Haku

"Of course. As for the rest of you..." Kakashi tossed three kunai, which landed at their feet. "Use these to mark how high you climb. I'll leave a shadow clone to watch you."

With that, he created a shadow clone and quickly led Naruto away from the clearing.

"Hmph. If the dead last can do it, how hard can it be?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Exactly, he's just showing off. Sasuke-kun, you'll definitely get it on your first try!" Sakura agreed, gazing at him adoringly.

"Looks like someone with no backbone can only hide his anger behind arrogance because he can't do it himself," Sai said evenly.

"Shut up, you idiot, Sai! What do you know? Sasuke-kun will learn it in no time. Just watch!" Sakura shrieked, her piercing voice making everyone in the clearing frown.

Thirty minutes later, beside the bridge

Naruto leaned against the side of the bridge, repeatedly trying to keep a water balloon from bursting. Whenever he failed, he took another one from his sealing scroll.

Kakashi watched him with interest. He was already close to succeeding. Yet his file clearly said he had been the dead last in his class and couldn't even use an ordinary clone properly. In hindsight, that made sense. His chakra reserves were enormous. Making an ordinary clone was like trying to fill a thimble with a hose-there was no way to avoid spilling.

After watching Naruto finally keep the water balloon stable for fifteen seconds, only to burst it when his attention wandered, Kakashi spoke.

"Naruto, take a break. I'll teach you something."

"Sure, Kakashi-sensei! What are you going to teach me?" Naruto looked eager. This was the first time Kakashi had offered to teach him something.

"I'm going to teach you an elemental jutsu. Do you know your primary chakra nature?" Kakashi was pleased to see his enthusiasm.

"Not yet. During the last two months with Jiraiya-sensei, we mostly worked on the basics, practiced tactics, learned new taijutsu, and got into sealing jutsu. I really like that one. We also practiced chakra control. Last month, I mastered water walking, so he had me sign the toads' Summoning Contract. Now I'm practicing a new jutsu." Naruto smiled as he listed everything he had learned.

"You're practicing the Rasengan, aren't you?" Kakashi said with certainty.

"How did you know?" Naruto looked surprised.

"I was the Fourth Hokage's student. How could I not recognize the final stage of Rasengan training? You've really improved. It's only been three months since you graduated, and you've already learned so much. That's incredible." Kakashi felt genuinely proud of his teacher's son.

"It's really nothing. I can use shadow clones to speed up my training." Naruto grinned smugly.

"That's a brilliant idea, and you're the only one who can use it, given your extraordinary chakra reserves. But why aren't you using shadow clones to help you practice the Rasengan?" Kakashi was puzzled. Wouldn't shadow clones make learning such a powerful jutsu faster?

"Because the Pervy Sage learned it without clones, and it took him a year. I want to learn it on my own in less time and make him proud," Naruto said.

"I understand. Here, take this sheet of paper and channel your chakra into it. This paper changes according to your chakra nature, but that doesn't mean you can only use one nature. My primary nature, for example, is lightning, but I can also use Earth Release. It just takes more chakra and isn't as powerful."

Naruto nodded to show that he understood.

"What happens after I channel chakra into it?" the blond boy asked curiously.

"Fire nature makes the paper burn, lightning nature makes it wrinkle, wind nature cuts it, water nature makes it wet, and earth nature turns it to dust," Kakashi explained.

Naruto picked up the paper and channeled his chakra into it. A few seconds later, it split in two, revealing his wind nature.

"You have wind nature. It's rare and difficult to control, but extremely powerful and suited to offense. I only know one Wind Release ninja in Konoha: Asuma Sarutobi, Team 10's teacher," Kakashi said.

Naruto felt a little disheartened, worried that Kakashi and Jiraiya-sensei wouldn't be able to help him train in Wind Release.

"Then how should I train so I can use Wind Release ninjutsu?" he asked with a sliver of hope.

"Fully mastering one nature usually takes years. Most chunin only begin training it systematically when they're working toward becoming jonin, because mastering two natures is a requirement for jonin. And before learning a second, you have to complete shape transformation training for the first." Seeing his disappointment, Kakashi quickly added, "But you can still use basic jutsu without completing all that training. I'll teach you a D-rank ranged jutsu that can greatly increase your attack speed when used with kunai. Once you finish your shape transformation training, you won't even need hand seals for it."

Kakashi demonstrated three seals, then fired a powerful gust of air from his palm: Wind Release: Gale Palm.

Naruto created a hundred shadow clones and practiced Gale Palm while continuing his Rasengan training. He also increased the weights on his limbs from ten kilograms to twenty-five. By the end of the day, he was utterly exhausted, but he had mastered Gale Palm and begun exploring how to use it to increase the speed of his kunai and shuriken. He felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

That evening, at Tazuna's house

Everyone was about to have dinner when a little boy rushed in. He glared at the ninja with disgust and shouted that they were out of their depth and would surely die fighting Gato. Naruto immediately argued back, saying they would never die.

"What do you know about pain? You were spoiled rotten in that ninja village of yours! You don't know what suffering is!" the little boy roared angrily after Naruto contradicted him.

"Life's hard, but I've had it much worse than you! You still have a mom and grandpa who love you, a warm home, and food to eat. You have no idea what it's like to be hated by everyone in your own village for something you can't control! You don't know what it's like to get beaten up, chased out of shops, and have to dig through garbage just to eat! If your life is miserable, fight back! Change it! Don't just complain and act like a coward!"

His eyes reddening, Naruto finished speaking and ran outside to train.

"Kakashi-sensei, Naruto must have been exaggerating, right? He just wanted sympathy," Sakura asked.

"No, Sakura. Everything he said was true. Naruto was kicked out of the orphanage when he was four. He spent half a year living on the streets before the Anbu found him and brought him to the Hokage. The Hokage gave him an apartment, but he had to learn how to do everything himself. People still bullied him and chased him out of shops. And what I've told you is only the tip of the iceberg." Kakashi's words stunned everyone present.

The next morning, in the forest clearing

Naruto woke in the clearing. Hearing movement behind him, he immediately took the opening stance of toad-style taijutsu, relaxing only after he saw who it was. A boy who looked to be in his teens was gathering plants and flowers.

"Hello. What brings you to the woods so early?" Naruto asked.

"Hello." The boy was a little surprised and recognized him as one of the ninja protecting the bridge builder. "My friend is sick, so I'm gathering herbs to make medicine. You're a ninja, aren't you? Is that why you're here?"

"Yeah. We took a C-rank mission to protect the bridge builder, but someone named Gato hired missing-nin to kill him, so it went straight up to A-rank. Life is just that unpredictable." Naruto paused, then said earnestly, "But I'll train harder, protect Mr. Tazuna, help this village, and become strong enough to protect everyone I care about."

"That's good. I believe true strength comes from protecting those you cherish. That desire lets people push past their limits and keep their loved ones safe," the boy said approvingly.

"That's really well said. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. What about you?" Naruto asked with a smile, hoping to make a new friend.

"My name is Haku. And... I'm a boy," Haku corrected him with a hint of resignation.

Naruto's mind erupted into chaos. Oh, man, I actually thought he was good-looking! Am I turning into Sasuke? Just without being so gloomy and full of myself? This is so embarrassing!

He forced down his discomfort and said, "Sorry, sorry. I have to get back to my teammates. They must be worried about me. It was nice meeting you, Haku. I hope we meet again."

"I hope we can meet again in peaceful times, too. Goodbye, Naruto Uzumaki." With that, Haku left the clearing.

Haku thought to himself, I really hope I don't have to fight him. He doesn't deserve to die. Mr. Zabuza, why did you take this mission...?