Team 7

"Naruto..."

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

"Strength? Hmm... it's hard to say."

Naruto thought seriously, analyzing his own situation: "In terms of raw chakra volume, even the Hokage can't compare to me, but I know very few ninjutsu right now. As for taijutsu, I have some confidence, but my body hasn't fully developed yet, so its strength is limited. I don't know any genjutsu, but I'm not afraid of it either. All things considered, I should be able to defeat most chunin. I wouldn't dare say I can definitely win against a jonin; it depends on who it is. So, I'm probably at the level of a special jonin."

Sakura didn't even know what to say. Everyone else was just a newly graduated genin, and you're already at the level of a special jonin?

A spark seemed to ignite in Sasuke's eyes: "Can I reach your level in three years by relying on the effect of the Shadow Clone Technique?"

"Maybe not, or maybe I could even surpass it."

Naruto said, "The Shadow Clone Technique's ability to improve learning efficiency is powerful, but more importantly, it's about the correct training methods and a clear direction for one's own growth. The former was taught to me by Master, and the latter was also determined with Master's help."

Sasuke frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "Can that Master of yours teach me too?"

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

As he spoke, Naruto closed his eyes under the puzzled gazes of Sasuke and Sakura.

[I can teach him, but you know my situation. Either bring him in, or let me out.]

"Letting someone from the outside come in... that feels weird. You should just come out."

[It makes no difference to me. I'm using your body anyway.]

"That's true. Oh, and since you're coming out, could you also guide Sakura? We'll be working together for a long time, so it's to my benefit if they're stronger."

[Very well.]

In reality, the aura, temperament, or rather, the feeling Naruto gave off, suddenly underwent a distinct change, which both Sasuke and Sakura noticed.

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

A calm voice drifted from Naruto's mouth: "I am Naruto's Master. I am temporarily borrowing Naruto's body to speak with you. Do you understand?"

Sakura was still stunned, but Sasuke had already grasped the situation and asked, "How should I address you?"

Master: "Since you are seeking my guidance, call me 'Master,' just like Naruto does."

"Master."

Sasuke said with a hint of respect: "Please teach me the correct training methods, and as Naruto mentioned, the growth direction best suited for me."

"Very well."

Master: "However, neither of you has built a solid foundation yet. You must start by training your chakra control."

"Foundation? Chakra control?"

Sasuke didn't quite understand and immediately stated: "My ability to control chakra is already quite good; I don't need to train that. I hope you can teach me the training methods that allowed Naruto to become strong so quickly."

"You are anxious to become strong, but the more you want to grow quickly, the more you must value the accumulation of your foundation."

Master said: "Naruto is much stronger than you now, but for these past few years, the thing I have had him do the most is foundation training. Furthermore, you know absolutely nothing about chakra control."

Sasuke fell silent again. After a moment, he asked calmly: "Master, what kind of chakra control are you talking about?"

"Like this."

As Master spoke, he controlled Naruto's body, stepped onto the trunk of a nearby tree with one foot, and then brought the other foot up—under the astonished gazes of Sasuke and Sakura, he stood perpendicular to the tree trunk, parallel to the ground.

Master walked up a few more steps and finally hung upside down from the thickest branch: "By concentrating the appropriate amount of chakra into the soles of your feet, you can create an adhesive effect. Too little, and you won't stick; too much, and you will destroy the surface you're stepping on. Both will cause you to fall."

Master looked at Sasuke and Sakura and explained: "The feet are the parts of our body where chakra is most difficult to reach, and maintaining that chakra at a precise level while doing so is extremely difficult in practice."

After finishing, he landed lightly: "Once you learn to climb trees, you can try walking on water—by concentrating the appropriate amount of chakra into your soles according to the flow of the water, you can stand on the surface. But water is a fluid, requiring you to adjust the chakra in your soles at all times, making it even more difficult than climbing trees."

After a pause, he added: "If you can take it a step further, you can do this—"

Under the blank stares of Sasuke and Sakura, Master stepped onto the air and hovered.

Seeing them stunned, Master waited a few seconds before explaining: "Water is a fluid, and air is also a fluid. Since you can walk on water, there is no reason you cannot walk on air."

"However, the fluidity of air is much greater than that of water, so the difficulty is naturally much higher and requires long-term practice. As long as you master walking on water, your chakra control will be sufficient to perform any technique. Spending too much time practicing walking on air would be counterproductive; I am only demonstrating it for you briefly."

With that, Master landed back on the ground and looked at Sasuke: "Are there any other questions? If not, let's begin the training."

"Wait!"

Sasuke wanted to start practicing immediately, but before that: "Master, could you first teach Sakura and me the Shadow Clone Technique? Even if we can only maintain one shadow clone, it should double our efficiency in practicing tree climbing."

