Team Seven's First Lesson: Chakra Control

His tone was impassioned, every word earth-shattering.

Yet, in the face of this sudden "Talk no Jutsu," Inari merely shook her little head, sighed, and spoke with the maturity of an elder:

"Sigh... the last ninja who said that to me, I heard the grass on his grave is already three meters tall."

"So, if you still want to keep your life, you'd better leave this place quickly..."

Upon hearing this, Naruto was instantly displeased.

What did she mean by grass three meters tall?

As a man who swore to become the Hokage, would he be afraid of this?...

"Let me tell you, I, Naruto, am not leaving! You little brat, watch closely, I..."

Seeing Naruto suddenly react as if someone had stepped on his tail, Sasuke and Sakura, standing behind him, hurriedly reached out to hold him back.

While holding him back, Sasuke couldn't help but look at the little girl named Inari with newfound respect.

For one, this was the first time he had ever seen someone immune to Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu"...

After all, if the original plot were to be followed, neither Obito nor Nagato could escape that mouth of his...

In comparison, Inari was truly a rare gem—so young, yet so clear-headed about the world...

Furthermore, Sasuke didn't doubt Inari's words in the slightest.

Because if someone else had been leading the team instead of an elite Jonin like Kakashi, then no matter how awesome Sasuke was, he would never have been able to single-handedly take on an elite Jonin.

If that had been the case, the only outcome would have been the entire team being wiped out.

Time passed quickly, and it had already been one day since Team 7 arrived at Tazuna's home as guests.

The sun was bright and the scenery pleasant that day.

However, Kakashi, leaning on a crutch, led the three members of Team 7 into a forest.

The forest was not far from Tazuna's house and was filled with massive trees thick enough for three people to wrap their arms around; it was very cool in the height of summer.

"Kakashi-sensei, since your injuries haven't healed yet, why did you bring us here?..."

Stopping in his tracks, Naruto looked at Kakashi, who was limping along with his crutch, and asked in confusion.

"Ah..."

Kakashi laughed vaguely:

"Although we are currently out on a mission, we absolutely cannot slack off on our training."

"Since joining Team 7, I haven't really taught you anything yet."

"So, starting today, I will begin teaching you the first lesson for Genin: Chakra Control!..."

Chakra Control?...

The three members of Team 7 looked bewildered.

But after only a moment of hesitation, Sasuke's expression shifted!

At the mention of Chakra Control, he suddenly remembered that when he first activated his system, it seemed to include this very skill!

Not giving Sasuke a chance to dwell on it, Kakashi saw their confusion and continued:

"Chakra Control, as the name implies, is a test of a ninja's ability to manipulate their own chakra."

"In the ninja world, the most outstanding ninjas don't necessarily have astonishing amounts of chakra, but their control over the chakra they do possess is always heaven-defying!..."

Hearing this, Sasuke couldn't help but twitch his lips.

If you don't have much chakra but your control is god-tier, Kakashi-sensei, the outstanding ninja you're talking about wouldn't happen to be you, would it...

Not noticing the strange expression on Sasuke's face, Kakashi continued:

"Chakra is divided into five elemental natures. It resides in the ninja's dantian, flows through the limbs and bones, travels throughout the entire body, and is then released through hand seals to finally manifest as various ninjutsu."

"Therefore, mastering Chakra Control not only significantly reduces your own chakra consumption but also indirectly increases the speed at which your ninjutsu forms."

"It is truly of the utmost importance!"

Hearing this, Naruto paused and asked:

"Kakashi-sensei, I think I mostly understand that."

"But you said there are five elemental natures of chakra—what exactly are those five?..."

"Hehe..."

Hearing this, Kakashi smiled and responded:

"Wind, Lightning, Fire, Water, and Earth."

"Among them, Wind conquers Lightning, Fire conquers Wind, Water conquers Fire, Earth conquers Water, and Lightning conquers Earth. These five natures interact in a cycle of mutual generation and restriction, endless and ever-flowing."

"Of course, these are merely the basic nature transformations. Beyond them, there are even Yin and Yang attributes, Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tōta, Kekkei Mōra, and so on..."

"Naturally, these are not things you should be concerned with right now. For you, it is better to first familiarize yourselves with the five basic nature transformations..."

Upon hearing this explanation, Naruto and Sakura felt their heads spinning.

Sasuke, however, appeared lost in thought.

Just then, Kakashi pointed to a thick tree trunk nearby and said:

"Your training task for today is to attempt to control the chakra currently within your bodies to the best of your ability."

"As for the standard for passing... it should look something like this..."

After a brief pause, Kakashi leaned on his crutches and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, walked horizontally onto the high tree trunk as if his feet were magnetized.

Then, hanging upside down, he looked at the three of them under the tree with a playful grin and said:

"See? Just like this. It's very simple..."

Simple?...

The three members of Team 7 exchanged glances, thinking to themselves, You're doing this like it's a magic trick, and you have the nerve to tell us it's simple?

As if reading the thoughts of the three members of Team 7, Kakashi chuckled and suddenly added:

"Heh, what I call simple also depends on the person. Some people are born with a talent for this and succeed on their first try."

"While for others, it might be a bit more troublesome."

"If you don't believe me, you can try it out and see if there is a genius among the three of you as I described..."

His tone was provocative, and his gaze swept over the three of them without reservation.

Hearing this, Sakura and Naruto immediately turned their eyes toward Sasuke.

Someone with better talent?

Give me a break! Kakashi-sensei, if you want to praise Sasuke, just say it directly. There's no need to be so roundabout; we can handle it...

Seeing Sakura and Naruto staring at him with strange expressions, Sasuke coughed lightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

He knew what those two meant.

Caught in a dilemma, he had no choice but to speak up first to ease the awkward atmosphere:

"Then, I'll give it a try first..."

With that, Sasuke focused his mind, channeling chakra from his dantian through his meridians, and instantly concentrated it onto the soles of his feet!

One step, two steps, three steps...

With every step Sasuke took, a deep footprint several inches into the wood appeared beneath his feet!

Suddenly!

Sasuke's eyes sharpened. He leaped forward, charging straight up the towering tree in front of him!

"So... so fast..."

Naruto's mouth hung open; he had lost count of how many times he had made such a slack-jawed expression.

And shamefully, he was doing it for a man...

Sakura's emerald eyes shimmered with brilliance as she gazed at Sasuke's back, murmuring:

"Is this the man I will never be able to catch up to?..."

"He really is so cool..."

The two watched with anticipation, fully expecting Sasuke to live up to expectations and secure a sure victory.

But in the blink of an eye, after Sasuke had sprinted only a few dozen steps up the trunk, he flipped through the air and, unexpectedly, fell right back down!

"This... how is this possible!..."

Seeing this, Naruto and Sakura both widened their eyes in disbelief.

Sasuke stood where he landed, brow furrowed in silence.

Since obtaining the system and starting his journey, this was his first setback.

Although no one was dissing him at the moment, he still felt terrible inside.

It was as if he had knocked over a spice rack; his expression shifted repeatedly.