"Sasuke, let's do some extra training today."
"Sakura, want to join?"
"Okay!" Sakura accepted Naruto's invitation without a moment's hesitation.
The three of them headed towards the training grounds.
Along the way, Sasuke kept replaying the details in his mind.
He shouldered the heavy burden of reviving the Uchiha clan, so he needed to get stronger as quickly as possible.
Yet, he was already twelve years old and hadn't even reached Chunin, let alone Jonin.
Then he looked at those geniuses.
Itachi became a Chunin at ten; Kakashi became a Jonin at twelve.
Compared to them, he was far too lacking.
How could someone like him revive the Uchiha clan?
Sasuke's heart seethed with unwillingness.
Although he had been training consistently and his strength was probably enough to contend with a Chunin, it was still far too inadequate.
Thinking of this, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little worried.
An excellent supervising Jonin would undoubtedly influence a ninja's entire life. If Kakashi had no real skills, then his own progress would definitely not be fast.
Although Kakashi had the reputation of a genius ninja, judging by his unreliable appearance, he seemed obviously weak.
How was he supposed to get stronger like this, how was he to find the truth?
Seeing Sasuke's preoccupied look, Naruto understood his concerns and offered comfort, "Don't worry. Kakashi might seem unreliable, but he's the Copy Ninja who has mastered over a thousand jutsu. In my opinion, he's a very suitable supervising Jonin for you."
"Kakashi has completed 42 S-rank missions, every single one perfectly. His strength has long surpassed that of an ordinary Jonin. Sasuke, aren't you currently researching lightning-style chakra nature transformation? Kakashi can definitely help you with that."
A curve touched Naruto's lips.
With Minato as his information hub, Naruto's understanding of Konoha was perhaps on par with the Third Hokage's.
"That's good then." Hearing this, Sasuke also felt relieved, his expression no longer so tense.
Just then, Naruto and Sasuke heard a resonant, high-pitched male voice from the end of the street.
"Well done, Lee! I saw your passion for training! It's so moving! This is the hot blood of youth, this is the charm of youth!! Everyone, let's do three laps around Konoha on our hands today!!!!"
Four figures appeared at the end of the street.
One of the taller men was dressed in a bizarre green jumpsuit, sporting a bowl haircut, and was walking on his hands.
Following behind him were three students jogging with their faces covered.
It was none other than Guy and his three students.
"Huh? It's Naruto! And Sasuke, and also a... girl?" Rock Lee was the first to spot Naruto. He immediately abandoned Neji and Tenten, running towards Naruto, leaving Guy weeping emotionally behind him:
"On a bright sunny day, a young man, sweat glistening, sprints towards his dear friend! This scene is the most perfect interpretation of youth! This is the expression of friendship! I have witnessed youth blossoming in this very moment!!! This is youth!!!!"
"Naruto, Sasuke, and this is...?" Rock Lee arrived in front of Naruto, his gaze settling on Sakura.
Under Naruto's influence, Rock Lee's aesthetic sense had changed somewhat, so he hadn't fallen for Sakura as he did in the original story.
In his view, anyone who could stand beside Naruto was definitely a master.
So, this pink-haired girl must possess some kind of remarkable talent.
The number of strong companions around Naruto was growing.
He absolutely couldn't afford to drag them down!
Today's training volume would be doubled!
"Her name is Haruno Sakura. She's a member of our squad," Naruto introduced.
After the introductions, both sides gained a preliminary understanding of each other.
Guy's team had also approached from behind. Guy finished his handstand, gave a thumbs-up, and flashed his pearly white teeth. "Yosh! Young Naruto, young Sasuke! To meet in such romantic weather, this must be youth!"
Guy still remembered his spar with Naruto back then.
The memorable Kekkei Genkai; even now, he could recall the details of that battle.
After several years of development, Naruto's demeanor had become more composed and introverted.
At first glance, he looked like a child who couldn't even truss a chicken. But Guy knew that Naruto's strength had reached a new level.
Over these past few years, Naruto and Sasuke had also sought Guy's guidance on Taijutsu.
To be precise, if Guy's Taijutsu was called second best in Konoha, then no one could claim to be first.
Under Guy's instruction, their Taijutsu had improved by leaps and bounds.
Therefore, they held considerable respect for Guy.
"Hmph." Just as both parties were chatting amicably, a cold snort from behind caught Naruto's attention.
He turned his head and saw Neji's characteristic Byakugan and a face full of hostility.
Naruto recalled that about a year ago, Guy had proposed a sparring match between Naruto and Neji.
Neji was arrogant. Although he had lost to Rock Lee, his pride hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Guy had also wanted to use this opportunity to temper Neji's sharp edges.
After all, for a ninja, pride was the greatest weakness.
At that time, Neji had looked down on Naruto, believing the gentle Naruto had no talent for Taijutsu.
And then he was mercilessly beaten black and blue by a series of Naruto's combination attacks, even breaking a few ribs.
To this day, Neji still remembered the expression on Naruto's face—a gentle smile—as he set his bones back then.
Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.
"Neji, long time no see," Naruto said, offering Neji a gentle smile.
"L-long time no see," Neji hastily composed himself, responding somewhat reluctantly.
Ever since that thrashing, he had developed a psychological trauma regarding Naruto.
So, he silently moved to the side, earnestly playing the part of a listener.
The group's conversation turned to their supervising Jonin.
"Naruto, who is your supervising Jonin?" Lee inquired.
"Kakashi."
"Kakashi? That name sounds familiar." Lee scratched his head in confusion, feeling like he had heard it somewhere before.
"Kakashi, eh? That guy is my eternal rival!" Guy exclaimed with a sigh.
Only then did it dawn on Lee and the others.
"I remember now! Isn't Kakashi the rival Sensei Guy always talks about, his opponent in the burning flames of youth? He wouldn't happen to share Sensei Guy's fashion sense, would he?"
"That should be impossible, right? I can't imagine anyone else wearing the same style of clothes as Sensei Guy."
"Sensei Guy, who's stronger, you or Kakashi?" Lee and Tenten chirped, asking eagerly.
This question made Naruto's trio prick up their ears, expectantly awaiting Guy's answer.
"If we're talking about strength... out of 100 matches, he might win 51. But if we're talking about youth! My boiling youth is incomparable to his! I..."
"Kakashi is actually that strong?" Sasuke looked astonished.
He clearly understood Guy's strength; Guy was outstanding even among Jonin.
According to Rock Lee, Guy's trump card Taijutsu techniques could even allow him to instantly take down a Jonin.
That Kakashi, though his reputation was great, his first impression certainly didn't scream 'powerful.'
With Guy's testimony, Sasuke was now full of anticipation for Kakashi's instruction.
The group chatted for a little longer, and then Naruto's team made excuses to leave.
Just as they were about to part ways, Guy suddenly spoke, "Young ones, would you like to join us for some hot-blooded youthful training?"
"Training? That sounds quite reliable," Sakura said, looking a bit dazed. However, before she could react, Naruto and Sasuke dragged her away.
"No thanks, we're going for a meal."
"That's truly regrettable! Then it's up to us to unleash our youth!" Guy roared at his three team members, "Let's do three laps of frog leaps around Konoha together!"
Seeing Guy's bizarre style, Sakura suddenly understood why Naruto had refused Guy's invitation.