"Very well, but you must be mindful of your chakra distribution."

Master warned: "Remember to place a cushion at the base of the tree; it will save you some pain."

Having said that, he taught them the hand seals and the sequence required for the Shadow Clone Technique.

The difficulty of the Shadow Clone Technique is only B-rank, and since Sasuke and Sakura were both top students, they mastered it quickly and began practicing tree climbing. (The Multi Shadow Clone Technique is the A-rank one.)

Master then logged off, returning the body to Naruto.

In the afternoon, the newly graduated genin gathered once again, quietly waiting for their respective jonin squad leaders.

The first jonin squad leader appeared and took three people away.

Next came the second, then the third...

Soon, the eighth jonin led his team away, leaving only the three members of Team 7 in the classroom.

"So slow."

Sakura said with some annoyance, "What on earth is our squad leader doing? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

Sasuke remained silent, but judging by his expression, he was equally displeased.

"Maybe he ran into some trouble."

Naruto remained calm and composed, "Anyway, we're all using Shadow Clones, so our real bodies aren't wasting any time... You two aren't running out of chakra, are you?"

"Although my chakra is much less than both of yours, I'm not at the point of collapsing just yet."

Sakura rested her face on one hand, "It's just a bit boring."

Sasuke nodded, "Indeed."

"Just bear with it a little longer."

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

Seven minutes later, the classroom door finally pushed open, and a man with silver hair, his left eye covered by a forehead protector and his face masked, walked in: "Are you... Team 7?"

"Yes."

Naruto nodded with a smile and greeted him, "Are you our squad leader?"

"That I am."

The man's tone sounded somewhat weary, "Let's head somewhere else first."

"Wait."

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

The man rubbed his chin in thought and said with a straight face, "Actually, I got lost on the path of life just now."

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura: "..."

The man: "Can you come with me now?"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged glances, stood up, and followed the man out of the academy to the roof of a nearby building.

The man looked at the three of them: "Anyway, let's start with self-introductions."

Naruto gestured for him to go ahead: "Please, Teacher, set an example for us first."

"Me? Alright, fine."

The man agreed indifferently, "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'll keep my likes and dislikes a secret. As for my dreams... I don't really have any at the moment. As for my hobbies, I have quite a few, so I won't list them all."

Sakura was speechless and muttered under her breath, "He only told us his name!"

"Your turn."

Kakashi looked at the three of them and said to Naruto, "Let's start with you."

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

Naruto said with a smile, "My dream is to have everyone in the village acknowledge me, then become Hokage, and finally surpass all the previous Hokage to change the current Ninja World."

Kakashi raised his eyelids, and the Naruto reflected in his eyes seemed to transform into two other faces.

"As for hobbies..."

Naruto clenched his fists, "It would be training, especially the training arranged by my Master!"

"Your dream and your hobbies are both quite impressive."

Kakashi praised him sincerely, then his gaze fell on Sasuke: "Your turn."

"I am Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have any likes, but I have plenty of dislikes. My current hobby is training to become stronger."

Sasuke lacked enthusiasm, his tone steady, "I don't have a dream, only an ambition—I will restore the Uchiha Clan. And, I will kill a certain man."

Naruto felt the sudden surge of malice from Sasuke and frowned slightly, but said nothing.

Kakashi's expression also turned serious, though he likewise remained silent.

Sakura failed to notice the issue with Sasuke, even thinking he looked incredibly cool at that moment.

"Good hobbies. Keep it up."

Kakashi didn't comment on Sasuke's ambition and looked at Sakura: "You're the last one."

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like... a certain someone, and my dream is to become that person's bride."

Sakura's gaze shifted between Naruto and Sasuke, finally resting on Sasuke: "I hate the women who try to compete with me for that person. As for my hobbies... I'm a bit embarrassed to say, so that's a secret!"

Naruto had no particular thoughts on Sakura's statement; he didn't find it surprising, nor could he truly understand it.

Sasuke, however, understood perfectly, and realizing what Sakura meant, he felt a bit awkward and turned his head away to avoid her burning gaze.

"Alright, that's enough for the self-introductions. I have a rough idea of who you are now."

Kakashi got down to business, "Starting tomorrow, we begin our missions."

"Kakashi-sensei,"

Naruto raised his hand to ask, "Could you tell us what the mission 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!"

"The specific requirements are all written on here."

Kakashi took out three sheets of paper: "I'll state this beforehand: participation in this mission is mandatory. Anyone who doesn't show up will be considered to have given up and will be sent straight back to the Ninja Academy to repeat a year. Of course, failing the mission will also result in being sent back."