Chapter 6

Title: Chakra Basics and Climbing Trees

...

"... Zabuza is still alive!"

The look of shock on Sakura, Naruto and Tazuna's face was priceless while Tsunami just stood there with a confused frown on her face.

Meanwhile, Shun was just caressing Feathers feather without paying the group any attention.

"What the heck are you talking about!?" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs.

"But, Kakashi-sensei, you checked to be sure Zabuza was dead, didn't you?!" Sakura followed after him.

"I made sure of it... But..." Kakashi paused as he analysed the events of the day better. "A deathlike trance could have created a very convincing Illusion of the real thing."

"Those acupuncture needles weapons that Shinobi Hunter used can be deadly, it the hit a vital spot, if not, the mortality rate is surprisingly low."

"And remember, the were originally designed as medical treatment tools. Shinobi Hunters and all members of any village's corpse disposal Squad must possess an intimate and thorough knowledge of the human physiology."

"It would be simple for one of them to place a person into a near-death state. First of all, the masked boy went to the trouble of lugging off Zabuza's heavy corpse..."

"Secondly, the acupuncture needles used as weapons, while potentially deadly can also be used to inflict non-mortal injury. These two points suggest that the kid's objective was to give the illusion of killing Zabuza..."

"While he rescued him." Shun finished the statement.

"So you knew." Kakashi asked and Shun shrugged. "I'm a genius, there's little I don't know."

"Well, things may be just the way they seemed... But we have to consider the other possibility." Kakashi finished his analysis to his students and employer.

"Aren't you Just complicating things by overthinking them? Shinobi Hunters are supposed to hunt outlaw Shinobi, right?" Tazuna tried to Reason.

"Humph. In this world, nothing is ever as they seem, Tazuna-san. The moment you employed a group of Genins for a C-Rank mission. Nothing, and I mean nothing will ever be as they seem." Shun said. "Especially when it comes with Rogue Shinobis."

"Exactly." Kakashi affirmed. "And yes, I may be overthinking, but ignoring something that smells this fishy is a great First step to being caught completely off-guard and unprepared. And being prepared is a Shinobi most important skill."

"Oh well. Whether the guy is alive or dead, there may still be more and even deadlier Ninja in the service of your enemy, Gato." Shun told the old man before turning his head to Kakashi who was looking at Naruto in mild shock.

'Interesting. Naruto seems to be excited at the possibility that Zabuza survived.' Kakashi thought as his eyes remained dead.

"Sensei, you said -Preparation is a Shinobi's most important skill-, but right now, you can't even move. What are you going to do?" Sakura asked and Kakashi began chuckling.

"Heh heh heh."

"...?" Question marks floated around the head of the trio of Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura.

"I'm going to increase your training schedule." Kakashi declared in a smug tone.

'Why is he being smug about this?' Shun thought at the weird man.

"What!? Training?!" Sakura asked before... "But Kakashi-sensei! What will a little extra training now matter with what we're up against!? Our opponent is a Ninja so powerful that even with your Sharingan, he almost defeated you!"

"And when I was beleaguered, Sakura... Think about who it was that rescued me..." Kakashi replied. "You three are all maturing. Progressing rapidly. Your powers are growing exponentially. Especially yours Naruto."

"You e grown the most." Kakashi finished causing Naruto to blush and look at Shun who smiled and nodded at him, causing him to smile foolishly while scratching his head.

Sasuke snorted, but didn't say anything while Sakura looked unconvinced. 'Naruto? Well, he seems a lot more grown up than he used to, but..."

"But that being said. I am not in the shape to teach you three anything, however... There's our Genius over here!" Kakashi said in a loud voice as he pointed his two hands at Shun who was smiling at his Swan.

"Huh?" Shun, shocked at the sudden shift of responsibility.

"The skills he'll be teaching will be the advanced stuff I was supposed to be teaching you. "

"Advanced? What were you planning on teaching us in the first place sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Well, your three months of D-Rank missions was to temper your character and build up your patience for this part of your training." Kakashi said. "Chakra control."

"Chakra control? How is that supposed to help us?" Naruto asked with a frown. "How is it supposed to help us beat Zabuza if he's still alive?"

"Yeah. Plus, we don't know when he'll come back to strike." Sakura followed.

"An excellent question. But once a person has been placed into a near death state, it's quite some time before their body returns to its previous state of health and readiness."

"So you guys will train while we are waiting." Kakashi added. "Could be fun."

"It won't be fun for you." They heard a childish voice and all turned to the origin only to see a kid no older than 7 standing there.

"Hmm?" Sakura and Sasuke looked at the kid with a look that said 'What the hell!?" While Naruto simply... "Who the heck are you!?"

"Inari! Where have you been!? Tazuna shouted in joy at seeing his grandson.

"Welcome home grandpa." Inari said without much motivation or emotion in his tone.

"Inari. Greet our guests properly!" Tsunami the hit milf who had been silent all these while stood at akimbo as she looked over Inari.

Inari, not threatened by his mother looked over at Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura and then his mother and said. "But mama, they're all going to die."

Tazuna, Kakashi and Shun simply had neutral expressions as they looked at the boy while Naruto couldn't hold it any longer and shouted. "You brat!!"

"Pull yourself together Naruto! He's just a little boy!" Sakura held Naruto from going over to teach the boy some stuff while also controlling herself... Well, her inner self so to say.

