The days continued to blend seamlessly into one another as Teams 2 and 7 settled into the rhythm of their mission. The persistent clanging of hammers and the rasps of saws echoed across the mist-shrouded Land of Waves, a steady reminder of the bridge's slow but determined progress. Every passing day tested their endurance, but a shared sense of purpose kept the group grounded—well, most of them.
Naruto's arduous journey to mastering the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu had finally reached a breakthrough, albeit at a significant cost. Unlike the ease depicted in the original timeline, his path was fraught with complications, especially with the loss of his right hand. The precision and control required for one-handed seals pushed him far beyond the realm of conventional training. Every distorted clone and every puff of dissipating smoke stood as a testament to his sheer grit and stubborn determination.
Ironically, it was exhaustion that became Naruto's unlikely ally. By draining his vast chakra reserves through relentless effort, he unwittingly narrowed the scope of his chakra flow, making it easier to control. By dawn, after an entire night of ceaseless practice, he had finally managed to create stable shadow clones. The victory was not one born of natural talent but of unrelenting perseverance—a reflection of his indomitable will.
Tomaru, who had observed the process from a distance, understood precisely why Naruto had succeeded. His Tenseigan had tracked the boy's chakra fluctuations throughout the night, revealing the intricate interplay between effort and adaptation. For Naruto, the path to success lay not in raw power but in the rare moments when his boundless energy was tempered by focus.
By the time Naruto staggered into Tazuna's house late the next day, he was groggy, disheveled, and starving. The smell of dinner wafting through the air jolted him to full awareness.
At the table that evening, the usual lively chatter unfolded as plates of rice, grilled fish, and steamed vegetables disappeared at a rapid pace. True to form, Naruto dominated the conversation, animatedly recounting his long night of training.
"And then—bam! I nailed it! My clones were perfect!" he exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his chopsticks. "Okay, so maybe they were a little wobbly at first, but I got it right after, believe it!"
Mai nearly choked on her tea, snorting with laughter. "Perfect? Sure. Let's call it that. You sure it wasn't just your clone feeling sorry for you and deciding to cooperate?"
Naruto glared, puffing out his chest. "Hey, it's not like you've ever had to do one-handed seals, Mai! This stuff is hard work!"
"Hard work?" Mai teased, raising an eyebrow. "If rolling around in the dirt all night counts as hard work, then yeah, you're a real genius."
Naruto opened his mouth for a retort, but Mina interjected calmly, adjusting her glasses. "To be fair," she said, "mastering any advanced technique with only one hand is commendable. Especially for someone like Naruto, whose chakra reserves make control more difficult."
Naruto beamed at Mina, his earlier indignation forgotten. "See? Mina gets it! Thanks, Mina."
Sasuke, who had been quietly eating, glanced at Naruto but said nothing. His neutral expression gave little away, but the subtle flicker of acknowledgment in his gaze wasn't lost on Naruto, who puffed his chest out even further.
As the meal wound down and the clatter of plates began to fade, Tomaru, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the evening, stood up. The scrape of his chair against the wooden floor drew everyone's attention, even Kakashi, who lowered his book to observe.
Without a word, Tomaru disappeared into the kitchen. The faint clinking of glass and ceramic filled the silence as the group exchanged curious glances. Moments later, he reappeared, carrying a small, neatly decorated cake. It wasn't extravagant—just a simple round confection with white frosting. Written across the top in slightly uneven icing were the words "Good Job, Naruto!"
The room fell silent.
Tomaru placed the cake in front of Naruto. "For your progress," he said simply.
Naruto stared at the cake, his jaw slack. "Wait… for me? Really?"
Tomaru nodded. "You reached an important milestone. That deserves recognition."
For a moment, Naruto was completely speechless, his gaze darting between the cake and Tomaru. Then, a wide grin spread across his face, his exhaustion seemingly forgotten. "I… I don't know what to say…"
Mai smirked. "How about, 'Thanks, Tomaru, for being the nicest guy ever'?"
Naruto ignored her, still staring at the cake in awe. "A cake… for me? This is amazing!"
Tomaru handed him a knife. "It's your achievement. You should do the honors."
Naruto grabbed the knife eagerly, his hands trembling slightly. As he began cutting the first slice, the cake tilted precariously, prompting Sakura to lean forward with a half-smile. "Careful, Naruto. Don't ruin your own celebration."
Naruto stuck his tongue out in concentration and finally managed to cut a somewhat uneven slice. He handed the first piece to Tomaru, grinning sheepishly. "Here. For you. Since, you know, you made it and all."
