"Hmm... so you're going outside the village to train."
After learning why Goku had come, Kakashi fell into deep thought.
Lately, because the Chunin Exams were being held jointly with the Sand Village and several smaller villages had also been invited, the number of outsiders in Konoha had skyrocketed. There was no telling how many spies had infiltrated along with them.
If Naruto and the others trained inside the village and caused too much of a commotion, they might attract the attention of these spies.
Moreover, the dangerous criminal Orochimaru had also infiltrated the village, and who knew what kind of chaos he was planning.
Although with Goku around, Naruto and the others would certainly be safe, having these hidden dangers lurking nearby was still unsettling.
Having them follow Goku away from all this mess to train peacefully outside before the finals began was a good idea.
"I'll pass the message on to Sakura's parents and Guy. You guys go ahead without worry."
"Oh, and you should fly directly from the back mountains. It'll save you from being spotted leaving the village by anyone with ill intentions," Kakashi said after a moment of consideration.
He knew there were people in the village constantly watching Goku's group.
Although these people acted very covertly, he could still spot some traces of their surveillance—and to Goku, they were completely exposed.
However, since these people hadn't done anything out of line, and Goku didn't care about them, Kakashi had ignored them as well.
"Ha! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Goku grinned, referring to the part about flying away directly.
As for people with ill intentions, he hadn't considered that at all.
"Well, I'm off then!"
Having arranged for his messenger, he didn't linger. Swish! He used Instant Transmission and vanished from Kakashi's home.
"Sigh. Troubled times ahead."
"As one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, what exactly are you planning in Konoha this time?"
After Goku left, Kakashi sighed as he looked out the window.
He was unaware that Orochimaru had confronted Naruto's team during the exam.
Naruto and the others hadn't told him.
Having guessed that Goku wanted to keep his intervention a secret, they had tacitly agreed never to mention the incident, burying it deep in their hearts.
They planned to reveal it only after they defeated Orochimaru themselves, proving to Goku that they were getting stronger.
"Whatever. It's not my problem to worry about. The Hokage is the one who should be getting a headache."
After thinking for a moment, Kakashi pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind.
With this free time, is it better to read a few more pages of Icha Icha Paradise?
Just as he pulled out the book, ready to savour the exciting parts he had read last night...
"Hmm, I should probably report to the Hokage about Naruto leaving the village for training first."
As the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails and the only son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto was always a key person of interest for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
If he discovered Naruto had suddenly vanished from the village, the old man might have a heart attack.
Kakashi didn't even consider whether Hiruzen would agree to let Naruto leave.
After all, knowing Hiruzen's current attitude towards Goku, he knew the Hokage would never refuse such a request.
Meanwhile, back with Goku.
After giving instructions to Kakashi, Goku returned to Naruto's group.
"I've already told Kakashi. He'll let the people you wanted to tell know that you're going out for training," Goku said to Sakura and Rock Lee with a smile.
"I knew it," Sakura smiled brightly.
She had guessed what he was up to shortly after he left.
"Is that so? Then there's no problem. Thank you very much, Goku-sensei!" Lee bowed formally.
"Yosh! No time to lose! Let's get going!" Naruto said impatiently.
Soon, the five of them shot into the sky and quickly left Konoha.
No one in the village noticed a thing.
"Every time I fly, I feel like it's the best feeling in the world!"
Naruto was like a bird released from a cage, darting around and changing directions constantly in the air.
"Yeah, the feeling of flying freely like this... It's just wonderful."
Sakura looked at the blue sky and white clouds within arm's reach, a look of infatuation on her face.
"Kakashi-sensei said that in the ninja world, only the current Tsuchikage can fly."
"But now, besides him, there's us too. It's exciting just thinking about it."
This feeling, as if they were on the level of a Kage, made their hearts flutter.
About half an hour later, Goku's eyes lit up as he spotted a place with several large mountains ahead.
"Let's train here!"
With that, he descended rapidly.
Seeing this, Naruto and the others followed suit.
A moment later, they landed. Naruto asked curiously, "Goku-sensei, why did you choose this place?"
Goku put his hands on his hips and laughed, "There should be plenty of good food around here, so we won't have to worry about going hungry!"
Thud!
Everyone face-planted.
That's the reason??
Picking himself up from the ground, Naruto thought of something. "Goku-sensei, now can you show us the real power of the Kamehameha?"
There were plenty of things around here to use as targets, like a massive rock not far away, standing over ten meters tall—much better than the previous target.
And if that wasn't enough, he could use a mountain as a target.
Mountains were so majestic; putting a small hole in one wouldn't matter.
"Yeah, yeah! I really want to see it too," Sakura chimed in enthusiastically.
Although Sasuke and Rock Lee didn't speak, they looked at Goku with the same expectant eyes.
"Alright then, I'll give you a little demonstration."
Seeing that they all wanted him to show off, Goku readily agreed.
Since this was the wilderness, he didn't have to worry about destroying property or bothering anyone. He just had to be careful not to hurt any innocent bystanders.
He looked around and quickly locked onto a rugged, sparsely vegetated mountain in the distance.
"Watch closely!" Goku took his stance.
"Mm-hmm!" Naruto and the others nodded in unison.
"Ka-me-ha-me-HA!!!"
Whoosh!
The blue sphere of light reappeared, streaking across the ground like a meteor and blasting straight towards the mountain that stood hundreds of meters tall.
Naruto and the others watched unblinkingly, eager to see what kind of mark the Kamehameha would leave on the mountain.
BOOM!!!
When the Kamehameha hit the mountain, an earth-shattering explosion erupted.
Immediately after, the entire mountain was engulfed in billowing smoke.
After a few moments, the smoke cleared. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Rock Lee looked at the scene before them and simultaneously went:
!!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
"You... you've got to be kidding me!!"
Naruto stammered, his eyes bulging out of his head.
The other three either swallowed hard or gaped in shock.
The view before them was now completely unobstructed.
The mountain, hundreds of meters high, which had blocked their view just moments ago, had vanished into thin air, as if it had never existed.
However, they knew the mountain hadn't just disappeared. It had been forcibly erased by Goku's Kamehameha, as easily as brushing dust off a shoulder.
"Goku-sensei! Teach me! I have to learn that!!"
Recovering from his shock, Naruto rushed up to Goku and shouted excitedly.