Night fell.
Under Tsunami's adoring gaze, Cangwu prepared a dinner full of distinctive Kyushu flavors.
The three little ones returned one after another.
First back was the sneaky little glutton, Sakura.
Then Naruto came back, looking exhausted but wearing a radiant smile.
He was carrying a ball with a small hole in it.
"Teacher Cangwu!"
Naruto held up the ball with the little hole, his face full of an expression that said, Praise me!
"That's amazing... But, Naruto... you were way too reckless."
Sakura gasped, covering her mouth.
Then she looked at Naruto, whose body was covered in injuries, and her eyes took on a different look.
When had this happened?
Naruto seemed to have moved to the very front.
Looking at Naruto, the bloodstains still visible on his orange jacket, Sakura had a thought.
If I had that much chakra... could I do what Naruto did?
The answer was no.
She had no shortage of determination. What she lacked was Naruto's astonishing resilience.
After learning what the Shadow Clone Technique could do, Sasuke and Sakura had both reacted the same way.
At first, they'd been shocked and envious.
But after hearing why it was classified as a forbidden technique, they'd started looking at Naruto differently.
The three of them trained not too far apart.
Explosions rang out again and again.
Ever since learning about the Shadow Clone Technique's properties, Sakura had gotten goosebumps every time she heard the sound of a clone disappearing.
What kind of endurance was that?!
In just half a day, he'd accepted nearly a thousand failures!
And he was still repeating the same tedious training.
At that moment, Naruto looked exhausted, but his joy was even greater.
"You... need to be more careful," Sakura said, her tone much gentler.
Naruto just grinned.
"I'll treat your