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Konohagakure, Training Ground Two.
The morning of the second day after returning to the village.
"Rasengan!"
Boom!
Menma watched the impact of his jutsu as it carved out a modest crater in the training ground. His eyebrows furrowed in dissatisfaction.
"The chakra compression still isn't right," he muttered to himself. "I need a higher volume and more stable control. The rotation is fine, but I have to strengthen it further. Should I try using a shadow clone for this?" He shook his head. "No, that would take too much time."
He scratched his chin thoughtfully, considering his next steps. As an A-rank jutsu, the Rasengan was notoriously difficult to master. Menma's natural aptitude for the technique allowed him to progress quickly, but he still wasn't satisfied with his control.
He thought back to Naruto's initial struggles with the Rasengan in the original story. Naruto had trouble controlling his chakra due to the interference of the Nine-Tails, which forced him to use a shadow clone to help stabilize the chakra flow. It wasn't an ideal solution, but it worked.
"Even without the Nine-Tails' influence, he kept relying on that method," Menma mused. "But the true advantage of the Rasengan is that it doesn't require hand seals. Using a shadow clone takes away from its speed and surprise factor."
He clenched his fist, determination burning in his eyes. "No shortcuts. I'll master the Rasengan with one hand. That's the only way to make it a reliable, instant-kill move!"
Menma took a deep breath and steeled himself. He wasn't aiming for a quick solution but for a mastery that would allow him to upgrade the Rasengan further in the future.
"We need to accelerate this."
He quickly formed the seals. "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
With a puff of smoke, hundreds of clones appeared around him, all immediately focusing on perfecting the Rasengan. With this training method, he was confident he could overcome any obstacle in mastering the technique.
Three days later...
Under Menma's relentless training regimen, time flew by. On the fourth day, Kakashi sent out a summons for Team 7 to assemble.
At the designated meeting spot, the team gathered. As usual, Kakashi was fashionably late. The four members of Team 7 were already accustomed to this.
"Hey, everyone!" Kakashi greeted, his signature eye-smile on display. "You all seem well-rested. Ready to get back to work?"
"Kakashi-Sensei, do you have to be late nine times out of ten? It's always an hour or two. You're killing me!" Naruto complained, unable to hold back his frustration.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head, feigning innocence. "Sorry, sorry! I got lost on the road of life. I'll be more careful next time."
Naruto groaned, his anger bubbling over. "Ugh, that excuse is so old!"
Kakashi cleared his throat, steering the conversation back on track. "Alright, let's focus. We've had a few days off, but it's time to start taking missions again. From now on, we'll only be handling C-rank missions and above. Everyone okay with that?"
Naruto's frustration vanished in an instant. "Wait, all C-rank missions and above? That's awesome!"
Menma raised an eyebrow but nodded calmly. "No problem."
"Hmph. It's fine," Sasuke replied, his tone nonchalant.
Sakura, however, looked uneasy. The last C-rank mission had escalated into a dangerous A-rank ordeal, and she hadn't forgotten the terror of facing Zabuza and Haku. She knew it was unlikely to happen again, but she couldn't shake the fear.
Kakashi noticed her hesitation but didn't comment. Overcoming fear was part of becoming a ninja.
"Great! Since there are no objections, let's head out."
"Yes!" Naruto cheered.
"Understood," Menma and Sasuke said in unison.
Their next mission was to escort a caravan from Konohagakure to Kyoto, the capital of the Land of Fire. It was a standard C-rank mission, but one with a generous reward. The caravan leader, pleased to have such skilled protection, even offered to increase the payment.
Kakashi's team was unfazed. They were still flush with the earnings Menma had shared after their previous mission. Even Sasuke, who initially refused the money, couldn't deny how useful it was.
In the end, he could only grumble, "It's not like I needed it," while inwardly appreciating the financial cushion.
After all, every ninja needed money. The cost of maintaining and replacing ninja tools added up quickly. Even powerful techniques could be limited by resources. Menma recalled Konan's infamous "Paper Bomb Jutsu." It wasn't just the sheer number of explosive tags that made it deadly, but the incredible financial investment behind it.
With their supplies and funds secured, Team 7 was ready for their next challenge. Though this mission was straightforward, they knew better than to underestimate any situation. In the world of ninjas, even a simple escort could turn deadly in an instant.
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Money is an essential resource for all ninja, especially those at the lower and middle ranks. They rely heavily on financial support to maintain their duties.
The saying, "Poor in knowledge, rich in martial arts," holds true even in the world of shinobi.
