Special Training

"Damn it!" Chiba jolted upright in bed and checked the clock. It was already nearly seven.

He was about to be late.

Thinking of Kushina Uzumaki's fists, Chiba twitched at the corner of his mouth. He dressed and washed up as quickly as possible, then rushed out the door with a Konoha Giant Steamed Bun clenched between his teeth.

Even after getting a taste of meat, Konoha Giant Steamed Buns were still indispensable to Chiba. First, they were cheap. Second, they filled his stomach. Third, aside from meat, they were probably his favorite food.

He had heard that Konoha Giant Steamed Buns with meat filling would eventually be released. They would be mixed in with the ordinary buns, with only one sold each day.

Just thinking about it made Chiba a little excited.

After all, the amount of filling in one giant steamed bun was about equal to a large bowl of meat.

In the end, it all came down to meat.

Still, Chiba had thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's barbecue. To celebrate their victory, Kushina had ordered plenty of premium beef and beef offal. The Beef Loin in particular had been so delicious that he could not stop eating it.

Thinking of the sizzling sound and the glistening barbecue, Chiba was still swallowing drool.

"Now isn't the time to be thinking about meat!" Chiba took off at a dead sprint.

He was already late!

Early morning, Kushina Squad's meeting place.

Thump!

A red, swollen bump appeared on Chiba's head again, with a wisp of smoke drifting up from it.

Chiba clutched his head and squatted down.

It hurt so much! Why did Kushina's fists hurt this badly every single time?

After beating Chiba up, Kushina Uzumaki's raised red hair slowly settled as she said, "As a ninja, grasping the right timing is very important, so you must be punctual no matter what you do."

What did grasping the right timing have to do with being punctual?

Chiba grumbled inwardly.

Seeing the pained expression on Chiba's face, Hirohiko and Yukina silently swallowed and nodded repeatedly.

"All right. Starting today, I'll train each of you individually. Your self-training will be moved to after dinner. From now on, you will train fourteen hours a day. After returning home, make sure you get enough sleep and rest as well. Understood?" Kushina Uzumaki said.

"Yes, Teacher Kushina!" Chiba and the other two answered.

Poof! Poof! Poof! Kushina Uzumaki created three Shadow Clone Jutsu. "Then... training begins!"

Chiba and the other two exchanged glances, then each moved apart, preparing to spar as usual.

At that moment, Kushina Uzumaki stopped them. "Three people, three locations. Follow my shadow clones. From now on, you are no longer teammates, but competitors!"

As she spoke, the three shadow clones darted into the dense forest in different directions.

Competitors?

Chiba looked at the other two and smiled, then followed one of the shadow clones into the forest.

Just what I wanted!

At the same time, Hirohiko and Yukina followed their respective shadow clones. Their thoughts were exactly the same as Chiba's, though Hirohiko and Yukina had one more thought.

They had to catch up to Chiba and surpass him! They absolutely would not lose to him again in the Chunin Exams!

After the three left, Kushina Uzumaki looked at the rising morning sun, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"So then, which of the three will be the first to appear before me and receive sparring training from me?"

Tap!

Tap!

Following Kushina Uzumaki's shadow clone, Chiba arrived at an open area with a small river running through it. After landing, he quickly swept his gaze over the surroundings.

Other than the small river, there was only open ground with an unobstructed view, dotted with patches of green.

"Chiba, your chakra attributes should be water and earth, right?" Kushina Uzumaki's shadow clone said.

Chiba nodded. A shadow clone was essentially another version of its creator, so speaking with Kushina Uzumaki's shadow clone was the same as speaking with Kushina Uzumaki herself. What the clone said and did would be what Kushina Uzumaki would say and do. Chiba could treat her as Kushina Uzumaki herself. Since Kushina Uzumaki's original body was here, what she said and did would also be exactly the same as the shadow clone.

"Having two attributes at your age is very rare. When it comes to ninjutsu, you're a genius too," Kushina Uzumaki praised him without reservation.

From his battle with Kakashi, Kushina Uzumaki had also realized that Chiba was an exceptionally calm, analytical ninja. He was meticulous and clever in battle, knowing what he needed to do and what he was capable of doing. This was an advantage that many Chunin and even some Jonin found difficult to possess.

It was precisely this meticulousness, intelligence, and calmness that had allowed Chiba to defeat Kakashi, taking advantage of Kakashi's carelessness to turn defeat into victory.

Therefore, she was not worried that her praise would make Chiba complacent.

Hearing Kushina Uzumaki's praise, Chiba did not speak. He merely looked at her.

"Conveniently, I have a water attribute as well. Starting today, I'll train your ninjutsu. During your self-training, you'll work on taijutsu. You can also occasionally ask Hirohiko about Shurikenjutsu. Although you're excellent, in terms of Shurikenjutsu, you aren't even a tenth as good as Hirohiko!" Kushina Uzumaki said sternly.

Chiba nodded. Kushina Uzumaki was right. Hirohiko's Shurikenjutsu was dazzling to behold. To Chiba, it even seemed almost miraculous, and he knew he could not compare.

Chiba also understood Kushina Uzumaki's intentions.

She wanted him to know not to be ashamed of asking questions and to learn from others' strengths. Although he had trained in Shurikenjutsu, his training time had been limited. Moreover, he had always focused on taijutsu before this. He had only recently discovered his Ninjutsu Talent, so he had not paid much attention to Shurikenjutsu either.

The extent of Chiba's Shurikenjutsu was merely being able to strike a single shuriken or kunai thrown straight at him.

But judging from Hirohiko's Shurikenjutsu, even if more than a dozen shuriken came at once, he could hit them all accurately. Combined with the Sharingan, he could even counterattack.

"I understand, Teacher Kushina," Chiba said seriously.

Kushina Uzumaki nodded. "Then let me explain the training. In the morning, I'll train your Water Style Jutsu. In the afternoon, you'll use Earth Style Jutsu to block my Water Style Jutsu. I don't know Earth Release, so this is the only way I can help train your earth attribute."

As she spoke, Kushina Uzumaki sighed softly. Honestly, she truly wanted to teach Chiba Earth Style Jutsu, but unfortunately, she had not mastered the Nature Transformation of earth-attribute chakra.

"No, thank you, Teacher Kushina. Using Earth Style Jutsu to block Water Style Jutsu is the best training method!" Chiba hurriedly said.

Kushina's Water Style Jutsu was extremely powerful. A single Water Dragon Bullet could leave him completely unable to resist. Using her Water Style Jutsu to train his Earth Style Jutsu was an exceptionally good method of training.

Kushina had probably spent a long time thinking before coming up with this method.

Chiba understood this in his heart, and it confirmed his thoughts once again.

Kushina truly considered things from his perspective, and from all of their perspectives, whether in daily life or in ninjutsu.

This thank-you came from the bottom of his heart.

"Then I'll first teach you the hand seal sequence for Water Style: Water Wave. Remember it carefully."

"Yes, Teacher Kushina."

Without any unnecessary words, Kushina Uzumaki began teaching Chiba Water Style Jutsu.

Chiba quickly activated Gate of Life Mode and began learning Water Style Jutsu.

The seven-day special training officially began!