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Tazuna hastily said, "Naruto, keep your voice down! It would be terrible if Gato's men found us!"
"We'll be able to see the Land of Waves soon..."
"Oh..."
Tazuna was right. As the small boat sailed through the sea fog, the first thing that came into view was the half-built bridge, stretching across the sea. It looked magnificent but abruptly stopped.
"What a spectacular bridge!"
Tazuna's feelings were complex, but hearing Naruto's words made him a little proud.
"When it comes to bridge-building techniques, the Land of Waves is one of the best!"
Hinata also exclaimed, "If it can be completed, the Land of Waves will be closely connected to the Land of Fire..."
Tazuna gave a bitter smile.
"That is, if it can be completed..."
Seeing no one around, Tazuna quietly brought the small boat to shore, and Naruto and his group finally set foot on the soil of the Land of Waves.
Naruto curiously looked left and right. It was clear that, as Tazuna had said, this was a very poor island nation. Pedestrians on the street were few and far between, and their faces were all very gloomy.
"Why do all these people look so sad?"
Tazuna sighed, "They have all lost something..."
"What is it?"
"Hope."
Naruto's heart trembled, understanding Tazuna's meaning.
"Let's go."
The group followed Tazuna back to his home, where a typical Yamato Nadeshiko came out to greet them.
"Father, thank goodness, you've finally returned safely..."
Tazuna introduced, "This is my daughter, Tsunami."
"Tsunami, these are the Konoha Ninja who escorted me safely back: Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata..."
Tsunami hastily said, "Thank you all for protecting my father's safety, I am eternally grateful!"
Naruto grinned proudly, "It's nothing, this is just our duty as Ninja!"
Suddenly, he noticed someone peeking and looked over to see a small figure shrink back.
Tazuna said somewhat awkwardly, "That's my grandson, Inari. He... because of his father's situation, he's become a bit strange. Please forgive him..."
Naruto had heard Tazuna speak of Inari's father, or more accurately, his adoptive father, Kaiza, who was a brave and strong man.
He had once saved Inari from drowning and then joined Tazuna's family.
Later, he became a hero of the Land of Waves by repairing the dam.
When Gato tried to rule the entire Land of Waveswith brutal force, Kaiza bravely organized a self-defense force to resist, but Gato cruelly executed him publicly.
Since then, Inari, who had admired his father and heroes, became gloomy and passive, no longer believing in such a thing as hope.
Naruto was touched by this story. He had originally wanted to talk to Inari, but then he thought... instead of chatting, it would be better to calm down and train.
In this life, Naruto, although still unable to change his lively and active nature, was indeed not as talkative.
After all, whenever he had free time, the system would force him to train, and over time, Naruto had developed a habit of self-discipline.
In other words... his Talk no Jutsu had been epically nerfed!
Tazuna's family kindly hosted Naruto and his group.
He knew in his heart that he was in the wrong, having hired a team of B-rank or even A-rank caliber for a C-rank mission's pay.
Not to mention anyone else, Kakashi Hatake alone was easily worth several million Ryo.
The fact that they were still protecting him despite being deceived was no longer just about morals... it was an act of grace.
So, despite their poverty, Tazuna did his best to ensure Naruto and his group ate their fill.
Naruto knew that to train and become stronger, eating was paramount, so he certainly didn't slack off.
Sasuke, seeing him devour his food, also refused to be outdone, eating bowl after bowl. The two of them had sparks flying in their eyes, eating until they were almost sick just to compete... Kakashifrowned at the sight.
"While eating a lot at this age is good, throwing up is not right..."
"And no matter what, we are guests. We can't possibly eat Tazuna-sensei's family out of house and home, can we?"
"You two, that's enough. Why don't you look at Hinata..."
Kakashi looked back and saw that the bowls in front of Hinata were stacked high... probably a dozen or more?!
Kakashi was utterly shocked, his Sharingan almost popped out... "Hinata, you..."
Hinata's face flushed red, and she lowered her head, saying, "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei, I, I also ate a bit too much..."
