The mission in the Land of Waves was over. Due to Ethan's interference, the plot had undergone some subtle changes.
For example, the famous Great Naruto Bridge was no longer. Once the bridge was rebuilt, no one knew what it would be named.
Would it be called the Great Leaf Bridge to thank Konoha for their help? That possibility was practically zero. No matter how small the Land of Waves was, it was still a country, and it was impossible for them to name such an important bridge after Konoha.
"Maybe they'll give it a name that's more meaningful to them?"
In the final battle, the Konoha side achieved a great victory, successfully eliminating Gato. At the same time, none of the Konoha ninja, including Kakashi, sustained any serious injuries. So after the battle, they only rested for two days to wrap up the mission, and then Team 7, along with reinforcement Ethan and the captive Haku, set off on their return journey.
Unlike Zabuza, a registered rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist, Haku was a wandering ninja with no affiliation, so Kakashi could bring him back to Konoha without any issues.
Since no one was injured, Naruto and Sasuke still had energy to spare. On the way back, they continued their training and even managed to master walking on water.
Of course, the reason they were so diligent was because Haku, the "captive" accompanying them back to Konoha, said something rather provoking.
"You guys can't even walk on water?"
Although he forced himself to stop there, everyone present could guess what he hadn't said: Are Konoha ninja really this bad? It's truly sad that Lord Zabuza was defeated by people like this...
"..."
Compared to Zabuza, who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood during the darkest period of the Hidden Mist Village, and Haku, who was personally trained by Zabuza, Naruto and Sasuke were practically greenhouse flowers, slowly growing under layers of protection.
Haku's various experiences finally made these two sheltered flowers understand how cruel the real ninja world was. They also realized how easy their current lives were... and how weak they were.
This was a huge blow to Naruto, who dreamed of becoming Hokage, and to Sasuke, who was determined to seek revenge on "that person." As a result, the two of them began training desperately from then on, exhausting themselves each day and still insisting on continuing the journey the next morning.
In comparison, Ethan remained much calmer. The only difference was that he had somehow acquired a jacket while in the Land of Waves.
"Ethan, are you really afraid of the cold?"
"Not really, why do you ask?"
"I just noticed you suddenly got such a thick jacket."
"I just felt like changing my style."
Ethan explained casually, but Kakashi, who was nearby, glanced at him a few more times. In his impression, this young man didn't seem like someone who would do something so pointless.
Moreover, from Konoha's various records, Ethan was known to be very frugal due to his background and didn't seem like someone who would buy things on a whim.
When they rested at night, after everyone else had worn themselves out and fallen asleep, he chatted with Ethan during their shared watch.
"That jacket... it's not just ordinary clothing, is it?"
Ever since Ethan bought that jacket, he had worn it almost constantly. Even if he really liked it, that seemed a bit too much. Besides, Kakashi's observation skills weren't bad, and he had already noticed something unusual about the jacket.
His question was just a way to start the conversation.
"I just thought of a training method using it."
"Weighted training is a good way to improve taijutsu, but it can easily cause side effects."
He had already noticed that there was something off about Ethan's jacket, and it reminded him of another friend who used to give him headaches. That guy strongly believed in this training method.
However, using it at a young age, before the body has fully developed, could easily cause irreversible damage.
"I know, that's why I plan to study some medical ninjutsu after I get back, so I can monitor my condition."
"Uh..."
Kakashi suddenly didn't know what to say. It seemed Ethan had thought even further ahead than he had. He had only wanted to warn Ethan not to be too reckless, that making the weights too heavy could injure his body.
Unexpectedly, Ethan was already planning to study medical ninjutsu. Whether or not he could master it, having enough knowledge could indeed prevent some problems.
As for whether Ethan could really learn medical ninjutsu? Kakashi didn't think much of it. No matter how much of a genius Ethan was, it wasn't likely he could just learn a new field of ninjutsu instantly.
"Oh, right, Kakashi-sensei."
"Hmm?"
"Can you teach me water nature transformation?"
Kakashi was stunned for a moment, not understanding why Ethan suddenly wanted to learn chakra nature transformation. Besides, wasn't he an earth style user?
"Why do you want to learn water style all of a sudden?"
