Treading Water

Black Zetsu was thrilled. It was about to begin.

Meanwhile, he had already dispatched White Zetsu to keep all the Jinchūriki under constant surveillance, twenty-four hours a day.

The next day.

Even though she knew what Kakashi was like, Hinata still came over first thing in the morning, woke Naruto, and brought him breakfast.

Naruto felt a little helpless. He was touched, but being taken care of like a little brother felt especially awkward. I think of you as my wife, but you want to be my big sister.

But when he met those adorable big eyes, Naruto really couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh. Of course, that might also have been due to his personality. Naruto had always been very clear about his goals, so everything else seemed unimportant to him. To outsiders, he came across as a little lazy.

"Hinata, I just wanted to sleep in."

Naruto complained listlessly.

On the surface, Naruto seemed to spend all day doing nothing.

But he always had several clones researching something or other. And with the original occasionally joining in, he didn't get much time to sleep. The fatigue from dispelling his clones was becoming hard to bear. Fighting didn't require much thinking, but research was mentally exhausting. All that weariness weighed on Naruto's mind, leaving him constantly tired.

Mental fatigue could only be replenished with time and sleep.

"Naruto, we're ninjas now. We can't sleep in." It was their very first day as ninjas, and Hinata had been too excited to sleep.

Naruto was at a loss for words. He dragged himself out of bed and ate, completely lacking enthusiasm.

When they arrived at the mission hall, Sasuke was already waiting there.

"Heh, you're all pretty early today."

Sasuke spoke with a sarcastic lilt.

Naruto rolled his eyes at him.

Before long, Kakashi ambled over. The three of them had already given up on commenting on his appearance.

"Come on, let's go in and pick a mission."

With that, he led the way inside.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are we doing today?" Sasuke couldn't help asking, curiosity getting the better of him.

The day before, he had gone home and specifically asked his older brother about Kakashi.

Itachi Uchiha hadn't hidden anything from his younger brother and had told him all about Kakashi.

Kakashi's record was pretty impressive.

He graduated at six and became a jōnin at twelve. He had fought in the Ninja World War, gained a Sharingan, and made a name for himself in the ninja world.

Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake.

After learning all this about Kakashi, Sasuke's attitude toward him had changed quite a bit.

"Let me see."

Kakashi was as listless as ever. Holding a little orange book in one hand, he began casually browsing the missions.

After looking through them, he finally found one that seemed suitable.

"Naruto, aren't you curious?" Hinata asked, looking at him.

"What kind of mission can Genin take? Either catch a cat or find a dog."

Naruto was at a loss for words. If Hinata hadn't come to get him first thing in the morning, his original self would already be in the lab, leaving a Shadow Clone to handle things here.

Naruto's Shadow Clones were now more lifelike than Hashirama's Wood Clones. Kakashi probably couldn't tell them apart.

The only person who could was Hinata, and even she relied on instinct.

Kakashi, who was choosing a mission up ahead, had heard Naruto's words.

He thought Naruto had a point. Besides, with the three of them as they were now, a mission like that would be pointless.

In the end, Kakashi chose a slightly more challenging mission: clearing a river.

He took the three of them to a large river.

"Your mission is to clear the trash from this stretch of river."

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, did you forget to mention something?"

Naruto suddenly felt that Kakashi was being a little petty.

"Oh, right. If you want to complete this mission more easily, you can practice this technique."

Kakashi acted as if he'd just remembered, then stepped onto the surface of the water before their eyes.

Water Walking was a more advanced technique than Tree Walking, and it had to be practiced on a flowing surface, too.

Even Naruto hadn't tried this technique yet, and it was usually taught by the jōnin leading a team.

After demonstrating it once, Kakashi lay down under a large tree and pulled out Icha Icha Paradise to read.

Sasuke said nothing. He walked to the riverbank and stepped onto the water.

As expected, he sank straight in.

Naruto came over too, chakra enveloping his feet as he tried to step onto the water.

He made a huge dent in the surface.

"Did I use too much force?"

Hinata came over as well.

The three of them began testing their footing on the river.

In the end, Hinata was the first to master the technique.

She walked carefully across the water.

Naruto was still having trouble getting the hang of it.

As for Sasuke, he could only manage a few steps before falling into the water.

Hinata watched them, eager to share what she'd learned. But the girl was too shy and didn't know how to explain it, so she could only go and start on the mission herself.

The other two kept experimenting by the riverbank.

"Damn it, I refuse to believe this!"

[Multi-Shadow Clone Technique]

With a series of poofs, dozens of Narutos appeared.

Before Naruto even gave an order, they all started trying it out.

"That chakra of his is something else."

Sasuke watched enviously. He knew the technique too, but after using it once, he'd never wanted to use it again.

Among the dozens of Shadow Clones, as soon as one succeeded, Naruto would immediately dispel the rest. The others could then continue experimenting with the experience of the successful clone.

After more than a dozen clones disappeared, Naruto mastered the technique.

"Huh, this is such an easy technique. Sasuke, you idiot, how come you still haven't learned it?"

Naruto stood on the water and couldn't resist taunting Sasuke at the riverbank.

"You bastard! Just you wait!"

Sasuke flew into a rage, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Yeah, yeah, anyone can talk big. Your talent is really holding us back."

Naruto couldn't help taking another jab at him.

"Naruto, you shouldn't do that," Hinata said softly as she came over.

"It's fine. He won't succeed unless someone gives him a push," Naruto said casually, bluffing. The real reason was that Sasuke got on his nerves.

Even so, he didn't provoke Sasuke any further.

"Come on, let's finish the mission."

With that, he and Hinata started picking up trash.

Sasuke was left alone at the riverbank, grinding his teeth.

Perhaps Naruto really had gotten under his skin. After a few more tries, Sasuke managed to stand on the water, though he stumbled as he did so.

"Damn it, is my talent really worse than theirs?"

Watching the other two move with ease, Sasuke began to doubt his own abilities.

Only Kakashi, watching from a distance, narrowed his eyes in amazement at their talent.

Hinata was a natural with chakra control, as befitted a young lady of the Hyuga Clan. That didn't surprise Kakashi.

Naruto had used Shadow Clones to stack up experience, while Sasuke had struggled a little but still managed to learn.

Mastering the technique in half a day was already impressive.

Compared to the original story, they were much more remarkable this time. Of course, more importantly, they all had solid foundations.

Sasuke had been trained by the Uchiha Clan, Naruto had a cheat, and Hinata was the young lady of the Hyuga Clan. She had trained strictly from a young age, and Naruto had helped her as well.

That made things much easier for Kakashi. There wasn't much left for him to teach them; he only needed to guide them properly.