Kakashi's First Lesson: Balancing Chakra

Before long, Team 7 followed Tazuna to his home.

As soon as Tazuna got home, he began discussing the details of the bridge's construction with the villagers.

"Tazuna, if we keep building the bridge with you, Gato will come after us too. We could be assassinated one day."

"That's right. We're just ordinary people. There's no way we can stand up to a rich man like Gato."

"Let's just accept our bad luck. We had the misfortune of running into a vampire like Gato."

Listening to what the villagers had to say,

Tazuna became even more determined to build the bridge.

He knew that fear and dread had allowed Gato to rob these people of their backbone.

Finishing the bridge was the only way for them to regain their courage and confidence.

The members of Team 7, who were listening nearby, were disheartened by the villagers' words as well.

Uncle Tazuna had traveled all the way home from Konoha to build the bridge, only to be met by indifferent villagers.

"If these are the people who'll benefit from the bridge, I don't think it's worth building!"

Naruto said angrily.

When others ran into trouble, these people only stood by coldly, afraid of taking responsibility.

But when there was something to gain, every one of them rushed to be first.

Just then, Tazuna's grandson jumped out and said, "The Land of Waves doesn't need heroes at all. Heroes are the most ridiculous thing ever!"

With that, the child ran out the door.

Tazuna wore a helpless expression.

The more Shinki and the others listened to the villagers arguing, the more irritated they became, so they simply went upstairs to rest.

Once upstairs, Shinki began to ponder.

If Wood Release could build houses, could it also build a bridge?

The next day.

Kakashi gathered the three members of Team 7 in a clearing outside Tazuna's house.

"All right, training starts now!"

Kakashi shouted with great gusto.

"Training's finally starting!"

Naruto said, excited and eager.

Kakashi said, "Before we train, I'll go over the basics of ninja abilities and Chakra with you again."

Sasuke curled his lip. "What a hassle."

Naruto said, "We already know all that stuff. Let's just get to the point!"

Kakashi raised a hand and pointed at Naruto. "Since you already know, Naruto, why don't you explain it to us?"

Naruto said, "...##%#@"

Naruto only had a rough idea that Chakra was the energy in the body that a ninja needed to use Ninjutsu.

But if he had to give a systematic explanation, he really couldn't.

Kakashi had expected Naruto to be unable to explain, so he pointed at Shinki beside him. "Shinki, you tell us."

Shinki recited the textbook's explanation of Chakra without missing a word. "Chakra is... (two hundred words omitted)... This energy can be activated through the use of Hand Seals."

After listening, Kakashi gave Shinki a thumbs-up.

"As expected of Iruka-sensei's outstanding student."

"Why say so much? Isn't being able to use it enough? We can already use Ninjutsu," Naruto said, a little displeased.

"Naruto's right."

For once, Sasuke agreed with Naruto.

Kakashi scoffed at that. "You only know how to use Ninjutsu. You can't use Chakra flexibly."

"All right, listen to me now."

"Just like Shinki said, cultivating Chakra means drawing out physical and spiritual energy and mixing them inside your body. After that, you draw on the amount of energy needed for whatever technique you want to perform..."

"You still can't use Chakra efficiently. No matter how much Chakra you develop, if you can't control the balance, your techniques won't be very effective."

"So what you're going to learn today is how to control the balance of your Chakra, so you can manipulate it more precisely."

"Then how should we train?" Shinki asked.

"It's simple. Just climb a tree."

Kakashi held up one finger.

"Climbing trees? That doesn't sound reliable at all!" Naruto said.

"I'll demonstrate for you now."

With that, Kakashi walked straight toward a nearby tree.

He lifted his foot and walked right up it!

His body was parallel to the ground and at a ninety-degree angle to the trunk!

He stepped on the trunk as easily as if he were walking on the ground!

Not only could Kakashi walk on the surface of the tree, he could even use his exquisite control of Chakra to hang upside down from it!

"Amazing!"

Naruto clenched his fists excitedly.

Having finished his demonstration, Kakashi jumped down from the trunk. "All right, now try it yourselves."

Keeping the "balance" Kakashi had just told him about firmly in mind, Shinki stepped forward, his heart as still as water.

He climbed the tree.

One step... two steps... ten steps...

Apparently... it wasn't hard!

"Kakashi-sensei, I did it."

Shinki called out excitedly.

Kakashi had just leaned against the root of a tree and taken out his favorite book, Icha Icha Paradise.

Shinki's words startled him to his feet.

"You did it that quickly?"

Kakashi looked up and saw that Shinki was indeed hanging upside down from a branch by his feet alone, looking completely at ease.

After thinking it over briefly, Kakashi understood.

That was right. When the kid had used the Water Prison Technique to restrain Zabuza yesterday, he seemed to have been standing on the water.

It was no surprise that he could now control his Chakra well enough to walk up a tree.

"All right, Shinki's training is over. You two keep practicing."

Kakashi waved a hand, signaling that Shinki could come down, then spoke to Sasuke and Naruto in an icy tone.

Naruto had just taken two steps up the trunk. When he heard that, he fell and hit the back of his head on a rock, raising a big bump.

Naruto (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ): "Shinki's way too strong!"

After saying that, Naruto went over to Shinki and asked him for the trick to climbing trees.

"It's simple. First, gather Chakra at the soles of your feet, then calm yourself..."

After Shinki's explanation, understanding dawned on Naruto.

Sasuke, who saw this, was itching to ask Shinki for the trick too, but he was too proud and embarrassed to go over.

After that, Shinki went elsewhere to practice Ninjutsu.

And thanks to the few pointers Shinki had just given him, Naruto made rapid progress.

At first he could only take two steps up the tree, but now he could take twenty or thirty!

Kakashi was secretly shocked.

Did Shinki feed Naruto some immortal pill?

┌(.Д.)┐

How did a couple of casual pointers make the kid catch on?!

Or was Shinki a born teacher, capable of teaching even the stupidest student something?

Sasuke noticed that Naruto, with Shinki's pointers, had already progressed further than he had, so he swallowed his pride and went over to ask him, "What was the trick Shinki just told you? Tell me too. (◔◡◔)"

Naruto: (◍ ´꒳` ◍)

Sasuke, oh Sasuke, you're always showing off and acting cool. I never thought the day would come when you'd ask me for help.

Since they were on the same team, Naruto ultimately told Sasuke what he had figured out. "First you do this, then that, then this again, and you're up."

Sasuke listened, completely dumbfounded: (°ー°〃)

Sasuke said, "That's what Shinki said? Shinki would say something that incoherent?"

Naruto nodded firmly. "Yep!"

Sasuke: (▼皿▼#)

If that's really what Shinki said, I'll eat this tree!