"Damn!" Chiba suddenly sat up in bed and glanced at the clock. It was almost seven.
He was about to be late.
Thinking of Kushina Uzumaki's formidable punch, Chiba's mouth twitched. He dressed and washed as quickly as possible, then bit into a Konoha extra-large bun and headed out.
For Chiba, who was accustomed to eating meat, the Konoha super-large steamed bun was still indispensable. Firstly, it was affordable; secondly, it was filling; and thirdly, besides barbecue, Chiba's favorite food was this extra-large steamed bun.
He had heard that there would be extra-large steamed buns with meat fillings, which would be mixed with the ordinary extra-large steamed buns and sold, only one a day.
Just thinking about it made Chiba a little excited.
After all, the amount of minced meat in an extra-large steamed bun was almost equivalent to a big bowl of meat.
However, Chiba had eaten so well at the barbecue yesterday. Because of the victory, Kushina had ordered a lot of top-quality beef and beef offal, especially the beef back. The taste had been simply overwhelming.
Thinking of the sizzling sound and the shiny grilled meat, Chiba still swallowed.
'This is not the time to think about meat!' Chiba thought as he ran wildly.
He was already late.
In the early morning, the team gathered.
"Boom!"
A red and swollen bump appeared on top of Chiba's head, accompanied by a wisp of blue smoke.
Chiba held his head and squatted down.
'It hurts! Why does Kushina's punch hurt so much every time?'
After hitting Chiba, Kushina Uzumaki's red hair floated gently as she said, "As a Ninja, timing is very important, so you must be punctual, no matter what you do."
'What does timing have to do with punctuality?' Chiba wondered silently.
Hirohiko and Yukina saw Chiba's "sorrowful" expression, silently swallowed their saliva, and nodded vigorously.
"Okay, starting today, I will train each of you individually, and then you will train on your own after dinner. From now on, you will have to train for 14 hours a day. After you go back, you must also ensure adequate sleep and rest, understood?" Kushina Uzumaki announced.
"Yes, Kushina-sensei!" the trio answered.
"Boom bang bang!" Kushina created three Shadow Clones. "So... let's start training!"
Chiba and the others exchanged glances, each spreading out, preparing for the usual duel exercises.
At that moment, they were stopped by Kushina Uzumaki, who said, "Three people, three places, follow my Shadow Clones. From now on, you are no longer teammates, but competitors."
Saying so, the three Shadow Clones dashed into the dense forest.
'Competitors?' Chiba looked at the other two, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth, then followed a Shadow Clone and plunged into the dense forest.
This was just what he wanted.
For a moment, Hirohiko and Yukina also followed a Shadow Clone, their thoughts exactly the same as Chiba's, except Hirohiko and Yukina had another goal.
They must catch up and surpass Chiba. In the Chunin exam, they would never lose to him again.
After the three of them left, Kushina Uzumaki looked at the rising sun in the morning, a slight smile on her lips.
'So, which of them will appear in front of me the fastest and accept my duel exercise?'
"Tap!"
Chiba followed Kushina Uzumaki's Shadow Clone to an open area by a small river. After landing, Chiba quickly glanced around.
Except for a small river, the area was an open space with a wide view and little greenery.
"Chiba, your Chakra attributes should be water and earth," Kushina Uzumaki's Shadow Clone said.
Chiba nodded. Speaking to Kushina Uzumaki's Shadow Clone was essentially the same as speaking to Kushina Uzumaki herself. Whatever the Shadow Clone said and did was exactly what Kushina Uzumaki would say and do, as Chiba understood. Because Kushina Uzumaki's consciousness was linked to her Shadow Clone, their actions and knowledge were identical.
"Having two attributes at this age is very rare. In terms of Ninjutsu, you're also a genius," Kushina Uzumaki praised without hesitation.
From the battle with Kakashi, Kushina Uzumaki had observed that Chiba was a very calm and analytical Ninja, very careful and smart in combat, knowing his capabilities and limitations. This was an advantage that many Chunin and even some Jonin struggled to possess.
There was also carefulness, cleverness, and calmness that had allowed Chiba to defeat Kakashi, taking advantage of Kakashi's negligence to turn defeat into victory.
So, she wasn't worried that Chiba would become arrogant because of her praise.
Hearing Kushina Uzumaki's appreciation, Chiba remained silent but looked at her attentively.
"It just so happens that I also have the water attribute. Starting today, I will train you in Ninjutsu, and when you're training on your own, focus on physical training. You can occasionally ask Hirohiko for advice on shuriken techniques. Although you're very skilled, compared to shuriken techniques, you can't even compare to a tenth of Hirohiko's!" Kushina Uzumaki said seriously.
Chiba nodded, acknowledging Kushina Uzumaki's point. Hirohiko's shuriken skills were indeed dazzling, almost seeming supernatural from Chiba's perspective. He felt humbled.
Chiba also understood Kushina Uzumaki's efforts. She wanted him to understand the importance of humility in learning, and to learn from others' strengths, especially in areas like shuriken techniques. Although he had trained, his training time was limited, and previously, he had always focused more on physical skills. His Ninjutsu talent had only been discovered recently, and he hadn't paid much attention to shuriken techniques.
The extent of his skill with shuriken was limited to shooting a single shuriken or kunai directly at a target. Compared to Hirohiko's skill with shuriken, who could accurately hit a dozen shurikens coming at once, coordinating with his Sharingan for counterattacks, Chiba had a long way to go.
"I understand, Kushina-sensei," Chiba said seriously.
Kushina Uzumaki nodded and said, "Then, I'll tell you the training content. In the morning, we'll train your Water Release techniques. In the afternoon, you will use Earth Release techniques to block my Water Release. This is the only way I can help you with your earth attribute training."
While speaking, Kushina Uzumaki sighed slightly. She really wanted to teach Chiba Earth Release techniques, but unfortunately, she hadn't mastered the Chakra nature transformation for the earth attribute herself.
"No, thank you, Kushina-sensei. Using earth to block water is the best training method!" Chiba responded eagerly.
Kushina's Water Release techniques were very powerful, and a *Water Dragon Bomb* could leave him completely defenseless. Using her Water Release to train his Earth Release was an excellent training method.
Chiba appreciated that Kushina had thoughtfully devised this training method.
Kushina Uzumaki truly considered their well-being, both in life and in Ninjutsu.
"Thank you, sincerely," Chiba expressed his gratitude.
"Then, I'll teach you the sequence for Water Release and the *Water Torrent* technique. Remember it well."
"Yes, Kushina-sensei."
Without any unnecessary delay, Kushina Uzumaki began instructing Chiba on Water Release techniques.
And Chiba, fully engaged in student mode, began to learn about Water Release.
The seven-day special training had officially begun.