The Misunderstandings

The four members of Team 7 passed through the light gate and returned to their camp. Sakura stood there, looking dazed and utterly shocked by what she had just witnessed. Naruto and Kakashi exchanged glances, noticing that both of them were sweating profusely, clearly shaken by the experience.

Sasuke, however, was confused by his teammates' strange behavior. He couldn't understand why they were so disturbed.

"What's with the fuss?" Sasuke thought to himself. "Attack, defense… Isn't it just training between two people? I've been on the offensive side during my training with Kakashi too. What's the big deal?"

"I'm going to train," Sasuke announced abruptly and started walking towards the training area alone.

Seeing Sasuke leave, Sakura shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her mind of the disturbing thoughts that had invaded it. She quickly chased after Sasuke, calling his name in concern.

Meanwhile, Kakashi glanced at Naruto, who was standing nearby, and suddenly felt something was off. Normally, a twelve-year-old like Sasuke wouldn't grasp the situation that Haru had hinted at earlier. Even Sakura had only learned about such things through Kakashi's own awkward explanations.

So the question was, how did Naruto know about it?

Kakashi felt a sudden sense of responsibility. Although he wasn't the best role model, he really didn't want Naruto to go down the wrong path.

"Naruto..." Kakashi began, trying to sound serious, "You must never violate the three ninja taboos. If you get caught up in one, your life could be ruined."

Naruto looked at Kakashi with an expression of pure shock. "What on earth is this white-haired hypocrite talking about? Doesn't he know what he's like?" Naruto thought to himself.

Out loud, he retorted, "Kakashi-sensei, you should really take care of yourself!"

Naruto then looked him up and down and added, "You're still single at your age… You must have saved up a lot of money, right?"

Kakashi opened his mouth, trying to respond, but found himself unable to form a complete sentence. He felt as if Naruto had managed to insult him three times in just one sentence. "What is up with this kid?! Why is he always so blunt?"

If Naruto weren't so skilled at Space Ninjutsu, Kakashi would have grabbed him and given him a good spanking. Naruto, sensing the danger, quickly created a space gate and vanished.

Kakashi watched Naruto reappear at a distance and sighed helplessly. He suddenly realized that perhaps Lord Jiraiya wouldn't be enough to keep this kid in check.

A few minutes later, Kakashi gathered the three of them around to discuss their next training plans.

"Sasuke," Kakashi began, "Tomorrow, I'll teach you a new Lightning Style Ninjutsu. We'll practice together."

Sasuke, who was busy taking care of his Xuan Zhong sword, nodded eagerly, his eyes shining with excitement. He felt as if he was on the verge of mastering the Three Thousand Thunderbolts technique.

Kakashi then turned to Sakura, who was still somewhat distracted.

"Sakura, your current strength isn't enough," Kakashi said bluntly. "Tomorrow, we'll work on Chakra control. I'll also teach you some Genjutsu."

Kakashi glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, thinking back to how these two had mastered tree climbing and water walking by the age of seven. "There's no point in them doing basic Chakra control training anymore," he thought. "These two are beyond that level."

"Okay, sensei!" Sakura replied, determined. She knew she was behind her teammates and was eager to close the gap. Maybe with Kakashi's training, she could finally catch up to them!

As Kakashi finished speaking to Sakura, he turned to Naruto, who was looking at him expectantly. Kakashi hesitated. "What can I teach this kid?" he wondered. Naruto's affinities were Wind and Earth, and although Kakashi knew a lot of Ninjutsu, most of it was either supportive or defensive—hardly what Naruto needed.

Naruto's expression was one of eager anticipation. "Kakashi-sensei is like a walking encyclopedia of Ninjutsu!" he thought excitedly. After being trained by Kurama every day, Naruto longed for a more normal training experience.

Over the years, Naruto had come to realize that the training Kurama put him through was more suited for a tailed beast than a human being. If it weren't for his strong physique, he might not have survived the rigorous training Kurama put him through when he was just six years old.

Kurama, who was lounging in the sealed space reading a novel, suddenly felt a prick of irritation from Naruto's thoughts. "Kid, are you disrespecting me?" the fox growled.

Naruto rolled his eyes internally. "No, no, just keep reading your book!" he replied in his mind.

With that, Naruto turned his attention back to Kakashi, still hoping for some useful training.

Kakashi, after a moment of thought, finally spoke. "Naruto, how about I teach you Earth Style: Earth Wall?"

Naruto's hopeful expression instantly froze. His smile vanished, replaced by a look of disbelief.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall?!" he thought, seething inside. "Sakura gets Genjutsu, Sasuke gets Lightning Style, and you offer me Earth Wall?! If I wanted to learn that, I'd ask for your dog-headed version!"

Furious, Naruto shot Kakashi a stiff smile, raised his middle finger in a mock salute, and then turned away. He walked ten meters before stopping.

"This white-haired jerk... Wait until I get back to the village and learn Edo Tensei! I'll summon his deceased wife just to spite him!"

Naruto stomped off, leaving Kakashi chuckling awkwardly behind him. The truth was, Kakashi really didn't have anything more suitable to teach Naruto.

"Why does he always have to be so difficult?" Kakashi sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I really thought my Earth Style was decent..."