Team 7's First Lesson: Chakra Control

His words rang with passion, every syllable shaking the heavens.

But faced with this sudden verbal attack, Inari only shook her little head and sighed, speaking with the wisdom of her years:

"Alas... I heard the last ninja who said something like that ended up with three meters of grass growing over his grave."

"So if you still want to live, you'd better leave here as soon as you can..."

Naruto heard this and immediately took offense.

What did she mean, three meters of grass over his grave?

He was a man who'd sworn to become Hokage someday. Was he really going to be afraid of this?...

"I'm telling 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.

Though Sasuke was helping restrain Naruto, he couldn't help looking at the little girl called Inari in a new light.

For one thing, this was the first time he'd seen anyone immune to Naruto's verbal attacks...

After all, if things followed the main storyline, even Obito and Nagato wouldn't be able to escape Naruto's silver tongue...

By comparison, Inari was remarkably clear-eyed for someone so young. That was truly rare...

And another thing.

Sasuke had no reason to doubt what Inari had said.

If someone other than Kakashi, an elite Jonin, had been leading them this time,

then no matter how strong Sasuke was, there was no way he could take on an elite Jonin in a one-on-one fight.

If that had happened, the only possible outcome would have been the entire team getting silenced.

Time flew by. It was now a whole day after Team 7 had arrived at Tazuna's house as guests.

The sun was bright, and the scenery was pleasant.

Kakashi, leaning on a crutch, brought the three members of Team 7 to a forest.

The forest wasn't far from Tazuna's house. It was full of trees thick enough for three people to wrap their arms around, and it was cool and shady in the height of summer.

"Teacher Kakashi, since your injury hasn't healed yet, why did you bring us here?..."

Naruto stopped and looked at Kakashi, who was limping along with a crutch, puzzled.

"Ah..."

Kakashi smiled as if he'd just remembered.

"Even though we're currently away on a mission,"

"we can't neglect our training."

"Ever since you joined Team 7, I haven't taught you anything."

"So starting today, I'll teach you your first lesson as Genin: Chakra Control!..."

Chakra Control?...

The three members of Team 7 looked bewildered.

But only a moment later, Sasuke's expression changed!

The moment he heard Chakra Control, he suddenly remembered that this had been one of the options when he first activated the system!

Kakashi didn't give Sasuke a chance to think further. Seeing how puzzled the three of them were, he continued:

"Chakra Control, as the name suggests, tests a ninja's ability to control their own chakra."

"In the Shinobi World, the more talented a ninja is, the less likely it is that he'll have an astonishing amount of chakra. But his control over the chakra he does have will certainly be incredible!..."

At this, Sasuke's mouth twitched.

He thought:

The chakra amount isn't impressive, but the control is amazing. Teacher Kakashi, you're not talking about yourself, are you...

Kakashi didn't notice Sasuke's strange expression and continued:

"Chakra has five nature transformations. It gathers in a ninja's abdomen, travels through the limbs and throughout the body, then is released through Hand Seals and ultimately becomes various ninjutsu."

"So mastering Chakra Control can not only greatly reduce your chakra consumption, but also indirectly increase the speed at which your ninjutsu take shape."

"It's absolutely crucial!"

Naruto paused, then asked:

"Teacher Kakashi, I think I understand most of that."

"But you said chakra has five nature transformations. What are they?..."

"Heh..."

Kakashi smiled and replied:

"Wind, lightning, fire, water, and earth."

"Wind overcomes lightning, fire overcomes wind, water overcomes fire, earth overcomes water, and lightning overcomes earth. The five natures generate and overcome one another, cycling endlessly."

"Of course, those are only the basic nature transformations. Beyond them, there are even Yin and Yang Release, Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tōta, Kekkei Mōra, and so on..."

"Of course, that's not something you need to understand right now. For now, you should get familiar with the five basic nature transformations..."

Naruto and Sakura were left more confused than ever by that explanation.

Sasuke, however, seemed thoughtful.

Just then,

Kakashi pointed to a thick tree trunk nearby and said:

"Today's training is to try your hardest to control the chakra you currently have inside you."

"As for the passing standard... it's enough to do what I'm doing..."

After a pause, Kakashi leaned on his crutch and, under everyone's watchful eyes, walked sideways up the tree trunk as if his feet were magnets.

Then he hung upside down and grinned at the three of them below.

"See? Just like this. Easy."

Easy?...

The three members of Team 7 looked at one another, thinking that he'd just performed some kind of magic trick. How could he still claim it was easy?...

As if he'd seen right through their thoughts, Kakashi smiled and added:

"Heh, when I say it's easy, that depends on the person. Some people are naturally talented at this and succeed on their first try."

"Others might have a little more trouble."

"If you don't believe me, give it a try. Let's see whether any of you three are the kind of genius I'm talking about..."

His tone was challenging, and he didn't shy away from looking over the three of them.

At that, Sakura and Naruto immediately turned to look at Sasuke.

Someone with a little more talent?

Come on! Teacher Kakashi, if you want to praise Sasuke, just say so. You don't have to beat around the bush. We can take it...

Sakura and Naruto stared at him with strange expressions. Sasuke gave an embarrassed little cough.

He knew what they meant.

With no easy way out and hoping to ease the awkwardness, he took the lead and said:

"Then I'll try first..."

With a thought, Sasuke sent the chakra in his abdomen coursing through his meridians, instantly gathering it in the soles of his feet!

One step, two steps, three steps...

With each step Sasuke took, a large footprint appeared beneath him, sunk several inches into the ground!

Suddenly!

Sasuke's gaze sharpened. He leaped forward and shot toward the towering tree before him!

"S-so fast..."

Naruto's mouth fell open. He'd lost count of how many times he'd worn that lovestruck expression.

And now, shamefully, it was for another man...

Sakura's green eyes sparkled as she gazed at Sasuke's back and murmured:

"So this is the man I'll never be able to catch up to...?"

"He's so handsome..."

The two watched expectantly, certain that Sasuke would live up to their hopes and win with ease.

But in the blink of an eye, after taking only a few dozen steps up the tree trunk, Sasuke flipped in midair and unexpectedly fell back down!

"H-how is this possible!..."

Naruto and Sakura stared at him, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Sasuke stood where he'd landed, brows furrowed and silent.

Since getting the system and setting out on his path as a ninja, this was the first time he'd suffered a setback.

Although no one was criticizing him right now,

he still felt awful inside.

It was as if all five flavors had been overturned within him, and his expression changed again and again.