Team 7

"Naruto..."

Sasuke took a deep breath and asked, "Just how strong are you now?"

"My strength? Hmm... It's hard to say."

Naruto thought it over seriously, analyzing his own abilities. "In terms of chakra reserves alone, even the Hokage can't match me, but I know very few jutsu right now. I have some confidence in my Taijutsu, but I haven't fully grown yet, so my physical strength is limited too. I don't know anything about genjutsu, but I'm not afraid of it either. Taking everything into account, I should be able to beat most Chunin. I can't say for sure whether I could beat a Jōnin; it depends on who it is. So I'm probably around Special Jōnin level."

Sakura didn't know what to say. They were all Genin who had just graduated, and he was already at Special Jōnin level?

Sasuke's eyes seemed to light up. "Could I reach your level in three years by making use of Shadow Clones?"

"I might not reach it, or I might surpass it."

Naruto said, "Shadow Clones are very effective for improving your learning efficiency, but what matters even more is having the right training methods and a clear direction for your growth. My master taught me the former and helped me figure out the latter."

Sasuke furrowed his brow and thought for a while before asking, "Could the master you mentioned teach me?"

"I don't know. I'll ask."

As Sasuke and Sakura watched in confusion, Naruto closed his eyes.

[I can teach him, but you know how things are with me. Either let him come in, or let me go out.]

"Having someone from outside come in... feels kind of weird. You should go out instead."

[I don't mind. I'll be using your body anyway.]

"Right. Oh, since you're going out anyway, could you give Sakura some pointers too? We'll be working together for quite a while. It'll benefit me if they're stronger."

[Sure.]

In the real world, the aura around Naruto changed noticeably. His demeanor—or perhaps the impression he gave—shifted, and both Sasuke and Sakura noticed.

"Not bad. You're not too slow on the uptake."

A calm voice came from Naruto's mouth. "I'm Naruto's master. I'm borrowing his body for now to speak with you. Understand?"

Sakura was still frozen in place, but Sasuke had already grasped the situation. "What should I call you?"

Master: "Since you're asking me to teach you, call me 'Master,' just like Naruto does."

"Master."

Sasuke spoke with a hint of respect. "Please teach me the right way to train, and the direction for growth that suits me, which Naruto mentioned earlier."

"Sure."

Master: "But neither of you has built a solid foundation yet. You need to start by training your chakra control."

"Foundation? Chakra control?"

Sasuke didn't quite understand. He immediately replied, "I already have good chakra control. I don't need to train it further. I hope you can teach me a way to get stronger quickly, like Naruto."

"You're in a hurry to get stronger, but the more you want to get stronger quickly, the more you need to focus on building a foundation."

Master said, "Naruto is far stronger than you now, but the thing I've had him do most over the years is basic training. Besides, you know nothing about chakra control."

Sasuke fell silent again. After a while, he asked calmly, "Master, what do you mean by chakra control?"

"Like this."

As he spoke, Master controlled Naruto's body and planted one foot on the trunk of a nearby tree. Then he put his other foot up too. To Sasuke and Sakura's astonishment, he stood vertically against the trunk, parallel to the ground.

Master walked a few steps higher, then hung upside down from the thickest branch. "By concentrating the right amount of chakra in the soles of your feet, you can make them stick. Too little, and you won't hold on; too much, and you'll damage your foothold. Either way, you'll fall."

Master looked at Sasuke and Sakura and explained, "The soles of our feet are among the hardest places for chakra to reach in our bodies. On top of that, you have to keep the chakra at just the right level. It's very difficult in practice."

When he finished, he dropped lightly to the ground. "Once you learn to climb trees, you can try Water Walking. Concentrate the right amount of chakra in the soles of your feet according to the current, and you'll be able to walk on the surface. But water is fluid, so you have to keep adjusting the chakra in your feet. It's harder than climbing trees."

He paused, then said, "If you take it a step further, you can do this—"

As Sasuke and Sakura stared in shock, Master planted one foot on the air and hovered there.

When he saw the two of them frozen in place, Master waited a few seconds before explaining, "Water is fluid, and air is fluid too. If you can walk on water, there's no reason you can't walk on air."

"Air flows much more freely than water, so it's naturally much harder. It takes a long time to master. Once you've learned Water Walking, your chakra control will be good enough to perform any jutsu. Spending too much time practicing walking on air would be counterproductive; I'm only giving you a quick demonstration."

As he spoke, Master returned to the ground and looked at Sasuke. "Any other questions? If not, let's get started."

"Wait!"

Sasuke wanted to start practicing right away, but first he asked, "Master, could you teach Sakura and me the Shadow Clone Technique? Even if we can only maintain one Shadow Clone each, it should double our efficiency at practicing tree climbing."

"Sure, but you'll need to manage your chakra carefully."

