Three weeks later.Training Ground No. 7.
What am I supposed to do? - that was the only thought running through my head as I lay there on the ground. I was completely drained - mentally, emotionally, everything. Staring up at the clear blue sky, I could only think one thing: I'm screwed.
"Naruto… are you okay?" Sakura-chan asked cautiously, clearly worried.
"…"
I didn't answer. I felt hollow. Empty inside.
I could feel Sasuke's gaze on me too, but honestly - at the that moment, I didn't care what he was thinking.
"Oh, looks like I'm late again. What happened to Naruto?" Kakashi-sensei's voice finally cut through the silence.
"We don't know… He was already like this when we got here. He's acting really strange today. Do you think something's wrong with him?" Sakura said, concern obvious in her voice.
"Hm… I think I have an idea." Kakashi replied, stepping closer and studying me carefully.
I kept staring at him… or rather, through him. I wasn't really seeing anything. I didn't have the strength - or the will to react. One thought kept looping in my head: I failed.
"And?" Sakura pressed.
"He's burned out," Kakashi said flatly, clearly not happy about it, as he pulled something out of his pocket.
"Burned out…?" she repeated, confused.
"For the past three weeks, you've all been training on your own for several hours a day, on top of our team sessions. No breaks. Naturally, you've all gotten stronger," Kakashi explained.
"So what's the problem?" Sasuke asked.
"The problem is… if the two of you put in around sixty hours of training over those three weeks," Kakashi continued seriously, "then Naruto's number needs to be multiplied by however many shadow clones he used. Roughly a hundred."
"…" Sasuke went quiet, clearly doing the math.
"Wait… that means Naruto trained for about six thousand hours in three weeks?! How is that even possible?!" Sakura exclaimed in shock.
"The Shadow Clone Technique is a forbidden B-rank jutsu for a reason," Kakashi said. "Each clone consumes chakra, but more importantly - the user gains all the experience and feedback when they dispel. That means Naruto's mental and emotional fatigue has been stacking up nonstop. Honestly, I expected him to break much sooner."
"...!" Sakura looked even more shaken now. I could feel her staring at me.
"So what now? How long is he going to just lie there being useless?" Sasuke asked bluntly.
"Hm… Alright, decision made. No mission today," Kakashi said, suddenly sounding almost upbeat. "We're spending the day getting Naruto back in shape. And no extra solo training - for anyone."
"Okay!" Sakura agreed immediately.
"…Hope I don't regret this," Sasuke muttered, but he didn't object.
"Good. Now then… say 'ah,' Naruto."
Before I could even react, Kakashi shoved a piece of chocolate into my mouth.
" - Kgh! ...! Tch! What the hell is this?!" I instinctively started chewing and immediately regretted it. The taste was awful. Bitter as hell. My eyes watered, and the aftertaste made it even worse. I rolled onto my side, spat it out, and started coughing.
"Perfect. Let's go!"Without warning, Kakashi hoisted me onto his back and started moving.
"…" Being carried like that felt… strange. His back was warm. Steady. For the first time in a while… I felt safe.
"Where are we going, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she walked beside us.
"Somewhere Naruto will recover fast - Ichiraku," he replied.
"Grrr…" The moment I heard Ichiraku, my stomach growled loudly.
"...!" Yeah… that was embarrassing.
"Hehe…" Sakura tried and failed not to laugh.
About ten minutes later, we arrived. Even outside, I could already smell the rich, heavenly aroma of the broth. My stomach growled again.
As we stepped inside, Teuchi-san greeted us with his usual warm smile—but the moment he saw me, his expression tightened with concern.
"Hello… Naruto, what happened to you?" he asked worriedly after greeting the others.
"Don't worry, Teuchi-san," Kakashi answered for me. "Naruto just overtrained and burned out. We figured your food would help bring him back."
"I see…" Teuchi nodded, then looked at me with determination. "In that case, I'll give it my all today. I'll make the best ramen I can for my favorite customer!"
"…Thanks," I said quietly, feeling a bit of warmth at that.
As Teuchi got to work, Kakashi sat me down at the counter. He took the seat to my left, Sasuke sat on my right, and Sakura next to him. Slumping forward, I rested my head on the table and closed my eyes. The smell of spices and fresh ingredients filled the air. I could still feel Sasuke's gaze on me - guess that was his way of showing concern. Typical tsundere.
"Naruto… I've been meaning to say this for a while," Sakura started softly. "We should ease up on training. Especially you—with your shadow clones. I can't even imagine how hard you've been pushing yourself these past three weeks…"
"…" I didn't answer, but I turned my head slightly and met her gaze.
Her emerald-green eyes were… really beautiful. And so was she. The more she changed, the more I started to like her.
"We've already gotten a lot stronger. You've managed to learn and master several C-rank elemental techniques. Sasuke-kun has gotten even stronger thanks to his dōjutsu and Shunshin. And I've improved a little too… Not to mention, you and Sasuke developed a combined elemental technique and even formed contracts with summoning animals!" Sakura-chan continued, listing everything we'd achieved.
