Although everyone considered Sasuke a genius, he had a rather clear understanding of himself. What kind of genius was he? Uchiha Itachi was the true genius!
Without needing a Sharingan to copy, without elders repeatedly explaining Ninjutsu secrets, and without even needing to be told the hand seal sequence, Itachi could perform the "Great Fireball Technique" in the blink of an eye, relying on his own comprehension after seeing it once.
It took Sasuke a full week to learn the "Great Fireball Technique." Compared to his older brother, he was completely useless.
Coupled with being defeated by Ino once, and seeing Ino diligently practicing "Water Severing Wave" and "Earth Flow Wall" these past few days—clearly a genius who combined hard work and talent—his pressure remained, but he no longer considered himself a genius.
Since he wasn't a genius, it was understandable that he hadn't learned Chidori instantly.
Sasuke was learning Chidori; although progress was slow, he could eventually master this A-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu through sheer practice.
Sakura was studying genjutsu, while also learning Water Prison Technique.
In terms of genjutsu proficiency, everyone staying at Tazuna's house was roughly similar. Ino knew Hell Viewing Technique, and Kakashi merely knew it; he was far from mastering it. Asuma had a genjutsu master girlfriend, and to find common topics, they would occasionally discuss genjutsu. Accumulating this knowledge, he knew at least two genjutsu.
These three all knew genjutsu, but they had invested relatively little effort in this field.
Sakura was somewhat more mature now; her infatuation wasn't as severe. Coupled with the advantage of proximity, she believed she could definitely win Sasuke's heart. Seeing Ino busy practicing Ninjutsu every day, she no longer felt as hostile towards her.
During breaks, she would ask Ino for tips on genjutsu, and then ask Kakashi, and then Asuma.
She found that the three had three different approaches.
Ino was imaginative; her Hell Viewing genjutsu emphasized grandeur.
Sakura asked Ino to cast genjutsu on her. As a result, she arrived at a Ninja Academy called "Suzuran," witnessing the daily brawls among Ninja in the school, the so-called "Suzuran Domination." Good heavens, there was rain, umbrellas being thrown, and finally, leaders named Uzumaki Genji and Uchiha Tamao, with their respective subordinates, engaged in a great battle in the mud.
She felt as if she couldn't control her body, shouting from the sidelines, "Stop, don't fight anymore..."
When she rested that night, Sakura still seemed to hear someone whispering to her, "Genji, you must conquer the world."
This genjutsu was neither entirely real nor entirely fake. After leaving the genjutsu, Sakura struggled for a long time to distinguish reality from illusion, looking at Naruto and Sasuke with strange eyes.
Kakashi used Hell Viewing Technique on her once. In Kakashi's genjutsu, she saw only extremely dark things: heads rolling everywhere, blood flying through the air, and scattered body parts.
Asuma's Hell Viewing Technique was incredibly clever, layer upon layer. Sakura used willpower to break free from the genjutsu, but it took her most of the day to realize she was still within the genjutsu, just in its second layer.
One was realistic, one terrifying, and one ingenious. The three's genjutsu approaches were all different, giving Sakura a massive headache.
Sasuke and Sakura both had their own gains.
Naruto, however, was miserable. His foundation was far worse than the Naruto who would be taught by Jiraiya three years later.
Kakashi was truly not good at teaching students. He was a genius himself; he would practice Ninjutsu and generally learn it quickly. He taught Ino "Earth Flow Wall" once, then said, "Alright, go practice." He taught Sasuke "Chidori" once, then said, "That's enough, go practice." Many things he considered self-evident and not needing explanation, Ino and Sasuke could grasp with their natural talent, but Naruto couldn't.
He couldn't explain a wind-style Chakra nature transformation, even when breaking it down and mashing it up, which tormented Kakashi to no end.
Naruto created a large number of Shadow Clones every day and practiced diligently, but the result was that he hadn't even gotten started.
The eight of them stayed at Tazuna's house for six days. On the evening of the sixth day, Ino's Shadow Clone found Zabuza's tracks. After waiting two more days, news also came from Homura Mitokado that Hidden Mist Village was willing to have limited contact with Konoha Village. Konoha Village hoped that their two teams would work together to capture Zabuza and Haku, especially Haku, and bring him to Hidden Mist Village.
The group stopped their training and gathered to discuss the upcoming tactics.
Ino first reported her reconnaissance results.
She pointed at the map and said, "This small island in our seven o'clock direction is very likely where Zabuza and Haku, whom you encountered, are. They are about nineteen kilometers away from us."
Once the location was found, the next step was a surprise attack.
Asuma and Kakashi, both Jonin, would definitely go. Shikamaru, Choji, and Sakura would stay behind to guard Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru. Ino, Naruto, and Sasuke would go with them.
After the five arrived at the target island by boat, they easily found Haku, who was grinding herbs.
Naruto was furious with this "big sister" who had deceived him. He let out a roar and charged forward.
Haku immediately used a Water Shunshin to create a distance of over ten meters.
A thick layer of mist also spread from nearby the island, and Zabuza appeared.
Kakashi quickly deployed battle arrangements: "The three of you deal with this young man. Remember, the Village said to capture him alive, but your lives are undoubtedly more important. Self-preservation is the top priority. Asuma, we'll deal with Zabuza."
"Alright!" The two Jonin, one on the left and one on the right, charged towards the center of the mist.
During Konoha Village's war with Hidden Mist Village, Asuma, due to his rebellious nature, had gone to become the Lord of the Land of Fire's Guardian Ninja, so he hadn't really fought many Hidden Mist Ninja. After leading Team 10, Ino helped him make up for a missing lesson. During their practice sessions, he gained some experience on how to deal with Hidden Mist Technique and Water Release Ninjutsu.
Asuma had a flint stone placed in his molar. He immediately used the flint stone to ignite the gunpowder, which was a Chakra nature transformation. Before the two could react, he spat out the gunpowder.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
The gunpowder rapidly dispersed. One second later, a massive explosion occurred in the area covered by the thick mist.
The fierce explosion briefly dispersed the mist. The sound of the explosion made Haku involuntarily turn back. The beautiful young man exclaimed, "Mr. Zabuza!?"
His response was Sasuke's "Chidori," emitting a sharp buzzing sound from his hand!
Sasuke was still very clumsy with this technique; both the Ninjutsu activation speed and his body speed were a bit slow.
He had charged less than a third of the way when Haku reacted. As a Ninja with the Ice Release Bloodline Limit, he spread his arms, and several ice mirrors appeared behind him. He took a step back, entered an ice mirror, and then, ignoring spatial obstacles, began to move rapidly.
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