Chapter 11 Naruto, you've trained before, right?"Don't waste your energy."
Tazuna's grandson, Inari, suddenly burst in, uttering a cold sentence before throwing himself into Tazuna's arms.
"Mom said, all these people will die."
"Heroes, saviors—they don't exist."
"Hey, brat, what did you say?"
Even though Naruto knew Inari's tragic past beforehand, which stopped him from saying more, he still couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. This brat named Inari had managed to infuriate everyone in just a few words; his sharp tongue was truly inherited from Tazuna.
After speaking, Inari seemed to have come out just to annoy Naruto and the others, then pushed open the door and left.
Tazuna asked, "Where are you going, Inari?"
"I'm going to see the sea."
Naruto knew that what Inari meant by "seeing the sea" was gazing out the window at the sea, longing for his stepfather.
Naruto didn't hold Inari's rudeness against him.
In some ways, Inari is similar to Naruto, but Inari is even more tragic. Both lost their fathers at a young age and suffered a lot of bullying, but they were fortunate enough to meet their stepfather Kaido. That strong man not only treated Inari like his own son and protected him with his own hands, but also saved the entire country from the flood with his own hands, becoming a hero of the Land of Waves.
However, all this beauty came to an abrupt end with Gato's arrival. To utterly destroy the courage of the Land of Waves, Gato brutally smashed Kaido's hands—the very hands that protected his family and country—and beheaded him in public. The trauma this inflicted on young Inari is unimaginable. A stepfather who should only exist in his fantasies, someone who appeared and seemed so good, ultimately left in such a tragic way...
In contrast, although Naruto lived alone from a young age, at least Konoha was outwardly peaceful and free from the oppression of powerful figures. But the Land of Waves, where Inari lived, was constantly in turmoil.
[Don't worry, Inari, everything will be over soon!]
Outside, on a grassy field, Team 7 gathered.
Kakashi, leaning on his crutches, said, "Alright, let's begin training. Before that, Sakura will explain ninja abilities and chakra."
Despite Sakura's lack of practical combat skills, she was a top student at the Ninja Academy, able to recite many basic concepts perfectly.
Sasuke could do it too, of course. Kakashi had Sakura explain it, but actually, he was telling Naruto.
Didn't Naruto know? Naruto really didn't know, because he was too lazy to even look. Although his intelligence and memory had been greatly enhanced, his habits and personality were already formed, and couldn't be changed overnight.
After Sakura finished explaining, Kakashi continued, "Training chakra involves extracting both physical and mental power, mixing them within the body, and then using the appropriate abilities based on the ninjutsu being released. You must understand that this ability isn't something you can acquire overnight."
"Although you guys can release ninjutsu, you can't yet use chakra efficiently and flexibly. This not only halves the power of the ninjutsu but also wastes a lot of unnecessary chakra, making it difficult to fight long battles."
"To master this ability, you need to train relentlessly, very diligently."
"Then... how do you train?" Sakura asked.
Seeing the three of them staring at him in a daze, Kakashi knew they hadn't heard of this kind of training before. Konoha now promoted scientific education, so apart from a few clan members, children weren't allowed to engage in this kind of training too early. It required a certain level of chakra, so it was definitely not allowed at the Ninja Academy.
"Tree climbing,"
Kakashi uttered simply.
"It's not just simple tree climbing; it's climbing without using your hands. Let me demonstrate."
Kakashi, leaning on his cane, slowly walked towards the tree trunk, then climbed it vertically at a 90-degree angle, followed by a few steps upside down at a 180-degree angle, before looking at Naruto and the other two.
"Concentrate your chakra in your feet, let them adhere to the tree trunk. You can do this by skillfully using your chakra."
Seeing the shocked expressions on their faces, Kakashi was satisfied.
Sakura asked疑惑地, "Wait a minute, Kakashi-sensei, why does climbing trees make you stronger?"
