The basic chakra control training Kakashi had assigned exposed just how little he knew about his three young subordinates.
Their upbringing and training environments were leagues above those of commoner-born ninja; the students Kakashi had failed in previous years had lacked the resources of the great noble clans.
Realizing his miscalculation, Kakashi knew he had to pivot. Before he could design a new curriculum, he needed to see exactly where their current ceiling was.
"Since you've already completed basic control training, show me," Kakashi said, gesturing to a tree standing about six meters tall. "Let me see what level you're truly at."
"I'll go first!" Naruto shouted. His personality—eager to stand out and full of energy—mirrored Kushina's perfectly.
Kakashi nodded and lifted his forehead protector, revealing the Sharingan to monitor the flow of energy. He watched as Naruto, without even using hand seals to focus, gathered a perfectly uniform layer of chakra at the soles of his feet.
Naruto sprinted at the tree, walking up the vertical trunk until he reached the very top. Without waiting for a command, he leaped from the canopy, soaring several meters through the air before landing on the surface of the nearby lake. His landing was so precise that the water barely rippled.
Excellent control, Kakashi noted. In his estimation, Naruto already possessed the control necessary to begin learning B-rank elemental ninjutsu. As expected of the Fourth's son.
Sasuke followed suit, refusing to be outdone. He mirrored Naruto's movements with cold efficiency, landing on the water with equal grace. Kakashi wasn't surprised; these two had been neck-and-neck at the Academy, so it stood to reason their foundations were balanced.
Finally, all eyes turned to Hinata.
Unlike the boys' flashy display, Hinata performed a proper 'Ram' seal first. As she walked up the tree, Kakashi's Sharingan widened slightly.
He could see that she was using significantly less chakra than the boys, but her output was far more stable and refined. When she leaped into the lake, she didn't just land—she seemed to merge with the surface. There wasn't a single wave. Not even a ripple.
This level of control... It's not just hard work. It's genius, Kakashi thought.
With the burden of the "Clan's Future" shifted to her brother Shinichi, Hinata had flourished. Free from the crushing pressure and the fear of hurting others in practice, her natural talent was finally visible.
If she couldn't master this, she would never have been able to make progress on a secret technique like the Rotation (Kaiten).
New Paths
"I understand where you stand now," Kakashi said after they regrouped. "At this stage, the fastest way to increase your team's strength is to master techniques that suit your individual styles. Experience takes time, but raw power can be taught."
He looked at them. "Is there any technique your families have started teaching you that you haven't mastered yet?"
Hinata hesitated, then raised her hand. "Kakashi-sensei... I've been trying to learn the Hyuga secret technique, Heavenly Spin (Kaiten)."
Kakashi nodded. He had seen Shinichi use it many times. With his Sharingan, he was confident he could provide mechanical feedback on her rotation speed and chakra release points. "I can help with that. What about you two?"
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and shook their heads. Their families—Fugaku, Itachi, and Minato—were incredibly busy. While they provided general guidance, they focused more on long-term foundations, believing that real specialization should happen after the age of fourteen.
But Kakashi was eager. This was his first team, and he wanted to show his own teachers what he could do.
"I have two techniques that are perfect for you," Kakashi decided. "Sasuke, for you: the Chidori. It suits your speed and your affinity for Lightning and Fire."
"And Naruto... your chakra reserves are immense. To give that power a purpose, I'm going to teach you your father's signature move: the Rasengan."
By teaching them two similar yet fundamentally different high-level techniques, Kakashi set off a spark of competition. The Land of Waves' mission transformed from a boring guard duty into a feverish training camp.
The World Stirs
While Team 7 trained in isolation, a rumor was spreading like wildfire through the underworld: A member of the Hyuga Main House, without a Caged Bird Seal, is currently in the Land of Waves.
The Land of Lightning, Unraikyo: The Fourth Raikage, Ay, stood before a squad of Cloud elites. The Cloud had tried to steal the Byakugan before and failed miserably, losing many men. This time, Ay was taking no chances. He decided to personally lead the team to the Land of Waves to secure the strategic asset.
He left his brother, Killer Bee, to guard the village. However, Ay underestimated Bee's desire for "freedom." The moment the Raikage left, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki slipped out the back gate, rapping about a vacation.
The Hidden Mist Village: The order came directly from the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura. The Mist was moving in full force.
In a dark room within the Mist, the man pulling Yagura's strings—Uchiha Obito—stared at a map. The Byakugan itself meant little to him, but the girl did.
The sister of Hyuga Shinichi? Obito's eyes flickered with a cold, malevolent light. He had no pieces left on the board after the Uchiha massacre failed to go exactly as planned. Having Shinichi's family in his grasp could be a devastating trump card.
The bait had been taken. The Land of Waves was no longer a simple bridge-building site; it was becoming the focal point of a storm that would shake the Great Nations.
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