"Because most battlefields are either earth or water, and in places like the Land of Waves, water style is obviously more convenient."
Alright, Ethan made a lot of sense, and Kakashi had no reason to object.
Teaching nature transformation? There was nothing wrong with that. Ethan had already shown excellent understanding and control over earth style, and since his chakra reserves couldn't increase quickly, expanding his range appropriately could indeed make him stronger.
Just as Ethan said, if he fought an enemy on a lake or even the ocean, his earth style jutsu would be limited by the environment and couldn't show their full power. In that case, should he just accept defeat?
If he could use water style, he could avoid such an awkward situation and maintain combat ability in any environment. No matter how you looked at it, it was the right move.
"Water style, huh... I can't teach you much. At most, I can guide you through mastering the attribute. After that, it's up to you."
"That's enough. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi waved his hand. Ethan was actually listed as a key figure in the new generation, just like Naruto and Sasuke, although his ranking was slightly lower due to their special circumstances.
But as long as there wasn't any real danger, Kakashi didn't mind giving Ethan some personal guidance.
However, Ethan's understanding of ninjutsu was astonishing. After just half a night, Kakashi found himself with nothing more to teach. In fact, as time went on, he couldn't even answer many of the questions Ethan raised.
Suddenly feeling like he'd been tricked by Yamashiro Aoba, Kakashi decisively ended the lesson.
As dawn approached, it was time to continue the journey.
"That's all I can teach you. The rest depends on your own practice."
He suddenly remembered that Ethan also planned to study medical ninjutsu. Given Ethan's learning speed, maybe he really could learn it.
Over the next few days, Ethan set aside time daily to practice water nature transformation and learned several water style jutsu from Kakashi before returning to Konoha.
He had already mastered Water Release: Water Wall, Water Clone, and Water Release: Wild Water Wave. He also learned Water Release: Great Dragon Bullet Technique, though he hadn't fully mastered it. His chakra reserves weren't large enough to release a full-power Water Dragon Bullet Technique, even if he understood it in theory.
Even so, Kakashi felt this was too much. If he had only suspected before that Ethan might be able to learn medical ninjutsu, now he had no doubt.
"A true genius..."
As a genius himself, Kakashi knew exactly what it meant to be one. Ethan was undoubtedly a true genius.
A strong ability to learn, willingness to work hard, and decent physical talent. His so-called small chakra reserves were only due to his age. Compared to other genin of the same age, his chakra level was normal.
So as long as nothing unexpected happened, Ethan would definitely grow into an elite jonin, at least on par with Kakashi.
"Maybe I should mention this to the Third Hokage and keep an eye on this kid."
Ethan didn't know what Kakashi was thinking, but after returning to Konoha and meeting his official sensei, Yamashiro Aoba, it wasn't long before he received a batch of low-to-mid-level water and earth style ninjutsu materials, along with a large amount of basic medical ninjutsu knowledge. He knew Kakashi must have said something to the Third Hokage.
"Are they starting to pay more attention to me?"
Aoba's guidance became more detailed and frequent. If he didn't know something himself, he would take Ethan to ask others, which would never have happened before.
In addition, Ethan began to "interact" more with other teams during this time, especially the three teams that graduated in the same year. He provided support for them the most.
Aoba explained it tactfully: This would help develop your teamwork skills, and this kind of life would continue for a while.
Ethan didn't really mind. Besides, wasn't there something in it for him?
When he worked with Asuma's team, Asuma, the burly man with a rough exterior, patiently taught Ethan how to better integrate chakra and ninjutsu into taijutsu. Kurenai, now officially promoted to jonin, also gave Ethan some basic guidance in genjutsu.
Originally unable to learn much ninjutsu due to his ordinary background and forced to develop in a straight line, Ethan suddenly became much more well-rounded thanks to this period of frequent team support.
Not only was he improving in his main areas, but he also began patching up various weaknesses and progressing in all aspects.
He also became familiar with the nine rookies of the same year and gradually no longer seemed like an unsociable lone wolf.
This continued until Aoba asked him if he wanted to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams. After getting a yes, he introduced him to the teammates he would be taking the exam with.
It was a guy with a ponytail and round glasses, his face practically shouting "I'm a nice guy."
"Hello, I'm Yakushi Kabuto."
(To be continued.)