Naruto's eyes flew open wide, and for a moment, his entire body froze like he had been struck by lightning.
"That's… that's the !"
He stared at the glowing sphere in Kakashi's palm, utterly dumbfounded.
Kakashi-sensei… knows how to use the Rasengan?!
With a casual flick, Kakashi dispersed the spinning orb in his hand, letting the chakra dissolve into the air. He glanced at Naruto and gave a relaxed smile.
"Well? Feeling motivated now? Once you master climbing to the top of the tree, I'll teach you how to train the next stage of the Rasengan."
"Really?!" Naruto suddenly snapped out of his daze and shouted with joy.
Kakashi nodded, his tone serious. "A promise."
The fire returned to Naruto's eyes in an instant. His spirit surged as if a second wind had taken hold.
"Awesome!" He threw his fist into the air with excitement, eyes blazing with determination. "Just watch, Kakashi-sensei! Tree climbing? That's nothing!"
With renewed energy, Naruto bolted toward the nearest tall tree. "Here I go!"
He leapt up, pouring chakra into the soles of his feet as he pushed hard against the trunk.
His foot barely made it two steps up before his chakra slipped out of control. The next second, gravity pulled him down and he landed flat on his back.
"Urgh…" Naruto groaned and winced in pain. But he quickly rolled up to his feet, brushing off the dirt at the corner of his mouth.
"It's fine! That was just a warm-up!" he declared, puffing out his chest.
This time, he approached the tree more carefully. He narrowed his eyes, focused hard, and slowly started again channeling his chakra as steadily as he could into each step.
"Haha! I'm doing it!"
Naruto shouted in triumph but just as the words left his mouth, his foot slipped and he came crashing down from halfway up.
Even with the sting in his rear, he refused to quit. "No problem! I'll just try again!"
Fueled by the vision of the Rasengan in Kakashi's hand, Naruto threw himself into the practice with unshakable enthusiasm.
And with that, the full trio of Team 7 was now hard at work, officially joining the ranks of the "Tree Climbing Army."
For a while, the training ground echoed with the sound of falls, rustling branches, and Naruto's persistent shouting.
"Darn it! Fell again!"
Kakashi leaned lazily against a tree with a copy of Make-Out Paradise in his hands, flipping through the pages with amusement. Even while reading, his lone visible eye kept track of his students' progress.
He could tell each of them was getting close.
Then, without warning, Kakashi's expression sharpened. A breeze swept through the clearing, and with a flicker, he vanished from where he stood.
Meanwhile, the three students continued practicing all the way into the late afternoon.
By the time the sun dipped toward the horizon, they were completely worn out.
Sakura was the first to succeed. With her precise chakra control and natural talent, she had managed to reach the treetop in less than half a day and even plucked a few leaves from above as proof.
Sasuke wasn't far behind. After burning through a large amount of chakra and making several determined attempts, he was finally able to walk upside down along the trunk for a good distance. He hadn't reached the top yet, but he was closing in fast.
Naruto… had started off the slowest. His control was rough, and he tumbled more times than he could count. But thanks to his enormous chakra reserves and a stubbornness that refused to lose he eventually made it more than halfway up the tree.
Now, with the sun low in the sky and golden rays filtering through the leaves, the team finally called it a day.
Sakura landed lightly from the treetop, her breath ragged.
"Ahh, I can't even feel my legs anymore…"
She sat down right where she stood, gently patting her tired calves. Despite her exhaustion, a proud smile stretched across her face.
The day's training had paid off.
Sasuke dropped down from halfway up the trunk, landing with a soft thud. Sweat dripped from his brow as he stared up at the branches still just out of reach.
He silently clenched his fists.
Tomorrow… I'll make it to the top.
Naruto slid down a nearby tree and collapsed to the ground, panting hard. He dragged his sleeve across his forehead, wiping away the sweat.
"Phew… that wore me out…"
Still, a satisfied grin crept across his face. He had almost caught up to Sasuke just a few more steps and he'd be neck and neck.
"Heh… Once I master this tree climbing thing, Rasengan training is next!"
Sasuke stretched his sore arms with a groan. After a brief pause, he cleared his throat and muttered:
"Ahem… Anyway, it's getting late. I'm kinda hungry, so I'll head back to eat. We'll keep practicing tomorrow."
