"Kakashi-sensei."
"Everything ready?"
Kakashi glanced at Sakura, who looked unusually downcast, and felt a flicker of curiosity. In Konoha, what could possibly shake her emotions this badly?
Could it be—
Did Sasuke say something to her in private?
He had sent Sasuke out to buy ninja tools. There was always time to chat on the way.
Kakashi pondered silently.
"The soldier pills and medicinal bath packs are all bought."
Sakura nodded.
Holding his book, Kakashi observed her quietly while speaking aloud, "Let's wait a bit longer. I sent Naruto and Sasuke out to pick up supplies, and Mr. Tazuna is still inside."
Sakura glanced toward the room.
When they first accepted the mission, Tazuna had been dissatisfied with their lineup—especially Naruto. Even now, he was still grumbling.
Still, she felt it wasn't pure reluctance anymore. It felt more like he was trying to bargain the price down.
"Kakashi-sensei."
"Hmm?"
"I… I look down on Naruto, but in actual combat, it feels like I'm not even as good as him. I—I…"
Sakura couldn't continue.
Stating the problem outright was far harder than she'd imagined. She'd always ranked near the top since the Academy and had never taken Naruto seriously.
Now, admitting she was inferior to him—
Her pride had already shattered.
Kakashi fell silent.
He didn't know what exactly had happened, but Sakura's mindset had clearly undergone a major shift.
He couldn't even tell whether it was good or bad. Team Seven had never faced something like this before.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Naruto isn't the dead last you imagine him to be. He has his own strengths. From another perspective, you could even call him a genius."
"Naruto… a genius?"
Sakura stared at him wide-eyed, the frustration in her heart instantly replaced by disbelief.
Was this a joke?
She could admit Naruto wasn't weak—his taijutsu was strong—but calling him a genius was going too far.
Even teachers didn't brag about their students that much.
"Don't doubt it," Kakashi said calmly. "Naruto's only weakness is chakra control—and even that has its reasons."
He paused briefly. "Compared to that, he has an incredibly strong body, recovery ability, and chakra reserves. That's why he can use shadow clones to assist in training, while you can't."
"..."
Sakura opened her mouth, then closed it again.
When broken down like that, Kakashi… seemed right.
In this regard, Naruto really was an undeniable genius.
Ino's words echoed in her mind—
One day, you might not even be able to keep up with Naruto.
So in the end, was she the only one who had nothing?
"You're not without strengths either."
Seeing how shaken she was, Kakashi hurried to soften his words. "Your chakra control is excellent, and your theoretical knowledge is solid. If you put aside distractions and focus more, there's someone well worth learning from."
"Who?"
Sakura's eyes lit up.
"Yagyū Souma—my former student."
"Me… him?"
Sakura found it hard to believe. She even felt she didn't deserve the comparison.
"Naruto? You look awfully happy. Buying ninja tools—are you heading out on a village mission?"
Souma spotted Naruto and Sasuke in the distance, grinning from ear to ear. He paused for a second or two, then shook his head and continued toward the Forest of Death.
He had no intention of getting involved in the Land of Waves mission.
Because of Kakashi, he'd already looked after Team Seven quite a bit. If they still ended up being toyed with by Haku and had to rely on mercy to win, they might as well crawl into a grave early.
As for Zabuza and Haku, he had no particular thoughts. With Kimimaro already on his plate, he had more than enough to deal with.
The Research Institute
Tenten and Tsukimi Kazusa had arrived early.
Tenten was forging the promised scabbard, while Kazusa practiced her swordsmanship in the nearby dojo. Gekkō Hayate was there as well.
From Hayate's perspective, Kazusa's progress was already astonishing. Back then, even he hadn't been this strong.
Yet she was still dissatisfied, constantly muttering things like "My talent is too poor—I have to work harder."
Did Souma have some kind of strange influence?
Hayate stood to the side, lost in thought, so deep that he didn't even notice Souma arriving.
"Hayate-senpai."
"Cough—cough—cough!"
Hayate had just been thinking about Souma when the voice suddenly appeared behind him, startling him into a fit of coughing.
It took several seconds before it finally eased.
Kazusa had already put down her sword and rushed over, using massage and calming techniques to help him recover.
"I—I'm fine, Kazusa."
Hayate waved his hand.
"Is your condition still the same as before, senpai?"
"A little better. I was just startled… honestly, after staying here for a while, I've lost my vigilance as a ninja."
Hayate smiled wryly.
The institute lay deep within the Forest of Death, surrounded by trees and fresh air. After living here for some time, even his body felt much better.
Yet Souma had approached him just now, and he hadn't sensed a thing.
"That's not your fault," Souma said. "I likely concealed my presence deliberately—that's why you didn't notice."
"Exactly. Souma-kun's concealment ability isn't inferior to yours at all. Don't overthink it."
Kazusa chimed in.
Hayate looked surprised. "Your concealment is that good too?"
"Don't listen to Kazusa exaggerate. I can't use Transformation Jutsu, so I can't hide visually very well. I only put a bit of effort into suppressing my presence—but even then, I'm still far behind you."
Souma shook his head.
Hayate raised an eyebrow.
He knew Souma was incredibly talented, but just a bit of effort sounded suspiciously understated.
Still—
Souma always had unusual ideas.
Relaxing his expression, Hayate said, "Souma-kun, the Gekkō clan has some experience in this area. Would you be interested in exchanging insights?"