Naruto burst out laughing, "Kakashi-sensei, you have no idea, Hinata is the real big eater!"
"I've seen it firsthand!"
Not only Kakashi, but even Sasuke was surprised.
"That girl, she eats even more than that idiot Naruto?!"
"I really underestimated her..."
Tazuna laughed heartily, "Good, good, eat more. You're at the age where you're growing!"
Kakashi also said, "Alright, once you're done eating, during the mission's downtime, I'll start teaching you some things."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata, halfway through their meals, suddenly stopped in unison.
"Teach, teach us things?!"
After all, until now, they hadn't learned anything from Kakashi-sensei.
Besides desperately doing missions, they were just traveling... For a moment, Naruto couldn't help but feel immensely excited.
"Kakashi-sensei, what are you going to teach us?"
"Is it the strongest Ninjutsu?!"
Kakashi smiled slightly, "Well, you'll find out when the time comes."
After hearing that, Naruto immediately perked up, once again devouring the remaining food until it was completely gone.
Sasuke also refused to be outdone, similarly leaving the pots, bowls, and plates sparkling clean.
Hinata, however, only ate a moderate amount, showcasing only five or six tenths of her big eater potential.
After eating and drinking their fill, Kakashi took the three of them, including Tazuna himself, to a nearby forest.
This was to continue protecting Tazuna.
Kakashi said, "The first lesson I'm teaching you today is..."
"Tree climbing."
Naruto was stunned.
"Tree, tree climbing?!"
"Kakashi-sensei, I've already learned that from Asuma-sensei!"
Kakashi frowned.
"Nani?"
Naruto didn't waste words. He immediately channeled Chakra, concentrating it all in his feet, then leaped up, Dengdengdeng, easily climbing to the very top, standing on a branch, looking down proudly at everyone below.
Kakashi was surprised, "You really did learn it, and you've mastered it perfectly..."
"What about you two?"
Hinata softly said, "Um, Kakashi-sensei, I've also trained in this..."
She also demonstrated it, climbing to the top with flowing grace.
Kakashi's heart stirred. This was only natural. When it came to Chakra control, maintenance, and release, no one could surpass a member of the Hyuga Clan... When Naruto was training in tree climbing back then, he had even asked Hinata for guidance, so she naturally had already mastered it.
Kakashi's gaze fell on Sasuke.
Sasuke's face paled, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
"I..."
"Haven't learned it..."
Naruto was taken aback. For the first time, he saw such an awkward and embarrassed expression on Sasuke's face. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes, curl his lips, and show a lewd smile... "Hehehe, Sasuke, so you finally have a time when you're lagging behind!"
"Doesn't feel good, does it?"
"Loser?"
Sasuke's murderous intent immediately flared... Chapter 101: Naruto: Adults make choices! I want it all! Please give me monthly votes!!!
Kakashi also scratched his head, a bit surprised by this outcome.
Hinata was one thing; after all, she was the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan, and it was completely understandable that she had received special family training since childhood.
But he hadn't expected Naruto to have also completed tree climbing training so early.
This was not the level of the Ninja Academy.
He thought for a moment and said, "Since that's the case, then Naruto and Hinata can proceed to the next training."
"Which is..."
"Water walking."
"This is to train Chakra release and sustainment. It's much more difficult than tree climbing..."
Naruto was stunned, then raised his hand again.
"Reporting, Kakashi-sensei, I've already completed water walking training too!"
Kakashi: "...Nani?!"
Naruto didn't waste words. Seeing the small river nearby, he directly sprinted towards it, his feet instantly stepping onto the surface of the water. His Chakra hummed, releasing and supporting his body, allowing him to stand steadily on the river's surface.
He could even walk, run, and jump high... Kakashi's brows furrowed as he watched, "Good heavens, you've trained in this too?!"
"Did Asuma teach you this too?"
"Yes!"
Kakashi truly understood this time what a real genius was.
It was like learning university courses in elementary school!
He sighed, "Then, Hinata, what about you?"
Hinata shook her head, "I haven't trained in this yet, though, although I can do Chakra release..."
Kakashi understood what she meant.