Kamizuki Hikari, who had recently drawn the suspicion of a few people, was sitting on a tree branch, basking in the breeze and the warm sunlight.
For him, the day could have been perfect.
Lazing around, maybe stopping by the ramen shop to chat with Ayame, or hanging out at the Hokage's office—it all should have been ideal.
But that was only a "should-have-been."
Now, he had three more brats under his care.
"Damn you Kakashi... you will regret this!"
Thinking of the culprit behind all this—Kakashi—Hikari once again felt the strong urge to punch someone.
That shameless guy better not cross his path.
---
"Finally... made it back... I'm dead!"
Naruto, who was the first to run back, collapsed flat on the ground.
Shikamaru and Chōji held up a little better, while Sasuke was drenched in sweat but still kept up his cool facade.
"Strange, we didn't get this tired just from running before!" Sakura tried to analyze the situation. As shinobi, maintaining stamina and adapting to long-distance travel were basic skills.
But now, those skills seemed useless, which was frustrating.
"Relax, you just have to accept that nothing makes sense around Hikari-senpai." Ino said knowingly, waving her hand as if she had seen it all before.
Sakura just let out a dry laugh. She didn't trust Ino's words in the slightest.
As if she would ever just let things slide!
"I noticed while running that my chakra was draining at a subtle rate, and my stamina was burning faster too." Sasuke's two-tomoe Sharingan flashed as he glared at Hikari. "Care to explain?"
But he underestimated Hikari's shamelessness.
"Maybe you just didn't notice before."
Brushing it off casually, Hikari jumped down from the tree.
Of course, he couldn't exactly tell Sasuke: "Oh, that's because I placed a bit of special chakra in your bodies, and it absorbs your energy to strengthen your physique."
Naturally, the dose for Team 7 was nowhere near what he gave to the Ino–Shika–Chō trio. After all, those three were officially acknowledged as his disciples.
"Honestly, I'm not even sure how to train you guys," Hikari admitted. "Sakura, your chakra control is precise, and with the Hokage as your mentor, you're on a clear path. There's really no need for you to waste your time with me."
Sakura: 'As if I wanted to be here. Sure, you're handsome, but it's nothing compared to admiring Sasuke-kun.'
"Whatever. Since you're all here, I might as well show you how Team Ino-Shika-Chō used to train." Hikari pointed at a nearby tree. "See those fist marks? Shikamaru, explain them."
'What, me again?' Shikamaru grumbled internally.
But under Hikari's "intensely encouraging" gaze, he had no choice but to comply.
"Alright, everyone, step right up. Let me introduce how we trained back then." Shikamaru took on the tone of a tour guide, explaining seriously to Team 7.
"See the bloodstains on this tree? Those came from us punching it over and over."
"Look at this fist mark—that's mine. That one's Ino's. And that's Chōji's. Pretty cool, huh?"
It was a classic case of forgetting the pain once the scar heals. Back then, Shikamaru had been the last one to finish that phase of training.
Luckily, neither Ino nor Chōji exposed him.
*Thud!*
Naruto punched the tree purely out of curiosity—then yelped in pain.
"Ow! That hurts!"
"Of course it hurts. What'd you think this was, a game?" Shikamaru scoffed, then demonstrated.
*Crunch!*
His fist sank into the tree, leaving a smooth dent. Naruto's eyes widened.
"No way! Is this tree fake?"
"You're the fake here." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "We trained to let our chakra flow instinctively, then used it to protect our fists during strikes, increasing attack power."
"Kind of like your Rasengan. But its chakra cost is insane—I couldn't use that even if I wanted to."
The Ino-Shika-Chō clans were Konoha's pillars, and while they couldn't learn certain jutsu, they had access to plenty of intel.
Take Sasuke's Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan, for example—both A-rank jutsu from the Scroll of Seals, requiring exceptional talent.
"I see..."
Naruto made a shadow clone, then gathered chakra.
"Rasengan!"
With his clone's help, the Rasengan formed. The others quickly stepped back.
*Boom!*
The Rasengan smashed into the tree, tearing out a massive chunk. Naruto grinned smugly.
"See? Still doesn't compare to my Rasengan!"
Truthfully, Naruto wasn't afraid of pain at all. With the Nine-Tails inside him, he had endured far worse. He only downplayed things so Shikamaru wouldn't feel too bad.
Besides, he didn't see how this training would help him.
"It's not stronger than my Chidori either," Sasuke muttered.
Watching Shikamaru's demonstration, comparing their current strength, Sasuke wasn't impressed. He had hoped to see Hikari's true skills, but if this was it... he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
"Compared to Rasengan and Chidori, yeah, it falls short. But this method suits us better."
"Not all jutsu are about raw power. It depends on what fits each person. Imagine Naruto training in Chidori while you, Sasuke, trained in Rasengan. Would it work the same?"
Not everyone could recklessly burn through chakra like Naruto.
The fact that he could make Rasengan a staple technique was unbelievable to many jōnin.
Even Jiraiya couldn't casually throw them around without concern.
Most shinobi needed to measure their chakra consumption carefully.
"In life, at every age, there are limits. Having power far beyond your peers as a child isn't always a blessing."
Hikari spoke casually as he walked closer. "This training method has already been submitted to the Hokage's office. With your status, getting the details won't be hard. And I didn't bring you here just to mess with you."
"Sakura's talent is excellent—perfect for becoming Tsunade-sama's disciple. But because of her natural limits, surpassing Tsunade-sama will be very difficult."
"As for Naruto and Sasuke—you two have potential that surpasses 99.99% of shinobi in Konoha."
"The Rasengan and Chidori are, in my view, the techniques most suited to you both. Now... I'll assign your next stage of training. Look forward to it."
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