Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 131: Naruto and Team 10
"I see..." Asuma nodded thoughtfully.
"Then, I'll leave him in your care. You're one of the few wind users in Konoha. Don't be surprised at how quickly the boy learns." Jiraiya gave Asuma a reassuring tap on the shoulder before turning to leave the garden.
"I'll do my best to guide him, Lord Jiraiya," Asuma responded, offering a polite bow. He then turned to his students, who were waiting nearby with Naruto.
"Is he going to train with us?" Chōji asked.
"I'll just be giving Naruto some pointers on manipulating his elemental chakra," Asuma explained.
"Wait, isn't that, like, super advanced?" Ino asked, her eyes occasionally flicking toward Naruto.
"It is," Asuma nodded. "Typically, you wouldn't be expected to learn this until you become a chūnin."
"Aren't you bragging because you already learned some water jutsu?" Shikamaru glanced lazily at Ino.
"Does Shikamaru have to learn it, too?" Chōji asked, looking over at his friend.
Shikamaru, sitting on a cushion and idly moving a chess piece, sighed. "How troublesome... I just wanted to enjoy being a genin for a few more years."
Naruto, curious, glanced at him. "Tsunade told me only one person got promoted. I take it that was you?"
"Naruto, don't talk about Lady Hokage so casually. It reflects badly on her," Asuma gently advised. He knew Naruto had close ties with two of the Sannin, but still offered the suggestion.
"Right, I'll keep that in mind," Naruto replied.
Shikamaru stood up, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I was the one promoted. I hope you're not upset about that."
"Why would I be?" Naruto shrugged. "It was the Council's decision, not yours."
Shikamaru studied him for a moment. He hadn't interacted much with Naruto since their academy days and was still adjusting to his changed demeanor. The Naruto he remembered would've thrown a fit over not being promoted.
"I can't believe they didn't promote you, Naruto! You even fought that giant monster to save the village..." Ino huffed, clearly dissatisfied on his behalf.
Naruto merely shrugged again. "Suppress your desire for glory, and you'll never be disappointed. I'll try again next time, don't worry about it."
"Well said!" Asuma smiled in approval. "Now, let's get started on today's training."
"Wait, I thought we were going to finish that game," Shikamaru gestured toward the chessboard.
"Not today. We have a guest, and we can't look like a bunch of lazy ninjas," Asuma chuckled.
"I'm already a chūnin. Can't I skip this?" Shikamaru complained.
"Not officially, and no," Asuma replied with a smirk. "Until you have your own team, you still belong here, and you'll do what I say."
"Ugh..." Shikamaru groaned.
Naruto, curious, asked, "So what do you normally do?"
"Eat," Chōji replied, grinning.
"Sleep," Shikamaru added.
"My nails," Ino chimed in.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, glancing at Asuma. "And I thought Kakashi was neglecting us."
"Hey, come on!" Asuma protested. "We train sometimes!" His students were making him look terrible.
"Most of our training happens at home. So, yeah, there isn't much to do here," Shikamaru explained.
"Right... You all have your clan jutsus." Naruto nodded, realizing their situation. The three of them relied on special techniques that Asuma could not help them with, so he could only help them with more basic things.
"That's right!" Chōji beamed with pride. "My job is to eat as much as I can. My family jutsus take a lot of calories to use."
"There is a bit more than just eating..."Asuma interjected, turning back to look at Naruto. "These three actually make a great combination when they're serious. Want to see it in action? It could be a good warm-up exercise."
"Wait, you want us three to fight Naruto alone?" Ino asked, a bit incredulous.
"That's unfair," Chōji added.
Shikamaru, on the other hand, was already analyzing the situation. If Asuma was suggesting this, he likely believed Naruto had a chance. After seeing Naruto's performance at the Chūnin Exams, that didn't seem far-fetched.
"What do you say, Naruto?" Asuma turned to him.
"I have no issues," Naruto said, moving to one side of the large garden, ready for the challenge.
Once Team 10 took their positions, Asuma gave the signal to begin.
Chōji charged forward while Ino and Shikamaru hung back, likely to set up their jutsus. Naruto, understanding the basics of their abilities, quickly pieced together their strategy.
"That won't work." Naruto shifted his stance, releasing a surge of chakra that tore the grass beneath his feet.
'Red Lotus Body Shift…' He could only use the first stage of this movement technique, but that was enough to accelerate his body to ten times its normal speed.
Chōji had no hope of catching him as Naruto darted past and reached Shikamaru in an instant.
"Tsk! I knew it!" Shikamaru grimaced, his shadow already extending to catch Naruto. But before it could reach him, Naruto disappeared again, reappearing behind Shikamaru in a blur.
"Urgh!" Shikamaru grunted as Naruto's palm struck his back, sending him flying.
"Shikamaru!" Chōji gasped and rushed to catch his friend.
But with Chōji preoccupied, Ino was left defenseless.
"W-Wait!" Ino stammered, holding a kunai in her right hand. She attempted to strike, but Naruto swiftly moved behind her, disarming her with ease and locking an arm around her neck.
"Do you give up?" Naruto asked calmly.
"Hmm… I don't know. This is kinda comfortable," Ino said, her tone playful. Naruto wasn't applying any real pressure, just holding her in place.
"Ino..." Asuma shook his head in mild disappointment.
"Shit... that hurt," Shikamaru grumbled as Chōji gently set him down.
"Sorry... I couldn't stop him," Chōji apologized, feeling responsible for letting Naruto reach Shikamaru so easily.
"Alright, that's enough." Asuma clapped his hands. "I didn't expect you three to win, but I thought you'd last more than a minute."
"You knew how this would end. What was the point?" Shikamaru grumbled, clearly annoyed at the wasted effort.
"He's too fast!" Chōji exclaimed, still astonished.
"The point was to learn," Asuma explained. "Yes, Naruto is faster than you, Chōji. That's why you shouldn't have charged at him alone. You should've stayed closer to your teammates and protected them. And Ino... would you let go of Naruto?"
Ino, who had been clinging to Naruto's shoulders, finally released him with a playful smile. "This is payback."
"Sure..." Asuma gave her a deadpan look. "And Ino, you should've covered Shikamaru's back. That would've made it harder for Naruto to isolate you."
"There wasn't time to form a plan," Shikamaru muttered.
"In a real battle, you might not have time either," Asuma said. "That's why practice is important. Your instinctive reaction needs to be a good one."
Asuma stretched his arms. "But enough of that for now. There'll be more practice later. Now, let's move on to elemental jutsus."
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