Chapter 41 – Shouldn’t he...

[Fūinjutsu (Active/Passive) Lvl 21] 

[Katana Mastery (Passive) Lvl 25] 

[Shadow Clone (Active) Lvl 5 CP Cost 500] 

'I knew it.' Laughing joyfully, Raito dispelled the clone, who was running low on chakra points, and then walked out of the room. 'Mission then some more reading.'

Outside the Hokage tower, in the training ground, Raito threw a punch, trying to hit Naruto. However, Naruto used his shadow clone to divert Raito's attention, and subsequently launching a counter-attack. 

From the side, Hinata swiftly swiped at Naruto's legs, dispelling his clone. She then jumped, aiming to strike Naruto. However, Naruto used his Shadow Clone again to block Hinata's attack.

Undeterred, Hinata turned and hit the clone's back, then invaded real Naruto's space. Her fingers moved with precision, stopping just inches away from Naruto's neck. 

Naruto was pushing himself to the limit, utilizing his shadow clones and tapping into his vast chakra pool at every sparring and training sessions. 

Hinata, too, had undergone a transformation. She shed her earlier hesitation towards sparring, discarding the tendency to hold back that she once had.

Let's thanks Hokage-sama for pairing Kakashi with them. He always had something valuable to teach—be it a trick, a turn, or even a feint. His advice was like a godsend to Naruto, who had experienced less-than-ideal training teachers.

Kakashi consistently whispered something to Hinata, causing her to squint her eyes. She appeared a bit ferocious each time, but it undeniably yielded results.

"You lose." Raito announced, gasping for breath. He checked his clothes and found a lots of dirt spots. 

"Naruto-kun, you need to work on your techniques." Hinata commented, bringing water bottles from somewhere.

"Uh…" Naruto nodded, sitting in the shade of the tree alongside Raito and Hinata. 

"You should have defended when I attacked you at the face." 

Naruto, Raito, and Hinata discussed on their fighting techniques, trying to improve their combat styles. 

And while this was happening, a ninja clad in a Chūnin jacket stood at the corridor, peering out of the window while observing the trio. The ninja was none other than Iruka, his face adorned with a slight smile. 

"Cute, aren't they?" A lazy voice from behind asked. 

"Kakashi-senpai, I believe keeping them in a group is well-deserved." Iruka turned to face Kakashi, who was engrossed in his orange book.

Iruka sighed and started, "And, Kakashi-senpai, please go to the mission desk for today's assignment, and... please make sure to report on time. Kota is starting to complain."

Kakashi closed his book and shifted his gaze to Iruka. Turning to look at Raito and the group, he smiled slightly, "They can handle those D-Rank missions at any time. I'm just letting them enjoy their moment." 

Iruka rubbed his temples, and after some casual chit-chat, headed to teach his class. 

Kakashi observed his Genins training and could not help but feel an itch in his heart. 

After discussing their strategy, Raito and Naruto formed a pair to launch an attack on Hinata, putting her in a defensive position. A similar scenario played out when the other two teamed up against Raito. As time passed, noon arrived without any interference from Kakashi or interruptions to their training. 

And As noon arrived, academy students began pouring out as classes had come to an end. 

To avoid drawing attention from other students, Raito discreetly made hand signs as he exited. Hinata, perplexed, stared at him for a moment. 

Naruto, already on his way out, pulled Hinata along and said, "That hand sign means 'move out'. There are lots of hand signs we use when skipping classes and evading the Chūnin patrolling the village." 

"Naruto-kun, I-I know a few of those hand signs. Where did you learn them?" Hinata asked thoughtfully. She had picked up the hand signs from Kurenai during her time under her tutelage. 

"Anko-nee and Yūgao-nee taught us. They said that we would need to learn those skills in the future. So, why not learn them now?" Naruto responded as he climbed the stairs.

"Me, Raito, Shika, and Chōji. We all have learned them." Naruto continued joyfully. 

Hinata glanced toward Naruto, her small mouth seemingly poised to ask him for guidance, but she hesitated, concerned that Raito might decline. 

"Take this," Raito said as he tossed a small notebook, "Make a copy and return it to me."

As the trio ascended the stairs, traversed the bridge, and approached the mission desk, a languid voice greeted them, "You three finally decided to show up."

Kakashi lounged in a chair, nonchalantly engrossed in his book while idly toying with a stone bead in his other hand. 

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto called out loudly. 

Hinata bowed with her hands clasped together. 

Raito also nodded, then shifted his gaze to the woman opposite him, a mischievous light twinkling in his eyes.

"Hey, Nee-chan, were you late today too?" Raito asked in a nasally voice. 

"Eh?" The woman flinched, looking at the kid in front of her. 

Smiling, Raito added, "Kota-senpai mentioned that you're always late, just like Kakashi-sensei. I wonder why?" 

The woman's face turned, and she looked down. It was true that she was taking advantage of Kota, who was soft-hearted, to just sleep of an extra few hours of sleep. 

Taking a scroll and entering the scroll serial number, Raito jolted down his identification number. 

