For example, Uchiha Sasuke could now perfectly perform several Fire Style ninjutsu. But in fact, Sasuke's control over his chakra was not perfect; it was actually quite poor. The one who was really good at precise chakra control was Sakura Haruno. Therefore, although Sasuke could release ninjutsu, he actually wasted a lot of chakra in terms of refinement and control.
Not to mention Naruto. His main skill was to overwhelm opponents with his great force and huge amount of chakra, but he had no ability to control it precisely. This was why he had mastered the Shadow Clone Technique so quickly but was not very good at the basic Clone Technique. Now, Naruto's training was equivalent to starting from scratch. He practiced desperately and didn't give up at all for the entire day.
What a pity. Some things could not be achieved just by working hard. Just the first step, transforming chakra into wind, was enough to make him completely unable to achieve his goal. A whole day passed, and Naruto's proficiency improvement was almost negligible. This completely soured the good mood he had from completing his goal. Even sleeping at night was restless.
…
On the second day of summer vacation, Naruto, who was feeling dejected, suddenly saw Hinata's figure downstairs from his window. This made him grin instantly. He finally felt a lot better. Because it was a holiday, Hinata was wearing more casual clothes. She had even worn a rare little skirt to see Naruto, and she still had her sun hat on her head. She looked very casual, like she was ready for a summer day at the beach, which set off her beauty and made Naruto feel a little moved.
Hinata saw him staring at her blankly and felt shy. She pulled down her sun hat and whispered, "Naruto-kun, what are you looking at…"
Naruto also noticed his lapse and scratched his head, laughing dryly three times. "Aha, aha, no, nothing…"
Because this was a make-up lesson they had scheduled in advance, the two of them didn't delay for long and started studying quickly. However, Naruto was still a little absent-minded when he thought about his ninjutsu training, which had made no progress. Hinata was very sensitive and soon noticed his abnormality. "Naruto-kun, is something troubling you?"
Although Naruto couldn't tell her about the existence of the System, he still gave her a general idea. "I'm trying to practice a Wind Style ninjutsu, but I'm making no progress at all. Hinata, do you have any ideas?"
Hinata blinked her eyes. "Hm… the best way is, of course, to find a senior ninja who is skilled in Wind Style ninjutsu to teach you."
Naruto's heart moved. "A senior who is good at Wind Style ninjutsu?! That makes sense! But… who should I look for?!"
Naruto suddenly understood after hearing Hinata's suggestion. However, this was easier said than done. How easy was it to find a good teacher?! In this ninja world, among the factors that determined a ninja's upper limit, a famous teacher was of utmost importance! This was especially true for civilian ninjas, those without a family inheritance. If Sakura Haruno hadn't met Tsunade, she probably would have been an ordinary chunin at best in her life. The same was true for Naruto now.
He worriedly said, "But where can I find such a senior mentor?"
Hinata thought about it and shook her head. "In fact, most of the ninjas in the village have missions. Those who can guide the younger generation are the jonin leaders. But even if you're a jonin leader, you only teach your own team. How can you have the time to care about others? Not to mention, finding a Wind Style ninja that's perfect for Naruto-kun… there are only a few ninjas who are skilled in Wind Style."
Naruto could only sigh. "Forget it, let's find another way. Hinata, let's continue with our make-up lessons!"
"Okay, Naruto-kun."
The morning's tutoring session passed quickly, and Naruto felt that he had benefited a lot. He excitedly invited Hinata to stay for lunch again, and the two of them went to the kitchen together to enjoy another delicious meal.
Hinata was reluctant to leave. "Naruto-kun, what are you going to do next?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Since I can't practice my Wind Style ninjutsu, I'd better go to the training ground to practice taijutsu first."
"Well, come on, Naruto-kun! I… I will also cheer for you!"
Naruto smiled generously and said, "Okay! Let's work hard together!" Hinata then tilted her head, gave a gentle and sweet smile, and waved goodbye to Naruto.
Looking at Hinata's departing back, Naruto sighed. Compared to taijutsu, he really wanted to practice ninjutsu more now. But there was really no progress. He shook his head and headed towards the training ground as planned.
However, at this moment, Rock Lee was not the only one on the training ground.
"Lee! Hey…" Just when Naruto was about to greet them excitedly, he found that not only was Rock Lee there, but also the thick-browed teacher, Might Guy, that annoying Hyuga Neji, and another female ninja were all there. "Huh? What's going on?!"
Rock Lee heard Naruto's call, smiled brightly, and waved at him from a distance. "It's Naruto! Sorry, I'm afraid I can't train with you starting today!"
"Why? Why?"
Might Guy laughed out loud. "Naruto, don't you understand?! Because Lee is already a member of our Third Squad!"
"Third Squad?!" Naruto's heart moved, and then he suddenly realized. Rock Lee was one grade higher than him, had successfully graduated from the Ninja Academy, and had joined the team of a leading jonin. In other words, he was already a true genin.
Naruto could see Rock Lee's extremely excited expression. He had found the teacher who suited him best: Might Guy! Naruto couldn't help but feel envious. "Congratulations, Lee, for graduating successfully and joining Thick-Eyebrows-sensei's team!"
Rock Lee gave a thumbs-up. "I'm excited too! I never expected to join Guy-sensei's team! It's simply the greatest luck of my life!"
If it were yesterday, Naruto might have been just as excited for Lee. But now, of course, he was still happy for him, but he also felt a little lost. Because from today on, Rock Lee had found his own teacher. But he didn't have one. Not only had he lost a teacher, but he had also lost Lee, who had practiced with him before. Naruto still managed a smile and gave Rock Lee a thumbs-up.
The female ninja standing by looked Naruto up and down. "Uzumaki Naruto… he's the guy who's been in the spotlight recently. I heard that he defeated that genius ninja, Uchiha Sasuke."
Hyuga Neji, on the side, just snorted coldly.
Rock Lee shouted, "Yes, that's him! Naruto and I also made a pact with Neji that we would have a fair fight with him in a year to determine the winner!"
Tenten frowned. "With Neji? I hate to say this, but it seems like you two don't stand a chance of winning."
Might Guy laughed out loud. "Really? So that's how it is! Regardless of the outcome, having an opponent is a good thing! It forces and motivates you to improve! Take me, for example. I have a lifelong rival. His name is… Hatake Kakashi!"
Tenten said, "Hatake Kakashi? The Copy Ninja with the Sharingan? Guy-sensei, I heard that he is a famous genius, known throughout the ninja world. Relatively speaking, you don't seem to be as famous."
Might Guy did
n't take it seriously. "Yes! He is indeed a genius! However, in all the battles between him and me so far, I have won more times!" Although Tenten didn't answer, it was obvious from her pouting expression that she didn't believe him.
"Hatake Kakashi?" Naruto's heart moved, and suddenly a bold idea came to his mind. "Hey, hey…"
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