Third Hokage: Kakashi, You've Grown Somewhat Slack These Years!

"Forget it. I won't talk about you anymore."

"Go back and review things properly."

Naruto tugged at the corner of his mouth and spoke helplessly.

He was even beginning to wonder whether he had been too harsh on Sasuke, or whether he was pushing him too hard...

After all, when it came down to it...

He was the biggest cheat user in this world.

Not only did he have Kurama, the strongest tailed beast, inside him, but he also possessed the Uzumaki Clan's massive reserves of Chakra.

And on top of that, he had the system...

As for whether he still had Asura Chakra within him, that was impossible to say.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had Indra Reincarnation Chakra, the basic cheat that was the Sharingan, an external support in the form of Itachi Uchiha, and a curse mark from Orochimaru.

Honestly, Sasuke's growth rate in the early stages was pretty average.

No wonder he had to go study under Orochimaru.

And at the very least, his cheat wouldn't activate the Mangekyō Sharingan until after the 'Pacific War.'

Just as Naruto was considering how to plan Sasuke's career path, Sasuke spoke first.

"Naruto, open a gate."

"I'm going back to the riverbank to train."

"Um..."

Hearing Sasuke speak, Sakura timidly raised her hand. Both boys turned to look at her.

"Can I train with you too..."

"After all... we're teammates now."

Naruto offered no opinion, instead turning to Sasuke to see what he had to say.

"Whatever."

Sasuke didn't care. Bringing along a pink-haired girl wouldn't affect his and Naruto's training anyway.

As long as she didn't disturb him, it was fine.

Naruto didn't care either. Hearing Sasuke agree, he immediately threw out a Space Gate.

Before the Light Gate had fully opened, Sasuke had already plunged inside. Sakura hesitated for two seconds before following him in.

At the same time, she secretly rejoiced.

Great!

Being able to train with Sasuke was the best!

"Hey! You two, remember to go get your photos taken today!"

"Kakashi Sensei said they're due tomorrow!"

Seeing that both of them could hardly wait to leave, Naruto hurriedly reminded them.

But after he finished speaking, the Light Gate had already vanished. He had no idea whether they had heard him.

The thought of officially becoming a ninja tomorrow made Naruto a little excited.

Ever since his first day in this world, he had fantasized about the moment he became a ninja.

That also meant the Hokage storyline was about to officially begin.

Naruto slowly raised his hand and loosely clenched it toward the sun, muttering under his breath.

"Just wait..."

"Obito Uchiha, just wait for the day I kill you!"

He had never gotten over that bastard Obito.

Though Obito had killed his parents in this world, Naruto had not even clearly seen what they looked like.

Talking about any deep feelings for them would have been a stretch.

Whenever Naruto grew curious about them, he would sit for a while atop the Fourth Hokage's statue on Hokage Rock.

But the statue made it impossible to see his father's features clearly...

Still, with the values he had carried over from his previous life, Naruto believed that the murder of one's father and mother was an unforgivable enmity.

But more importantly...

When Naruto had been held in Obito Uchiha's arms, he had truly felt the threat of death!

Although he had already realized at the time that he had transmigrated into the Hokage World, who knew whether some accident might occur because of his arrival?

He had only just transmigrated then. After finally escaping the life of a corporate drone, dying at Obito's hands would have been utterly unfair.

Recalling that scene, Naruto grew even more eager for the ninja path ahead of him.

"Alright! First, I'll go take a photo!"

"Then I'll go to Teuchi's and try some ramen!"

After arranging his plans for the day, Naruto even took leave from Big Fox. He threw out a Space Gate on the spot, intending to find Hinata first.

Hokage Office—

An empty bottle sat before the Third Hokage.

"Is everything you said true?"

Kakashi propped up his dead-fish eyes and replied helplessly.

"It's true..."

"When I drank the potion, I noticed that my arm had recovered, so I immediately went to the hospital to have it checked."

"The Medical Ninja said that not only had my arm recovered, but even the old hidden injuries on my body were gone."

Kakashi had truly been stunned by the potion Naruto had produced.

When he had walked from the Training Grounds to the hospital earlier, he had not taken the potion seriously at all.

He had a basic understanding of Naruto's Kekkei Genkai.

That kid could conjure up all sorts of strange things, but hardly any of them had anything to do with ninjas.

It wasn't that they were completely useless; they simply had no practical use at all.

If he had not just finished a battle and been extremely thirsty, with this potion happening to be the only thing within reach, he would never have tilted his head back and drained it in one go.

Then, after drinking it, he discovered that his injuries had healed.

Realizing that this was a serious matter, Kakashi first went to have his body examined. Once that was done, he rushed to report the situation to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage picked up his pipe, took a few puffs, and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.

"Kakashi, what do you think about this?"

Kakashi froze slightly at the question.

What else could I think? I'd look at it with my Sharingan!

Kakashi's feelings about his now-healed injuries were actually rather complicated.

To be honest...

He would have preferred to recuperate in the village for a few months and just let Team 7 fend for themselves.