Naruto's Taijutsu was so strong, so it really surprised Kakashi that his Three Basic Jutsu were so impressive.
Kakashi watched Naruto without letting it show, but what he didn't know was that Naruto had already noticed.
Over the next few days, their missions were all simple jobs like catching cats and dogs or weeding vegetable gardens. But Kakashi was pretty lazy, so they usually did missions in the morning and trained separately in the afternoon. Sasuke trained one-on-one with Kakashi, while Naruto and Hinata trained on their own.
Then, one day, they got a simple mission. It was actually a mission outside the village?
"Did this happen in the original story?" Even after they left the village, Naruto was still puzzled. He didn't remember anything like this happening in the original story—or, at least, it hadn't been shown.
The three of them were excited to be outside the village for the first time on a mission, even though they were very close to home.
Their task was to help a farm owner hunt wild boars.
They were all curious about the area outside the village. They looked around at the beautiful scenery; beyond Konoha, there were trees as far as the eye could see.
"They say the First Hokage created all these forests with Wood Release. I wonder if that's true." Naruto turned to look at Kakashi.
"It is." Kakashi glanced up.
The two of them were surprised.
Naruto lowered his head in thought. Wood Release... By rights, he ought to be able to awaken it too.
After all, Wood Release was Asura's exclusive ability. Asura couldn't beat Indra with Taijutsu alone, but once he had Wood Release, the situation was reversed.
Naruto began wondering how he could awaken Wood Release. If he couldn't awaken it on his own, he could always absorb Hashirama Cells to trigger it.
But the thought of doing that left Naruto feeling uneasy.
"Naruto, what are you thinking about?" Kakashi suddenly asked out of the blue.
"I'm thinking about how to awaken Wood Release," Naruto answered without thinking.
The three of them heard his reply and twitched their mouths.
"So, Dead Last, have you been paying attention in class at all?" Sasuke couldn't help but complain.
Now that he'd learned Chidori, Sasuke was more confident and had a lot more to say.
"Bastard, what are you trying to say?" Naruto realized what he'd blurted out, but didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Still, Sasuke's words grated on him.
"We learned about Wood Release at school. It's the Kekkei Genkai unique to the First Hokage," Sasuke explained. Anyone who knew even a little about the subject knew that.
Hinata nodded. She didn't think Naruto could awaken Wood Release either. It was created through Water-Earth Fusion (I looked it up and found that it's Water-Earth Fusion, but I feel like Yang Release has to be added too).
But knowing what a Kekkei Genkai was didn't mean you could use it. Everyone in the Ninja World knew which two chakra natures fused to create each Kekkei Genkai, but nobody could imitate them.
"If the First Hokage could do it, then I can do it too," Naruto snorted, looking down on them.
Naruto's confidence left all three of them stunned. They couldn't understand why he was so sure of himself. After all, Wood Release was unique in the Ninja World.
Naruto knew that it might be impossible for anyone else, but for him, it was genuinely possible. He was the reincarnation of Asura in this generation.
His body was a treasure trove. All he had to do now was figure out how to open it.
"Naruto-kun, I believe in you," Hinata encouraged him.
"Little Hinata really is the cutest." Naruto couldn't help patting her on the head.
Hinata blushed but didn't pull away.
Sasuke gave him a scornful look but said nothing.
Kakashi, however, wondered whether Naruto really could awaken Wood Release.
The distance wasn't far, and they soon arrived. The village chief and the others had been waiting outside. They were delighted to see Kakashi and went over to welcome him.
The two sides exchanged pleasantries. The villagers were from the Land of Fire, after all, so they naturally knew Hatake Kakashi's name.
The villagers were thrilled to see Kakashi. Now they were saved.
Animals in the Ninja World were huge. Perhaps because of chakra, many were bigger than people.
When Naruto and the others saw the wild boar tracks on the ground, they immediately realized the mission wouldn't be as simple as they'd imagined.
"This thing seems pretty big." Naruto crouched beside a footprint, rubbing his chin. He even compared it with his own foot.
"If it shows up, I can take it down in one strike."
Sasuke looked disdainful.
After learning Chidori, he felt like he could take on the world.
While Naruto and the others searched for the wild boars, Kakashi drank tea in the village.
"Lord Kakashi, is it really all right to send those three children out there?" The village chief glanced outside anxiously.
"Don't worry. They're not ordinary Genin," Kakashi said. Thinking of Naruto's strength, he wasn't worried at all.
The village chief was still concerned, but seeing how relaxed Kakashi was, he didn't know what else to say. He quietly sat with Kakashi and drank tea.
"They're here. Why don't you two go get some practice?" Naruto suddenly stood up and looked in one direction.
"Good. Don't interfere; let me handle it." Sasuke was proud. He knew that with Naruto's strength, if Naruto stepped in, he wouldn't get a chance to show off. He'd finally learned Chidori and wanted to impress Naruto.
As Naruto spoke, two wild boars followed by a group of piglets ambled toward them.
The two boars at the front stood two meters tall and were huge. Their bristly hides and curved tusks made it clear they were dangerous.
"Why didn't you say there were two?" Seeing the powerful wild boars, Sasuke felt a little nervous.
Getting hit by one would be enough to leave someone half-dead.
"That's why I asked you two to get some practice," Naruto said, scratching his head.
Hinata was a little afraid too.
"Don't worry, Hinata. I'll watch over you from behind." Naruto liked Hinata's kind heart, so he didn't want her to kill anything. But he had no qualms about killing wild boars.
Hinata nodded and took her stance.
Naruto stepped back a few paces and stood behind Hinata. The huge boars were a serious threat to her at her current level.
Naruto was even more worried she'd get hurt, so he'd already stirred up the chakra in his body, ready to intervene at any moment.
Sasuke shot him a glance and was immediately speechless. So much for being ready to step in at any moment. He couldn't help feeling annoyed.
The wild boars paid no attention to the people in front of them and continued ambling their way. Farther behind them lay the fields.
The two of them began to prepare.
Hinata formed a Chakra Needle in her hand. She wanted to test whether Tenketsu Strike would work. It was her first time using it on a creature other than a human, and she had no confidence at all.
Sasuke formed Hand Seals, and white lightning crackled in his right hand, making a great deal of noise.
The wild boars were finally drawn to the commotion.
They began pawing at the ground with their front legs, as though the two in front of them had angered them.
The immense pressure made both of them frown.