"To celebrate the important milestone of completing your first D-rank mission perfectly," Sakumo suggested with a broad smile, "let me treat you to a proper meal. You've earned it."
Hayato's lips curled into a smile, and he replied without hesitation, "Then I won't hold back, Teacher Sakumo."
Sakumo burst out laughing, his eyes narrowing into slits as he strode toward their familiar noodle shop with Hayato.
As they walked, a question came to Hayato. "Teacher Sakumo, when can we start taking missions above D-rank?"
Hayato privately wondered whether, if all their future missions were as easy as today's, he could simply use a Shadow Clone to handle them.
However, Sakumo seemed completely unaware of what he was thinking.
Sakumo patted Hayato on the shoulder and said confidently, "Don't worry. I'm already keeping an eye out for a suitable mission. We might even have a Harvest tomorrow."
Hearing that, Hayato abandoned the idea of letting a Shadow Clone take on the hard work in his place.
He wondered whether the Shadow Clone would thank him if it knew.
It probably would.
They soon arrived at the familiar noodle shop.
The owner greeted them warmly as soon as he saw them.
Before they could even order, he had already prepared the shop's signature dishes for them: a steaming bowl of Udon and a fragrant bowl of soba.
"Thank you so much, boss!" they said in unison.
Skipping the formalities, they immediately dug in.
Halfway through the meal, Sakumo suddenly brought up Kakashi.
"Kakashi's been training hard lately. He plans to apply for early graduation in a few months."
Hayato's chopsticks paused slightly. Kakashi's decision had clearly surprised him.
But Sakumo continued, "And I heard he isn't the only one in his class thinking about it. Several of his classmates are secretly working hard too."
Hayato chuckled to himself. Are these guys starting to compete with each other already? He hadn't expected news of his graduation to be so inspiring.
"That's great. I hope they all succeed," Hayato replied with a smile.
Sakumo changed tack and revealed the deeper reason. "You don't understand? They're working so hard because they want to be your peers. I already told Kakashi that our team has two spots open."
Of course, Hayato understood. He grinned. "Teacher Sakumo, maybe they're working so hard because they want to become your students."
Sakumo hadn't expected Hayato to trade compliments with him.
"Haha. That could be it too," 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 guiding Jonin, he had a responsibility to teach him the knowledge and skills a ninja needed.
"Hayato, I've looked over your ninja file. If I remember right, you have All-Nature Chakra, don't you?" Sakumo asked.
Hayato nodded slightly, waiting for him to continue.
Sakumo went on, "You've already mastered Fire and Lightning Release Chakra nature transformation. How much progress have you made with the other three?"
Hayato thought for a moment, then answered honestly. "I haven't started studying the other three Chakra Nature Transformations yet."
The Uchiha Clan had a natural affinity for Fire Release Chakra, so he had mastered its nature transformation quickly.
He had needed only a day to master Lightning Release Chakra nature transformation, too.
But after that, he had set aside his studies of the other Chakra Nature Transformations to focus on the Rasengan and Flying Thunder God.
Sakumo nodded in understanding. Then he said, "In that case, I'll start by teaching you another Chakra Nature Transformation today—the Wind Release nature transformation."
Hayato suddenly understood why the Third had assigned Sakumo as his guiding Jonin.
Thinking of Kakashi's All-Nature Chakra, he couldn't help wondering whether Sakumo had it as well.
And Sakumo's confidence as he taught him Wind Release nature transformation only confirmed Hayato's guess.
But Hayato was tempted to say, Teacher, I've seen the original story. I already know about Wind Release nature transformation.
Still, he decided against it. Sakumo was his teacher, so he would learn whatever Sakumo taught him.
Who knew? He might learn something else from it.
Sakumo started by teaching Hayato Wind Release Chakra, mainly because it was the Chakra Nature Transformation he was best at.
Sakumo drew the White Fang from his back, channeled Chakra into it, and began explaining the key points of Wind Release nature transformation.
"The key to Wind Release nature transformation is its cutting force..."
Hayato listened intently to Sakumo's explanation, afraid of missing even the smallest detail.
Time flew by, and before long, evening had arrived.
Under Sakumo's guidance, Hayato had gained a deeper understanding of Wind Release nature transformation.
In the days that followed, Hayato went on missions with Sakumo during the day and devoted his evenings to studying the Flying Thunder God technique.
He gradually felt that he was close to mastering the powerful technique.
Hayato had expected Sakumo to assign him a B-rank mission soon to put his skills to the test.
To his surprise, Sakumo gave him only a C-rank mission.
At the time, Sakumo had simply replied, "You tell me—isn't it higher than D-rank?"
Hayato had no complaints about Sakumo's decision. He was Sakumo's student, after all, and naturally followed his instructions.
Life was always full of challenges and opportunities, and Hayato knew that missions weren't everything.
Taking time to relax and recharge was essential, too.
That day, Hayato was invited to Kurenai's house.
It was Kurenai's birthday.
Kurenai had invited many of her classmates to celebrate, and Hayato had heard about it through Misaki.
When Hayato arrived 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 said with a smile.
Guy went straight up to Hayato, holding a cake covered in cream, and taunted him. "Hayato, how about a long-overdue cream-eating contest?"
"Guy, you haven't changed a bit. Still full of energy," Hayato said with a smile, declining his invitation this time.
Good grief, a cream-eating contest? What kind of thing was that?
Then Hayato walked over to Kurenai and took a carefully prepared scroll from his pocket, offering it to her as a birthday present. "Happy birthday, Kurenai!"
When everyone saw that Hayato had given her a scroll, they started teasing them.
"What is it? A love letter?" Izumo cried out loudly.
At that, two blushes bloomed on Kurenai's cheeks, and she shyly lowered her head.
Asuma watched with an amused smile.
Hayato couldn't help thinking how precocious the kids in the Ninja World were. Good grief, how old were they? This was practically criminal!
But he didn't explain what was inside the scroll. He only said softly, "You'll find out when you look at it later."
The mysterious gift made everyone intensely curious.
Kurenai happily accepted it and said gratefully, "Thank you, Hayato. I love it. I thought you might not come today."
Hayato smiled and flicked Kurenai lightly on the forehead. "How could I forget? I always remember."
Before you continue