"That could work—but I have a small condition."
Souma replied.
Hayate gestured for him to continue.
"My current techniques are suited mainly for myself. They're difficult for ordinary people to learn. If we're exchanging insights, I'd like you to help me refine and develop them into something regular ninja can use."
Souma laid out his request.
Hayate froze for a second, then almost laughed.
They'd spent generations researching concealment. Souma had only invested some time, yet spoke with such confidence.
Still, it wasn't a problem.
Even if Souma's methods differed from theirs, turning them into a standardized jutsu would benefit Konoha greatly.
Though he hadn't expected the first technique he'd research to not be swordsmanship, concealment was still his forte.
"I can do that," Hayate nodded.
"My method is actually quite simple," Souma explained. "Based on suppressing one's presence, I use chakra manipulation to form a thin membrane around the body, further isolating internal and external signatures."
He added casually, "Just now, I was only hiding my presence so the insects wouldn't realize I was back."
If the beetle king noticed him, it would immediately come demanding senjutsu chakra.
And right now, he didn't have a drop to spare.
Hayate frowned. "But wouldn't that make chakra leakage more noticeable?"
"That's why it requires extremely strong chakra control—to ensure not a single bit leaks."
"..."
How terrifying did one's chakra control have to be to pull that off?
Hayate took a deep breath, steadying himself. "May I see it?"
"Of course."
Souma increased his chakra output slightly.
A thin chakra layer surfaced over his skin.
"It's really there!"
Kazusa stared in shock. "Do you maintain this technique all the time?"
"Of course not. This is a recent result of my research."
To be precise, it was only after mastering chakra absorption techniques that Souma could truly refine it.
Before that, maintaining constant chakra output caused inevitable stamina and mental drain. He could forcibly pull it back only because his chakra control was exceptional.
Ordinary people couldn't do that.
With chakra absorption, releasing and reabsorbing formed a cycle, drastically reducing consumption while enhancing control.
But for now, it was still just a concept.
Souma could do it easily—others might not.
He explained the principle, then took out his notebook and flipped to the relevant page. The notes were rough and messy.
"Take a look."
"Alright."
Hayate grew visibly energized.
Even the Gekkō clan didn't have such a technique. More importantly, Hayate understood its potential. If developed properly, it might even incorporate genjutsu elements for enhanced concealment.
It could become the Gekkō clan's new trump—uh—
Hayate's thoughts abruptly stalled.
He stiffly looked up, then, unwilling to accept it, lowered his head and reread the notes carefully before falling into deep thought.
What… exactly was this page saying?
Control chakra, form a membrane, then use absorption to maintain a cycle.
But how to control it?
How to absorb it?
None of that was written.
There was no starting point at all.
The Gekkō clan focused on internal presence control. They had no experience with this approach—it seemed they couldn't help much.
"Souma-kun… isn't this process a bit too simplified?"
Hayate had to admit it.
He might not be capable of fulfilling Souma's request.
"Our clan focuses more on presence suppression," Hayate explained. "That part I can write notes for you on, but this…"
"You misunderstand," Souma said calmly. "This is just my method. What I need you to help with is precisely the parts I've simplified."
"I'll write out the chakra absorption techniques and the control process clearly. What you need to do is connect them using your own expertise."
"Wait—I get it now."
After a brief pause, realization dawned on Hayate.
Souma already had the framework and details.
But—
The method still only suited Souma himself.
What Hayate needed to do was try learning it, and where he couldn't, substitute his own techniques—bridging each step.
Perfection wasn't required.
What mattered was usability by ordinary ninja.
"So… I really am just an ordinary ninja."
Hayate suddenly understood.
In Souma's eyes, he was no different from any other ninja. Souma sought him out simply because he excelled at presence suppression.
Where chakra techniques fell short, Hayate's knowledge could patch the gaps.
It was frustrating—but probably the truth.
Hayate's emotions turned complicated.
"Uncle."
Kazusa poked his side.
Spacing out in front of Souma was incredibly rude!
"Ah—right. Cough. I mean… if you can provide the materials, I'll give it a try."
"That would be great. Thank you."
Souma truly didn't have the time.
Even if he did, he had no intention of wasting it on mass-producing jutsu.
Why establish a research institute in the first place?
Wasn't it precisely to find people to handle this kind of work—to cultivate the tools he needed?
Otherwise, why go through all this trouble?
Ino had been successfully nurtured.
Now it was your turn—
Gekkō Hayate.
Let's start with this technique.
"So… um, Souma-kun, what are you writing?"
"The things we just discussed. Writing it down so I don't have to make another trip."
Souma wrote a couple of paragraphs, then fell briefly into thought.
Hayate watched from the side.
"Looks complicated. Maybe you should take it home and think it through slowly? It's not urgent."
"Uncle, Souma-kun is probably thinking about how to write it in a way we can understand."
"..."
Hayate silently turned his head and stared at Kazusa, then took several deep breaths to suppress the urge to cough.
Don't get angry.
Anger is bad for your health.
"Done. This should work. Take a look."
After about ten minutes, Souma finished writing in a much more accessible manner.
Perfect.
Extremely valuable experience.
If Hayate could understand it at this level, Souma now knew exactly how to write the sealing notes for ANBU later.
"Uncle… Can you understand it?"
Kazusa asked softly.
"Of course I can!"
To make it convincing, Hayate widened his eyes so hard that even the unhealthy dark circles faded slightly.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614