Chapter 17 ConflictBack in Konoha, Team 7 became incredibly busy.
Because they had helped complete an S-rank mission, Kakashi recognized their abilities and, to encourage them to keep working hard, he assigned them numerous tasks.
Mornings were spent playing with cats and walking dogs; afternoons were spent weeding and moving stones, occasionally even collecting trash from the river at lunchtime.
Thanks to the three's tireless work, Kakashi finally raised enough money to buy the latest issue of "Icha Icha Paradise." As encouragement, Kakashi also taught them the water-walking training method, ensuring they didn't leave empty-handed.
Although the three were quite dissatisfied, they had no choice; after all, their teacher was the boss. What they didn't know was that it was precisely these monotonous, day-to-day tasks that forged their resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.
"Alright, that's enough for today, let's dismiss."
Finally, the day's tasks were over, and the group felt a sense of relief.
"Um, Sasuke, do we want to train together?" Sakura eagerly asked Sasuke.
Sasuke snorted coldly, saying, "Instead of bothering me, you should practice your ninjutsu. To be honest, you're not even as good as Naruto."
With that, Sasuke left without looking back.
Sakura was clearly furious; her shoulders were trembling slightly, looking rather frightening. Kakashi quickly used Body Flicker Technique to escape.
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then went over and comforted her, "Actually, Sakura, you're not like Sasuke says. You're very talented, you just lack combat experience."
[I...I'm talented?]
Sakura was stunned, turning her head to see Naruto's sunny smiling face. Her cheeks flushed involuntarily, and she became a little shy.
"Naruto, you...you're lying, right?"
"No, I'm not."
Naruto said seriously, "Sakura is not only smart and good at studying, but she also has a lot of talent in ninjutsu. Take tree-climbing training, for example. Sasuke and I practiced for a long time, but you climbed up in no time. As long as you keep working hard, you won't be worse than anyone else!"
This pep talk left Sakura feeling only one word: comforted.
While changing her opinion, Sakura also secretly felt guilty. Had she been too harsh on Naruto before? Besides always playing pranks on her, Naruto was also a very good friend.
"Thank you, Naruto. I will definitely keep working hard."
Naruto and Sakura were walking and talking when they suddenly heard a commotion ahead.
A strangely dressed Sand Village genin with tattoos all over his face was grabbing a Konoha village child and refusing to let go no matter how much the child struggled, seemingly just enjoying the child's suffering.
Two other children nearby looked anxious but helpless.
Naruto recognized him immediately; the child being grabbed was missing a front tooth—it was Konohamaru! Naruto had been focused on training and Sakura lately, and hadn't made any effort to get close to him, thus missing the chance to meet Konohamaru.
But Konohamaru was his top subordinate and his true disciple! How could he be bullied like this? It was utterly outrageous! Anyone who dared touch his people, even if they were the Fourth Kazekage's son, was unacceptable. He could use this opportunity to expose the true purpose of the Sand Village's visit.
Two pebbles were thrown by Naruto, one after the other, towards Kankuro.
Perhaps the pebbles were too fast, or perhaps Kankuro was too careless, but one hit his hand directly, causing him to lose his grip and release Konohamaru.
Temari: "Watch out!"
Kankuro looked in Naruto's direction, about to say something, when another pebble hit his nose. The nose is a very vulnerable part of the body; although it didn't bleed directly, Kankuro was in excruciating pain and couldn't help but cover his nose.
"Damn it, who are you? A Konoha genin?"
Naruto ignored Kankuro and instead said to the Konohamaru trio, "Hey, you kids, get behind me."
The Konohamaru trio quickly ran behind Naruto.
"Kid, didn't you hear me?"
Naruto pricked up his ears, making an exaggerated gesture.
"Sakura, can you hear someone talking?"
Naruto deliberately emphasized the word "person," making Sakura and the Konohamaru trio chuckle.
"Baka."
Kankuro made a move to attack, but Temari grabbed his shoulder.
"Kankuro, don't forget our purpose."
This immediately deflated Kankuro, who yelled, "Hmph, kid, you're lucky. See you in the Chunin Exams, I hope you don't lose too quickly."
He turned to leave after saying that.
"Wait!"
Naruto, however, flashed forward and appeared in front of Kankuro.
"What exactly do you want?" Temari, standing to the side, was filled with resentment. She had already told Kankuro to stop, but he wouldn't back down.
Naruto said calmly, "Apologize to Konohamaru, or settle things here with me in the manner of a ninja."
[Wow!!!]
Konohamaru, standing behind him, had stars in his eyes. Naruto was sunny, domineering, full of fighting spirit, protecting the weak and unafraid of the strong. He felt that Naruto was exactly what he wanted to be.
Sakura was also in a state of shock. Naruto was completely different from how he was at school; even she was stunned by his coolness.
However, Sakura also worried about Naruto's safety. After all, the other party looked formidable, and there was more than one of them. If a fight broke out, should she join in? But it seemed like she'd just be feeding the enemy...
Sakura had a clear understanding of her own abilities. Of course, this wasn't entirely her fault. After the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had gained temporary peace. The village's training of new ninjas was no longer about forcing them to grow too quickly, but rather about building a solid foundation step by step. Therefore, ninjas like Sakura, from ordinary families, hadn't even started learning many practical combat skills, hadn't had any extraordinary encounters, and didn't have any family traditions, so they lacked combat ability.
The Sand Village ninjas, on the other hand, were the complete opposite. Their harsh living environment forced them to engage in combat early on, and they possessed a strong fighting spirit, not to mention Kankuro and Temari were the children of the Fourth Kazekage.
"You asked for it!"
Kankuro was completely enraged. He wanted to kill this eyesore in front of him, even if it meant being punished.
"Don't use that ability," Temari cautiously reminded him.
"Understood."
Kankuro placed the puppet behind him on the ground. As the bandages were removed, the true form of Crow was revealed: a humanoid puppet with three eyes and four arms.
Four daggers sprang from Crow's wrists, attacking Naruto. Naruto, prepared, easily dodged them; he knew perfectly well that the daggers were poisoned.
Kankuro unleashed a flurry of attacks, but neither poisoned spikes, needles, kunai, nor daggers could even scratch Naruto. Instead, Naruto repeatedly seized opportunities, landing numerous punches and flying kicks. Although Naruto's attacks weren't particularly forceful and didn't cause much damage, they were undeniably humiliating.
Little did he know that this was only because Naruto was intentionally holding back. Otherwise, with Naruto's current strength, he could have easily crushed Kankuro in just a few moves.
To those who don't know the ropes, it all seemed like Kankuro was constantly dominating Naruto, and the two were evenly matched. Didn't you see how Naruto was beating up the painted-face man, and the painted-face man didn't even try to dodge?