Yoruha smiled faintly and said,
"He only retreated because he knew he couldn't win against both Kakashi-sensei and me at once.
If it had been just me, he wouldn't have run."
Sakura nodded slightly, half understanding, half not.
Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't feel much about it.
After all, he himself had already mastered a few Fire Release techniques—
all learned from the Uchiha clan's ninjutsu records.
He didn't think Yoruha's Water Release was necessarily stronger than his Fire Release.
To Sasuke, whether it was Water, Fire, or Earth Release, none of them were decisive by themselves.
Naruto, however, was visibly unhappy.
At this point, the only technique he truly knew was the Shadow Clone Jutsu—
and even that wasn't something Kakashi had taught him.
He'd learned it by stealing the Scroll of Seals during his graduation.
Right now, Naruto didn't even have a single proper combat technique of his own.
So he pouted, muttering irritably,
"Kakashi-sensei really is biased. It's like we're not even his students."
Yoruha glanced at Naruto and actually understood him.
After all, Naruto was only twelve years old—
jealousy and competitiveness burned even hotter at that age.
"Kakashi-sensei just wants you all to build a solid foundation before learning new jutsu," Yoruha explained.
"He's your jonin instructor. Since you passed his test, he truly sees you as his students."
"As a teacher, he doesn't want you to be impatient."
"Ask Sasuke—when he first started learning ninjutsu, didn't he also have to master all the fundamentals first?"
Sasuke froze for a moment, surprised Yoruha had called on him.
Naruto lifted his head and looked at Sasuke expectantly.
Sasuke didn't really want to say anything,
but since it was Yoruha asking, he couldn't ignore it.
Even though Sasuke saw Yoruha as the rival he had to surpass,
the gap between them was still wide.
So, for now, he still listened to what Yoruha said.
He nodded slightly.
"Yeah… you do need to understand a lot of the basics first."
That was all he said—but Naruto didn't take it in at all.
"Basics? What basics? I learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu in just one night!"
Yoruha chuckled softly.
"That's because that particular jutsu suits you perfectly—
in fact, it's practically made for you."
"Think about it. Back in the Academy, you couldn't even perform the regular Clone Jutsu.
You studied for six years and still couldn't do it.
So why could you suddenly master the Shadow Clone Jutsu overnight?"
"Do you even know why that technique—oh right, the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, the one you use—is classified as a Forbidden Technique?"
Naruto looked blank.
When he'd first learned it, he'd just copied the first technique he saw.
He didn't know what was forbidden or not, much less the risks.
Sakura and Sasuke both turned their attention to Yoruha now.
Sasuke, especially, was curious—he'd never really understood how Naruto had suddenly mastered that jutsu, considering Naruto couldn't even form a single normal clone before.
The Shadow Clone Jutsu was much more advanced.
Yoruha began to explain:
"It's because the Shadow Clone Jutsu divides your chakra evenly among all your clones.
When the jutsu ends, all the exhaustion and fatigue the clones experienced are returned to your real body."
"For a ninja with low chakra reserves or a weak body, using that technique is extremely dangerous.
Using the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu is even more so."
He paused before continuing, his tone calm but serious.
"But you're the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. Your chakra is immense, and your body is incredibly resilient because of it.
That's why you can handle the drawbacks of the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"If you try learning other elemental jutsu without mastering the basics,
and just brute-force your way through, you could end up seriously injuring yourself."
"The backlash from failed jutsu isn't a joke—it can actually kill you, especially when your theoretical understanding is a complete mess."
"Why do you think some people take ages to learn a single jutsu, while others can do it in a few days?"
"Talent is part of it—but so is the strength of their foundation."
"Think about your six years at the Academy.
What did you actually learn?
Do you really think your fundamentals are solid?"
Sakura immediately understood, smiling as she added,
"Solid? More like nonexistent! He never studied at all.
He scored zero on every exam!
I still don't know how that's even possible.
Even just skimming the textbook would've helped."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, thinking to himself,
"So that's why he can use the Shadow Clone Jutsu—it's because of the Nine-Tails."
He didn't know much about the Nine-Tails himself.
When the Nine-Tails attacked the village years ago, he had only just been born.
And after his clan was wiped out by Itachi,
there was no one left to explain such things to him.
Naruto touched his stomach, his expression darkening.
He believed Yoruha's words.
He still remembered losing control once as a child—a brief rampage that was quickly suppressed, so the village never found out.
But he remembered the power clearly.
It had felt terrifying, almost evil—
yet undeniably strong.
He looked up at Yoruha and asked quietly,
"Why did they seal the Nine-Tails inside me?"
"If it weren't for that monster, the villagers wouldn't treat me this way."
Because of his identity as the Nine-Tails' host, Naruto had been shunned since childhood.
He hadn't suffered as much as someone like Killer Bee, but as an orphan, his emotions were especially fragile.
Even though no one tried to assassinate him or threw things at him anymore,
the constant isolation still hurt.
At his age, he couldn't possibly understand why the villagers hated him.
In his mind, it was all because of the Nine-Tails—because they simply didn't like him.
Yoruha gently placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"The Nine-Tails is one of Konoha's most important strategic assets," he said softly.
"In other words, you're incredibly important to this village."
Naruto brushed Yoruha's hand away angrily.
"I don't want that! If I'm so important,
then why does everyone in the village hate me?"
"You have no idea what I've been through all these years!
Everyone sees me as a monster!
No one likes me!
No one acknowledges me!"
…
Maybe it was Yoruha's words that opened the floodgates—but Naruto's bottled-up emotions finally burst out.
He poured out all the pain and loneliness he'd carried for years.
Tears streamed down his face.
Sakura and Sasuke watched him quietly,
and for the first time, they truly understood how much he'd endured.
Even Sakura—who usually scolded and teased him—looked at him with pity.
Sasuke, meanwhile, felt a strange sense of connection.
Though he had never been ostracized like Naruto, and had even been admired as a member of the Uchiha clan,
he too had suffered deeply—watching his entire family slaughtered by the brother he once worshipped.
That pain was far greater than anything Naruto had gone through—and in that moment, Sasuke realized they weren't so different after all.
Sakura spoke softly,
"Hey, Naruto… you're not completely alone, you know.
Iruka-sensei, Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba—they're all your friends."
"I used to think you were just loud and annoying when I saw you hanging out with them."
"I never imagined you'd gone through so much."
---
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