Chapter 31: Tree Climbing and Water Treading Training – Sasuke's Mental Collapse

"It's not just about climbing a tree."

Kakashi shrugged. "Did you really think training would be that simple?"

"Watch closely. I'll demonstrate. When you train, focus on controlling your chakra at the soles of your feet. Use a kunai to mark your progress."

After a brief explanation, Kakashi stepped onto the tree trunk, defying gravity as he casually walked up. He balanced effortlessly on an overhead branch, holding his beloved Icha Icha novel in one hand.

"Tree climbing is a fundamental skill."

He turned to Sakura. "You'll train with us, but as for ninjutsu… don't think about it for now."

Sakura frowned. "Why?"

"Like Naruto said before, your chakra reserves are too low. Once you complete this training, I'll arrange special exercises to increase your chakra capacity. Then, we'll talk about ninjutsu."

She forced a wry smile. When Naruto mentioned it, she had assumed there was some hidden meaning behind his words. Now, hearing it bluntly from Kakashi, she couldn't ignore it.

"Don't worry," Kakashi added. "After special training, you'll become an excellent Genin."

"Yes!" Sakura chose to stay optimistic. Even as a Genin, she was part of a squad with Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke—no ordinary team. She just had to find her own way to contribute.

"Hmph!" Sasuke scoffed impatiently. "Enough talking. Let's get started. Once we finish this, we can move on to ninjutsu."

Kakashi gave him a lazy glance, already anticipating his frustration.

Shing!

He tossed three kunai in front of them. "Mark your progress with these. Begin."

Then, as if completely uninterested, he leapt from the tree and sprawled on the grass, returning to his book.

Sasuke wasted no time. Grabbing a kunai, he sprinted at the tree.

Tap, tap, tap—BANG!

"Tch!" Sasuke glared at the kunai mark, just three meters up. He gritted his teeth and tried again.

Tap, tap—BANG!

His second attempt fell even shorter.

Sakura noticed something strange about his approach. She turned to Naruto and saw that, unlike Sasuke, he wasn't rushing. Instead, he placed a foot on the trunk, testing his chakra control. After a few experimental steps, he found stability. Then, he closed his eyes and focused.

"I see!" Inner Sakura shouted triumphantly.

She mimicked Naruto's method, carefully channeling her chakra before stepping onto the trunk.

"This isn't so bad… Maybe because I have less chakra, it's easier to control." She moved cautiously, steadily adjusting her chakra output.

Before she knew it, she had reached a tree fork. Overjoyed, she nearly lost balance but managed to hop onto a branch.

"I did it!"

Kakashi glanced up. "Hmm… As expected."

Sasuke: "???"

He turned to his kunai marks—still stuck at four meters.

"Tch! Even Sakura surpassed me?!"

Meanwhile, Naruto's lips curled into a faint smirk. He had mastered this training long ago. But for the sake of appearances, he started from scratch.

His first attempt: One step—fall.

Sasuke sneered.

His second attempt: Five steps—fall.

Sasuke still smirked, despite his own struggles.

His third attempt: Thirteen steps—fall.

Sasuke stopped smirking. There was something unnerving about Naruto's calm demeanor. No frustration. No impatience.

His fourth attempt: Twenty steps—successfully reaching Sakura's height.

Instead of falling, Naruto deliberately jumped back down.

Sasuke's expression darkened, especially when he noticed something—Naruto was the only one who hadn't used the kunai to mark his progress.

Kakashi, now fully invested, lowered his book. He watched as Naruto continued, his movements becoming more stable with each step. Unconsciously, Kakashi had stood up.

Sakura's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing!"

Inner Sakura nodded in silent agreement. Sticking close to Naruto might be a good idea. Even if I can't get meat, I can at least drink some soup, right?

"Damn it!"

Sasuke clenched his fists. Gritting his teeth, he imitated Naruto's method.

One step—fall.

He wasn't discouraged. He actually felt like he was getting the hang of it.

Second attempt—fall.

His confidence shattered.

Meanwhile, Naruto stumbled occasionally but managed to keep his feet attached to the trunk.

Kakashi smirked. "As expected from the top student of the Ninja Academy for six years."

Sasuke's head snapped up.

"My little trick only works on impatient people," Kakashi continued. "Sakura saw through it right away but lacked the courage to experiment like Naruto. But for a first attempt, you did well. Given your chakra reserves… your talent is truly remarkable."

Naruto wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead and grinned.

Sakura stuck out her tongue, sneaking a glance at Naruto before jumping down to resume training. With his example to follow, she quickly improved.

Only Sasuke remained motionless, lying on the ground, his cheeks burning with frustration.

Only impatient people… Was he talking about me?

He turned his gaze to Naruto, now walking across the tree trunk effortlessly, and to Sakura, who had exhausted her chakra but looked satisfied with her progress.

Sasuke's mentality collapsed.

The pressure suddenly intensified.

