Shinju sometimes dropped by Training Ground Three.
He never meddled with Kakashi's lessons—just leaned against a tree and watched. At first, Kakashi was a little on edge; the visitor was, after all, the Fourth Hokage's eldest son.
After a few visits, he realized Shinju only watched and rarely spoke, and he gradually got used to it.
Today's drill was coordinated combat: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura against Kakashi alone.
Once the spar began, things quickly hit a stalemate.
Sasuke used the Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) to track Kakashi's movements. His taijutsu and fire release wouldn't land—every strike was dissolved with ease. Kakashi even had the leisure to slip around Naruto's shadow clones.
"Your movements are too stiff, Sasuke!" shouted a charging Naruto clone. "Loosen up, do it like me!"
Sasuke ignored him, irritation mounting.
He could read every motion Kakashi made and even copy parts of the taijutsu, yet he couldn't gain the slightest edge. The opponent's experience let him respond ahead of time, turning all of Sasuke's offense into nothing.
Sakura was in an even worse spot. She did her best to mesh with the boys—throwing kunai, setting traps—but her speed and power lagged. What she did meant little before Kakashi, and more than once she even disrupted Sasuke's attacks.
Fooled by a Substitution Technique—Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique)—yet again, Sasuke broke off and panted hard. Sakura, chakra depleted, stepped aside wearing a face full of frustration.
Kakashi brushed dirt from his hands, ready to start lecturing.
Shinju pushed off from the tree and walked over. He looked to Sasuke first.
"The Sharingan's ability isn't only to copy ninjutsu," he said, tone flat but words clear.
Sasuke's body went taut; he turned toward the voice.
Shinju's gaze fell to Sasuke's shoulder and arm. "You can see the opponent's movement—but can you see the opponent's intent? Before the strike, the muscles contract. That moment is what you need to catch."
He went on, "Use the Sharingan to read muscle activation. That's the core of Uchiha taijutsu."
It had never crossed Sasuke's mind. Read the muscles? He'd always treated the Sharingan as a tool to see through moves and copy hand seals. Shinju's words gave him a brand-new lens on the eye.
Shinju stopped addressing Sasuke and turned to the downcast Sakura.
"Among the three, your chakra control is the best."
Sakura's head snapped up, disbelief flashing. For once, someone acknowledged her—rather than calling her weak.
"Don't keep trying to chase them," Shinju said, pointing at a nearby tree and the stream. "Focus chakra into your soles and practice tree-climbing and water-walking. These are the foundation of advanced ninjutsu. When you can run atop the water, then you've earned the right to fight alongside them."
With that, Shinju returned to his tree and became a bystander again.
Silence settled over the field.
Sasuke closed his eyes. When he opened them, the twin tomoe spun. He watched Naruto limber up, attention shifting from Naruto's motions to the muscles of his shoulders and waist.
Sakura looked at her hands, then at the tree. Shinju's words clicked into place. She shouldn't mimic Sasuke and Naruto—her strength lay in chakra control. She drew a breath, walked to the trunk, and tried to gather chakra at her feet.
From his spot, Kakashi watched the two students change and felt a jolt. He'd intended to give similar pointers, but he knew he couldn't phrase them as cleanly—or as effectively—as Shinju just had.
Predicting muscle firing—many Uchiha jonin couldn't do that. Hammering chakra control—precise and easy to overlook—was the right root. How did that boy see it at a glance?
In the weeks that followed, Team Seven's shift was obvious.
Sasuke stopped obsessing over copying ninjutsu and poured more effort into observation.
From the way Kakashi's scapula moved a hair before his arm rose, Sasuke learned to pre-read the angle of the punch.
From the tension in Naruto's legs a split-second before he leaped, he learned to predict the landing spot.
His fighting finally moved from passive reaction to proactive prediction.
The technique was still rough, but the speed of growth surprised Kakashi.
Sakura, meanwhile, stopped joining frontal clashes altogether. Every spare moment, she drilled tree-climbing—Ki Nobori no Shugyō (Tree-Climbing Practice)—and water-walking—Suimen Hokō no Gyō (Water Surface Walking Practice).
From stumbling starts, to barely standing, to now sprinting ten-plus meters up the bark in one go—
Her chakra control was becoming a solid, load-bearing base.
Naruto was still Naruto—endless energy, fast gains. Noticing his two teammates getting stronger in ways he didn't yet grasp only stoked his competitiveness; he trained even harder.
Team Seven's overall rise outpaced Kakashi's expectations. With roles clarified, their coordination clicked.
Kakashi knew the credit belonged to the quiet youth who appeared now and then and said little.
One day after practice, Kakashi walked up to Shinju of his own accord, setting aside his usual façade.
"Shinju…-dono." He hesitated, choosing the honorific. "I'd like to ask something."
Shinju looked up from his book.
"These three have talent, but their personalities are worlds apart," Kakashi admitted. "Naruto is impulsive, Sasuke overthinks, Sakura lacks confidence. I worry those differences will block their teamwork. How should I guide them?"
Shinju closed the book and stood.
"You don't need to guide them. There's no need—they each have their own path."
Kakashi blinked, a beat behind.
Watching the three still straining on the field, Shinju spoke: "Naruto's simplicity and directness will push Sasuke's growth; Sasuke's caution will restrain Naruto. Sakura's support will be their shared foundation and bond."
He continued, "Right now they don't mesh and will even clash. Give them enough missions and pressure—let them handle it, collide, and adapt. They'll find the fit themselves. Your job isn't to change them—it's to trust them. When they're about to break, protect them. That's enough."
"There is always a road forward. If you can't judge the best one, then trust them."
With that, Shinju left.
Kakashi stayed where he stood, turning Shinju's words over.
Trust them… let them grind together…
He'd been trying to correct their flaws—and never considered that those very flaws were what they could cover for each other.
He looked from his three students in the distance toward the path Shinju had taken.
He couldn't help admiring the unfathomable youth. From the first shocks he brought them to the ripples he still caused now—things were only getting more interesting.
With Shinju around, Team Seven's future might even surpass the squad once led by the "Yellow Flash."
(End of Chapter)
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