Tomaru accepted the slice with a faint nod. "Generous."
The rest of the team watched in varying degrees of amusement as Naruto distributed the cake. When he reached Sasuke, the Uchiha hesitated briefly before taking his piece with a curt nod. "Not bad," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
Naruto's grin widened impossibly further. "See? Even Sasuke thinks it's great!"
Mai rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress her grin. "Don't get used to it, Naruto. Next time, you're the one baking."
Naruto's face paled, his mouth hanging open. "What?! I don't even know how to bake!"
"That's what makes it fun," Mai replied with a mischievous wink, clearly enjoying his panic. The table chuckled, the mood light as the team continued to eat.
Naruto pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You're out to ruin my life, aren't you?"
"I live to entertain," Mai replied with an exaggerated shrug, earning a smirk from Mina and Sakura.
As the laughter began to settle, Mina leaned forward slightly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Speaking of incredible accomplishments," she began, her tone measured, "I've always wondered about Kakashi-sensei's rise to fame."
Naruto perked up, a piece of fish halfway to his mouth. "Huh? What about Kakashi-sensei?"
Mina glanced toward the man in question, who was leaning lazily back in his chair, one hand holding his ever-present Icha Icha Paradise. "Well, considering how… unconventional he is now, it's hard to believe he became a Jonin at twelve. How does that even happen?"
Mai, who had just taken a sip of tea, nearly choked. "Wait, what?! Jonin at twelve? Are you serious?"
Mina nodded. "It's in the records. He was one of the youngest shinobi to ever achieve the rank."
All eyes turned toward Kakashi. Even Sasuke, who had been silently poking at his food, seemed to pause.
"Twelve?" Sakura echoed, her voice caught between awe and disbelief. "That's practically our age. How is that even possible?"
Naruto slammed his chopsticks down, pointing at Kakashi with wide eyes. "Sensei! Is that true? You were a Jonin at twelve?!"
Kakashi didn't even glance up from his book. "Mm-hmm," he hummed nonchalantly, turning a page.
Mai threw her hands up in exasperation. "How is that all you have to say about it?!"
Kakashi finally lowered the book, his visible eye crinkling with mild amusement. "What do you want me to say? I trained. I worked hard. The village needed someone capable, so I stepped up."
Naruto groaned in frustration. "That's so boring! It's like you woke up one day and said, 'Guess I'll be a Jonin now.'"
"Essentially, that's what happened," Kakashi replied, his tone maddeningly casual.
Mai narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You're holding out on us. Come on, there's got to be more to it than that."
Kakashi sighed, snapping his book shut with a soft "thwap." "Fine," he said, leaning forward slightly. "If you really want to know, let's just say I spent a lot of my childhood training. Missions, survival exercises, mastering jutsu."
The table grew quiet as Kakashi's words settled over them. Even Naruto, who rarely stayed quiet for long, looked contemplative.
"But it wasn't just training," Kakashi continued, his voice softening. "The Third Shinobi War was raging, and the village needed all the help it could get. I… didn't have much of a childhood, to be honest. It was all about becoming strong enough to protect the village."
Mai broke the tension with a sardonic grin. "So basically, you skipped childhood and went straight to being a grump?"
Kakashi's eye crinkled in faint amusement. "Grump? I prefer 'efficient.'"
Sakura's expression softened, her voice tinged with empathy. "That sounds... lonely."
Kakashi shrugged, his tone lightening. "Perhaps. But it was necessary. Besides," he added with a sly smirk, "if I hadn't worked so hard back then, I wouldn't have earned my reputation for tardiness. I'm merely reclaiming lost time now."
Mai groaned, slapping her forehead. "You mean all those times you're late… it's because you're relaxing?!"
"Exactly," Kakashi said cheerfully, leaning back in his chair again.
Naruto threw his hands in the air. "That makes no sense! How does someone go from being a prodigy to... this?!"
"It's called balance," Kakashi replied, his tone as infuriatingly calm as ever.
Mai muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "insufferable," but Kakashi ignored her, returning to his book with an air of finality.
Sasuke, who had been silent throughout the conversation, finally spoke up, his tone sharp. "So, you're saying the only reason you got stronger was because you worked harder?"
Kakashi's gaze flicked to Sasuke, his lazy demeanor shifting ever so slightly. "That's exactly what I'm saying," he replied evenly. "Talent can only take you so far. The rest is effort."
