Kakashi's Request

Kakashi certainly didn't want to go on Sakura Haruno.

Sakura Haruno wouldn't be overly self-conscious and thus seriously misunderstand Kakashi's intentions.

However... it's quite rare for Kakashi to take the initiative to contact her.

She paused for a moment, then said, "After the Chunin Ninja Exams, I'm going to Shikkotsu Forest to train in Sage Senjutsu. I've already made an appointment with the Sage Katsuyu... If you're in a hurry, I can help you Chunin Ninja Exams."

"No need," Kakashi waved his hand and laughed. "I don't want to take up your time and then be resented by Konohamaru and the others. After all, it's their first time participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Sakura, you'd better spend your time guiding their training."

"Hmph... How dare you say that?"

Sakura Haruno remained expressionless and pursed her lips.

"Back then, who was it that only cared about training Sasuke Chunin Ninja Exams, and then left Naruto and me aside without a care?"

"So you still remember this, huh?" Kakashi scratched his head. He had been able to shamelessly accept all the teasing just now, but now he felt a little embarrassed and ashamed, unsure of what to say.

After all, it was indeed his fault; he was too biased. Naruto was alright, being carefree and not caring, and later he even received guidance from Jiraiya; Sakura Haruno was truly left to her own devices. It was also Kakashi's first time being a teacher, which is why he made such an obviously inappropriate move. As a teacher, even if you can't treat all students equally, you can't just feed one student and leave the other two to fend for themselves.

Kakashi only realized his mistake afterward and wanted to make amends next time, but unfortunately it was too late. Sakura Haruno had already been promoted to Chunin and would no longer participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Her strength had also improved by leaps and bounds, and she soon surpassed Kakashi, no longer needing his guidance and help.

Fortunately, this matter will not affect the bond between master and disciple.

--It will only make Sakura Haruno occasionally criticize him.

"Um... it was my fault." Kakashi sincerely admitted his mistake. "I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen next time!"

"... I'm not Naruto!" Sakura rolled her Byakugan at him. "Alright, let's get back to business! Isn't the second exam a round-robin team battle? I'm planning to arrange some special training for Konohamaru and the others based on the exam content. This training isn't complicated and can be done by my clones. That way, I can find some time to help you."

"Special training?" The white-haired youth frowned. "Do you know what the most important point is in this team battle assessment?"

"It's about physical strength, right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura Haruno answered without hesitation.

Because the assessment method uses a total score system, apart from teams that temporarily withdrew from the assessment, no candidates were eliminated. In other words, the number of teams in the first assessment is the same as the number of teams remaining in the second assessment.

The so-called cyclical team battle is actually a game where each team fights against every other team once, in a limited location and within a limited time.

This means that each team will engage in continuous battles with approximately fifty teams from the Three Great Shinobi Villages and numerous other ninja villages during the exam period!

A war of attrition!

Don't think this arrangement is excessive. In the fierce Shinobi World War, the frequency of battles can sometimes be even higher, and the enemy won't stop showing up just because you're tired! Even if it's not a large-scale battle or campaign, but just a preliminary battle, a reconnaissance battle, or an encounter, as long as you're on the battlefield, battles will always happen and will be everywhere.

The Chunin Ninja Exams are simply a simulation of such extreme situations.

In this kind of exam, combat ability is only one aspect of achieving excellent results; physical strength is an even more important factor.

Because there are so many battles, unless you have Naruto's stamina, the examinees must learn to allocate their stamina wisely, carefully consider which group of enemies they should fight head-on, which group they should strategically abandon, which group they should stall for time, and which group they can quickly defeat to save time to recover their stamina... In this kind of exam, the outcome of a single battle is not crucial. Genin need to consider the overall situation and learn to think strategically, not just tactically.

Even if their combat strength is not great and they lose more battles than they win, as long as their tactics are reasonable and their strategies are appropriate, the Genin can still get a considerable score.

Furthermore, no matter how you allocate your stamina, you will inevitably run out of stamina in the later stages of the battle. Therefore, how to fight when you are out of stamina is also a key point of this assessment.