Especially the talent Naruto displayed—it completely overshadowed him in every way.

They weren't even on the same level!

Sasuke understood all too well. The gap between him and Naruto would only widen over time. Unless he experienced some kind of explosive growth, he would be doomed to always look up to Naruto.

"The advantage is mine. I have the Sharingan!"

"I just need to calm down. My talent isn't that far behind!"

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke forced himself to focus. He suddenly recalled that Naruto often meditated, so he decided to try it himself.

Sure enough, after calming his mind, he tried again. This time, he didn't fail immediately.

Instead, he failed after three steps.

"I've improved… The key is controlling the chakra flow to my feet. I just need to fine-tune the amount I use… I see!"

"Naruto, just wait—I'll catch up soon!"

On the other side, Naruto feigned curiosity and asked:

"Kakashi-sensei, isn't it about time we started learning ninjutsu?"

Kakashi chuckled. "There's other training first. Besides, I'm not the one teaching you. Once you're done, I'll report back."

Then, turning to Sakura, he continued, "Sakura, you've completed this training. Come with me—I'll guide you through the next step."

Finally, his gaze landed on Sasuke. His usual lazy expression returned as he said flatly, "Sasuke, stay here and continue your training."

That statement hit Sasuke hard.

He had just taken his first real step forward—only to fall flat on his face.

Lying on the ground, panting heavily, he forced himself to calm down.

Without another word, Kakashi beckoned for Naruto and Sakura to follow him.

"It looks like Sasuke won't take too long to finish," he mused. "To be honest, if you two hadn't pushed him, he'd probably have needed at least a week to complete this training."

"As a shinobi, you can't always trust appearances."

"Sakura, you've made great progress."

Sakura beamed at the praise but quickly shook her head. "Kakashi-sensei, it was only because Naruto pointed out my mistakes that I improved."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. 'He even inherited Minato-sensei's natural charisma with women—and might have even surpassed him.'

'Back then, Minato-sensei only had Kushina. But Naruto… never mind, who wasn't like that at his age?'

Soon, Kakashi led them to a small river.

"This is a little early for most genin," he admitted. "But you two aren't ordinary rookies."

He turned to Sakura. "Don't worry about your chakra reserves. Once you master this, I'll introduce you to a teacher suited for your further training."

Reinvigorated by the encouragement, Sakura's determination flared. "I'll train as hard as I can! Naruto, I won't hold you back!"

Remembering what had happened in the Hokage's office, Sakura finally felt confident enough to say it aloud.

Naruto gave her a warm smile. "You've got this."

Sakura nodded and stepped onto the water. Her progress was noticeably slower than Naruto's, but she persisted.

Naruto also held back, walking at a slower pace than he had while climbing trees.

Even so, Kakashi's heart pounded.

This talent…

In his entire life, only Uchiha Itachi had stunned him this much.

And now, he realized—Naruto's potential might even surpass Itachi's!

The only thing holding him back was his lack of specialized training. No, rather, it was because of his identity.

'If Minato-sensei or Kushina-sensei were still alive—just one of them—Naruto would've graduated in his first year.'

'He might even be stronger than I was at his age.'

Kakashi sighed. The only two people who had truly shocked him before were Itachi… and that traitorous snake, Orochimaru.

"Kakashi-sensei! I finished my training!"

A disheveled Sasuke arrived, his clothes torn and dirt-streaked, but with an unconscious smile on his face.

However, his mood soured the moment he saw Naruto strolling across the water effortlessly.

His confidence nearly crumbled—until he caught sight of Sakura sighing in frustration.

That small reminder helped him regain a sliver of self-assurance.

But it didn't last long.

Because moments later, Sakura adjusted her chakra flow and took another step onto the water.

Her stance was steady, but after five or six steps, she plunged into the river.

Sasuke immediately analyzed the problem. 'She doesn't have enough chakra.'

Genius Uchiha?

Sasuke closed his eyes and spent a quarter of an hour meditating.

By the time he opened them, Naruto had already emerged from the water, soaked but grinning.

"Kakashi-sensei, I've finished my water-walking training! There's no more training left, right?"

Kakashi nodded slightly. "Well done. I'll go report to the Third Hokage—he'll be quite surprised."

Before leaving, he shot Naruto a knowing glance.

He would help cover for him.

After all, he had secretly checked earlier—Naruto had already mastered water-walking by his third attempt.

He had simply been pretending to struggle.

"Sasuke, have you finished your tree-climbing training?"

"Yeah."

For the past two days, Sakura hadn't bothered him, so he saw no reason to act cold toward his teammates.

He glanced at Naruto, who had wasted no time and was already meditating again.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke silently walked toward Sakura.

"Sakura, how do you control chakra when walking on water? What's the difference from tree climbing?"

Sakura blinked, momentarily stunned.

Inside her mind, Inner Sakura burst into laughter.

"Sasuke just casually asking for help? How rare. Absolutely priceless!"