Kakashi had just completed a mission and returned to the village, his exhausted body dragging with every step. His pace was heavy, and his eyes were filled with weariness. All he could think about was getting home as soon as possible and having a good rest.
Kakashi's home was in a corner of the village, surrounded by several tall trees whose branches and leaves swayed gently in the breeze, rustling softly. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows across the ground.
Just as Kakashi reached his front door, he saw Menma sitting there, waiting for him.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you for days." Menma's eyes lit up, and he ran over.
Kakashi sighed helplessly, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "Menma, I just got back from a mission. I'm tired!"
But Menma looked determined, his eyes shining with fervor. "Kakashi-sensei, I know you're tired, but I really want to keep learning ninjutsu from you. Look, I've come here every day for the past few days because I was afraid I'd miss you coming back."
Kakashi looked at Menma's persistence, feeling both helpless and gratified. After all, having a student so eager to improve was a stroke of luck.
"All right, Menma. Since you're so determined, let's get started. Today I'll teach you some single-nature ninjutsu," Kakashi said.
Menma rubbed his hands together excitedly, full of anticipation. "Okay, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi began demonstrating Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall. He stood in a relatively open patch of grass, the blades beneath his feet bending slightly under his weight. As he formed Hand Seals calmly, he said steadily, "Menma, the Hand Seal sequence for Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall is Snake–Ram–Horse–Dragon–Ox. Pay attention to your chakra control." As soon as he finished speaking, a thick earthen wall slowly rose from the ground, kicking up dust. Under the sunlight, it looked especially solid and imposing.
Menma followed the Hand Seal sequence Kakashi had given him and tried it. He failed on his first attempt: only a little of the wall emerged before collapsing, raising a small cloud of dust.
Kakashi shook his head and said helplessly, "Good grief, Menma, are you trying to grow a bamboo shoot? You need more precise chakra control. Try again."
Menma made some adjustments and formed the Hand Seals again. This time, the wall rose successfully. It wasn't as tall or sturdy as Kakashi's, but it still counted as a success. The wall stood quietly in the breeze, while the grass around it swayed gently in the wind it had stirred up.
Menma looked at Kakashi confidently. "Kakashi-sensei, how was that? I got it in just two tries. If I practiced with Shadow Clones, I'd be able to make an Earth Wall with a dog's head on it in no time, just like you."
Kakashi shook his head and smiled wryly. Then he walked to a relatively open area with few obstacles and demonstrated Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique. As he formed the Hand Seals, he said, "The Hand Seal sequence for Great Fireball Technique is Ox–Dog–Monkey–Tiger–Rabbit–Tiger. This technique uses quite a lot of chakra, so be careful with your control."
With that, he spat out a huge ball of fire. The flames roared, and the temperature around them rose noticeably. A wave of heat washed over them.
Menma mimicked Kakashi's Hand Seals and gathered chakra. A tiny flame flickered into existence, unsteady as a candle wavering in the wind.
Kakashi teased him. "Menma, that little fireball of yours isn't much to look at. Did all your chakra go into making you taller?"
Menma raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of defiance. "Kakashi-sensei, this is just the beginning!"
Next, Kakashi went to a pond and demonstrated Water Style: Water Wall. He stood by the water's edge, his reflection visible on the surface. As he formed the Hand Seals, he said, "The Hand Seal sequence for Water Wall is Tiger–Snake–Tiger–Snake–Tiger–Snake." As he spoke, a wall of water rose from the pond. Sunlight glimmered on its surface, and droplets sprayed out onto the surrounding grass.
Menma followed the sequence and formed the Hand Seals, but his water wall was unstable. It disappeared after a short while, leaving only a damp patch on the ground.
Kakashi folded his arms and shook his head. "Good grief, Menma, your Water Wall looks like it's made of paper."
Menma furrowed his brows, adjusted his chakra, and formed the Hand Seals again. This time, the Water Wall appeared successfully and lasted for a while. It swayed in the breeze, reflecting the sunlight like a transparent mirror.
Menma said, "Kakashi-sensei, it's not made of paper this time, right?"
Kakashi demonstrated Lightning Style: Lightning Ball next. He stood on a patch of dry ground, where the long hours of sunlight had left the earth somewhat cracked. As he formed the Hand Seals, he said, "The Hand Seal sequence for Lightning Ball is Rabbit–Dragon–Horse–Tiger–Rabbit."
When he finished the Hand Seals, a Lightning Ball flickering with electricity appeared in his hand. It made a faint sizzling sound, and the air around it seemed to carry a hint of static.
Menma carefully followed the sequence and formed a small Lightning Ball. Faint sparks flickered across it, like a star in the night sky on the verge of going out.
Kakashi smiled. "Menma, your Lightning Ball looks like it just woke up. It doesn't have much energy."
Kakashi had teased Menma so many times that Menma was nearly fuming. He shouted, "Kakashi-sensei!"
At last, Kakashi went to an open area and demonstrated Wind Style: Rending Sky Palm. He stood firm and said, "The Hand Seal sequence for Rending Sky Palm is Tiger–Rabbit–Dragon–Snake–Horse–Ram." A strong gust roared out, setting the surrounding leaves rustling and sweeping up dust from the ground.