Because medical-nin are always on standby outside the arena to provide treatment, this exam is not even considered dangerous, and the mortality rate is significantly lower than in previous Chunin Ninja Exams.

In real warfare, not every battle ends in either killing the enemy or being killed. In fact, aside from missions involving direct combat, battlefield tasks such as reconnaissance, patrolling, escorting supplies, and even infiltration behind enemy lines do not encourage annihilation upon encountering the enemy. A competent battlefield commander prefers subordinates who can complete their mission and survive, rather than risking a bloody, one-on-one fight with the enemy, which would only result in a disastrous battle. Usually, repelling the enemy and ensuring the mission's completion is sufficient.

In short, for this special training Sakura Haruno plans to create a bunch of clones of varying strengths and fight Konohamaru and the others in several rounds of battles, strictly following the exam rules, so she can experience the feeling of fighting non-stop until she's exhausted.

She didn't have any fancy methods to train her students; she could only use the hard way, letting them accumulate experience and develop a sense of the big picture through a lot of practical exercises. Practicing diligently would never be a bad thing.

"Let's not do it here. Let's wait until you get back from Shikkotsu Forest." Kakashi shook his head. "It's too much for you to take care of three children and help me at the same time."

Sakura Haruno tilted her head and looked at Kakashi.

"So, after all that," the girl smiled, "Kakashi-sensei, what exactly do you want me to do for you?"

"This... is about the Mangekyō Sharingan." Kakashi pulled up his Forehead Protector, revealing his Sharingan. "I'd like to ask you to give me special training to master the Mangekyō. Basically, it should be finished in a week at most..."

The gray-haired young man was a little embarrassed.

However, Sakura Haruno is indeed the best person to help. With Sakura present, during special training, they can borrow Chakra from the Yin Seal to perform the "Kamui" Secret Technique. After training, there are also Medical Ninjutsu to recuperate the body. Compared to Kakashi's half-hearted practice, the efficiency is much higher.

Most importantly, he and Sakura had a very deep friendship.

Sakura Haruno blinked, not surprised by Kakashi's request.

A week isn't a long time. The special training is very important to Kakashi, but it's just a small favor for Sakura, who is happy to help Kakashi.

On another note, she also happens to have some experience using the Mangekyō. Although she couldn't tell Kakashi that she possessed Shisui's Sharingan, exchanging experiences wouldn't hurt.

Kakashi would probably assume that these insights came from Danzo.

"Alright." She nodded, smiled, and said, "Such an important matter really can't be rushed. Let's find another time after I finish learning the Senjutsu!"

"Thank you so much!" Kakashi clasped his hands together, his dead fish eyes narrowing into fox eyes with a smile.

"Thank you is too formal," the girl said seriously. "If anyone should be thanking someone, it should be me thanking the teacher for their guidance."

Kakashi didn't say anything more. He pulled down his Forehead Protector and casually ruffled Sakura Haruno's hair.

Sakura was immediately embarrassed and quickly ducked away. "I'm not a child anymore...! Anyway, I'm leaving now, see you later!"

Looking downstairs, the Genin were already emerging from the examination hall one after another. Konohamaru and Moegi, chattering and smiling, stood out in the crowd.

It's time for Sakura Haruno's Team to reunite.

"See you later! Konohamaru and the others have come out." Kakashi waved and said, "I heard that practicing Senjutsu is dangerous... Be careful after Shikkotsu Forest, take care!"

Sakura Haruno waved and then jumped off the stage.

To Sakura Haruno's great embarrassment, everyone seemed to have some kind of misunderstanding; whenever Sakura mentioned that she was going to train in Senjutsu, everyone would say something like, "Kakashi..."

Be careful, take care of yourself, and make sure you come back alive!

It made it seem like she wasn't going to the Shikkotsu Forest, but rather to a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, never to return.

Take care of yourself...

What a load of rubbish!

She's not going there to die.

Especially after the Chunin Ninja Exams, when her friends saw her off, Ino cried her eyes out...

This left the girl speechless.

[You might not believe it, but I got up at 6 AM to start writing.]