"Hey, hey!"
Kakashi Hatake widened his dead-fish eyes and muttered:
"Isn't that talent a little unfair?!"
The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was far more powerful than the Great Fireball Technique.
Yet Chiba had barely felt any strain while casting it.
"It doesn't seem to have taken him much time to go from hearing the explanation to mastering it!"
Kakashi Hatake stared in shock at the scene ravaged by flames before him.
All those flames were infused with chakra, making their power especially astonishing.
Kakashi himself was a genius.
But the talent Chiba displayed surpassed even his by a considerable margin.
Sure enough, not a single member of Team 7 is ordinary.
That was what Kakashi Hatake thought to himself.
"Since you've already mastered this ninjutsu..."
"There's nothing more I can teach you."
"I don't know many Fire Release or Wind Release techniques."
"We could submit a request to Lord Third when the time comes."
He looked at Chiba and spoke with utmost seriousness.
When it came to Chiba, Kakashi Hatake could be considered a competent ninja.
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."
Chiba was someone who drew a clear line between kindness and grudges.
Both Jiraiya and Kakashi Hatake had treated him sincerely.
So Chiba would remember their kindness.
He was gradually becoming part of this world.
To Chiba, everyone here was a living person with real feelings.
They were not merely characters from a so-called manga in his previous life.
That change in perspective helped him fit into this world better and made him a little more easygoing as well.
Hearing Chiba's thanks, Kakashi Hatake waved a hand and said:
"Actually, I have a favor to ask you!"
Chiba paused, then asked:
"What is it?"
"Help Naruto and Sasuke keep training, and give them some pointers when they need them."
Kakashi Hatake explained his request.
"In my current condition, I can't teach them for long."
"I didn't examine things carefully enough earlier. Everything about that Pursuit Ninja from Kirigakure was suspicious."
"There was something strange about the way Zabuza died, too."
"So I suspect he might still be alive."
Chiba had known that all along, but he still put on a slightly surprised expression.
"I need to recover as quickly as possible."
With a grave expression, Kakashi Hatake placed a hand on Chiba's shoulder and said:
"I'm leaving Naruto and Sasuke in your hands for now!"
Chiba reluctantly nodded and agreed.
Then he saw Kakashi Hatake pull Icha Icha Paradise out of his pocket.
"I haven't been able to read because I had to stay on guard."
"Now I can finally read to my heart's content!"
The corner of Chiba's mouth twitched. He could hardly believe it.
As expected of someone cut from the same cloth as Jiraiya, the old pervert genes ran deep in his bones.
He sighed and stopped paying attention to Kakashi Hatake.
Since he had finished learning his ninjutsu...
He might as well see how Konoha's crown prince and Uchiha Sasuke were doing with their training.
Chiba arrived at the spot where the two were practicing tree climbing.
By then, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were looking rather bedraggled.
They had consumed huge amounts of chakra and repeatedly climbed toward the treetops.
As a result, their clothes were soaked with sweat.
Sasuke was doing a little better than Naruto, though.
Since Naruto's agility and chakra control were inferior to Sasuke's...
His head was now covered in swollen bumps.
"Hey! Hey!"
"Chiba, big bro, what brings you here?"
Naruto Uzumaki noticed Chiba's arrival.
"I've finished learning my ninjutsu."
Chiba spread his hands, looking a little helpless.
"Kakashi-sensei needs to recover from his injuries, so he asked me to supervise your training."
Both of them gaped at Chiba's words.
After a long moment, Naruto Uzumaki shouted:
"Huh?!"
"You learned a ninjutsu that quickly?!"
"It's not some E-rank ninjutsu like Thousand Years of Death, is it?"
Naruto Uzumaki apparently still harbored a deep grudge against that technique.
Chiba shook his head, keeping them in suspense:
"You'll find out soon."
"According to Kakashi-sensei's deductions, Zabuza Momochi is most likely working with that ninja from Kirigakure."
"So you'd better train hard before the next battle comes!"
Although he didn't understand why someone who was already dead might show up again...
Naruto Uzumaki understood that last part.
"Yeah!"
"I'll definitely train hard!"
Looking at the simple-minded Naruto Uzumaki, Chiba couldn't help marveling to himself.
Naruto really is easy to fool.
Then he looked at Sasuke Uchiha, who remained silent and seemed weighed down by worries.
I'll have to find the right opening to fool this kid!
Before you continue