Chapter 25: Tree Climbing Exercise

Kakashi's second encounter with Zabuza didn't last long. Despite Zabuza's actions being predicted by Kakashi's Sharingan, Zabuza ultimately fell under Kakashi's hands and was left paralyzed, unable to move, sitting under a tree.

"Hmm, Naruto, finish him off," Kakashi said.

Kakashi covered his left eye, as his body was already reaching its limits from excessive use of his eye's power. He looked at Sasuke, who was lying on the ground and couldn't get up, and Sakura, who was protecting Tazuna. Only Naruto was still able to move.

"Okay!"

"Cough, kid, are you going to kill me?" Zabuza asked.

"Yeah, even though we have no grudges against each other, the purpose of the mission is to kill the enemy. Farewell," Naruto replied without hesitation.

Naruto gripped a kunai and approached Zabuza, confidently saying his words.

"Such a great gaze. I wonder what kind of childhood you had to have such beautiful eyes. Fantastic! Come on! Don't hesitate. Cut my throat!" Zabuza's eyes ignited with excitement as he looked at Naruto. It was a gaze unlike any other—unwavering, fearless, without any doubt about his actions.

Typically, when people kill, their eyes reveal fear, excitement, and nervousness. But Naruto's eyes remained calm and undisturbed as if he had experienced living hell.

"Whoosh!"

Just as Zabuza finished speaking, two senbon needles suddenly flew through the air and pierced his neck, instantly ending his life.

"Hey, hey, my kill!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. He turned his head towards a nearby tree and saw a masked youth standing on a branch. The voice that came from beneath the mask sounded slightly hoarse, making it difficult to determine the person's gender.

"I have been searching for an opportunity to completely kill Zabuza. Thank you," the masked youth said.

"Kakashi-sensei, it seems like he's really dead," Naruto said, crouching down and poking Zabuza's neck with a kunai. The whole process made Sakura's heart skip a beat, and she almost couldn't resist the urge to attack Naruto.

"Ah, it looks like it. He was a member of the Hidden Mist's ANBU pursuit unit," Kakashi replied. He remained silent for a few seconds, not looking at Zabuza. He briefly mentioned the Hidden Mist pursuit unit to the members of Team 7 and didn't speak further, but he kept a vigilant eye on the shinobi.

"Now that I know he was from the pursuit unit, it's easier to understand. His body held too many secrets. I'll take it with me," White said, walking over to Zabuza's body. Despite her petite frame, she effortlessly lifted Zabuza's body and disappeared from the sight of everyone.

"Sasuke, are you alright? You look exhausted," Naruto said, walking over to Sasuke and sitting down beside him. After relaxing, Naruto himself was also extremely tired. Using Shadow Clones and Rasengan wasn't something to be taken lightly.

"You dare to say that? How much chakra do you have left?" Sasuke changed his position and lay on the ground, looking up at Naruto.

"I'm completely drained. If I had eaten that rabbit, things wouldn't be like this," Naruto replied.

"You idiot! You're still thinking about the rabbit!"

Ever since Zabuza appeared, Sakura had no idea where she had thrown the rabbit. Now she could only come to Naruto and Sasuke's side to give them some water to recover their strength.

"You two are really amazing. You've worked hard," Sakura said.

Both of them fearlessly faced a formidable enemy together, and their images were deeply imprinted in Sakura's heart. She felt proud of having such comrades. Naruto and Sasuke smiled at each other, feeling a sense of accomplishment for defeating a strong enemy.

"Although you two seem to be in good spirits, I'm reaching my limit. Call an ambulance for me," Kakashi said.

...

"Where am I?" Kakashi slowly regained consciousness after being unconscious due to exhaustion. He found himself in an unfamiliar room with a view of the ceiling and the smell of the sea. Looking around, he realized he was inside a small seaside house.

"Ninja-sensei, you're awake. I'll go call your students," a black-haired woman appeared in Kakashi's field of vision. It was Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, who was taking care of the unconscious Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei, you sure can sleep," Naruto pouted, expressing his dissatisfaction.

"It seems like I overused the Sharingan. I'll probably have to lie down for a week. Sigh." Kakashi sighed as he looked at Sasuke, who was already up and about. It was troublesome to have someone else's power, even though Sasuke also overused his eyes. The difference was just that significant.

"Kakashi..."

"Ah, I know what you want to ask. This is a memento from a close friend of mine." Kakashi voluntarily confessed, seeing Sasuke's hesitant expression.

"Oh, I see."

"Naruto, Sasuke, come here for a moment," Kakashi called them over.

"What's up? What's up?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Both of you have made great progress. Sasuke has awakened the Sharingan, and Naruto, you have even mastered advanced ninjutsu like the Rasengan. Your progress is far beyond my expectations."

"Well, are you just praising me? I accept it," Naruto said proudly, standing with his hands on his hips and bursting into laughter.

