The moment Naruto finished speaking, Sasuke's clone's expression stiffened. At first, he thought Naruto was deliberately rubbing salt in his wounds.
But after thinking it over carefully, it did not seem like Naruto meant it that way. Naruto soon climbed back down the tree trunk the way he had come. Sasuke's clone seemed to think of something and stepped up to Naruto in two strides, asking with a stern face, "Is this tree-climbing training the same as the method you used to walk on water before?"
Naruto's eyes flickered. "More or less, but walking on water is actually much harder than climbing trees."
Sasuke's clone nodded thoughtfully, then continued with a straight face, "What is the use of training this?"
Naruto looked at him in surprise. "Your expression does not match your question at all. No need to rush—I'll tell you how to practice it right away. This is not some profound ninjutsu."
"Still, not bad. You've finally learned how to play dumb while saying the opposite of what you mean."
An obvious trace of embarrassment flashed across Sasuke's clone's face.
When Naruto climbed onto the tree trunk, he had already wanted to ask about the exact training method.
But he was afraid that seeming too eager would make Naruto look down on him.
In the end, he could only blurt out an incredibly clumsy question.
Naruto did not concern himself with Sasuke's clone's wounded pride. Pointing at his feet, he said, "This exercise is simple. The trick is to gather your Chakra in the soles of your feet, then make your feet stick to the tree trunk. That's fine."
"Is it really that simple?"
Sasuke's clone's expression was full of suspicion.
Naruto chuckled. "It is that simple. But at first, you definitely will not be as skilled as I