His gaze drifted aside awkwardly, trying to play it cool.
Sakura couldn't help but laugh softly.
Sasuke's excuse was actually kind of adorable.
"Hmph." As expected, Naruto rolled his eyes and muttered with disdain, "If you wanna go home, just say it! Why act like you're suddenly starving? Ha!"
"Wha Who said I want to dream?!" Sasuke's ears turned pink. He quickly snapped back, "You're the one who's desperate for it, not me!"
"Yup, I am!" Naruto replied without hesitation, shrugging with a big grin. "At least I'm honest. You're the one pretending like you don't care so lame!"
He laced his fingers behind his head and started walking off smugly. "Anyway, I'm going home to sleep. See ya tomorrow!"
Watching Naruto's retreating back, Sasuke was so annoyed his fists clenched at his sides. His teeth itched with frustration, but he could only huff and turn away.
Sakura giggled softly behind them, shaking her head.
"You two are unbelievable..."
She knew perfectly well they both had the same thoughts. Naruto was just open about it, while Sasuke pretended to be cool.
As the golden rays of sunset stretched over the village, the three members of Team 7 each headed home, their hearts quietly burning with anticipation.
Naruto jogged all the way back to his apartment.
As soon as he stepped inside, he put water to boil and made himself a hot bucket of instant noodles.
After scarfing it down in record time, he brushed his teeth, splashed water on his face, and flopped onto his bed with a loud thud.
Pulling the covers up to his chin, he wriggled into the blanket like a cocoon.
"Alright sleep, sleep, sleep!"
He shut his eyes tightly, already picturing the dream theater in his mind.
"Please, please," he murmured with one eye cracked open, "Don't let it be pitch black again tonight. Show me something good!"
Night fell over Konoha.
Most of the village was asleep.
Naruto tossed and turned for a while, hugging his pillow in anticipation.
Eventually, his breathing slowed, and his mind slipped into a familiar haze.
His eyes opened to a soft glow.
The dream theater was back.
He was seated once more in that comfy chair, surrounded by shadowy rows of seats and the glowing white screen looming ahead.
Naruto blinked and looked around.
"Huh?" Sasuke wasn't next to him?
He perked up with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Naruto suddenly stood up and shouted into the quiet space, "Why is it always Sasuke who gets the dream?!"
[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuation detected! +200 points!]
A burst of laughter echoed nearby.
Naruto turned his head and saw Sakura smiling at him, hand over her mouth. "Naruto, you're here too?"
After seeing how bright and confident Naruto had been in the last dream, her view of him had changed there was something warm and familiar about this version of him that she found hard to ignore.
Naruto was still sulking as he slumped back into his seat, arms crossed.
The grumpy expression on his face only made Sakura giggle harder. He looked like a puffed-up balloon about to float away.
Naruto huffed, cheeks puffed. "Hmph, so what if I'm here? All I do is sit around watching other people's dreams..." he grumbled, kicking his legs lightly.
But out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Sakura and then quickly looked away.
Wasn't it just the two of them in the whole audience?
The massive dream theater, usually packed with figures, was completely empty except for him and Sakura side by side under the flickering screenlight.
Naruto's heart skipped a beat.
Wait... isn't this kinda like a movie date?
If it had been the old him, he'd have been over the moon right now. His face would've turned red, and he'd be blurting out something dumb.
Now he just wanted Sasuke to show up and take his seat back, any seat! Even if it meant Sasuke sat next to Sakura.
Just get me out of here.
Naruto puffed out his cheeks again, muttering in his heart: I bet that guy's acting all cool, pretending he doesn't care, but deep down he definitely wants to come back! Otherwise, why'd he go to sleep so early, huh?
He was still silently ranting when footsteps echoed down the aisle behind them.
"Ah! Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura turned and greeted cheerfully.
Naruto also twisted in his seat.
Kakashi stood near the entrance to the auditorium, one hand stuffed in his pocket, walking down the steps in his usual lazy stroll.
"Yo," he greeted with his signature one-eyed smile, glancing around.
He gave Sakura a nod, then turned his eye to the empty rows around them, clearly noticing Sasuke wasn't present.
A flicker of amusement passed through Kakashi's visible eye.
"Looks like Sasuke's still holding out," he said with a chuckle. "Guess he didn't fall asleep tonight either."