"It doesn't seem like braised pork," Hinata said softly as she looked at the stir-fried dish, her voice particularly pleasant.
"This is called fish-fragrant eggplant. You need to learn it well, okay?" Naruto instructed.
"Yes, yes, I know," Hinata nodded obediently, her little face becoming serious.
[Experience +1]
"The second dish will be sweet and sour pork tenderloin. Watch closely."
Naruto began teaching again, explaining each step in detail, and at the same time, he didn't forget to have Hinata help him.
This teaching method proved effective. Hinata showed clear progress and learned even more during the following process.
Seeing her progress, Naruto was very happy. If Hinata kept up at this rate for a while, she would definitely become a qualified little chef.
But there was one thing Naruto was concerned about: the experience orbs around Hinata were getting smaller and smaller. It wouldn't be long before they disappeared, and then he'd have to wait for a new storyline to restore some of them.
Fortunately, they were participating in the Survival Exercise tomorrow, and he would be able to continue gaining experience points from Kakashi.
Having figured this out, Naruto wasn't worried anymore. Instead, he and Hinata settled into a happy dinner.
The next day, the Survival Exercise location.
Before the sun had risen, when the sky was still dark, Sasuke and Sakura had arrived early, standing on the grass and waiting silently.
"Strange, why isn't Naruto here yet? He didn't oversleep, did he?" Sakura asked, looking around.
"I don't know."
Sasuke shook his head, though he was puzzled, he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he waited for Kakashi-sensei to show up, eager to pass the Survival Exercise.
However, they didn't expect to wait. They waited from the dark of night until dawn, and then until almost 10 o'clock, but their teacher, Kakashi, still hadn't appeared.
This made Sakura and Sasuke very unhappy, especially when they thought of Naruto sleeping soundly at home. They felt even more unbalanced.
"It's so annoying! They said it was a Survival Exercise, but neither of them came, especially Naruto. He's definitely sleeping in," Sakura complained indignantly.
"Let's keep waiting," Sasuke replied, putting his hands in his pockets in a cool manner.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
A hundred meters away from the Survival Exercise ground, Kakashi was walking leisurely, carrying two Bells as he strolled along.
"Those three brats must be getting impatient, right? I want to hone their patience, and that Naruto kid is definitely getting restless. This time, I'll teach him a lesson. He actually said I was kidney deficient."
Kakashi mumbled lazily, feeling that his method of dealing with the three brats was quite good, and it just happened to dampen their spirits.
"It's about time. It's perfect to go over there now, and I can find an excuse at the same time."
After Kakashi finished speaking, he quickly rushed towards the Survival Exercise location. His incredibly fast movement speed allowed him to arrive at the destination in a very short amount of time.
"Kakashi-sensei, why are you so late?" Sakura complained.
"Ah ha, I met a cat on the way. Hmm? Where's Naruto?"
Kakashi was originally looking for an excuse, but when he saw that only Sasuke and Sakura were present, he was depressed.
He had originally been thinking of using Naruto as the target for his training, but Naruto hadn't shown up. This was truly speechless.
"Naruto hasn't come at all, he must still be sleeping at home," Sakura tattled.
"Sleeping in? That kid didn't show up on time. He needs to be punished." Kakashi frowned.
"No need. I'm here."
A soft voice suddenly spoke. Naruto's figure then jumped down from a large tree, heading towards the center of the exercise.
"Huh?"
Kakashi was slightly taken aback as he watched Naruto approach. He had passed by that area when he arrived, so why hadn't he noticed Naruto?
Kakashi became serious. Something felt off, but then he shook his head.
Naruto had just graduated from the Ninja Academy. It was impossible for him to have any special hiding abilities. The most likely explanation was that he'd just arrived.
"Now that you're here, let's begin the Survival Exercise. Let me explain the rules."
Kakashi pulled out the two Bells and began explaining the rules, going on and on.
"Alright, that's the gist of it. Anyone who gets a Bell before noon passes. Otherwise, it's a failure. Remember, there are only two Bells, and one of you won't get any Lunchbox."
Kakashi pointed towards the Lunchboxes placed near the stone monument, his tone casual.
"Okay!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three figures darted away, the sound of air being torn apart. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all scattered to hide.
Kakashi remained where he was. After a moment, he decided enough time had passed and turned his head.
"The foundation of a ninja is to conceal their presence. I wonder how those three brats are doing?" Kakashi thought, then began to observe. He quickly located Sasuke and Sakura.
"Not bad, they are all hiding well. Hmm? Where's Naruto?"
Kakashi carefully searched, taking nearly a minute, but he couldn't find Naruto. This surprised him.
"Where did this kid go? How can I not find him?"
Kakashi was puzzled, unable to figure out where Naruto was hiding. He decided to focus on Sasuke and Sakura, planning to defeat them first.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Kunai flashed rapidly, passing by Kakashi. He dodged them easily and quickly charged towards Sasuke.
Clang, clang, clang! The battle continued, but against Kakashi's overwhelming strength, Sakura and Sasuke were destined to lose.
However...
After Kakashi knocked out Sasuke and Sakura, he frowned, looking around. Naruto still hadn't appeared, which puzzled Kakashi. He didn't know what Naruto was planning.
Unable to figure it out, Kakashi quickly entered the forest, searching around the exercise area. He soon discovered a figure hidden in a cave a few hundred meters away.
"Found you."
Kakashi smiled slightly and quickly charged towards the cave, easily reaching it with incredible speed.
"Come out, Naruto. You're the only one left. Hiding is pointless now."
"Is that so?"
A faint voice drifted from within the cave, followed by a large group of Narutos emerging from it, all looking at Kakashi with a detached expression.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?"
Kakashi was taken aback for a moment. Then he said, "It's useless. No matter how many cannon fodder you bring, it won't matter."
"Is that so?!"
Teng teng teng teng teng.
Dense shadow clones emerged from the cave, while a large number of shadow clones rushed over from the distant forest, looking at Kakashi with a mocking smile.
Seeing such a massive number of shadow clones, Kakashi's expression became serious. He then said, "Interesting, but not enough."
"Then let's give it a try, attack him!"
Ha! Swoosh swoosh swoosh! Shadow clones swarmed towards Kakashi, engaging in a fierce battle in front of the cave, surrounding him and starting a frenzied fight.
And at the exercise location, several hundred meters away, beside the stone monument.
Naruto's main body was eating his lunchbox in large mouthfuls, leisurely watching the direction where Kakashi was.
"Kakashi, you have to work hard, the game has just begun."
Naruto finished speaking and quickly devoured both lunchboxes, then stretched and leaned against the stone monument, waiting for Kakashi to finish his fight.
But after five minutes, Naruto sat up again.
"It seems like there are a lot of Shadow Clones. He won't really be held up by Kakashi, will he? He's an Elite Jonin. Right, he's low on chakra, way less than me."
....
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