Chapter 161 - 27

Chapter 27: Sasuke falls flat on his face, while Naruto is just strolling through the backyard?Kakashi's expression turned serious, though it lacked any real intimidation factor when paired with that swollen eye."Regarding Zabuza."Sasuke and Sakura immediately sat up straight."I believe Zabuza is not dead yet."Kakashi dropped this bombshell."What?!"Sakura exclaimed, "But Kakashi-sensei, didn't you confirm that he had no heartbeat? And that hunter-nin took the body away...""That is the problem."Kakashi held up a finger. "The weapon that hunter-nin used was senbon. This weapon has very low lethality; unless it hits a vital point, it is hard to be fatal. Furthermore...""And the rule for the hunter-nin squad is to dispose of the body on the spot, taking only the head as proof."Sasuke reacted quickly, picking up the thread. "But he took the entire body.""Exactly." Kakashi nodded. "Plus, that youth did not show any hostility toward us; instead, it seemed more like he was protecting Zabuza.""Therefore, it was a state of fake death. To rescue Zabuza from our hands."The conclusion was reached.Silence filled the room.A chill rose from the soles of their feet.A monster of Zabuza's level, actually still not dead?And there is also a helper with unfathomable strength?"How could this be..." Sakura's face turned pale. "Doesn't that mean we have to fight again?"Sasuke clenched his fists. That feeling of powerlessness struck again. If it hadn't been for Naruto last time, they would have been wiped out. This time, the opponent was prepared, making it even harder to fight.Only Naruto.He sat there, cradling a teacup in his hands, gently blowing on the floating tea leaves.The expression on his face was overly calm.Even carrying a hint of... mockery."Ah, so you've only just realized it now."Naruto took a sip of tea and let out a satisfied sigh."I thought that was common knowledge."Kakashi froze. Sasuke and Sakura jerked their heads to look at Naruto."You knew?!" Sasuke gritted his teeth. "If you knew, why didn't you say anything?!""Say what?"Naruto set down his teacup and looked at Sasuke, as if looking at an idiot."In that situation, the masked man could appear on the tree without a sound, which means his strength is not below Kakashi's. If I had exposed him and let them team up, we would have been holding our own funeral in that forest.""Besides..."Naruto turned to look at Kakashi, a smile of undisguised mockery curling at the corner of his mouth."Kakashi-sensei, you are, after all, a former Anbumember and an elite Jonin of Konoha.""You just believed that masked man when he stabbed him in the neck with two needles? Have you never seen a dead body, or have you never seen a senbon?""You didn't even perform a thorough autopsy, and now you have to rely on hindsight to analyze it."Naruto shook his head, his tone of frustrated disappointment making Kakashi wish he could crawl into a crack in the ground."Did you trade your IQ for that Sharingan?""Or is it that you've read too much 'icha icha paradise' and your brain is clogged with dirty trash?"[Ding! Sharp critique successful!][Kakashi's shame level +80.][Sasuke feels despair at the host's crushing of his intelligence.][Reward: Tactical proficiency +10, slight increase in Chakra limit.]Kakashi covered his face.No way to refute it.It was indeed his carelessness.But to be insulted to his face like this by his own student, the feeling... was even more stinging than that bottle of chili water.Kakashi was rendered speechless by the retort and could only cough awkwardly twice to forcibly change the subject."Alright, since everyone understands the situation, let's not waste time."This elite Jonin, who was just on the verge of death, stood up shakily while leaning on an old crutch dug out from Tazuna's house."Let's go to the forest.""Special training begins."The forest in the Land of Waves was very humid, and stepping on the rotting leaves made a sticky sound.Sasuke walked in the front, his back straight; clearly, being mocked by Naruto yesterday for "only being good at guarding the house" had left him full of pent-up anger.Sakura followed behind, occasionally looking worriedly at Kakashi, who was leaning on his crutch.Naruto trailed at the end of the group, a piece of foxtail grass dangling from his mouth, his hands behind his head, looking as laid-back as if he were out for a picnic."Stop."Kakashi stopped in front of a slightly open clearing.Before them were several towering trees, with trunks so thick they would require three people to hug them, piercing straight into the sky."Today's content is Chakra control."Kakashi leaned against a tree trunk and took a deep breath."Specifically, it's tree climbing.""Tree climbing?"Sakura let out a confused nasal sound. "We learned how to do that when we were kids.""Not with your hands."Kakashi pointed to the soles of his feet."It's with your feet.""Gather Chakra precisely at the soles of your feet, adhere to the tree trunk, and walk straight up, ignoring gravity."After speaking, Kakashi didn't waste any words.He threw away his crutch and formed a hand seal.Chakra surged at the soles of his feet.The next second.This weak patient walked up the vertical tree trunk step by step as if walking on flat ground.Until he was hanging upside down on a branch ten meters above the ground."Just like this."Kakashi lowered his head, his dead-fish eye looking down at the three students below."This is very difficult for you, especially for those with large amounts of Chakra; it is harder to control.""Sasuke, Sakura, give it a try."Sasuke looked at the tree trunk, his fists slowly clenching.This was an opportunity.An opportunity to prove he wasn't a loser.He took a deep breath, and Chakra rushed toward his feet violently."Hah!"Sasuke roared and charged toward the tree trunk.Bang.The moment his sole touched the bark, that piece of bark was blown away by the excessive force of his Chakra.Sasuke stepped into empty air, lost his balance, and fell flat on his face in a pathetic heap."Pfft."A sound of undisguised snickering came from the side.Sasuke jerked his head up, only to see Narutostanding in place, looking at him as if he were an idiot.[Ding! Basic training scenario detected.][Triggering Ninja World Sharp Critique mission.][Option A: Listen attentively and praise Kakashi-sensei for still having his touch. Reward: A good student red flower (Charm -10).][Option B: Practice silently and amaze everyone. Reward: Basic Chakra control experience +50.][Option C: Directly max out the level and sharply critique this training as a "kindergarten circus act." Reward: Chakra adhesion MAX, gravity ignored (short duration), Kakashi's blood pressure +20.]Does this even need a choice?Naruto spat out the foxtail grass in his mouth.He didn't form any hand seals.Nor did he take a running start.He just put his hands in his pockets, strode forward, and walked toward the tallest tree.One step.Two steps.The moment his shoe soles touched the trunk, there was no sound, nor was there the slightest fluctuation of leaking Chakra.He just strolled up it as if it were nothing.Just like he was strolling through his own backyard.Vertical.Ninety degrees.Naruto's body was completely parallel to the ground, yet he walked even more steadily than on flat ground.Sasuke had just climbed up from the ground, the mud on his face not yet wiped clean, when he saw this scene.He froze in place.Sakura opened her mouth wide, her jaw nearly dislocating.Kakashi, up in the tree, nearly lost his grip and fell.This... how is this possible?No need for hand seals? No need to adjust?Such proficiency, even he, a Jonin, couldn't do it with such ease and grace!