A Month of Vacation

The second exam ended. Some rejoiced, while others worried.

Naruto belonged to the happier group. After all, the old man had said that from now until the third exam began, they would have a month to rest.

And it was a whole month without missions.

Though there would be no mission pay, he had never been particularly dependent on money. A month would surely pass quite pleasantly.

Of course, that was only his own interpretation.

For the other ninja, this month would be the perfect time to constantly make up for their shortcomings and gather intelligence on their opponents.

Ninja combat often took an unpredictable, unconventional approach.

A fully prepared battle and an unexpected encounter were completely different situations.

"Naruto, where are you going?" Izuno asked in confusion.

"After being busy for two days, of course I'm going to relax," Naruto said as if it were only natural.

Work and rest had to be balanced.

"As the only one who advanced, shouldn't you treat us to a meal?" Raimon grinned.

Naruto thought about it for a moment. That did seem fair. "Let's go, then. What do you want to eat?"

"Barbecue? How about it?" Izuno suggested.

"Sounds good." At a time like this, Raimon naturally stood firmly with his girlfriend.

"Hayate-sensei should come too." Naruto looked toward his sickly-looking teacher nearby.

"I'll treat you," Hayate Gekko said with two light coughs. "Yugao happens to be off these next couple of days."

"As your teacher, I should be the one hosting Naruto's advancement celebration."

"Fine." "Awesome!" "That's so kind of you."

None of the three objected.

Who didn't love taking advantage of a rich guy?

Ninja pay was never low, especially for jonin.

Hayate Gekko and Uzuki Yugao were both jonin, and one of them even worked in ANBU. They were both secretly wealthy.

"Are you sure you don't need to go back and clean yourselves up first?" Hayate Gekko asked with a smile.

The three lowered their heads and looked. He was right.

Other than Naruto, the other two had become ragged and filthy from their earlier fight, their clothes stained black and white in patches.

"I'll wait for you at the barbecue restaurant."

Outside a barbecue restaurant on the commercial street.

Naruto pushed aside the curtain and walked into the restaurant.

"Naruto?"

Before he could find Hayate Gekko and Yugao's table, someone called out to him. He turned around.

"Shikamaru? You guys came out for a meal too?" Naruto smiled at Choji, who was hunched over and eating furiously.

Compared with the other teams, Team 10's results were practically glorious. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji had all advanced.

"What a drag. I was planning to go home and get some proper sleep," Shikamaru sighed softly. If the other contestants who had failed saw the helpless look on his face, it would definitely start an argument.

"Shikamaru, don't say such depressing things when we're out for a meal," Ino said irritably. "Isn't a month of rest enough for you to sleep?"

"A month? Rest time?" Shikamaru sighed helplessly. It would be great if they really had time to rest.

"You should train properly over the next month," Naruto said with a faint smile. He did not continue bothering the three of them, because he had already heard a familiar cough.

"How long have you known him?" Team 10's Jonin Instructor, the bearded Asuma Sarutobi, asked.

"Childhood friends." Shikamaru clasped his hands behind his head and slowly leaned back against his chair.

"...Haa." Asuma Sarutobi exhaled a cloud of smoke and looked at the boy's retreating back. "That kid is strong."

"Mm." Shikamaru responded quietly.

"Sensei, Yugao." Naruto sat across from the two of them. It seemed he was the first to arrive.

Unlike Hayate Gekko, whose face was full of sickliness as though he had tuberculosis, his girlfriend Uzuki Yugao was an absolute beauty. Her purple hair reached her waist, and she had a lovely face and graceful figure. On the street, she was the kind of woman who would make people look back ten times after passing her.

"The way you kids address us..." Hayate Gekko said helplessly. He and Yugao were clearly the same age, yet these brats insisted on calling him sensei and calling Yugao big sister.

It made him seem like some old man robbing the cradle.

"I think it's quite nice." Yugao covered her mouth and smiled.

Hayate Gekko did not skip work every time his girlfriend took leave.

Sometimes, he would bring her along to guide the three kids, so both sides were fairly familiar with each other.

"Naruto, have you decided what direction to take your training this month?" Uzuki Yugao asked.

She also used a sword, and among the three, Naruto was the one she guided the most.

"Do you have any suggestions, Yugao?" Naruto shook his head slightly.

Knowledge in this world was tightly restricted.

Genin had a genin's scope of knowledge, while jonin had a jonin's scope of knowledge.

But a jonin's knowledge absolutely encompassed a genin's knowledge.

Though it was not absolute. For example, clan ninja or those whose elders held high positions might gain access to knowledge beyond their level.

As it happened, he was neither.

"Your chakra nature is Wind Release, right?" Yugao asked.

"Yes." Naruto recalled the test Hayate Gekko had helped them perform some time ago and nodded slightly.

"Naruto, do you know that for sword-wielding ninja, Wind Release and Lightning Release are considered the best natures?"

As she spoke, Uzuki Yugao sighed softly.

Noticing Naruto's puzzled expression, Hayate Gekko explained, "Yugao's main nature is Water Release. She cultivated Wind Release herself afterward, so comparatively speaking, it lacks something."

"One of Wind Release's most notable Nature Transformations is cutting, like this..."

Hayate Gekko picked up a pair of chopsticks. With a soft buzz, pale blue chakra wrapped around them.

Naruto's brows drew together, because he could feel a sense of sharpness from those chopsticks.

Was this the kind of method a jonin possessed...?

"Sensei, can you explain it in more detail?" Naruto asked.

"Of course. The reason chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation are not taught openly to genin is actually for your own good." Hayate Gekko nodded slightly. Teaching and guiding students was what he ought to do.

"Why?" Naruto asked in confusion. A Wind Release Nature Transformation alone could greatly increase a ninja's strength.

Improving one's foundational strength could only benefit a village.

"Two reasons." Uzuki Yugao raised two fair fingers.

"First, genin have very limited chakra. Whether you train in Nature Transformation or Shape Transformation, both require a large amount of chakra to support them."

"Also, the ninjutsu you normally use already contains some chakra transformations to varying degrees. The proportions are simply different."

"Start with simple ninjutsu and progress step by step. Once you reach a certain stage, training in the two transformations will naturally fall into place."

Naruto nodded slightly. This was the importance of knowledge.

Perhaps these things were merely common sense to the two of them, but for him, they might be things he would need to spend his entire life exploring—or take countless detours before learning.

"They're here. Once we finish eating, I'll help you train!" Uzuki Yugao said with great interest.

Perhaps it was a woman's natural instinct.

Compared with ANBU work, she preferred the feeling of teaching and nurturing students.

Naruto turned and looked over. Izuno and Raimon were walking over side by side.

"You're late."

"Sorry, sorry, hehe..."

Raimon apologized while pulling his girlfriend into an empty seat.

The power went out at home, so the update was a little late.

Please vote with recommendation tickets!