You Should Leave the Group

In the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a sheet of white paper and wiped his nose. There were still very obvious traces of blood on it.

"Ahem, Naruto really is full of surprises!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was certain he had only fallen for it unexpectedly because he had been unprepared. Fortunately, no one had seen him.

For the elderly, the Sexy Jutsu posed far too great a threat.

The Third Hokage had already decided to make Naruto Uzumaki shelve such dangerous ninjutsu, lest more people fall victim to it.

"Ugh-why is there bird poop?!"

After a commotion, Naruto Uzumaki tumbled out of the bushes. As he brushed the grass clippings off himself, he complained, "Why did you kick me, Big Brother Naraku? My Sexy Jutsu is really impressive, okay?"

I should have kicked harder. You can take a beating anyway!

Shihōin Naraku rolled his eyes.

He casually helped brush the grass clippings off Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto stiffened, then struggled to hold back the tears about to spill from his eyes.

"We've seen the ninjutsu you're best at. Now, what are you worst at?"

"Show us. We might be able to help you learn it. We're jonin, you know."

"Oh, okay!"

Taking the opportunity as he turned around, Naruto Uzumaki discreetly wiped the corners of his eyes. Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake both pretended not to notice.

Even the slightest bit of care was almost too much for this child who yearned for affection.

Sigh...

Naruto Uzumaki concealed the gloom deep inside him and perked up. He felt in excellent form today. He would definitely be able to execute the Clone Technique he struggled with perfectly.

He was confident!

"Clone Technique!"

Bang-pfft!

A sound like escaping air rang out. Everyone looked over, only to see a lump of something resembling sludge appear beside Naruto Uzumaki's feet.

And that was Naruto Uzumaki's clone.

"Ahh-I failed again!"

"But next time, I'll definitely succeed. I've already figured out the key!"

Naruto Uzumaki was encouraging himself, while everyone else wore expressions that said they could hardly bear to look.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi even slapped his desk.

Only Shihōin Naraku looked thoughtful. He understood why Naruto Uzumaki had learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. So that was it.

The Third Hokage really had put some thought into it.

"Big Brother Naraku... give me another chance. I'll definitely succeed!"

"It's fine, no need. This Clone Technique isn't right for you!"

"That's true!"

Kakashi Hatake had also spotted the problem. As a ninja who had copied over a thousand ninjutsu, he identified the crux of the issue at a glance. The Clone Technique really wasn't right for Naruto Uzumaki.

The Nine-Tails' seal was located in Naruto Uzumaki's lower abdomen, where chakra circulated and gathered. The chakra the Nine-Tails inadvertently leaked would cause disturbances, preventing Naruto Uzumaki from controlling his chakra precisely.

The key to the Clone Technique was chakra control. Having only a small amount of chakra didn't matter.

Those two qualities were exactly the opposite in Naruto Uzumaki: his chakra reserves were astonishing, but his control was very weak.

That was why his repeated attempts at the Clone Technique all failed!

The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, however, happened to suit Naruto Uzumaki's characteristics. It required vast amounts of chakra but wasn't particularly demanding in terms of control. That was also why Naruto Uzumaki could learn it so quickly.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't fear wasting chakra anyway. It didn't matter if some of his chakra became disrupted because of the Nine-Tails, as long as more chakra circulated, gathered successfully, and completed the process of casting the ninjutsu.

There would be even less to worry about in the future. Once the Nine-Tails and Naruto Uzumaki reconciled, this problem would vanish.

Seeing that Naruto Uzumaki didn't understand why the Clone Technique had failed, Kakashi Hatake offered some advice. "Since you can't do anything about the Clone Technique for now, you could practice the Substitution Technique instead. Your Transformation Technique doesn't need any more practice."

"But..."

Naruto Uzumaki scratched his hair in distress and muttered worriedly, "Iruka-sensei said the graduation exam is on the Clone Technique!"

"My Transformation Technique is so good. Why won't Iruka-sensei test us on that?"

Snap!

Shihōin Naraku snapped his fingers, drawing Naruto Uzumaki's attention. Then he tilted his head at Kakashi, indicating a large tree not far away.

Kakashi Hatake understood what Shihōin Naraku had in mind. He had no objections, either. Teaching his teacher's child was a pleasure of its own. It seemed rather interesting.

"Watch him!"

Shihōin Naraku pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then pointed at Kakashi Hatake, telling Naruto Uzumaki to watch carefully.

Naruto Uzumaki paused, then looked toward Kakashi Hatake, who was holding Icha Icha Paradise.

Without breaking stride, Kakashi Hatake casually gathered chakra beneath his feet and walked toward the large tree. Under Naruto Uzumaki's astonished gaze, he stepped onto the trunk as though it were level ground, then walked up the tree in a few steps. Even hanging upside down from it, he didn't fall.

Naruto Uzumaki saw it clearly. Kakashi Hatake, who looked so unmotivated, had walked up the tree step by step, rather than using a running start to rush up it.

"How did he do that?"

Naruto Uzumaki turned to Shihōin Naraku, wanting an answer.

"Go ask him yourself!"

Shihōin Naraku waved a hand, then reclined on the large rock and yawned.

Naruto Uzumaki wasn't shy around strangers, either. He went right up to Kakashi Hatake as though they were old friends and began asking him for pointers.

Kakashi Hatake glanced back at Shihōin Naraku, who was already reclining, and could only begin explaining the specific steps of Water Walking training to Naruto.

Soon-

Thud!

"Ow!"

Thud!

"Ow!"

"..."

As though he didn't know what giving up meant, Naruto Uzumaki charged at the tree again and again. Even when his falls left him grimacing in pain, he had no intention of stopping to rest.

No one spoke. They simply watched Naruto Uzumaki fall from the tree over and over.

Time passed like this, and everyone's gazes gradually began to change. By keeping his word and never giving up, Naruto Uzumaki moved everyone present through his actions.

Kakashi Hatake: "That's my teacher's son for you!"

The Third Hokage: "That's Minato Namikaze's son for you!"

Tenzo and the Anbu Ninja: "That's the Fourth Hokage's son for you!"

Shihōin Naraku: "..."

Why bring anyone else into it? Naruto Uzumaki might have his cheats too, but he really did keep moving forward without missing a step!

"You aren't suited to the ANBU!"

Shihōin Naraku suddenly spoke out of nowhere. Kakashi Hatake froze. What was that supposed to mean?

Are you, the ANBU Deputy Captain, planning a rebellion? Are you going to get rid of me, the captain standing in your way?

"You know it yourself!"

Shihōin Naraku added that, then said no more and continued watching Naruto Uzumaki practice walking up the tree.

Did Kakashi Hatake know he wasn't suited to the ANBU?

He did!

It had nothing to do with strength, but with temperament.

But if he didn't stay in the ANBU, Kakashi Hatake didn't know where else he could go!

At least in the ANBU, he could ease the wounds in his heart through busy missions and dangerous battles to the death.

Kakashi Hatake considered how he should work through his inner turmoil. He understood that he couldn't keep going like this, or sooner or later, he would become useless.

And so, as he watched Naruto Uzumaki practice walking up the tree, Kakashi Hatake also fell silent.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was filled with nothing but Naruto Uzumaki's sprinting figure. He had already been silent for a long time.

Tenzo and the ANBU squad: "..."