"I don't think you should do that. Kota-senpai is a naturally good-hearted person. While you're getting a few extra hours of sleep, he's staying up a few hours late." Raito mumbled, his chakra activating in minuscule amount. 

Kakashi, who had been sitting, was now by Raito's side, his hand pressing on Raito's shoulder. 

"Don't start being mean again, Raito." Naruto shouted, delivering a punch to his shoulder.

"Um, Miss, don't pay attention to him. He's just talking nonsense. If you want to sleep, go ahead and sleep more. I'm sure no one will mind. Hmph, isn't it just getting a bit more rest?s" Naruto said with a smile, then questioned with a harrumph. Little did he know how much his words truly hurt the woman.

Raito stood frozen as he felt his chakra slowing down, starting from his shoulder.

Raito glared at Kakashi who looked back at him with a smile. 

"There isn't anyone around, so I…" Raito said in a hushed voice, audible only to Kakashi. 

"How could I forget my ID number?" Kakashi laughed as he entered his number and tore open the scroll. 

"It's chopping firewood." Naruto said as he and Hinata entered their ID numbers. They followed Raito and Kakashi, who had already left the mission desk, leaving the woman alone.

"Why are you using that technique?" Kakashi asked. 

"She's a selfish person, and I think it was really unfair for Kota-senpai, and it's just a suggestion type." Raito tried explaining, but the way he avoided eye contact wasn't helping him much.

Kakashi sighed, saying, "Kota was already aware of the situation. It was his choice to not do anything." 

"But-" 

"It's his choice. Let it be." Kakashi gently rubbed Raito's head.

Feeling irritated, Raito swatted Kakashi's hand away and walked towards the mission destination using the Gamer's power. "This isn't right!"

'Wrong things should be corrected, shouldn't they?' 

'Shouldn't she have come on time?'

'Shouldn't Kota-senpai say something or do something about this?'

'Why should she take advantage of him?'

"Hey, where's Raito?" Naruto asked form behind. He scanned the area searching for Raito.

Kakashi glanced into the distance and replied, "He's already ahead." 

Hinata activated her Byakugan and searched for Raito. Observing that he was rushing towards the mission destination, she sighed in relief. 

Raito charged ahead, his breath heavy, hot air streaming from his nostrils. Within a few minutes, he reached the mission destination, where houses were scattered and trees abundant. 

Walking forward, Raito discovered that the mission led to a two-story plain wooden house. A generously proportioned woman was busy hanging clothes to dry. 

As if sensing his gaze, the well-endowed woman turned around, locking eyes with Raito.

"Little ninja, who might you be?" The woman dried her hands and walked forward. 

"Ahem. My name is Raito, and I'm here for a mission." Raito introduced himself as he took out the scroll and handed it to the woman. 

The woman quickly went through the scroll and returned it to Raito. "Where is your team, little ninja?" 

"They'll be here soon. I just… got a bit too excited." Raito fibbed, his face betraying a hint of embarrassment. 

The woman studied Raito for a moment before waving her hand, signaling for him to follow. Raito trailed behind her and entered the house, taking a seat and patiently awaiting Kakashi and the others. Every so often, he felt a prick at the back of his neck. He glanced behind and even utilized his 'Chakra Sense,' but he couldn't locate anyone, leaving him feeling uneasy. 

Raito stood up and walked forward, gradually making his way out of the house 

"Where are you going?" the buxom woman called from behind. 

"Nowhere in particular. My team is running late, so…" 

"Raito!" Naruto's loud voice interrupted, causing Raito and the buxom woman to turn around. 

"Oh my, Kakashi. It's you again." The busty woman walked forward and slapped his arms. 

"Isako-san." Kakashi made a slight bow. "How have you been?"

"Still the same." She laughed heartily. "These kids, yours? And this one…is a bit wild." Isako looked at the three, then pointed at Raito with her eyes. 

"And look at him; it seems like he was angry about something." Isako whispered and smiled. "How childish." 

Isako clapped, grabbing everyone's attention, then pointed to the back of the house and said "You are chopping firewood for me. They are at the back, as always. I'll be back by the end of the day." 

Isako, the buxom woman, chattered incessantly about things that they should watch out for before abruptly darting out of the house like a gust of wind. 

"Uh… that's…" 

Walking around the back of the house, Kakashi called out, "You lot have tons of work to do." 

Raito, gripping an axe in his hand, grinned at the log before him. Hoisting the axe overhead, he struck the log with full force while activating the skill. '[Power Strike]' 

THUD 

The axe split the log into two equal halves and hit the stump below, making a loud noise. 

Naruto, who was at the side, flinched for a second before placing another log on the stump. 

Raito, who had a devious smile on his face, continued to split the logs for a long time before Kakashi asked him to stop and let others try. 

[Power Strike (Active) Lvl 3 Exp 10% CP Cost 100] 

Strikes the target with a strong force. 

- Increase Damage by 200%(+6%) 

"Down!" Naruto shouted as he split the log.