Team 7's latest C-rank mission had been uneventful—a simple escort job. They encountered a few bandits along the way, but these common thugs were hardly a threat to trained ninja. They safely escorted the caravan to Kyoto, marking the successful completion of Team 7's second C-rank mission.
While Menma, Sasuke, and Naruto didn't think much of it, for Haruno Sakura, it was a significant milestone. The successful mission allowed her to relax a little, easing the tension that had built up since she became a genin. This was something Kakashi had deliberately planned.
Though Sakura didn't yet hold a pivotal role within the team, she was still Kakashi's student. Based on her performance at the Academy, she was worth investing in.
During their earlier chakra control exercises, Sakura had demonstrated remarkable talent. What took others several days to master, she accomplished in a single day.
That kind of talent was extraordinary.
In terms of chakra control, Kakashi had to admit that Sakura surpassed even him. This natural ability made her a student worth cultivating, and Kakashi had no intention of letting her potential go to waste.
In the shinobi system, the bond between a team leader and their subordinates is one of the strongest, second only to that of master and apprentice.
Watching Sakura gradually relax and adapt to the rhythm of a ninja's life, Kakashi nodded to himself. Adaptability was a fundamental trait for any shinobi.
Many fresh graduates struggled to adjust to the harsh realities of being a ninja. Some even chose to retire after their first mission, ending their shinobi careers early. While the original story of Naruto doesn't emphasize this, it's a reality Kakashi had seen firsthand.
Some of his peers from the Academy experienced mental breakdowns after witnessing the deaths of comrades and the horrors of war, and they had been forced to abandon their dreams of becoming shinobi.
Initially, Kakashi had similar concerns about Sakura, especially after the Wave mission. She had many issues to work through, but one thing she didn't lack was adaptability.
"She's a promising seedling, worthy of cultivation," Kakashi thought to himself.
Sakura's development in the original story reflected this well. While she struggled early on, her growth in both ninja abilities and mental resilience became evident over time. At this point, Sakura was still immature. Her mentality, in particular, needed significant improvement. Upon graduation, she was not emotionally prepared for the life of a ninja.
But precisely because she started at such a low point, her progress was easier to see. Every step forward was a tangible improvement.
And for a shinobi, as long as there was talent, it was worth nurturing.
This smooth C-rank mission gave Sakura her first glimpse into what it truly meant to be a ninja.
In the following weeks, Kakashi continued to assign Team 7 various C-rank missions—escorting merchants, exterminating dangerous animals, patrolling designated areas, protecting dignitaries, and retrieving sensitive documents.
These missions steadily built up their experience. For a shinobi, the primary consideration in any mission was not whether it was just, but whether it could be completed. In the eyes of a ninja, there was only the mission. Concepts like justice had no place in their world.
This was the philosophy Kakashi had been taught since childhood, and now he passed it on to his team.
Thanks to their efficiency, Team 7 accumulated an impressive number of completed missions—far beyond what a typical newly-graduated team could handle. Within just two or three months, they had completed as many C-rank missions as some genin teams that had been active for two years.
By this point, even Sakura could handle C-rank missions with ease, which was a testament to how much she had grown in both confidence and skill.
Once their experience with C-rank missions had reached a certain level, Kakashi led them on their first B-rank mission. Though these missions were still not too difficult, and the enemies were merely rogue shinobi, it was clear that these encounters offered more valuable training for Team 7. Fighting against common criminals or wild animals was one thing—facing other shinobi was an entirely different experience.
B-rank missions marked the beginning of a shinobi's true development.
Without realizing it, Team 7 had surpassed many of the other newly-formed teams. While Asuma and Kurenai's teams were just beginning to take on C-rank missions, Team 7 had already moved on to B-rank missions. If they continued at this pace, it wouldn't be long before the four members of Team 7 were ready for promotion to chunin.
Time passed, and their consistent mission work steadily brought them closer to the key events of the story.
One summer morning, at the Hokage's office in the heart of Konohagakure, a group of shinobi gathered. They were chunin and jonin, each one a team leader responsible for guiding the village's newest generation of ninja.
Among them stood Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai. Several Academy instructors, including Iruka, were also present.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, sat behind his desk, puffing slowly on his pipe. A cloud of smoke drifted lazily through the air as he addressed the assembled shinobi.
"The time has come," he began, his voice calm but firm. "This year's Chunin Exams will be co-hosted by Konoha and Sunagakure. Teams from various nations have already started arriving, and we need to finalize our list of participants. In addition to those who have been reported previously, are there any genin teams that the leaders wish to recommend?"
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