Chapter 35: You Are the Instructor of Team 7, Right? The Nine-Tails Discovers Naruto's Intentions

Sasuke quickly grasped Naruto's intent.

"Thank you, Naruto!" he said, bowing deeply.

He clearly understood the significance of this chakra.

With it, he could train uninterrupted through the night. There was no need to worry about exhausting his chakra reserves or wasting precious time refining it. He could even practice his Fire Style continuously.

More than that, he noticed something within the chakra—a faint but potent energy brimming with vitality.

This chakra had medical properties!

Sasuke's eyes flickered red.

"Go ahead," Naruto said with a smile, waving him off.

Sasuke gave Naruto a long, searching look before turning away. At that moment, he understood the gap between them. It wasn't just in power—it was in mentality, too.

As he descended the stairs, Sasuke suddenly froze.

An intrusive thought surfaced in his mind.

Why does Naruto's image keep replacing that of my father…?

He shook his head fiercely. No, focus. The most important thing right now is to make the most of this chakra!

Once Sasuke left, Naruto washed up and climbed into bed.

Gone were the days of light dozing, waking up every two hours to continue training.

After that drunken night, he finally experienced deep, restful sleep—something he had almost forgotten the feeling of.

Lying down, he let go of all stray thoughts and drifted off.

In the middle of the night, he awoke, struggling to breathe.

A familiar scent filled his nose—sweet, with a faint trace of alcohol.

How reckless… Naruto thought groggily. I thought they'd take longer to come to terms with it.

Yet, in hindsight, it made sense given the sheer danger of the individual in question.

Still, a sneak attack was uncalled for.

The next morning, after breakfast, the twelve young genin scattered to find their respective instructors.

On the way, Hinata approached Naruto hesitantly.

"Naruto-kun… Do you know what's wrong with Kurenai-sensei? She's been acting strange since the dinner—sometimes spacing out, sometimes smiling, sometimes pouting…"

She fidgeted nervously. "I… I think I might have said something I shouldn't have… Did I upset her?"

Naruto smiled and patted her head reassuringly. After a few comforting words, Hinata finally stopped worrying.

At the Hokage's office, Team 7 found Kakashi slouched on a bench, arms crossed, looking uncharacteristically early.

"Hey, good morning. You're late," he greeted them lazily.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Wait… Kakashi-sensei actually arrived before us?"

"Didn't you tell us yesterday that we were meeting at noon?" she asked incredulously.

"We figured that would be a waste of time," Naruto said. "So we went ahead and took a mission ourselves. You can sign off on it when you get here."

Kakashi sighed, closing his Icha Icha Paradise novel. "You're late."

He said it so matter-of-factly, with such misplaced confidence, that even a hint of pride crept into his tone.

Sakura groaned. "Don't tell me we're chasing that runaway cat again…"

"D-rank missions are all the same," Naruto muttered.

Sasuke huffed. "If it's another cat-finding mission, I'm just going to track down the old lady who owns them and take over every single one myself."

They walked right past Kakashi, discussing their next move.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, watching them go. "…Why do I feel like I'm the extra one in Team 7?"

Inside the Hokage's office, they received their new mission—picking up trash.

"Well, I'll leave it to you guys," Sasuke said, glancing at his clone. "I'm going to train."

His clone scowled. "Alright, main body. We both know patience isn't our strong suit—this might actually be a form of training."

Since Sasuke had chakra to spare now, he wasn't as reluctant to use it.

Kakashi and Sakura exchanged glances, a flicker of envy in their eyes.

Then they turned their attention to Naruto, who was casually lounging on a tree branch, looking relaxed.

"Sakura, you'll pick up the trash in the river. Try to maintain balance on the water's surface while you do it. Consider it chakra control training."

Sakura nodded. "Got it! I'll do my best!"

She grabbed her tools and eagerly jumped down into the river.

Naruto turned to Sasuke's clone. "Shadow Clone training is almost identical to training in person. You're too impatient. This is a good opportunity to discipline your mind."

He pointed at the surrounding litter. "Memorize the locations. Then, close your eyes and pick up the trash by recalling their positions. Don't rush."

Sasuke's clone pondered his words before nodding. "That makes sense. Thanks, Naruto. I'll complete this training properly."

He started walking around the area, deliberately slowing his pace, carefully noting the trash placements, movement routes, and optimal speed.

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly.

Wait…what?

Sasuke—Uchiha Sasuke—was listening to Naruto?

Kakashi would have expected this from Sakura, but Sasuke?

Could this be because of the Multi Shadow Clone training yesterday?

Naruto's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Kakashi-sensei, your chakra reserves are on the lower end, so training can be tricky. But that doesn't mean you can't improve. Meditation will help strengthen your control over the Sharingan. It'll also reduce the chakra drain when you activate it."

