Chapter 48: Kakashi's Provocation
He didn't want to die here.
Haku, standing nearby, stopped Zabuza. He had seen the killing intent in Zabuza's eyes.
If Gato kept spewing nonsense, Zabuza really would make a move.
"Lord Zabuza, he is the employer after all."
Zabuza looked at Haku, then said nothing more.
He lowered the Executioner's Blade in his hand.
But the biting chill radiating from him made Gato truly understand the terror of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Gato took a few steps back and said, "If you don't kill that Tazuna before the bridge is completed, then don't even think about getting the rest of your payment."
After throwing out that threat, Gato hurriedly ran out of Zabuza's hideout.
Although Gato was a great villain himself, compared to someone like Zabuza—a ruthless monster who had slaughtered all his classmates right after graduating from the Ninja Academy—he was still far inferior.
After Gato ran off, Zabuza looked at Haku. "Why did you stop me from killing that bastard?"
Haku walked over to Zabuza's side and explained, "Killing him would definitely cause a disturbance. Then we'd be hunted by Kirigakure's Anbu."
Zabuza said nothing more.
At that moment, in the forest on the back mountain behind Tazuna's house, Kakashi stood before Yoruha, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura and said, "Next, you're going to begin training."
"One good method for Chakra training is Tree Climbing Practice."
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, Naruto laughed. "Kakashi-sensei, who doesn't know Tree Climbing Practice? This counts as training?"
Kakashi ignored Naruto, walked to the base of a large tree, and stepped onto it with one foot.
Slowly, he placed his other foot on the trunk as well.
At that moment, Kakashi was standing vertically against the tree trunk.
It looked as if he were simply standing on flat ground.
The sight stunned Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.
"Kakashi-sensei is stuck to the tree!"
Naruto said in disbelief.
Sasuke looked thoughtful.
Step by step, Kakashi walked all the way to the top of the tree.
He even hung upside down beneath the trunk.
That sight left the three of them dumbfounded.
Still upside down, Kakashi explained, "Gather Chakra beneath your feet, and control the amount properly. Too little or too much, and you'll fall."
"If you can do what I'm doing, your Chakra control will improve to a whole new level."
After speaking, Kakashi walked back down the tree.
"You all go try it."
Kakashi looked at Sasuke and the others as he spoke.
Naruto was already raring to go.
Shouting loudly, he ran toward a big tree.
Sasuke also walked toward one.
Sakura picked a tree between the two of them.
Yoruha remained standing where he was without moving.
He already knew how.
Kakashi didn't say anything either. He had only meant to teach this method to Sasuke and the other two anyway, and he naturally knew Yoruha had mastered it long ago.
Naruto fell off the tree on his very first step.
He hit his head so hard a huge bump rose on it.
"Ow, ow, it hurts so bad!"
Naruto clutched his head and rolled around on the ground.
Sasuke, meanwhile, made it up the first few steps smoothly, but halfway up, his Chakra control faltered and he fell from the tree as well.
Still, he wasn't as miserable as Naruto.
Unexpectedly, Sakura actually succeeded on her first try.
At that moment, she was sitting on the trunk, waving down at the others below.
"Kakashi-sensei, I made it up!"
Lying on the ground and writhing, Naruto looked at Sakura sitting in the tree with a face full of envy.
Even so, he still shouted, "Sakura is amazing! Just as expected of the woman I picked!"
But deep down, he still felt a little unhappy.
Even if Sakura was the girl he liked, he was still jealous.
Sasuke looked at Sakura and frowned.
He wasn't jealous of Sakura. He had already known that Sakura's Chakra control was very good.
Right now, he just wanted to ask her what the trick was, but he was too embarrassed. After all, Sasuke was usually very aloof.
At the Ninja Academy, he had always been the best one.
Now, having to ask Sakura for pointers was still a little too much for his pride to bear.
Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sasuke and smiled. "I didn't expect Sakura, the girl, to be the first one to do it. As expected, when it comes to Chakra control, Sakura is still the best."
"Wasn't someone always saying he wanted to become Hokage? Looks like that's all he amounts to."
Then he looked at Sasuke as well.
"Looks like the Uchiha Clan isn't all that impressive either."
Kakashi immediately targeted both Naruto and Sasuke.
Naturally, he wasn't really trying to insult them. It was just provocation.
Both Naruto and Sasuke had very strong pride.
This kind of method worked best on them.
Sure enough, as soon as Naruto heard Kakashi's words, he got worked up first. "Kakashi-sensei, that was just a mistake! Next time I'll definitely do it!"
Sasuke said nothing. He silently walked back to the foot of the tree, preparing to try again.
When Naruto walked back to the tree, he noticed Yoruha still standing beside Kakashi without moving.
Confused, he asked, "Yoruha, aren't you training?"
Yoruha didn't answer, so Kakashi answered for him. "Yoruha already mastered it a long time ago."
"And he succeeded on his first try too."
Naruto's mouth twitched.
He really shouldn't have asked.
Knowing full well that Yoruha was much stronger than they were, of course he had trained in something like this already.
Sasuke said nothing and continued his Tree Climbing Practice.
Sakura sat in the tree, watching the two of them below.
She noticed Yoruha too.
"Yoruha probably already knew how, right? Of course he did. He's that strong."
"What a strange person. He's obviously so outstanding, but I barely remember anything about him from the Ninja Academy."
Thinking back on the two times Yoruha had appeared before her and saved her, Sakura had a favorable impression of him.
Of course, it was just the kind of favorable impression one friend has of another.
After all, Yoruha was practically her savior.
Now she was very curious about him.
Even though they had been classmates for six years, she knew absolutely nothing about Yoruha.
While Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were training, Kakashi looked at Yoruha and said, "They can train on their own. I'll teach you something too."
Yoruha nodded.
The two of them didn't train there. Instead, they went to a lakeside a few hundred meters away.
Standing by the lake, Kakashi sighed. "This reminds me of that night. We were by a lake then too. If your Chakra hadn't suddenly gone into Rampage, you would've succeeded."
Yoruha nodded. "It was unexpected. But I think I should be able to master it now."
"Oh? You've got it now?"
Yoruha looked at Kakashi and smiled. "Want me to give it a try?"
Kakashi took several steps back.
"If your Chakra goes into Rampage again, the impact will be too great."
Yoruha shook his head. "It won't. I'm confident I can succeed this time."
Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Go ahead and try. I'll watch the surroundings for you."
After speaking, Kakashi retreated dozens of meters.
The area affected by Yoruha's Rampage that night had been far too large.
Kakashi did not dare stand too close to him.