A quiet tension lingered between the two for a moment, but before it could escalate, Mina spoke up, her voice calm and measured. "It's not just effort. It's direction. Training without purpose doesn't lead anywhere."
Kakashi nodded, his tone returning to its usual nonchalance. "Exactly. Focused effort yields results."
Naruto groaned, dropping his face into his hands. "Great. So not only do I have to work harder, but I have to think about it too? This just keeps getting worse."
Mai smirked. "Don't worry, Naruto. You'll figure it out eventually… probably."
Naruto glared at her. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."
For a moment, Kakashi seemed taken aback, the question pulling him inward. "Happy?" he echoed, as if the word were foreign. "Happiness wasn't something I considered. I had duties, and I fulfilled them."
The room seemed to shrink under the weight of his words, yet just as quickly, Kakashi's usual aloofness returned. "Anyway, I'm making up for all that lost relaxation now." He propped his feet up on the table, ignoring Tazuna's muttered protests.
Mai groaned again, throwing up her hands. "So that's why you're always late? You're 'relaxing'?"
"Exactly," Kakashi replied with a grin, turning back to his book.
Naruto buried his head in his hands. "I'll never understand this guy."
Mai grinned, her tone teasing. "If Kakashi-sensei could be a Jonin at twelve, there's hope for us yet."
"Certainly," Kakashi interjected without looking up. "You just need to train like your life depends on it... because it often will."
Naruto slumped in defeat. "Great. Now I have to bake, train, and worry about becoming stronger. What's next? Sewing ninja outfits?"
Mina smirked. "Don't give him ideas."
Laughter erupted around the table, the camaraderie palpable. Yet amidst the levity, Sasuke's gaze lingered on Kakashi, his thoughts inscrutable. Meanwhile, Naruto's exaggerated complaints about "lazy teachers" elicited another round of mirth, the warmth of shared humor offsetting the challenges that loomed ahead.
As the laughter in Tazuna's dining room began to quiet, the door slid open with a soft creak. All eyes turned toward the new arrival: Sayuri Koizumi, her auburn braid slightly tousled from the evening breeze and a focused glint in her emerald eyes. She removed her sandals and stepped inside, her scarf draped neatly over her shoulders.
"Welcome back, Sayuri," Kakashi replied, not even glancing up from his book. He was reclining, as usual, in a chair tipped dangerously far back, feet resting on the edge of the table.
Sayuri's gaze flicked to him, her expression tightening slightly. "I see you've been hard at work maintaining your reputation."
"Seems like I came back to you teaching my team your philosophy of laziness."
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in amusement. "Not laziness—balance. It's important for young shinobi to understand the merits of pacing themselves."
"Though I admit I'm curious—what pearls of wisdom have you been sharing tonight, Kakashi? I hope it's something other than the art of appearing two hours late."
The playful energy Kakashi had cultivated shifted as the room seemed to hold its breath. Naruto, Mina, and even Mai leaned forward slightly, caught between awe and trepidation at Sayuri's commanding presence.
Sayuri, however, didn't linger on the banter. She glanced at Naruto, noting his determined expression. "I see progress has been made today," she remarked, her tone softening just enough to acknowledge his efforts.
Naruto beamed, sitting up straighter. "Yeah! I mastered Kage Bunshin!"
"And promptly passed out," Kakashi added with a lazy grin.
Sayuri shook her head, allowing a faint smile to break through her usually strict demeanor. "Progress is progress," she conceded. Then her attention shifted back to Kakashi.
"Speaking of which," she began, her tone gaining a sharper edge, "while I ensure this mission's success through surveillance and strategic planning, you've been... philosophizing."
"That's one way to put it," Kakashi replied lightly, clearly unfazed.
Sayuri crossed her arms, her sharp gaze shifting over to the rest of the group. Naruto, Mai, Mina, Sasuke, and Tomaru had been listening, their curiosity piqued. "If you're finished enlightening my students with your 'balance,' perhaps you can supervise them for a while tomorrow. I'll need time to focus on surveillance."
"So, Kakashi," she said, her tone casual but deliberate, "since you're all about training and balance, I have a suggestion."
Kakashi looked up from his book with the kind of cautious curiosity one reserves for unpredictable questions. "Oh?"
Sayuri's lips curled into a subtle, almost challenging smile. "Why not show these kids what real training looks like? A demonstration, if you will. Something... memorable."
The room buzzed with intrigue, the students exchanging eager glances. Even Kakashi seemed momentarily interested, though his relaxed posture betrayed nothing.
"Memorable, huh?" Kakashi murmured, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose I could manage that."