Uchiha Sasuke quickly understood Naruto's intentions.
"Thank you, Naruto!"
He bowed to Naruto.
Clearly, he understood just how significant this Chakra was.
He could devote the entire night to training wholeheartedly.
He would not have to worry about running out of Chakra, nor would he need to waste so much time refining it.
He could even practice his Fire Style all night!
Besides that, there was still a faint trace of Chakra within his body.
From that Chakra, Uchiha Sasuke sensed a powerful life force.
It was Chakra with healing properties!
This...
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes reddened.
"Go on."
Naruto smiled and waved his hand.
After giving him a long look, Uchiha Sasuke turned and left.
At that moment, he understood the gap between himself and Naruto.
The gap in their breadth of heart was just as enormous.
The moment he went downstairs, Uchiha Sasuke froze in place.
An inescapable thought rose in his mind.
"Why is Naruto's image constantly replacing Father's... Stop thinking nonsense. Cherishing the time this Chakra remains is what matters most!"
After Uchiha Sasuke left.
Naruto washed up and went to sleep as well.
He no longer had to sleep lightly for just two hours before carefully waking up to continue training.
After getting drunk that day, he had slept deeply and soundly.
He had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be fully rested.
Lying on the bed, he cleared away all the chaotic thoughts in his heart and gradually drifted into sleep.
In the middle of the night, he woke up feeling stifled.
A faint fragrance filled his nose. It was familiar, carrying a cloying hint of alcohol.
How dishonest. I thought she would need some time to accept the truth.
Turns out, I had worried for nothing.
Still, that suited how dangerous she was.
Once you've tasted it, you know the marrow. That was normal.
But ambushing me is where you went wrong.
The next day.
After breakfast, the Konoha 12 went to find their respective Lead Jonin again.
On the way, Hinata carefully asked Naruto a question.
What had been wrong with Teacher Kurenai these past two days?
Ever since the dinner gathering, Teacher Kurenai had always been spacing out alone, sometimes smiling and sometimes pursing her lips.
Hinata thought she might have let something slip that day and disturbed Teacher Kurenai's peace of mind.
Naruto rubbed her little head and comforted her for quite a while before she finally let go of her worries.
When they arrived at the Hokage Building.
They found Kakashi holding Icha Icha Paradise and sitting utterly without decorum on a bench.
"Yo, good morning. You're late."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Kakashi-sensei actually came this early?"
"And didn't you say we were meeting at noon yesterday, teacher?"
"We thought that would waste too much time, so we planned to take a mission ourselves. Once you got here, we'd have you turn it in for us."
Kakashi put away Icha Icha Paradise. "You're late."
He said it with complete confidence, even carrying a hint of pride.
"Today's not another cat-finding mission, is it?"
"D-Rank Missions are all pretty much the same."
"Hmph. If it's another cat-finding mission, I'll go find Cat Grandma and accept every cat-finding mission there is."
The three of them chatted as they walked right past Kakashi.
Kakashi scratched his head. "Why does it feel like I'm the extra one in Team Seven?"
"Well, wait for me. I'm the Lead Jonin. If you accept missions by yourselves, the Third Hokage will lecture me again when he finds out."
At that, Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura turned back at the same time. Their eyes held a trace of delight, and the corners of their mouths rose uncontrollably.
This is bad!
He's coming after me!
Kakashi immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared before the doors of the Hokage's Office.
As expected, it was still a D-Rank Mission.
This time, they were not looking for a cat. They were picking up trash.
"Then I'll leave it to you. I'm going to train."
Uchiha Sasuke looked helplessly at the clone whose expression was somewhat unpleasant.
"Fine, Original. We lack patience, so this counts as training too."
Uchiha Sasuke was temporarily a Chakra Hoarder now, so he did not feel the slightest bit of heartache using it.
Kakashi and Sakura cast envious looks his way.
Then they looked to the side.
A certain genuine hoarder had instead become "Kakashi."
He leaned against the trunk of a big tree, his hands behind his head.
"Sakura, stand on the water and pick up the trash in the river. Leave the trash on land to Sasuke and me."
"This is special training too. While picking up the trash, you need to make sure you can control yourself well enough not to fall into the water."
"I think this training suits you well."
After thinking for a moment, Sakura said, "Thank you, Naruto! I'll work hard!"
With that, she eagerly grabbed her tools and jumped down.
"Sasuke, Shadow Clone training has roughly the same effect as training with the original. You're too impatient."
"This mission is perfect for tempering your mind."
"Look over all the trash in this area and memorize where it is. Then try to close your eyes and pick it up according to the locations you remember."
"Remember, do not be impatient."
"That makes sense. Thank you, Naruto. I'll definitely work hard to complete this training!"
After hearing Naruto's explanation, Uchiha Sasuke's Shadow Clone pondered for a while before beginning to walk around the area.
He moved very slowly. He needed to remember the locations of the trash, as well as the route, pace, and other details for walking from the starting point.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
No, what about you?
No, that was not the point.
Kakashi looked at the obedient Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke.
If it were Sakura, Kakashi could still accept it.
But... Uchiha Sasuke was actually listening to Naruto so obediently?
Was it because of the Multiple Shadow Clone from yesterday?
"Kakashi-sensei, having little Chakra does make training troublesome, but it doesn't affect your meditation."
"Meditation will give you better control over the Sharingan. It may even reduce the amount of Chakra consumed after activating it."
Kakashi: ???
My turn? I have a mission too?