"But, you two can't even walk on water. You don't even know how to climb a tree. It's completely unreasonable for you to fly before you've even learned to walk like newborn babies."

"Walking on water, you mean standing on the water like you and Zabuza did?" Sasuke was interested in this technique and asked.

"Yes, it's a chakra control technique..."

"Grandpa!" Kakashi was interrupted as a child with a white cap rushed into Tsunami's arms, exclaiming with joy.

"Inari, go and greet the ninja who brought your grandpa back," Tsunami said, feeling apologetic for her son interrupting their conversation and lightly tapping his head.

"No need. They're all going to die anyway," Inari raised his head and looked at the future corpses, including Kakashi, with an expressionless face.

"What did you say, you brat!" Naruto couldn't help but be the first to lose his temper and wanted to go teach him a lesson, but Sakura held onto his clothes.

"Naruto, don't be impulsive."

"Anyone who opposes Gato will die," Inari said in a negative tone. Seeing the look in his eyes, Naruto calmed down a bit. It was the look of someone struggling in despair after losing all hope.

"I won't die. I'll live well until I become the Hokage. I'll be a hero!" Naruto declared.

"What hero? You're just like an idiot. Such people don't exist. No matter how good you talk, it doesn't matter in front of the strong," Inari replied.

"Do you want to bet on it? Let's see if I die at the hands of Gato or if I can become a hero."

"Who cares about you? If you don't want to die, then go back."

Inari disliked the hopeful look in Naruto's eyes and kicked him hard before running upstairs to cry.

"I'm truly sorry. That child lost his father, so his emotions are unstable," Tazuna sighed and told a story, the story of a man hailed as a hero by the Land of Waves.

"But let's not talk about that. We should celebrate defeating such a powerful ninja," Naruto said.

"No, Zabuza is not dead yet. That's what I was about to say just now," Kakashi replied.

"What!?" The room was filled with surprised voices.

"The Mist Village's pursuit squad won't bring back bodies, just the heads. At that time, everyone's chakra was depleted. I didn't mention it, but I'm afraid there will be a fierce battle once Zabuza recovers."

"So, before that, you all need to become stronger. First, learn how to climb trees," Kakashi said, propping himself up with a crutch and leading the three members of Team 7 to a forest beside the house.

"You're all very familiar with the theory of chakra. I won't say much about that. Watch carefully and concentrate your chakra at the soles of your feet," Kakashi picked a tree over ten meters tall and started walking up the trunk as if it were level ground. Then he hung upside down from a branch and looked down at the three below.

"As long as you can utilize your chakra, you can achieve this level. Sasuke, are you thinking that it would be effortless with the Sharingan?"

"Yes."

"It's the foundation of ninjutsu, and the principle is the same. If you can control your chakra more precisely without activating the Sharingan, the amount of chakra you'll consume when using the Phoenix Sage Fire technique in the future will be greatly reduced."

"The same goes for you, Naruto. The Rasengan is a jutsu that requires precise control. Your control should be decent. I'll give you one day to reach the treetop. Sakura, since you're a girl, I'll give you two days."

Kakashi threw a kunai under each of the three's feet and pointed to a large tree about twenty meters away.

"Alright, watch me!" Naruto formed hand seals, allowing his chakra to flow to his feet, and grabbed the kunai before rushing towards a tall tree. However, it didn't go as smoothly as he thought because he didn't gather enough chakra, and he ended up falling on his back.

Thud

Sasuke didn't fare much better. He gathered too much chakra, breaking the tree bark, and fell down. He looked at the footprints on the trunk with frustration.

"Oh, looks like I have the best result," Sakura's proud voice came from above. Naruto and Sasuke looked up in surprise. Sakura was already sitting on a branch over ten meters high, looking down at them with a smile.

"It seems like I miscalculated. Sakura is the most talented member of Team 7. The future Hokage and the Uchiha prodigy don't seem so impressive in comparison," Kakashi laughed, using reverse psychology to ignite Naruto and Sasuke's competitiveness. They picked up the kunai and started practicing.

...

I don't know how long they practiced, but the sky had already turned completely dark. After falling from the tree once again, Sasuke looked at Naruto and, as if making a determined decision, walked over to him.

"Um, Naruto..."

Sasuke hesitated and muttered a few words like a shy girl.

"I can't hear you. Are you hungry?"

Naruto, who was concentrating on gathering chakra following Sakura's advice, was interrupted and glared at Sasuke.

"You just asked Sakura how she got up, right? Tell me about it."

Sasuke's face turned red with embarrassment, and he felt ashamed at the thought of having to ask for help from this loser.

"I can, but why don't you go ask Sakura yourself? She would be happy to tell you, right?"

"..."

Sasuke turned his head away, ignoring Naruto's words.

"I told you to be a little gentle with girls. You're being a jerk."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Just tell me already!"

"You're not listening, are you? Hey!"