Kakashi woke up to the faint scent of medicinal herbs, the dull ache of chakra exhaustion, and the distant sound of—
"I CAN'T BELIEVE HE JUST FAINTED LIKE THAT! HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE COOL ONE!"
Kakashi sighed. Ah. So we're doing this today.
His eye cracked open. He was lying on a futon in a simple wooden house—definitely not Konoha, which meant they were still in Wave.
Across the room, Naruto was standing with his arms flailing, vibrating with what could only be described as deep personal offense at Kakashi's moment of weakness.
Sasuke was seated nearby, arms crossed, watching Naruto's tantrum with a deadpan expression. He was still in peak brooding form.
And then there was Sakura.
She was perched on a stool, spinning a single senbon between her fingers with clinical precision.
The sight sent a memory flashing through Kakashi's mind...
Zabuza collapsing. The senbon in his neck.
His eye sharpened. "...So," he started, voice still hoarse. "You didn't do that?"
Sakura blinked. Her expression remained neutral, but the weight of her gaze was enough to make even him pause.
"Sensei," she said evenly, "if I had done it, you wouldn't need to ask."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+200 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Lethal Precision is a Personality Trait.)
Kakashi stared.
Naruto gawked. "S-Sakura…?"
Sasuke's gaze flickered toward her, silent but assessing.
Sakura simply continued spinning the senbon. Her movements were slow, deliberate—her aura radiating something that made the entire room still.
And then…casually, she spoke again.
"The placement was too shallow," she noted. "It looked fatal, but it was deliberately non-lethal. Whoever struck him knew exactly where to place their senbon."
The words were measured. Cool. Surgical.
His eye narrowed.
"...You know the exact weak points of the human body."
A statement, not a question.
Sakura finally looked at him. "Of course."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+150 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Unnerving Your Own Jōnin Sensei.)
Naruto audibly swallowed. Sasuke shifted, as if mentally cataloging this new information.
Kakashi, however, wasn't entirely surprised.
Sakura had already demonstrated unnatural chakra control and a sharp analytical mind. This was simply another piece of the puzzle.
Still…
She's getting too cool.
He needed to reclaim his aura fast.
"...Right," he said, slowly pushing himself into a sitting position. "Where are we?"
Naruto snapped out of his daze. "Tazuna's house! We dragged you here after you PASSED OUT."
Sakura exhaled sharply. "Tch. Chakra exhaustion. How inelegant."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+15 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Disrespecting the Coolest Person in the Room.)
Kakashi ignored that. "And Zabuza?"
Naruto scowled. "That Hunter-nin took him."
Kakashi frowned. "Took?"
Sasuke's voice was quiet but certain. "They didn't dispose of the body."
Ah.
Smart boy.
Kakashi exhaled. "Then Zabuza is alive."
Naruto's eyes went wide. "WHAT?!"
Sakura, however, barely reacted. Instead, she twirled the senbon once more before pocketing it.
"I thought so," she murmured.
Kakashi blinked. "...You thought so?"
She tilted her head, expression calm. "The 'kill' was too clean. A Hunter-nin shouldn't have left with the body. The lack of blood confirmed it."
Naruto was still reeling. "You mean we have to fight him again?!"
Sakura's lips curled slightly. "Of course."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+10 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Not Even Remotely Intimidated.)
Kakashi inhaled.
…He was proud. Very proud.
And also slightly terrified.
"...Well," he finally said, slumping back against the pillow. "I suppose we should start planning for Round Two."
Naruto grinned. Sasuke rolled his shoulders, a smirk growing on his face.
And Sakura?
She simply nodded, as if it had already been decided
***
Kakashi sat cross-legged in front of them, posture relaxed but voice firm.
"Alright, from what I saw earlier, all of you have already learned tree-walking and water-walking on your own."
The three nodded.
"Good. That saves me some time. Now, Zabuza is out of commission for a week. That means I have seven days to train you all before he comes back at full strength."
Naruto bounced on his feet, grinning ear to ear. "Finally! Time for some super cool jutsu!"
Sasuke, ever the picture of calm, simply crossed his arms and waited.
Kakashi pointed at him first.
"Sasuke, you're the only one here who can already generate elemental chakra, so I'll be teaching you a Fire Release jutsu."
Sasuke gave a sharp nod, eyes glinting with anticipation.
Then Kakashi turned to Naruto. "Naruto, since you don't have elemental chakra control yet, a week isn't enough time for you to learn a high-level jutsu."
Naruto's grin faltered. "Wait, what? Then what do I get?"
"We'll be focusing on your taijutsu."
Silence.
Naruto twitched. "WHAT?! That's not fair! So Sasuke gets to learn a super-cool jutsu, and I have to do boring taijutsu drills?!"
Kakashi sighed. He should've expected this.
"Naruto," he started, rubbing his temples, "you have the largest chakra pool in this team. But you fight like a brawler, not a shinobi. You're all strength, no form. If you fix your stance and learn actual combat techniques, your overall fighting ability will improve dramatically."
Naruto grumbled. "Still doesn't sound cool…"
Sakura, exuding an aura of supreme, unshakable authority, spoke.
"Naruto."
A simple word. A simple name.
And yet, Naruto suddenly felt the weight of every bad decision he had ever made.
"You do realize," she continued, tone calm and razor-sharp, "that if you get better at taijutsu, your shadow clones will fight better too, right?"
Naruto blinked.
Then realization crashed into him like a Rasengan.
His shadow clones.
If he got better, they got better. If they got better…
His grin returned. "Oh."
Kakashi gave Sakura a subtle nod. Good. She knows how to push the right buttons.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+30 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Gaslighting future Hokage.)
Then Kakashi turned to Sakura. "As for you, I'll be teaching you a genjutsu. Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique."
Sakura's gaze sharpened. "And what does it do?"
"It alters the perception of a battlefield," Kakashi explained. "You can make an area look different… hide traps, make openings seem closed, or even disguise yourself in plain sight. With your chakra control, you'll pick it up quickly."
Sakura nodded.
Kakashi showed her the hand-signs and just as he got up to go focus on Naruto…
The training ground blurred. Trees vanished. The clearing darkened. For a split second, it felt like the entire area had shifted into another reality.
Kakashi, The Copy Ninja, took a slow, deep breath.
She had already cast it.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You had that one already, didn't you?"
Sakura's lips curled ever so slightly. "Who's to say?"
Naruto furiously rubbed his eyes. "OI, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
Ding!
[Aura Store]
Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique bought! (Cost: 2000AP)
Kakashi exhaled. "…You're dismissed."
Sasuke blinked. "What?"
"She already mastered the technique," Kakashi said flatly. "There's no reason for her to stay."
Naruto gawked. "WAIT, WHAT?! SHE GETS TO LEAVE?!"
Kakashi nodded. "She's the strongest at chakra control and already knows genjutsu. She's best suited for protecting Tazuna. I need to focus on fixing Naruto's foundation and teaching Sasuke his Fire Release."
Sakura gave them all a final glance.
Naruto, stunned.
Sasuke, calculating.
Kakashi, resigned.
She turned on her heel. "Alright, then. I'll make sure Tazuna stays alive."
And just like that, she walked away, the wind blowing back against her coat as it drifted. The leaves scattered…
And she was gone.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+30 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Leaving the scene like an overpowered anime character.)
Sasuke clenched his fists. Naruto scowled.
Sakura had already mastered her technique and left them behind.
Which meant they had no excuse not to get stronger. They were all thinking the same thought.
Damn she's so fucking cool.
Kakashi smirked under his mask. Good. Let that competitive spirit push them forward.