"To be able to walk on tree trunks like our teacher."
"First, you need to control your chakra."
"Attach chakra to the soles of your feet, and firmly stick them to wherever you step."
"The key is controlling your chakra."
After explaining, Cangwu looked at the three little ones.
Then he added:
"The kunai in front of you are for leaving a mark when you reach the highest point."
Whoosh—
"I get it!"
Naruto eagerly picked up a kunai, then ran over to Cangwu.
"Teacher Cangwu, I already know what to do!"
"Just watch! This cultivation exercise is so easy, I'll master it in no time!"
He strode confidently toward the tree Cangwu had climbed earlier.
Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto in surprise.
Could this guy... really have figured it out?
But only a second later,
there came a loud thud.
Naruto lay on the ground, dazed, still frozen in the pose he'd struck when he took his first step.
Then came a cry of pain.
Naruto clutched his head, tears welling in his eyes.
"Hmph, idiot!" After a brief pause, Sasuke wasted no time in mocking him.
Sakura put a hand to her forehead and shook her head helplessly. "Why did I ever believe this moron?"
Cangwu only smiled and shook his head.
"Good spirit."
"All right, now you can focus on your training."
"The first one to climb a tree freely gets to start the next exercise first."
"Hmm... the first one to finish these basic exercises will be the first to learn a new jutsu from me."
"A new jutsu?!" The three little ones all cried out in surprise.
After all, learning ninjutsu wasn't as simple as just wanting to learn it.
Aside from some basic techniques, most powerful jutsu were controlled by the various clans.
It wasn't that civilian ninja were necessarily weaker than clan ninja. More often, they had the strength, but no way to use it.
"Great!"
"I'll definitely be the first to finish!"
"Idiot, I'll obviously be first!"
"Stuck-up Sasuke! I've put up with you long enough!"
"Heh. You're a dead-last idiot. Your skills would have to be half as good as your mouth for you to stand a chance."
Sasuke and Naruto were at it again.
This time, Sakura didn't try to stop them. She quietly picked up a kunai and headed for a tree that looked about the same as the one Cangwu had climbed earlier.
After the bell test, Sakura had felt just how weak she was.
And with Naruto and Sasuke spurring her on, she was now eager to gain strength, too.
Seeing this, Sasuke stopped arguing with Naruto.
He picked up a kunai and headed for another tree of about the same size.
He was an Uchiha. There was no way he'd let anyone else be the first to finish.
Naruto wasn't about to fall behind, either.
He wanted to try again.
Cangwu suddenly said:
"You need to think carefully about what the key is."
"If you rely on brute force to reach the top, all your weaknesses will show in the next exercise."
His words stopped Naruto and Sasuke, who had been about to brute-force their way to the top.
They'd both been planning to rush up first and leave a mark, then mock each other.
Sakura stood thoughtfully at the foot of the tree, eyes closed as she felt the chakra flowing through her body.
"By the way, a word of advice for a certain hot-blooded idiot."
Hot-blooded idiot?
Pink Hair: Not me.
Second Column: Hmph. No need to say who that is, right?
"Hot-blooded idiot? Who?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and glanced at Sakura, then shook his head.
"Sasuke, he means you!"
Sasuke: "..."
Idiot!
"Shadow Clones aren't only useful in battle."
Cangwu walked over to Naruto and tapped him on the head.
"Make a Shadow Clone."
Naruto held his forehead and did as he was told, creating a Shadow Clone.
"All right, you can focus on your training now."
Cangwu smiled warmly at Sakura and Sasuke.
Then he led Naruto's Shadow Clone away.
Naruto stood there, dumbfounded.
"What's Teacher Cangwu going to do?"
Poof—
Before long, the Shadow Clone that had left with Cangwu disappeared.
Poof—
"Ow... That hurts..."
Just then, Naruto took his first step and fell over again.
Seeing this, Sasuke immediately mocked him. "What's wrong, dead-last?"
"Couldn't even make it a meter?"
Naruto sprang to his feet and opened his mouth, then suddenly froze.
"Teacher Cangwu said... Huh?!"
"How do I know what Teacher Cangwu just said?!"
Naruto's sudden outburst immediately drew Sakura and Sasuke's attention.
"I get it!"
"So Shadow Clones have this use, too!"
"Teacher Cangwu is amazing!"
Sasuke furrowed his brow. "What other use do Shadow Clones have?"
Poof, poof, poof—
While Sasuke was still puzzled, Naruto formed a hand seal and created dozens of Shadow Clones.
"Ha ha ha! Stuck-up Sasuke, get ready to be surpassed by the great Naruto!"
"You're the dead-last!"
"Nyah nyah~!"
"..."
Naruto's Shadow Clones scattered, chattering noisily.
Then, one by one, they tried gathering chakra beneath their feet and started practicing tree climbing.
And so, the explosions kept ringing out.
Naruto himself didn't join in.
Instead, every time all his Shadow Clones were used up, he tried climbing the tree himself.
Then he created dozens more Shadow Clones to practice again.
In just two and a half minutes,
Naruto had climbed to a height of about five meters.
He'd followed Cangwu's instructions to the letter.
He hadn't relied on brute force to rush toward a meaningless height.
Seeing this, Sasuke's eyes widened.
He instinctively looked up at the spot where he'd left a mark with his kunai.
Three meters...
"How could this happen?!"
"Damn it!!!"
Sasuke stared at the large group of Shadow Clones working hard to practice tree climbing.
He gritted his teeth, fists clenched tight.
I'm an Uchiha... How could I possibly lose to a dead-last like him?!
Sasuke was starting to lose it.
When he got anxious, his chakra control went haywire.
The next moment, Sasuke leaped away from the tree trunk.
"Ha ha ha~"
"Stuck-up Sasuke, I keep getting better!"
"How come you keep getting worse?!"
"Shut up! You're just a dead-last. I'll surpass you in no time!" Sasuke roared.
But when he tried again,
a voice made him suffer the same fate Naruto had earlier.
Thud—
He took just one step before sprawling on the ground.
But this time, neither Naruto nor his Shadow Clones mocked him.
"Teacher Cangwu, I made it to the top~!"
Sakura's excited voice came from above.
Sasuke and Naruto both looked up at once.
When they spotted that tuft of pink hair at the top of the tree,
Sasuke's confidence crumbled completely.
One after another... I'm an Uchiha!
Why?!
The dead-last idiot was one thing.
But even that annoying, ugly girl had finished before me?!
"That's amazing... Sakura, your chakra control is incredible!" Naruto praised her as soon as he recovered from his surprise.
Sakura glanced at Cangwu as he walked over, her cheeks turning rosy.
Then she heard Naruto's praise, and her heart filled with joy.
She looked at Sasuke, his face full of defeat and his confidence shattered.
To her surprise, she didn't feel worried. Instead, she felt a little proud.
I've caught up with you~!
Before you continue