Kakashi lay on the ground, arms resting lightly over his stomach, his half-lidded eyes lazily looking up at the three young heads hovering over him.
"It's you guys…"
"Did I just… fall asleep?"
Sakura and Sasuke, who had been about to leave, froze mid-step. Both wore awkward expressions, unsure of how to respond to Kakashi.
Naruto smiled, giving Kakashi a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Yeah! Kakashi-sensei, you just dozed off on the ground."
"The ground's too cold to be sleeping on though!"
Sasuke: …
Sakura: …
Though Naruto said that, his gaze kept drifting toward the pile of dust next to Kakashi. It was the remnants of the Undying Totem after its effect had worn off.
Sasuke and Sakura weren't too surprised by the sight of the statue turning to dust. After all…
Naruto could whip out meat that changed colors. At this point, nothing really fazed them anymore.
On the side, Uzumaki Stark was busy jotting down notes on the recent changes with the Undying Totem.
To be honest…
He really wanted to ask Kakashi how it felt to come back from the dead.
"Is that so?" Kakashi eyed Naruto suspiciously, still feeling like something was off. He couldn't shake the strange feeling from earlier, the image of his father still vivid in his mind.
Could it have all been… a dream?
He probed his body and realized he felt better than ever, the usual fatigue nowhere to be found. In fact, he felt fully restored, with even his chronic weakness seemingly gone.
Or maybe…
Naruto's strange meat had some effect, allowing him to meet those he longed for in his dreams while also healing his injuries?
Kakashi shifted slightly on the ground, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared aimlessly at the sky.
Obito… Rin…
How are you doing in the Pure Land?
Seeing Kakashi slip back into his usual laid-back demeanor, Sakura couldn't hold back her relief. Internally, she was screaming with joy.
This is great!
Kakashi-sensei is alive!
Mom, Dad, I don't have to become a rogue ninja anymore!
After confirming that the lounging Kakashi was perfectly fine, Sasuke stopped entertaining thoughts of defection and started walking off.
But as he did, he couldn't help but wander over to where Naruto's clone, the glasses-wearing, bearded Uzumaki Stark, had been scribbling away.
Earlier, Sasuke had noticed this clone off to the side, drawing and writing. He was curious about what Naruto had been up to.
Sneaking up behind Stark, Sasuke angled his head, trying to peek at the notebook's contents.
Stark didn't seem to mind the spying. This wasn't the first time Sasuke had tried something like this, and besides, there was no way the kid would understand what he'd written.
Sure enough, as Sasuke glanced over the notebook, he was greeted by a dizzying array of dense equations and symbols. His head started to spin just looking at it.
It took him a full two minutes to finally spot something he could understand.
On the cover of the notebook, there was a phrase that hit Sasuke like a lightning bolt:
My life has been like walking on thin ice. Do you think I can make it to the other side?
Sasuke repeated the words in his mind, the weight of them stunning him into silence. Images of the night his clan was massacred flashed in his head.
My life… like walking on thin ice…
Hiss—
Sasuke sucked in a cold breath, mumbling under his breath.
"This is… incredible."
"This writing is just too good…"
As he walked, he kept murmuring to himself, leaving Uzumaki Stark baffled and pausing mid-note to watch Sasuke's retreating figure.
"What the hell?"
"You don't even understand electromagnetism, and you think you can comprehend my work?"
"Idiot."
Naruto, now assured that the totem worked, finally let out a long sigh of relief. He turned around, found a spot nearby, and took out his iron gate, practicing his "gate technique."
Practicing more now would be good, he thought. That way, he'd be fully prepared to handle his exclusive weapon once it was ready.
Kakashi paid no attention to the three kids. Lying on the ground, his gaze drifted between the clouds and memories of his old teammates. After a while, his eyes grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.
Days passed like this, with Team 7 steadily training.
Under Kakashi's guidance, Sasuke not only mastered the Chidori, but also grasped some of the magnetic electricity concepts Naruto had rambled on about.
Naruto had suggested using lightning-style techniques like a slingshot, launching weapons like kunai as projectiles.
Sasuke found that unnecessarily complicated and difficult to understand.
So, he decided to make himself the projectile.
Covering his entire body with lightning-style chakra, Sasuke dramatically increased his speed, leaving afterimages in his wake. Combining this with his lightning clones, Sasuke felt like he had finally perfected his Three Thousand Lightning Movements and Three Thousand Lightning Phantom techniques.
The speed of the Three Thousand Lightning Movements was unreal. How fast, you ask?
When Sasuke went all out, even Naruto barely had time to open his Chakra Gates.
When Kakashi saw Sasuke use these new lightning techniques, his jaw practically hit the floor.
The speed was one thing, but the afterimages and lightning clones…
Kakashi couldn't help but be reminded of the legendary Shisui of the Body Flicker.
Sasuke's power had grown considerably, but…
Kakashi worried the kid was veering off track.
And then there was Uzumaki Naruto…
The boy spent all day creating weird clones, only to stand by the river, wrestling with some bizarre door-like object, muttering and laughing to himself. Sometimes he'd train for ten or even twenty hours straight, showing boundless energy and relentless effort.
But seriously, could he not focus all that energy on actual ninja skills?
At first, Kakashi found it all mildly annoying, but understandable.
Until Naruto switched to a colorful door…
And then, Kakashi witnessed the boy riding it straight into the sky.
Uzumaki Naruto!
Are you even still a Leaf Village ninja? You're starting to look more like those ninja from the Sky Country!
Kakashi was running out of ways to describe the absurdity that was Naruto.
In comparison, Sakura seemed normal.
She'd completed her chakra control training—tree walking and water walking—and even learned two genjutsu techniques he'd taught her.
What's more, Kakashi noticed Sakura's remarkable talent for chakra control. She was a promising candidate for medical ninjutsu.
He made a mental note to have her start training in that field once they returned to the village.
"Boss! Check out my new weapons!"
Uzumaki Stark suddenly appeared, shirtless and flexing his muscles, holding two gauntlet blades in his hands.
Naruto, who had been training with his door, turned to look and raised an eyebrow.
"Wait… aren't you supposed to be Stark?"
"What happened to your battle armor!?"
"Why do you look like you're cosplaying as Wolverine?!"
Stark ignored his original's quips, crossing his arms dramatically and letting out a low growl.
"I am…"
"Batmaaaaan!!"
Naruto: …
Naruto nearly dropped his door in shock.
Batman?!
You look like Wolverine, act like Iron Man, and now you're shouting Batman!?
What the hell is this!?
"Sorry…" Stark quickly put his shirt back on, embarrassed. He handed the gauntlet blades to Naruto.
"Here, made from lower-world alloys. Stronger than Wolverine's claws, but not enchanted."
"Once you enchant them, though, they'll be so heavy you probably won't even be able to lift your arms."
Naruto gripped the gauntlets, his arms suddenly feeling like they weighed a ton. Even holding the blades was a challenge.
"You'll be able to stab your enemies in turn-based combat with these. Way more damage than punching them."
Naruto immediately pictured himself using the gauntlet blades to stab through an enemy.
Hiss—
One slash would create three holes, leaving the opponent bleeding worse than if their throat had been cut…
The thought made Naruto grin wickedly as he leaned on Stark's shoulder, giggling to himself.
Kakashi glanced at the three of them, then up at the sun. He closed his book and hopped down from the tree.
"Alright, pack it up. Let's head back to the village and report on the mission."
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