If only you knew who we're about to face… At our current level, we wouldn't even last ten seconds against Orochimaru. I failed… I let the team down. My plan fell apart…
The thought weighed heavily on me. I slowly looked away, turning toward the blank wall of the ramen shop. The image of that monstrous snake in the forest—and the helplessness I felt—still lingered in my mind.
…
Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi noticed I wasn't in the mood to talk, and none of them pushed it.
"Here you go! A special ramen for my favorite customer! Lift your head and dig in, Naruto!"
Teuchi-san broke the silence, placing a massive bowl in front of me.
"Grrr… Itadakimasu!"
I straightened up and froze for a second. The bowl was huge, piled high with toppings. My stomach growled loudly at the sight, and the moment the aroma hit me, I didn't waste another second.
The first sip of broth and everything else faded away. I closed my eyes. For a moment, all the frustration, all the weight pressing on my chest… just disappeared. The rich flavor exploded across my tongue, and before I even realized it, I was smiling.
"Amazing…" Sakura-chan whispered, noticing the change in my expression.
"Mm! This is incredible!!!"
At that point, I didn't care who was watching. My entire focus was on the ramen.
"Glad you like it, Naruto! Eat up—I'll make you more!" Teuchi-san said with a wide grin.
…
Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi watched me eat, all with faint smiles. Looks like they were glad to see me back to normal.
Half an hour later.
"Ugh… I'm stuffed," I muttered after finishing yet another massive bowl.
My stomach felt heavy, but I couldn't stop smiling. It was that good.
Food really does taste better when you're not the one paying for it, I thought.
Gradually, the fog in my head started to lift. Yeah, I still felt a bit embarrassed for worrying everyone… but at the same time, there was warmth there too. When I needed them, they were by my side.
Still…I let them down… That thought refused to go away.
After Kakashi-sensei paid the bill, we went for a walk. Getting some fresh air in the streets of Konoha helped a bit, and soon enough, Kakashi suggested a light team exercise. We agreed and headed back to the training ground.
After a short warm-up, Kakashi explained the drill.
"The Shadow Triangle."
Simple in concept, but tricky in practice. The three of us had to move across the training ground while maintaining a strict triangular formation, keeping exactly two meters between each other at all times. Meanwhile, Kakashi would try to disrupt us - throwing projectiles, creating smokescreens, messing with our visibility.
We struggled at first.
But eventually… we got it.
And for the first time that day, I felt it clearly - we were moving as one unit. A team.
Maybe that had been Kakashi's goal all along.
"Good. That's enough for today," Kakashi said. "You're dismissed. And I strongly recommend putting your evening training sessions on hold for a while. Naruto - stay. I want to talk to you."
The others left.
"…What did you want to talk about, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked once we were alone.
"Come with me. There's something I want to show you." He looked… thoughtful, serious.
We walked in silence. Fifteen minutes later, we arrived and I finally understood. The memorial stone. The one dedicated to fallen shinobi.
"I come here almost every day," Kakashi said quietly. "Whenever I have free time… I talk to my teammates."
…So it's true. This was the real reason behind his constant lateness. Every time he said he "got lost on the road of life"… he'd actually been here. Standing in front of this stone. Talking to Obito and Rin. I hadn't expected him to open up like this.
… I stayed silent, letting him speak.
"You're pushing yourself hard, Naruto. Training every day, giving it everything you've got. If you were doing this alone… I would've stopped you a long time ago."
His voice turned colder.
"Because this..." he gestured toward the stone " ...would've been your destination. Your name carved into it. Or worse… you might've ended up like me."
… That hit harder than anything.
I lowered my head, thinking about everything he'd been through.
"But like I said… you're not doing this alone," Kakashi continued, his tone softening. "You took responsibility for your team. You train with them. And I'm proud of what you've achieved together."
He looked straight at me.
"But you're trying to go beyond your limits too fast. Your mind can't keep up with your growth. You need to slow down."
I looked up at him and for once, it was obvious.
He was genuinely worried.
…But it's still not enough… I clenched my fists slightly and lowered my gaze again.
"I believe in you, Naruto," Kakashi said quietly, stepping closer and placing a hand on my shoulder. "So do Sasuke and Sakura. Whatever's driving you… whatever burden you're carrying—you don't have to carry it alone."
And with that, he left.
…
I stood there, alone in front of the stone. Stepping closer, I read the names. Hundreds… no - thousands. All of them had Lives. Stories to tell. People wo loved them.
Closing my eyes, I replayed Kakashi's words in my head. And after a while… I finally understood one thing. He was right. To hell with my failed plan. I'm not giving up. The road ahead won't be easy… but I'm not walking it alone.
**Author's NOTE: Long time no see! Here is new chapter. Hope u will enjoy it, even if it is not about action.