"Right." Naruto Said and calmed down a little. "He, pay attention, little guy. I'm a superhero who'll someday become the most strongest Ninja. My name will have the title Hokage someday!"

Shun by the side nodded while muttering. "Word. Word."

"Getô? Gateau? This guy's named Chocolate! You can't seriously expect me to be afraid of that!" Naruto mocked causing the two Jounin in the room to stiffle their laugh.

"Hero? You're dumb." Inari said, not moved by the protagonist aura Naruto was emanating at that moment. "There's no such thing."

"Wha-What!!!" Naruto's Temper got the better of him once again only for Sakura to pinch him in the head. "I said quit it!"

"If you don't want to die, go home now..." Inari left these words and left the room.

Sasuke looked at the boy leaving with a neutral expression. It was unknown what he was thinking other than Shun who felt the guy's emotion fluctuate at the mention of dying as a hero.

"Where are you off to Inari?" Tazuna asked his grandson.

"I'm going to watch the ocean from my room." The boy replied and left the room, but no before slamming the door.

"Please forgive him..." Tazuna said with a sigh.

...

Naruto POV.

What a brat! How dare he talk to us that way? Not to mention us three Genin, he didn't even show any appreciation to Kakashi who actually saved his father's life.

No matter how bratty a kid could get, he shouldn't be that unappreciative. Even Konohamaru isn't that snobbish. Humph. Let me get to him and give him a piece of my mind.

Naruto thought as he climbed up the stairs leading to Inari's room. As soon as he reached the door, muffled sobs could be heard from inside causing him to pause.

"He's crying?" Naruto thought as his initial anger instantly disappeared and turned into one of sadness. After listening in on him for a while, Naruto turned around and left the hallway.

...

The Next Day.

In the early hours of the morning, the sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows through the dense forest as Kakashi led Team Seven deeper into the woods.

The air was filled with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves.

"So, it's decided. The new training regimen begins Today." Kakashi declared as he reclined on his crutch. "Let's discuss the basics of your Ninja powers. The energy known as Chakra."

"Uh... Right. So, um, Chakra... What are those again?" Naruto asked causing Shun who was already hidden on a tree nearby to facepalm.

"I thought there should be a basic tutorial for this in his system? Or didn't Kushina deem it necessary to teach him that?"

Meanwhile, Sakura was rebuking the young Uzumaki while Kakashi simply sighed. As for Sasuke, he was probably wondering how he knew the kid.

'This is so not good...' Kakashi thought as he eyed Shun on the tree before shaking his head. He couldn't really blame the Academy for ignoring to reach Naruto something so basic. "Sakura!" He called out and the girl, ever so reliable, brought out a scroll titled -Secret Art-

"Pay attention Naruto! It's a pain but I'll try to keep it simple. Try to find some storage space for this information somewhere in that shiny smooth brain of yours." Sakura Said and began her lecture on chakra.

Naruto was following at the beginning but became gradually lost midway which no one noticed but Shun who has literally taught Naruto how to easily escape from trouble in school and out of school.

His expression was expertly trained to look as though he was paying attention, but only the two of them knew he wasn't.

"That's correct!" Kakashi said as the girl finished her lecture causing her to beam for whatever reason.

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever." Naruto nodded and looked at Kakashi. "I don't do so well with long explanations, but if you could just show me, my body can learn."

'Now that's my boy.' Shun nodded with smile. "Naruto's right. We all already employ the ninja arts and techniques." Sasuke said with his usual emotionless expression.

"Wrong! None of you get has full mastery over your Chakra." Kakashi said.

"What!?"

'I really need to teach Naruto how to keep calm. Why didn't I do that all these year?' Shun thought to himself as Naruto raised his voice unnecessarily again.

"Now listen." Kakashi said and began his explanation on the manipulation of chakra. How it is the mixture of physical and spiritual energy combined in the body. "Right ow, none of you are using your chakra effectively." He concluded.

"No matter how great your chakra, the amount you Summon and manipulate, of you can't maintain your balance, whatever the technique... Not only will the effectiveness of your maneuver be cut in half, you could also blunder so badly that the Ninjutsu won't be released at all." Kakashi explained.

"And because you are squandering your chakra, you not only lack the stamina for protracted battles, but you also develope significant vulnerabilities."

"So uh... What do we do?" Naruto asked as he chuckled while scratching his head. He knew that this explanation was actually for him as he has never been able to create and maintain a clone.

Clone. Not Shadow Clone.

"You learn to control your body through the harshest training, as for your chakra... Go out on a limb and learn from experience." Kakashi said with a mystical air around him causing the trio's attention to be on him.

"How do we do that?"

"How..?" Kakashi took a dramatic pause once again. "We climb trees."

GAH!

The tree Genins who were expecting something more adventurous immediately feel headfirst to the ground.

"Well, he can proudly say he knocked out three Above Kage Tier Shinobi without moving an inch." Shun muttered to himself. "Isn't that right Feathers?"

Quack!

"I know. I know. They're still Genins. But in the future..." He took a dramatic pause of his own. "We'll see."

Quack! Quack.

"No. No. Feathers, I'm not learning bad habits. If anything, he's learning from me."

Quack.

"What are you talking about? I literally created bad habits." Shun said proudly.

Feathers simply gave up and shook her head at her useless master.