Huh?
"Is that true?"
"I spent most of my time meditating at the Ninja Academy. I can't say it with absolute certainty, but it will definitely help Kakashi-sensei right now."
"Fine. I'll trust you for now."
Kakashi rarely meditated. Ever since discovering that his Chakra ran dry the moment he used it, he had spent more of his time reading Little Royal Uncle to pass the time.
And Naruto was the one saying this.
Whether it worked or not, he would give it a try.
After all, his progress over the years had actually been very small. It could even be described as standing still.
Combined with that dark period, he had spent most of his time simply wasting away.
For the rest of the time, Naruto meditated while keeping a sliver of his attention on their situation.
"Sasuke, take five steps to the right, then one step forward."
"Sakura, once you get used to multitasking, try splitting your focus three ways. You have too little Chakra, so try controlling the Chakra under your feet, picking up trash, and refining Chakra with part of your attention at the same time."
"Kakashi-sensei, you aren't thinking about the contents of Icha Icha Paradise again, are you?"
They did not finish a single D-Rank Mission until noon.
Naruto sat on a tree branch and looked at the three people sprawled below, exhausted.
Uchiha Sasuke's clone said, "Hmph. The mission was successfully completed. Thanks, Naruto!"
Then, with a poof, the Shadow Clone dispelled itself.
Sakura's clothes were soaked with sweat. As she looked up at Naruto in the tree, her eyes were filled with anticipation.
"You did well. Go find Tenten and study Medical Ninjutsu with her, or find Teacher Kurenai to study Genjutsu. Those are your strengths. Training after special training will have better results."
"Yes!"
Having received praise, Sakura smiled sweeter than candy and jogged away.
Kakashi, meanwhile, stared lifelessly at the clouds in the sky.
One cloud, two clouds...
"Kakashi-sensei, it's time to turn in the mission. You're a Jonin, at least. Outside of battle, your meditation is truly... a complete mess."
"How about finding yourself a woman? Oh, right, I thought of someone who would suit you perfectly."
"No, spare me. I'll go turn in the mission first."
Kakashi stood up and dusted off his pants.
"Naruto, meditation really is useful. You... forget it. Since you still aren't willing to say it, I'll wait. Perhaps if I get stronger, I can help you too."
"As for Sasuke, I'll start teaching him Chidori tomorrow."
After saying that, Kakashi did not wait for Naruto to respond before immediately using the Body Flicker Technique to leave.
As for the woman Naruto mentioned, she was naturally Spy Karin, who would appear later.
Meanwhile, within the Uchiha Clan Compound, Uchiha Sasuke grew furious.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Hoo—!!!
"No, it's not fast enough. My hand seal speed is still too slow, and I'm not familiar enough with it... Naruto can form the hand seals for many Ninjutsu with one hand. I need to work even harder!"
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire... Gah!"
Uchiha Sasuke suddenly stopped.
After the Shadow Clone dispelled, all of its memories and experiences returned.
He dropped onto the ground and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His originally restless heart calmed considerably as well.
"Hmph. He really is an unreliable Lead Jonin... Luckily, Naruto and I are on the same team."
In a rare move, Uchiha Sasuke lay down on the ground instead of continuing his training.
He closed his eyes and entered the meditative state that had once been difficult for him to reach in just a few minutes.
"Naruto's special training really is useful."
"Balance work and rest... I'll listen to you."
Imitating Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke rested his head on his hands and looked at the clouds overhead.
His heart grew increasingly calm.
Only then did he feel how utterly exhausted his body was.
"If Naruto hadn't given me Chakra, I probably would have collapsed from exhaustion by now."
"If I'm not mistaken, Naruto has hidden himself for many years because of his identity... With his amount of Chakra, it's impossible for him to possess only the little strength he has displayed."
"Seriously... You've helped me so much. If I don't help you in the future, then the glory of the Uchiha Clan that I uphold will be a joke."
At some point, Uchiha Sasuke revealed a faint smile.
He spoke to himself in a slightly self-mocking tone.
"What have I been doing all these years?"
"Sakura doesn't find me annoying anymore. Instead, she listens closely to Naruto, trains diligently, and has improved noticeably."
"But I, the avenger... seem not to have made much progress either."
"Has my body already reached its limit?"
Suddenly, Uchiha Sasuke seemed to think of something.
He slowly got to his feet. "Naruto said people need food to live. It's time to eat."
"Going to Naruto's place all the time, I can't... I can't always go empty-handed."
Uchiha Sasuke glanced at the instant food packaging and decisively changed his words.
Not long after Uchiha Sasuke left, a red figure appeared where he had been lying.
"So that's how it is. Naruto had this kind of plan in mind..."
"Using the Ninja Sect's Chakra-linked nature to give this old man's Chakra to the Uchiha brat."
"Powerful recovery abilities and an enormous amount of Chakra."
"Even trash could be built into a ninja with considerable combat power."
"Ha ha ha~"
Kurama suddenly laughed.
"So that's how it is... If there are enough of them... that damn Third Hokage will have a hard time in the future. Is this what you meant by worse than death?"
"If my senses are correct, I can withdraw this old man's Chakra from that Uchiha brat at any time. I can even extract the Chakra within his body along with it."
"The consequence of losing Chakra is inevitably death."
"I'm afraid Naruto intends for me to do exactly that."
"Interesting. Very interesting~"
Kurama turned his head and looked in Konoha's direction.
"After offending Naruto, not a single one of you will escape."
Before you continue