Chapter 35: Third Hokage: Kakashi, You’ve Been Slacking These Years!

"Forget it, I won't say anymore."

"Go back and reflect on it properly."

Naruto sighed, a hint of frustration in his voice as he spoke. He couldn't help but wonder if he was being too hard on Sasuke, or if he was trying to force him to grow too quickly…

After all, if you really think about it…

Naruto was, without a doubt, the biggest "cheat" in this world. Not only did he have the most powerful tailed beast, Kurama, sealed inside him, but he also had the vast chakra reserves of the Uzumaki clan.

And, to top it all off, he had a system.

As for whether he had Asura's chakra too, that was still unclear.

On the other hand, Sasuke had the chakra of Indra's reincarnation, a basic "cheat" with his Sharingan, an external helper in the form of Itachi, and Orochimaru's Curse Mark.

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

No wonder he had to go "study abroad" under Orochimaru.

Plus, his real "cheats" wouldn't kick in until after the 'Great Ninja War,' when he would awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Just as Naruto was lost in thought about Sasuke's future career path, Sasuke interrupted him.

"Naruto, open the portal."

"I'm going to train by the river."

"Um…"

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

"Can I train with you guys…?"

"After all… we're teammates now."

Naruto didn't say anything and looked toward Sasuke, curious about his response.

"Whatever," Sasuke replied indifferently. As long as she didn't bother him, it didn't matter if Sakura tagged along.

Naruto didn't mind either. Once Sasuke agreed, he quickly opened a space portal.

Sasuke didn't even wait for the light door to fully open before diving through it. Sakura hesitated for a couple of seconds before following, secretly excited in her heart.

Yes! Training together with Sasuke—it's perfect!

"Hey! Don't forget, you two still need to get your photos taken today!"

"Kakashi-sensei said they're due tomorrow!"

Naruto called out a reminder as the two of them eagerly left, but the light door had already disappeared. He wasn't sure if they had heard him.

Thinking about how tomorrow he'd officially become a ninja, Naruto felt a little thrill of excitement.

Ever since the day he arrived in this world, he had been imagining this moment—becoming a ninja.

It also meant that the main plot of the series was about to begin.

Naruto slowly raised his hand, clenching it toward the sun, and muttered under his breath.

"Just you wait…"

"Uchiha Obito, the day I take you down is coming."

He held a grudge against that bastard Obito.

Sure, his parents had been killed because of Obito, but Naruto hadn't even really seen their faces clearly. To say there was any deep emotional connection would be a bit of a stretch.

Whenever he felt curious about them, he would climb up and sit on the Fourth Hokage's statue on Hokage Rock.

But the statue didn't give him a clear image of his father's face either.

Still, in his past life, Naruto had held firm to one principle—an enemy who kills your parents is one you can never forgive.

But the most important thing was…

Naruto remembered being cradled in Obito's arms, and he truly felt the threat of death.

Sure, he had realized by then that he had transmigrated into the world of Naruto, but who knew if his presence here would cause some unforeseen consequences?

He had just escaped his previous life as an overworked salaryman. Dying at Obito's hands so soon after arriving would have been an incredibly cruel joke.

Recalling that moment, Naruto couldn't help but feel even more excited for his future path as a ninja.

"Alright! First, I'll get my photo taken!"

"Then, I'll head to Ichiraku's for some ramen!"

With his plans for the day set, Naruto asked Kurama for some time off and opened a space portal, intending to go find Hinata.

---

Hokage's Office—

An empty bottle sat on the desk in front of the Third Hokage.

"Everything you've said… is it true?"

Kakashi, his eyes half-lidded in a lazy manner, replied with a weary tone, "It's true…"

"When I drank the potion and realized my arm was healed, I went straight to the hospital to get checked."

"The medical ninja said not only had my arm fully healed, but even my old injuries were gone."

Kakashi was truly shocked by the potion Naruto had given him.

On his way from the training field to the hospital, he hadn't thought much of the potion.

He knew enough about Naruto's strange bloodline ability—it could conjure all sorts of weird things, but none of them had any real use in the ninja world.

It wasn't entirely useless, but it wasn't particularly practical either.

If not for being so thirsty after the fight, and with the potion being the only thing nearby, he probably wouldn't have drunk it at all.

But once he drank it, he realized his injuries were healing.

Sensing that this was a big deal, Kakashi first went to the hospital for a check-up, and now he was reporting the matter to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Kakashi, what do you make of all this?"

Kakashi blinked, slightly taken aback by the question.

How should I know?

I don't have the Sharingan to see through this!

Truth be told, Kakashi had mixed feelings about his sudden recovery.

To be honest…

He would've preferred to spend a few months resting in the village, leaving Team 7 to fend for themselves.

Taking Naruto out of the village…

Who knows what kind of trouble that kid would stir up next?

But now that his injuries were healed, it meant he'd have to take them on missions again.

Sigh… So tired… He just wanted to stay home and read his books.

Still, he had to answer his superior's question.

Recalling the events, Kakashi started to report to the Third Hokage.

"The potion Naruto gave me…"

"I suspect it contains chakra with Yin-Yang properties."

"When I drank it, I immediately felt both my mind and body rejuvenate."

Kakashi paused for a moment before continuing, "But I don't think Naruto has many of these potions. Otherwise, he would've used them before."

The Third Hokage nodded in agreement.

After all, he had received reports from the Anbu that during Naruto's training of his Wind Style: Blood Burst Technique, he had entered a near-death state multiple times.

Even with the healing power of the Nine-Tails and the resilient Uzumaki physique, the kid had spent weeks in the hospital.

If he'd had such a miraculous potion, he would've used it by now.

"Hmph—"

The Third Hokage took another puff from his pipe, lost in thought for a moment before speaking again.

"I'll instruct the Anbu to keep this matter confidential. It will be classified as one of the village's highest-level secrets."

"When you get a chance, try to ask Naruto about the potion."

"Yes, Lord Third."

The Third Hokage nodded and was about to dismiss Kakashi, but suddenly, something in Kakashi's report caught his attention.

"Wait!?"

"Kakashi, did you say…?"

"You were injured during the test… by Naruto?!"

"And you broke your entire arm?!"

The Third Hokage's eyes widened in disbelief.

No way!

Has that kid really gotten this strong with taijutsu??

Kakashi's face twitched.

He had thought he'd managed to keep his pride intact, but apparently, the Third Hokage had only now noticed this part of his report.

"…Yes."

Kakashi didn't bother explaining further; all he wanted was to go home and rest.

The Third Hokage stared at him for a long moment, then glanced at Kakashi's weary expression. There was a long silence before the Third Hokage finally spoke.

"Kakashi, you've been slacking off these past few years…"

"Your father and Minato wouldn't want to see you like this."

Kakashi: ...

Why don't you take a look at just how freakishly strong that kid Naruto is?!

It's not me—it's him!

Kakashi felt completely wronged, suddenly finding himself blamed for something that wasn't his fault.

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