"Tsunade-sama taught him... I didn't expect Naruto to be this strong..."
Sakura pursed her lips as she watched Naruto create dozens of shadow clones in the distance. She suddenly felt a bit out of place among her peers.
Sasuke was a genius from the Uchiha clan, possessing the coveted Sharingan that even elite Konoha ninja envied.
Naruto was under the care of the Third Hokage, being taught by Tsunade-sama, and as Shishou had mentioned, he also had the Uzumaki clan bloodline.
As a top student, Sakura knew the significance of the Uzumaki bloodline, which was shared by the wives of the First and Fourth Hokages. The power in this bloodline wasn't much inferior to Sasuke's Uchiha bloodline.
Hinata was the heiress of the Hyuga clan; Sakura had heard of the power of the Byakugan and Gentle Fist.
Kiba, Shishou, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino all had their respective clan's secret techniques and ninjutsu.
But she, Haruno Sakura, only knew basic transformation techniques and wasn't very skilled with shuriken.
It wasn't that she couldn't learn; she simply had no one to teach her!
Feeling a wave of self-pity, Sakura thought with sadness:
'No wonder Sasuke looks down on me... If I were Sasuke, I probably wouldn't pay attention to someone like me either...'
As a civilian, she had nothing to her name.
Even the tree climbing and water walking techniques she learned were only because she had benefited from Shishou teaching Hinata and Ino two years ago.
It was understandable that Sasuke would ignore her...
Shishou, meanwhile, was too engrossed in watching the training to notice Sakura's turmoil.
In Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata's training field, Naruto had finally used his Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to surround Kakashi, only for Kakashi to escape with a simple substitution jutsu, causing Naruto to fight his own clones.
Although Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were stronger than in the original story due to Shishou's influence, they still couldn't match Kakashi.
'Tsk, tsk, Kakashi's agility seems to have improved since he lost the Kamui Sharingan,' Shishou thought, seeing Kakashi continuously outmaneuver Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
In Shishou's view, although Kakashi's Kamui Sharingan increased his combat power, it also limited his potential.
This was why, in the original story, Kakashi was considered the weakest Hokage after losing the Kamui Sharingan.
But regardless, Kakashi's physical and mental state had significantly improved since losing the Sharingan. He no longer looked perpetually on the brink of death.
Soon, a scream echoed from Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata's training field.
"Ugh..."
Sakura, holding binoculars, looked horrified.
The reason? Naruto had just been hit by Kakashi's taijutsu secret technique: A Thousand Years of Death!
"Hahaha..."
Both Shishou and Kiba burst into laughter, enjoying the spectacle.
Shishou couldn't help but feel that the "Thousand Years of Death" technique had practically become a tradition among the Hokage lineage.
In the shadows, Tsunade chuckled, remembering how Jiraiya had once suffered the same fate from their teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Watching through the small Katsuyu's transmission, Uchiha Mikoto, Hyuga Rinmei, and others in Hozon City also chuckled.
Kushina, however, was furious, her face red with embarrassment. "That Kakashi! Learning all the bad things!"
After venting, Kushina returned her attention to the bell test on the screen.
Seeing Sasuke, realizing he couldn't win alone, inviting Naruto and Hinata to team up with him, she nodded in approval.
Of course, even with cooperation, they still faced defeat.
Kakashi continued to play around with Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata until he finally decided to get serious.
"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"
In the next moment, three small heads were poking out of the ground, staring at Kakashi in frustration.
Seeing this, Tsunade waved her hand, dismissing the summoning, and walked away.
There was no longer any need to watch.
Although Mikoto, Kushina, and Rinmei felt a bit regretful, they could only disperse and return to their sage training.
Shishou, Kiba, and Sakura were also led away by Kurenai, who told them to meet her outside Ichiraku Ramen the next morning at ten.
Shishou, retracting his gaze from Kurenai's mature figure, glanced at Kiba and Sakura and said, "See you tomorrow morning."
He then removed his mask and headed to a nearby clear river to clean it.
Masks needed to be washed daily; otherwise, they became stuffy and uncomfortable.
"See you tomorrow, Shishou, Sakura," Kiba said, waving as he left with Akamaru.
"See you tomorrow, Kiba," Sakura replied, waving back before turning to look at Shishou washing his mask by the river.
After a moment's thought, she walked over and squatted beside him.
Shishou glanced at Sakura and said, "If you have any questions, just ask."
He had noticed Sakura's distress throughout the day.
It was only natural. As a civilian student, she had always hung out with Sasuke, Naruto, and other clan heirs.
She had assumed they were all about the same, but today, she realized the vast gap between her and them.
Using an example Shishou had seen online: It was like being in college, thinking you and your dorm mates were equally poor, only to find out after graduation that only you were truly poor, while they were just pretending.
They would inherit millions, while you would have to slog through grueling work to survive.
Such a disparity was hard for anyone to accept.
Sakura bit her lip and spoke with a hint of sadness, "Shishou, as a civilian student, will I ever be able to catch up to Sasuke and Naruto?"
She had always thought Naruto was a complete failure, but today she realized that she might be the real failure.
At least Naruto could create dozens of physical clones, something Sakura couldn't dream of doing.
It made her past pride in her grades seem ridiculous.
Hearing Sakura compare herself to Sasuke and Naruto, Shishou couldn't help but laugh, "Others are hard to say, but as for Naruto and Sasuke, no, you won't surpass them."
"But it's normal not to surpass them because they are basically OP."
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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek. change @ to a