He had no intention of dying here.
At the side, Haku stopped Zabuza, noticing the murderous intent in Zabuza's eyes.
If Gato continued spouting nonsense, Zabuza really might kill him.
"Lord Zabuza, after all, he is our employer," Haku said softly.
Zabuza glanced at Haku but said nothing further, lowering the Executioner's Blade in his hand.
However, the bone-chilling aura emanating from Zabuza made Gato fully grasp the terror of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
Gato took a few steps back and muttered, "If you don't kill Tazuna before he finishes that bridge, don't expect to get the rest of your payment."
After throwing out that threat, Gato quickly ran out of Zabuza's hideout.
Although Gato was a vile man, he paled in comparison to someone like Zabuza, who had slaughtered all his classmates upon graduating from the Ninja Academy.
Once Gato had fled, Zabuza turned to Haku. "Why did you stop me from killing him?"
Haku walked to Zabuza's side and calmly explained, "Killing him would only cause chaos, which might lead to the Hidden Mist's Anbu tracking us down."
Zabuza said nothing more.
Meanwhile, in the forest behind Tazuna's house, Kakashi stood before Yoruha, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.
Looking at the four, he said, "Starting now, you'll begin your training."
"For chakra control, one of the best exercises is... tree climbing."
The moment Kakashi said this, Naruto burst out laughing. "Climbing trees? Kakashi-sensei, who can't climb a tree? How is that training?"
Kakashi ignored Naruto's comment and walked to the base of a tall tree.
Lifting one foot, he placed it against the tree trunk.
Slowly, his other foot followed, sticking to the tree trunk.
Now, Kakashi stood perpendicular to the tree.
It looked as if he was just standing on flat ground.
This sight left Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura utterly stunned.
"Kakashi-sensei is actually stuck to the tree!" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Kakashi then walked step by step up to the top of the tree.
He even hung upside down from a branch, his feet glued to the tree bark.
This left Naruto and the others completely dumbfounded.
Hanging upside down, Kakashi began explaining, "You need to gather chakra at the soles of your feet. The amount has to be precise. Too little, and you'll fall off. Too much, and you'll lose your grip."
"If you can do what I'm doing, your chakra control will improve significantly."
After finishing his explanation, Kakashi descended from the tree.
"Now, go ahead and give it a try," he said, addressing the group.
Naruto couldn't wait any longer, shouting as he rushed toward a tree.
Sasuke walked to a tree silently, his expression focused.
Sakura chose a tree between the two boys.
Yoruha, however, remained still, standing in place.
He had already mastered this exercise.
Kakashi didn't say anything about it either. He knew Yoruha had already learned this technique long ago. This training was mainly for Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.
Naruto's first attempt ended with him falling flat on his back after just one step.
He hit his head hard, a massive bump forming almost instantly.
"Ow! It hurts! It hurts so bad!" Naruto cried, rolling around on the ground, clutching his head.
Sasuke, on the other hand, managed a few steady steps up the tree. But midway, his chakra control faltered, and he fell.
However, his landing wasn't nearly as embarrassing as Naruto's.
To everyone's surprise, Sakura succeeded on her very first try.
She was now sitting comfortably on a tree branch, waving cheerfully at the others.
"Kakashi-sensei! Look!" she called out.
Naruto, still writhing on the ground in pain, looked up at Sakura sitting confidently on the tree. His face was full of admiration, though he couldn't help but yell, "Sakura is amazing! As expected of the woman I've set my eyes on!"
Even so, deep down, he felt a little bitter.
Although Sakura was the girl he liked, jealousy still crept in.
Sasuke glanced at Sakura and frowned.
Unlike Naruto, Sasuke wasn't jealous of her. He had already known that Sakura's chakra control was excellent.
Right now, he was debating whether to ask her for tips, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, Sasuke usually carried himself with an aloof demeanor.
At the Ninja Academy, he was always the top student.
To ask Sakura for advice now would be a blow to his pride.
Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sasuke, smiling. "I didn't expect Sakura to be the first one to succeed. As expected, when it comes to chakra control, Sakura is still the best."
"Someone keeps saying they're going to be Hokage, but it looks like that's all talk," he added, glancing at Naruto.
Then, Kakashi turned his attention to Sasuke.
"Seems like the Uchiha clan isn't all that exceptional after all."
His words directly targeted Naruto and Sasuke.
Of course, Kakashi wasn't genuinely trying to insult them; it was a form of reverse psychology.
Both Naruto and Sasuke had strong egos.
This method was the most effective way to motivate them.
As expected, Naruto was the first to react. "Kakashi-sensei, that was just a fluke! I'll get it right next time!"
Sasuke, on the other hand, stayed silent, quietly moving back to the tree to try again.
When Naruto approached a tree, he noticed Yoruha standing still next to Kakashi, not participating.
Puzzled, he asked, "Yoruha, aren't you going to train?"
Before Yoruha could reply, Kakashi answered on his behalf, "Yoruha has already mastered it."
"He succeeded on his very first try."
Naruto's mouth twitched.
He really shouldn't have asked.
Knowing full well that Yoruha was much stronger than the rest of them, it was obvious he had already trained in this technique before.
Sasuke said nothing and focused on climbing the tree again.
Sakura, still sitting on a branch, looked down at the two boys.
She also noticed Yoruha.
"Yoruha must have mastered it a long time ago. That's for sure—he's so strong."
"What a strange person. He's so outstanding, yet I barely noticed him at the Ninja Academy."
As memories of the two times Yoruha had saved her surfaced, Sakura felt a sense of fondness toward him.
Of course, it was the kind of affection one felt for a friend.
After all, Yoruha was practically her savior.
Now, she was deeply curious about him.
Even though they had been classmates for six years, Sakura realized she knew almost nothing about him.
While Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura continued their training, Kakashi turned to Yoruha and said, "They'll work on their exercises, and I'll teach you something else."
The two left the group and walked to a lake a few hundred meters away.
Standing by the lakeside, Kakashi sighed. "This reminds me of that night. We were by a lake just one. If your chakra hadn't gone out of control back then, you would've succeeded."
Yoruha nodded slightly. "It was unexpected, but I think I can manage it now."
"Oh? You think you've mastered it?"
Yoruha glanced at Kakashi and smiled. "Shall I give it a try?"
Kakashi took a few steps back.
"If your chakra goes out of control again, the consequences will be too great."
Yoruha shook his head. "It won't. I'm confident I can succeed this time."
Kakashi hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Go ahead and try. I'll keep an eye on the surroundings."
After saying this, Kakashi retreated several dozen meters.
The range of Yoruha's chakra outburst that night had been enormous.
Kakashi wasn't taking any chances by standing too close.
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