Kakashi blinked. "…Are you serious?"

"I spent most of my time at the Academy meditating," Naruto said with a shrug. "I won't guarantee miracles, but I know it'll help."

Kakashi scratched his chin thoughtfully. It's true, my chakra control has barely improved over the years…

"Fine. I'll trust you this once."

After all, Naruto had been full of surprises lately.

And if it really worked… well, it was worth a try.

As the morning passed, Naruto supervised while keeping tabs on their progress.

"Sasuke, take five steps right, then one forward."

"Sakura, you need to work on multitasking. You're already controlling chakra to walk on water—try refining chakra at the same time."

"Kakashi-sensei… are you thinking about Icha Icha Paradise again?"

By noon, the mission was complete.

Naruto, perched on the tree, looked down at his exhausted teammates.

Sasuke's clone crossed his arms. "Hmph. Mission complete. Thanks, Naruto."

With a poof, he dispelled himself.

Sakura, drenched in sweat, glanced up at Naruto, anticipation gleaming in her eyes.

"You did well. Now, go find Tenten to learn medical ninjutsu or train genjutsu with Kurenai-sensei. These are your strengths—after specialized training, you'll improve even faster."

"Yes!"

Receiving praise, Sakura beamed like a child given sweets and dashed off.

Kakashi, meanwhile, gazed up at the clouds with quiet despair.

One team, two teams...

"Sensei, it's time to report your mission. You're a Jonin, after all. Meditating during downtime is one thing, but you're seriously slacking off."

"Why don't you find a wife? Oh! I know the perfect woman for you."

"Spare me. I'll go hand in my report now."

Kakashi stood, dusted himself off, and sighed.

"Naruto, meditation is useful, but you… Never mind. If you're still not ready to talk, I'll wait. Maybe if I grow stronger, I can help you somehow."

"As for Sasuke, I'll start teaching him Chidori tomorrow."

Without waiting for a response, Kakashi vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

As for the woman Naruto mentioned—he was clearly talking about Karin, the spy who would eventually appear.

Meanwhile, in the Uchiha District, Sasuke was seething.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Fwoosh—!

"No, still too slow. My hand seals aren't fast enough… Naruto can cast jutsu one-handed. I need to get better!"

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu—"

Midway through, Sasuke halted.

The moment his shadow clone dispersed, its experiences and fatigue flooded back into him. He collapsed onto the ground, wiping sweat from his forehead.

His restless mind slowly settled.

"Hmph. Kakashi is as unreliable as ever... Good thing I'm on the same team as Naruto."

For once, Sasuke didn't force himself to keep training.

He lay back and, surprisingly, entered a meditative state with ease—something he'd always struggled with before.

"...Naruto's training is actually working."

"You said I should balance training and rest. Fine, I'll trust you on this."

Mimicking Kakashi's usual pose, Sasuke rested his head on his hands, watching the drifting clouds.

His body, exhausted from overtraining, finally registered its fatigue.

"If it weren't for Naruto sharing his chakra, I would've collapsed ages ago."

"...He's been hiding his strength all this time, hasn't he? With his chakra reserves, there's no way he's only as strong as he lets on."

Sasuke exhaled slowly, a small smirk forming.

"You've helped me a lot, Naruto. If I don't repay that debt someday, then everything I stand for as an Uchiha would be a joke."

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

"What have I even been doing all these years?"

"Sakura doesn't bother me anymore—she listens to Naruto now and is improving fast."

"Meanwhile, I, the so-called Avenger… haven't made much real progress, have I?"

His stomach growled in protest.

"...I guess my body's reached its limit."

Then, as if recalling something Naruto once said, Sasuke sighed and stood up.

"Naruto always says, 'A man is made of iron, but food is steel.' Time to eat."

As he turned to leave, he glanced at the instant meal packaging in his hand and changed his mind.

Moments later, after Sasuke had gone, a crimson silhouette flickered into existence at the spot he had just vacated.

"Hah… I see what you're doing, Naruto."

"You're using the natural chakra link between clans to channel my chakra into the Uchiha brat."

"A massive chakra reserve and incredible healing… Even trash could become a formidable shinobi with that."

The Nine-Tails let out a deep, rumbling laugh.

"I see now… If more people receive my chakra, the damn Third Hokage will be in trouble soon enough. So that's what you meant—something worse than death, huh?"

"If my senses are correct, I can extract chakra from that Uchiha brat whenever I please… even drain him dry."

"And without chakra… death is inevitable."

Naruto, you're planning for that, aren't you?

"Interesting… really interesting."

The Nine-Tails shifted its gaze toward Konoha, eyes gleaming with amusement.

"If you cross Naruto… there will be no escape."