Master reminded them, "Remember to put a cushion at the bottom of the tree. It'll help you avoid getting hurt too much."

Then he taught them the hand seals for the Shadow Clone Technique and the order in which to form them.

The Shadow Clone Technique was only a B-rank jutsu, and Sasuke and Sakura were both top students. They mastered it quickly, then began practicing tree climbing. (The Multi Shadow Clone Technique was A-rank.)

Master promptly checked out, returning the body to Naruto.

That afternoon, the newly graduated Genin gathered again, quietly waiting for their Jōnin team leaders.

The first team leader arrived and took three people away.

Then came the second, then the third...

Soon, the eighth Jōnin had taken his team away, leaving only Team 7 in the classroom.

"This is taking forever."

Sakura said, sounding a little annoyed. "What is our team leader doing? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"

Sasuke remained silent, but his expression showed that he was annoyed too.

"Maybe he ran into some kind of trouble."

Naruto was completely at ease. "Besides, we're all Shadow Clones, so our real bodies aren't wasting any time... You two aren't running low on chakra, are you?"

"My chakra reserves are a lot smaller than yours, but I'm not about to run out already."

Sakura propped her cheek up with one hand. "I'm just a little bored."

Sasuke nodded. "True."

"Just hang in there a little longer."

Naruto looked toward the classroom door. "He should be here soon."

Another seven minutes passed before the classroom door finally opened. A silver-haired, masked man with his Forehead Protector covering his left eye walked in. "You... are Team 7, right?"

"Yes."

Naruto nodded with a smile and greeted him. "Are you our team leader?"

"I am."

The man sounded a little weak. "Let's go somewhere else first."

"Wait."

Naruto said, "Sensei, I think you're a bit late. Could you briefly explain why?"

The man rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before answering solemnly, "Actually, I got lost on the road of life."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura: "..."

The man: "Can we go now?"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged glances, then stood and followed the man out of the school to the rooftop of a nearby building.

The man looked at the three of them. "Anyway, let's start by introducing ourselves."

Naruto made a gesture inviting him to go first. "Sensei, why don't you give us an example?"

"Me? All right."

The man agreed in an indifferent tone. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'll keep what I like and dislike to myself. As for my dreams... I don't really have any at the moment. I have quite a few interests, so I won't list them all."

Sakura was speechless. She muttered under her breath, "All he told us was his name!"

"Your turn."

Kakashi looked at the three of them, then said to Naruto, "You can start."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like... instant noodles, and Ichiraku Ramen. I hate the three minutes it takes for my instant noodles to cook, and the time before my Ichiraku Ramen arrives."

Naruto smiled. "My dream is to earn the recognition of everyone in the village, then become Hokage, surpass all the previous Hokage, and change the Ninja World as it is now."

Kakashi raised his eyelids slightly. In his eyes, Naruto seemed to transform into two other faces.

"As for my interests..."

Naruto clenched his fist. "I guess it's training, especially the training my master assigns me!"

"You have some impressive dreams and interests."

Kakashi praised him sincerely, then turned his gaze to Sasuke. "Your turn."

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. There isn't much I like, but there are plenty of things I dislike. Right now, I'm interested in training and getting stronger."

Sasuke's tone was flat, and he didn't sound enthusiastic. "I don't have a dream, only an ambition—I want to restore the Uchiha Clan. And I want to kill a certain man."

Naruto felt the malice suddenly intensify around Sasuke. He furrowed his brow but said nothing.

Kakashi's expression turned serious too, but he also said nothing.

Sakura didn't realize there was anything wrong with Sasuke. She even thought he seemed very cool right then.

"That's a good interest. Keep it up."

Kakashi didn't comment on Sasuke's ambition. He looked at Sakura. "That leaves you."

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like... someone. My dream is to become that person's bride."

Sakura glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, then fixed her gaze on Sasuke. "I hate the women who try to steal that person away from me. As for my interests... I'm too embarrassed to say, so I'll keep them secret!"

Naruto didn't have much of a reaction to Sakura's words. He wasn't surprised, but he couldn't understand them either.

Sasuke understood what she meant. A little embarrassed, he turned away from Sakura's fiery gaze.

"Good. That's enough introductions. I have a general idea of who you are now."

Kakashi got down to business. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be going on missions."

"Kakashi-sensei,"

Naruto raised his hand and asked, "Could you tell us what kind of mission it is?"

Kakashi: "A wilderness survival exercise."

Naruto: "Is it a mission or an exercise?"

Kakashi: "A mission in the form of an exercise."

Naruto: "Oh~ Got it!"

"I've written the requirements here."

Kakashi took out three sheets of paper. "Let me warn you in advance: participation is mandatory. Anyone who doesn't show up will be considered to have given up and sent back to the Ninja Academy to repeat the year. Of course, if you fail the mission, you'll be sent back too."