39. Sakura's realisation

---

Before Kakashi and the others left, they had a face-to-face meeting with the head of the orphanage, Nono Yakushi, who had just returned from the hospital, and her assistant, Kabuto Yakushi.

Both wore the same round-frame glasses, and the smiles on their faces were gentle and peaceful.

It seemed that Kabuto genuinely wanted to dedicate himself to the development of the orphanage.

For a moment, Naruto silently mourned for Orochimaru, who had now lost Kabuto, his right-hand man.

One could only wonder if Orochimaru's future experiments would go as smoothly.

Sakura approached Nono Yakushi for a brief chat, and they seemed to get along well.

After leaving, the four shinobi—Kakashi and his three students—headed back to submit their mission report.

Kakashi walked ahead, his eyes glued to the book in his hand.

Naruto followed with his hands in his pockets, striding along with a bored expression, secretly hoping Kakashi would walk into a telephone pole.

Sasuke frowned, his mind consumed with thoughts about what Naruto had said earlier about jutsu...

Sakura also seemed lost in thought.

'Sasuke...'

After handing in the mission, Kakashi wasted no time and hurried off.

According to him, he was eager to see what the next part of the story would bring.

Naruto and Sasuke went to the training field to practice as usual, while Sakura said she would borrow a book first and catch up with them later.

When Naruto and Sasuke arrived at the training ground, Naruto began practising with a stack of targets, determined to complete the second stage of his Rasengan training as soon as possible.

Naruto created over a dozen shadow clones, each holding a Rasengan.

He stared at his clones for several minutes, ensuring nothing seemed out of the ordinary, then took a Rasengan and began to practice.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was honing his Shunshin no Jutsu (Body-Flicker Jutsu).

Shisui's body-flicker technique seemed to integrate with shadow clones and genjutsu, making it appear as though each clone wasn't real, when in fact, every one of them was. It was a formidable and bewildering tactic.

During a break, Naruto observed Sasuke's practice and came up with an idea to try later.

After about half an hour, Sakura returned with a large book.

Naruto asked curiously, "Sakura-chan, what's that?"

Sakura held up the book for Naruto to see and replied, "It's a medical ninjutsu textbook. I asked the head of the orphanage about medical ninjutsu today, and she recommended some books for me to read first. So, I borrowed one from the library."

"Why did you suddenly decide to become a medical ninja?" Naruto wondered why Sakura had taken an interest in medical ninjutsu so early on.

Sakura pondered for a moment before replying, "Because I find it hard to help you guys in combat, and sometimes I feel like a burden. But if I learn medical ninjutsu, I can be more useful!"

Naruto gave her a thumbs up and encouraged, "You can do it! Your chakra control is amazing, so maybe you have a natural talent for medical ninjutsu."

Glancing at Sasuke, Sakura nodded resolutely. "Yes, I'll do my best!"

Naruto picked up his Rasengan and was about to continue practising when he suddenly paused. 'Wait, am I encouraging someone to study medicine?'

Naruto looked up at the sky. It was clear, with no sign of thunderstorms...

'Peaceful days are short...'

The atmosphere at the training ground was harmonious. Sasuke practised his Shunshin no Jutsu among the trees.

Occasionally, dozens of Sasuke's phantoms would appear and disappear.

Sakura sat in the shade with a medical textbook as thick as a dictionary on her lap.

She read intently, occasionally glancing up at Sasuke for a brief eye-refresh before returning to her book.

Naruto's clones held Rasengans in the open space, striking various poses and expressions while practising.

There was even a clone of Naruto in a blonde pigtail wig, fuming.

Naruto suddenly remembered a rumour he heard in his previous life about some shady online streamers who would wear women's clothing to get better luck.

Maybe trying a similar tactic would give him some inspiration. It was worth a shot.

Although the main body would never be caught in a dress, a clone trying it out wouldn't hurt.

Besides, if it didn't work, the clone would just disappear anyway. No harm done.

When the clone dispersed, Naruto's face turned red.

It was understandable when a one-off "Naruto Uzumaki No. 001" appeared earlier. After all, he was a bit of a prankster, so perhaps his clone's personality got a bit exaggerated.

But Naruto didn't remember having any interest in cross-dressing! And yet, here was this memory of "Naruko Uzumaki"—the legendary "most beautiful woman" in the Naruto world.

'Seriously, can you guys consider the circumstances before messing around with my clones? Teammates are watching!'

"Hey, Kurama, why don't you come out and blow up Konoha?" Naruto thought.

"No way, the food in Konoha is pretty good," Kurama replied.

At this time, a plain-looking boy was wandering around Konoha's Snack Street, holding a pile of snacks, eating heartily with a joyful expression.

Upon closer inspection, one could see his eyes had vertical pupils.

It was a clone that Naruto had lent to Kurama, who had changed its appearance on purpose.

Naruto couldn't help but complain, "Kurama, could you eat a little less? Every time the clone disperses, I feel so full even though I haven't eaten anything. It's weird."

"What does it matter? It's just a sensation caused by memory regression anyway. And who insisted that I should experience human food?"

Naruto gave up arguing with Kurama and began to reflect on his training.

After an afternoon of practice, he felt like his Rasengan was on the verge of a breakthrough, but it still needed something more.

Naruto looked at his red, swollen palms. 'Tomorrow... Tomorrow, it'll be done.'

The three friends headed home, but as they parted ways, Sasuke and Sakura exchanged strange looks, prompting Naruto to rush home even faster.

...

The next day, the three shinobi followed Kakashi to take on a mission to clean up garbage from a river.

After a busy morning, they returned to the training ground to continue their practice.

Kakashi joined them this time.

It seemed like a rare moment of responsibility, but Naruto suspected it was more likely because Kakashi had finished the novel he was reading and had nothing else to do.

After asking about their training progress, Kakashi learned that all three students had mastered basic skills like tree climbing and water walking.

Naruto and Sasuke were focused on their ninjutsu, while Sakura was diligently pursuing her path.

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction. This teaching gig was really easy—rarely did he need to put in any effort himself, and he didn't even have to worry about his training.

So, Kakashi casually found a tree, leaned against it, and prepared to dive back into his book.

Naruto practised diligently for over an hour, focusing his chakra into the Rasengan in his hand, spinning, maintaining, and increasing the chakra output.

Finally, with a snap, the Rasengan burst; Naruto looked at the fragments on the ground with joy—it was finally complete!

---

Hey everyone, if you want to read 20 advanced chapters, you can join Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/Iamxeno

Drop some PS if you like the fanfic

Thank you for reading