"That's the key point. It's about using the chakra you've trained only where needed. This is surprisingly difficult for many. Climbing trees requires extremely precise chakra control, especially in the most difficult-to-control area like the soles of your feet. But once you master this control, learning any ninjutsu will be much easier. Secondly, it's about maintaining the trained chakra. A ninja's chakra is generally used in battle, which is even harder to control."
"Alright, no matter how much I explain, you won't master it immediately. So, memorize this feeling with your body. Now, use your strength to climb to your limit and leave a mark. Afterward, try to make the mark higher. Okay, let's begin!"
Kakashi glanced at Naruto with a puzzled look after speaking. Why wasn't the kid reacting? Had he heard about it before? That shouldn't be the case; the Ninja Academy didn't teach this kind of training.
"Hey, wait a minute, Naruto, you don't seem too surprised by this training?"
"Huh? What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?"
Naruto, of course, knew about tree-climbing training. He'd been imagining how he'd impress Sakura later, and Kakashi's sudden question startled him.
Kakashi rubbed his forehead, speechless, and didn't press further.
"Alright, let's begin!"
To everyone's surprise, the one who performed best in tree climbing was actually Sakura. She easily climbed to the top.
Naruto, on the other hand, climbed about ten meters before coming down. And that was with him holding back. He could actually climb to the top just like Sakura, but he also had to consider Sasuke's feelings.
Sasuke's mark was only half the height of Naruto's, five meters high. For a beginner, this was already an excellent achievement, but Sasuke's face was grim. Sakura and Naruto's marks were both better than his, something the self-proclaimed genius couldn't accept.
"Yosh, I didn't expect Sakura to be the best! Naruto did well too. Sasuke, you better keep it up!"
[Damn it, even Sakura and Naruto can do it! As a descendant of the Uchiha clan, I absolutely cannot be outdone by them.]
At noon, Naruto and Sakura went back to lunch with Kakashi. The reason one was missing was that Sasuke was still practicing tree climbing under the big tree, sweating profusely.
No matter how much Sakura tried to persuade him, Sasuke stubbornly insisted on practicing, determined not to eat until he reached them. Naruto and Kakashi were at a loss for what to do.
In the afternoon, Tazuna was going out to supervise the bridge construction. Since Kakashi was physically unable to work, the responsibility of protecting Tazuna fell to Sakura. Naruto also volunteered to go along, since his training was finished.
On the unfinished bridge, about a dozen workers were busy, but they didn't exchange a word, their eyes filled with vigilance and fear, barely daring to breathe loudly.
"Tatsuna, can I tell you something?"
A worker suddenly called out to Tazuna, who was carrying materials.
"What is it, Kitchi?" Tazuna asked.
"Um, I'm sorry, could I withdraw from building the bridge?"
Tatsuna exclaimed in surprise, "Kichi, why you too? We're..."
"I really want to help you. We've been friends for years, but if we act too recklessly, we might attract Gato's attention, and losing our lives would be a huge loss. Let's stop here, Tazuna."
Tatsuna remained silent for a long time.
"I absolutely cannot back down. This bridge belongs to everyone. This bridge can bring convenient transportation to the Land of Waves, allowing the Land of Waves to escape poverty. That's why people are working so hard."
"But if we lose our lives because of this..."
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's stop here. You don't need to come back anymore, Kichi."
The other workers didn't show any emotion at Kichi's departure. They continued working at their respective posts. Those who were willing to stay and build the bridge had basically already put life and death aside; everything was for their ideal: a Land of Waves where everyone could live a good life.
Naruto witnessed everything. Unlike usual, he didn't rush out to confront the other side. Faced with the threat of death, some chose to rise to the challenge, while others chose to retreat. Gato had broken the limbs of this nation, but he hadn't broken its backbone.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
"How could we build a bridge without me? You're short one person, let me join!"
Naruto said to the crowd with a smile.
"Ah, is this the power of a ninja?"
"Amazing, one person is worth dozens."
"With these guys joining us, we don't need to fear Gato anymore."
Dozens of Narutos instantly appeared on the field. With the help of these shadow clones, the workers were immediately full of energy, and the overall progress of the project more than doubled.