How Could I Forget? I Always Remember.

"To commemorate the important milestone of you successfully completing your first D-rank mission," Sakumo suggested with a beaming smile, "let me treat you to a good meal. Consider it a reward for your hard work."

Hearing this, Hayato curled his lips into a smile and replied without standing on ceremony, "Then I won't hold back, Sakumo-sensei."

Sakumo laughed heartily, his eyes crinkling into slits, and strode off toward their familiar noodle shop with Hayato in tow.

Walking along the road, a question welled up in Hayato's mind, and he asked curiously, "Sakumo-sensei, when will we be able to start taking missions above D-rank?"

In truth, Hayato was secretly thinking that if the upcoming missions were all as devoid of challenge as today's, he could easily handle them using Shadow Clones.

However, Sakumo seemed completely unaware of this thought.

Sakumo patted Hayato on the shoulder and said with full confidence, "Don't worry, I'm already keeping an eye out for suitable missions. We might even have something by tomorrow."

Hearing Sakumo's words, Hayato dismissed the idea of letting a Shadow Clone bear the burden for him.

He wondered if his Shadow Clone would thank him once it found out.

He imagined it probably would.

The two soon arrived at the familiar noodle shop.

The owner saw them and greeted them enthusiastically.

Before they could even order, he had already prepared their signature dishes—a steaming bowl of udon and a fragrant bowl of soba.

"Boss, thank you so much!" the two said in unison.

They skipped the tedious dining etiquette and immediately began to tuck in.

Halfway through the meal, Sakumo suddenly brought up the subject of Kakashi's recent progress.

"Kakashi has been training diligently lately, planning to apply for graduation in a few months."

The chopsticks in Hayato's hand paused slightly; he was clearly surprised by Kakashi's decision.

But Sakumo didn't stop there, continuing, "And I've heard that he isn't the only one in his class with such thoughts; several other students are also working hard in secret."

Hayato chuckled inwardly, thinking, These guys, are they starting to compete with each other? He hadn't expected his own graduation news to be so inspiring.

"Is that so? That's great. I wish them all success," Hayato replied with a smile.

However, Sakumo shifted the tone of the conversation, revealing the deeper reason: "Don't you understand? They are working so hard because they want to be in the same cohort as you. I've already told Kakashi that our squad still has two vacancies."

Hayato certainly understood, and he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, laughing, "Sakumo-sensei, perhaps everyone is working so hard because they want to be your students."

Sakumo hadn't expected Hayato to engage in a round of mutual flattery with him.

"Haha, that might be true as well," Sakumo said, scratching his head with a laugh.

After the meal, Sakumo decided to take Hayato to the Fourth Training Ground to teach him some new skills.

As Hayato's jonin instructor, he had the responsibility and duty to impart the necessary knowledge and skills.

"Hayato, I've looked over your ninja file. I recall you have All-Nature Chakra, right?" Sakumo asked.

Hayato nodded slightly, waiting for Sakumo to continue.

Sakumo went on, "You have already mastered the nature transformations for Fire and Lightning. How are you coming along with the other three?"

After a moment of contemplation, Hayato answered truthfully, "I haven't started researching the other three nature transformations yet."

The Uchiha Clan had a natural affinity for Fire-style chakra, which was why he had mastered that nature transformation so quickly.

As for the Lightning-style nature transformation, he had mastered it in just one day.

But later, due to his research into the Rasengan and the Flying Thunder God, he had temporarily shelved his study of the other nature transformations.

Sakumo nodded slightly upon hearing this, signaling his understanding. Then, he changed the subject: "In that case, I'll start by teaching you another nature transformation today—the Wind-style."

Hayato's heart stirred; he instantly understood why the Third Hokage had arranged for Sakumo to be his instructor.

Thinking of Kakashi's All-Nature Chakra, he couldn't help but wonder if Sakumo also possessed it.

Sakumo's confident display while teaching the Wind-style nature transformation only served to confirm his suspicions.

But in truth, Hayato really wanted to say: Sensei, I've already seen the Wind-style nature transformation in the original work.

However, he decided against it; after all, Sakumo was his teacher, and he would learn whatever was taught.

Perhaps there would be some unexpected gains.

The main reason Sakumo taught Hayato the Wind-style first was that it was the nature transformation he was most proficient in.

Sakumo drew White Fang from his back, infused it with chakra, and began to explain the key points of Wind-style nature transformation.

"The key to Wind-style nature transformation lies in the power of cutting..."

Hayato listened intently to Sakumo's explanation, fearing he might miss a single detail.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was evening.

Under Sakumo's guidance, Hayato gained a deeper understanding and mastery of the Wind-style nature transformation.

In the days that followed, Hayato went on missions with Sakumo during the day and devoted himself to studying the Flying Thunder God at night.

He gradually felt that he was close to mastering this powerful ninjutsu.

Hayato had originally thought that Sakumo would soon arrange B-rank missions to train him.

To his surprise, however, Sakumo only assigned him a C-rank mission.

At the time, Sakumo had simply replied: "Just tell me, is it higher than a D-rank or not?"

Facing this arrangement from Sakumo, Hayato had no complaints; after all, he was Sakumo's student and naturally followed his mentor's instructions.

Life is always full of various challenges and opportunities, and Hayato knew that missions were not everything in life.

Proper relaxation and downtime were also essential.

On this day, Hayato arrived at Kurenai's home upon invitation.

Because today was Kurenai's birthday.

Kurenai had invited many of her classmates to celebrate, and Hayato had learned of the news through Misaki.

When Hayato appeared at the party, he immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Hey everyone, long time no see!"

"Hayato, you actually showed up!" Asuma exclaimed.

"Long time no see, Hayato." Kakashi also greeted him with a smile.

Guy, on the other hand, rushed straight in front of Hayato, holding a cake covered in cream, and challenged him: "Hayato, let's have a long-overdue cream-inhaling contest!"

"Guy, it's been a while; you're still as energetic as ever." Hayato chuckled, declining the invitation this time.

Good grief, a cream-inhaling contest? What on earth is that?

Afterward, Hayato walked slowly to Kurenai's side, pulled a carefully prepared scroll from his pocket, and handed it to her as a birthday gift: "Happy birthday, Kurenai!"

Seeing that Hayato's gift was a scroll, the crowd began to jeer.

"What is this? Could it be a love letter?" Izumo shouted loudly.

Hearing this, two red clouds instantly climbed onto Kurenai's cheeks, and she lowered her head in shyness.

Asuma, meanwhile, stood to the side, smiling as if watching a good show.

Hayato couldn't help but lament the precociousness of these ninja world brats in his heart. Good grief, how old are they? This is way too suspicious!

However, he didn't explain the contents of the scroll, only saying softly: "You'll see for yourself when you take a look later."

This mysterious gift immediately sparked great curiosity among the group.

Kurenai accepted the gift with joy and said gratefully: "Thank you, Hayato. I love it. I thought you wouldn't come today."

Hayato smiled and flicked Kurenai on the forehead: "How could I not? I've been keeping it in mind all along."