The air around each Naruko was pretty intense. None of them were shouting, even though it was absolutely chaos. Kakashi realized that the situation might have been a little more serious than he had previously imagined.
He silently hoped that the coupons would be enough.
…
My acting isn't good enough to risk it
I reached Training Ground 33 before the sun even bothered to show itself in the east. The sky had that early dawn color where it was no longer pitch black but still too dark for anyone sane to be outside punching trees. Perfect for me, though, since I was here to train and also avoid anbu surveillance. If I had to guess, then I would say that they left after I fell asleep last night.
Honestly, I picked this place for a very simple reason. I had only been here once before, but that was enough to know that nobody comes this far out at this hour, which means privacy, and more importantly, this river is full of fish. Naruko had discovered that during the month of preparation before the chunin exam finals. Protein and fat are crucial for a growing girl's body, and I refuse to end up as flat and disappointing as my previous life's embarrassing excuse for a chest. If I am stuck in a hot anime girl body, then I deserve to develop properly this time. I don't know if I would be able to develop the legendary 106 like Granny Tsunade. But I will definitely try.
With that extremely noble purpose in mind, I took off my jumpsuit and placed it neatly on a nearby rock. I only had one pair of clothes available right now, and there is no universe where I let this body get sweaty and dirty in that ugly orange prison outfit. Underwear was fine, since it was just me and the clones here, and frankly, this was more comfortable anyway.
I formed the hand seal and created thirty-nine clones, all of them looking equally ready to work hard because if they slacked off, then I would just beat myself up later, literally. I split them into teams and had them start training immediately, while I focused on chakra control exercises like tree walking and water walking. It felt weird how quickly things improved. Ten minutes of having several dozen versions of myself running around and suddenly I had better control than Naruko ever did in the memories. I could walk on water with the same confidence as walking on land, and I did not even wobble.
It made me wonder if this was just Uzumaki genetics doing their magic or if I was the kind of genius who only needed trauma and reincarnation to awaken her true potential. Probably both. Definitely both.
Once I felt confident enough to not suddenly splash into the river like an idiot, I moved on to my main objective for the day. I wanted to master a one-handed Rasengan, and with the help of the clones rotating chakra nonstop, the progress was ridiculous. Fifteen minutes later, I stood there with a swirling ball of destruction resting neatly on my palm, and my jaw nearly dropped. I had no idea if this meant I was gifted or if chakra control was secretly the best cheat code in existence, but either way, I felt like a badass.
I was about to brag to one of my clones about how amazing we were when a ripple of awareness spread through us. Someone was approaching. The clone on lookout from the treetop dispelled itself, and its memories informed me that Kakashi was heading toward the training field.
Oh great. He finally decided to act like a sensei after everything that happened. Part of me felt like ignoring him. But the smarter and slightly more perverted part of me wanted him to see how incredible I already was.
There was a small problem though. I was not extremely confident in my acting skills. So anything too out of my character could be picked up easily by someone like Kakashi.
But there was another way, I could play this off safely while leaving a good impression at the same time.
So I tightened my stance, reassured myself that underwear is basically sportswear, and prepared to train even harder. If Kakashi Hatake came here thinking I was some sad little girl after a rough cat fight with her teammate, then he was about to witness the start of a future monster. A sexy monster, obviously, because I am determined to enjoy every advantage this body has to offer.
…
Kakashi remained where he stood for a noticeable amount of time, unsure how to approach a half-dressed student training with enough clones to stage a small invasion. His single visible eye reflected consideration, guilt, and hesitation in equal measure. Eventually, he exhaled a quiet sigh, accepting that awkwardness was unavoidable this morning.
He walked forward, raising a hand in his usual casual greeting.
"Yo."
The clones vanished instantly, dispelled by Naruko without hesitation. The surge of memories hit her all at once, but she did not stumble or react. If anything, her expression remained perfectly neutral, as though this overwhelming process was simply another step in her routine.
An uncomfortable silence followed. Kakashi's gaze wandered for a moment, trying not to focus on her current lack of clothing. He chose his words carefully.
"Your… clothes?" he asked, unsure of how else to phrase the concern.
Naruko did not shift her stance or expression.
"I had two pairs of jumpsuits. One got destroyed when Sasuke tried to kill me," she replied calmly. "If I wear my remaining one during training, then I would have nothing left to wear afterward. I am also broke."
Kakashi nodded slowly, realizing there was no good response to that.
"I see," he muttered. It was the only thing he could think to say, and even that felt insufficient.
Silence returned, heavier than before.
Naruko chose to end it.
"So, did you want something?"
Kakashi took a moment before answering.
"No. I just wanted to see if you were okay."
"I am not okay," Naruko said plainly, meeting his eyes without hesitation. "But that is not something you can fix. I want to know if you have any information about the pervy sage… or when he will return."
Before Kakashi could respond, a thunderous impact shook the ground. A massive toad landed between them and the river, sending a wave of water into the air. Dust scattered as the creature settled, and standing upon its back was a flamboyant figure with white hair billowing behind him.
Jiraiya posed dramatically, one hand on his hip and the other pointed skyward.
"Did someone call for the super pervert?" he announced with a grin far too proud for the title he claimed. "The great sage of Mount Myoboku, the legendary Jiraiya, has arrived!"
…
Next chapter: Pervy sage, will you teach me in exchange for my virginity?