute.

“You brats don’t get it,” he said with a sigh, finally letting his hand drop. “This isn’t the last time you’ll train tree-walking. This was just the first taste. The real work comes later, back at the gym. I’ll set up tree-adjacents for you there, pillars, poles, and whatever we can find. You’ll get plenty of time to practice, so there's no need to wreck hotel property in the meantime.”

That earned him a round of sheepish looks, though Greg still grumbled something about “real trees being better.”

Naruto didn’t bother correcting him. He had bigger plans for today, and they’d understand soon enough. After all, he hadn’t brought them to the forest only for tree-walking.

The second lesson was something quieter, but harder, in a different way.

By late afternoon, he had them spread out beneath the trees, each sitting cross-legged in the dirt. Sunlight filtered down through the canopy, painting everything in shifting shades of green and gold. And apart from their breathing, there was nothing but the rustle of leaves and the distant call of birds.

“Close your eyes,” Naruto instructed. “Focus on your breathing, but don't force it. Just feel the sensation.”

They groaned, every single one of them.

“This is boring,” Sophia said flatly.

“You’ll live,” Naruto shot back without missing a beat.

Taylor tried, though she could hardly stay still, fingers twitching like she wanted to do anything other than this. Greg peeked every few seconds towards the nearest oak, as if half-hoping Naruto would suddenly let him try tree-walking again. Halle tapped her fingers on her knees in a restless rhythm until Naruto strolled by and flicked her lightly on the head.

But they listened. Maybe reluctantly, maybe without understanding the full picture yet, but they did as they were told.

This wasn’t about mastering Sage Mode, or mastering some flashy technique like spitting fireballs from their mouths. At least not yet, and maybe not ever. Naruto wasn’t dumb enough to drop that kind of power on them before they were ready. But here, in a place where the air carried more life than the city, where the trees shone faintly with what he knew was natural energy, they could at least learn to sit still, to listen, and to connect.

It wasn’t easy for them. Meditation never was, even with experience, but that was the point.

The lesson stretched into evening, the sun sinking and shadows lengthening around them. The forest shifted with the time of day, birdsong fading and the chirping of insects taking over.

By the time he called it, they opened their eyes with varying degrees of relief and irritation. None of them were happy; Sophia, especially, rolling her eyes, and Greg groaning like he’d been asked to run laps for hours. But Naruto knew they had benefited from the meditation exercise. There was a reason why he brought them here to meditate, instead of waiting till they were back in the gym. 

They didn’t know it yet, but this was the real foundation. Tree-walking trained control, meditation trained discipline, and together, those two things would keep them alive long enough to learn everything else.

Naruto grinned, hands on his hips as the last light of day washed the forest in orange.

“Not bad for day two. Now, let’s head back before the hotel sends out a search party.”

Groans followed him as they trudged toward the waiting bus, but beneath it all, he caught that same spark of determination. It had only been a few months, but he was proud of how far they had come. Even if, ironically enough, he knew it was still just the beginning.