When Menma tried it, the wind wasn't strong, but it took shape. It could only stir the grass on the ground. Kakashi joked, "Menma, your Wind Style feels like you're trying to tickle someone."
After being teased by Kakashi so many times, Menma was getting angry. He retorted, "Kakashi-sensei, just you wait."
So Menma decided to use Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to practice the ninjutsu. He created dozens of Shadow Clones, each of which practiced a different technique.
The Shadow Clones spread out and began practicing in different places. The ones practicing Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall worked on an open stretch of land, raising and toppling earthen walls over and over. Dust filled the air, and the sunlight looked hazy through it.
The Shadow Clones practicing Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique worked in an open area with few flammable objects. They repeatedly gathered chakra, and their little fireballs gradually grew more powerful, but they consumed more and more chakra. The flames heated the air around them, and the ground grew hot beneath them.
The Shadow Clones practicing Water Style: Water Wall worked near the pond, trying to make their walls more stable and longer-lasting. With each attempt, more droplets splashed from the walls, soaking the surrounding ground as their chakra rapidly drained away.
Menma also tried using Water Wall somewhere without any water nearby. He hoped that one day he could be like Tobirama, since Tobirama was known as the man who had signed a contract with the sea.
The Shadow Clones practicing Lightning Style: Lightning Ball kept making adjustments on a dry patch of sandy soil. The electric sparks grew stronger and stronger, making the grains of sand twitch. Their chakra consumption reached a considerable level, too.
The Shadow Clones practicing Wind Style: Rending Sky Palm tried to strengthen their gusts. Among a patch of grass, the wind gradually picked up, blowing the blades in every direction. Their chakra was nearly depleted.
As time passed, Menma's original body could feel his chakra running dangerously low, and he began to feel dizzy. But his competitive nature kept him from wanting to stop just yet. The scenery around him seemed to sway slightly, and the sunlight grew harsh.
Finally, after a period of intense practice, one of Menma's Shadow Clones successfully performed a fairly powerful Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique. The ball of fire was much larger than before, and it was hotter, too. Its flames roared, scorching the air around it and turning the grass on the ground slightly yellow.
Menma's original body was weak from his excessive chakra consumption, but he still looked proudly at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, look. I did it."
Kakashi looked at Menma, a hint of approval in his eyes. "Menma, your hard work deserves recognition, but you also need to use your chakra wisely. Overusing it can be dangerous."
Menma nodded. "I understand, Kakashi-sensei. I'll be more careful next time."
Menma then dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clones. The moment they disappeared, a wave of exhaustion swept over him. Practicing five different ninjutsu at once had put some strain on his body, but it was still within what Menma could handle. His legs felt weak, and the scenery around him seemed to spin.
"All right! Let's see the results of a whole morning's training!" Menma said after taking a moment to recover.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" After forming the Hand Seals, Menma spat out a huge fireball. It surged forward with a powerful wave of heat, distorting the air around it. Then Menma continued forming Hand Seals.
But before he could finish, he suddenly felt dizzy and dropped to one knee. Gritting his teeth, Menma forced himself to keep forming the Hand Seals.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Ball!" Five or six Lightning Balls appeared around Menma, their electricity flashing brightly as they crackled. There weren't as many as Kakashi could make, but they were still impressive. After sending several of them flying, Menma kept going and continued forming Hand Seals.
"Water Style: Water Wall! Wind Style: Rending Sky Palm!" A wall of water appeared, sparkling in the sunlight. Suddenly, it was as if a tremendous force had thrust the middle of the wall forward. At the end, Menma used Earth Style: Earth Wall.
After an earthen wall rose, Menma flipped up onto it. He stood on top, the breeze stirring his hair and clothes. He glanced back at Kakashi and spoke.
"Kakashi-sensei, how was that? I—" Menma panted. Before he could finish, he suddenly felt dizzy. He lost his footing and fell from the earthen wall.
Kakashi reacted quickly and rushed forward to catch Menma.
"Looks like you used up too much chakra. Take a rest," Kakashi said.
Menma nodded in agreement, and then the two of them went to the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant. The aroma of grilled meat drifted outside, and the restaurant was lively, filled with people's laughter and chatter. Menma also made sure to have a Shadow Clone bring Kushina and Naruto over.
Although Kushina was an Impure World Reincarnation and didn't need to eat, she still had to come along. They couldn't very well leave her home alone.
Over the past few days, Kushina had been teaching Naruto some basic knowledge. In the room where they were studying, sunlight streamed through the window onto a table covered with books.
After these past few days, Kushina had realized that although Naruto and Menma were studying much the same things, Naruto was far behind Menma when it came to theory. The main problem was that he couldn't remember it.
That made studying this theory a struggle for Naruto. Kushina made him work through it, and although it was only review, for Naruto it was little different from learning everything all over again. From time to time, Kushina's explanations and Naruto's questions could be heard in the room.
Although Naruto had never liked theoretical lessons, since Kushina was the one teaching him, he enjoyed them. He was happy to have his mother teaching him, something he had never experienced before.
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