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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 326
🕑 Added 2025-02-16 09:00:01 +0000 UTCChapter 326: Kakashi's Concerns
Before witnessing Kakashi effortlessly overpower two chunins, Naruto had a vague understanding of the hierarchy of ninja ranks. He assumed there might be some differences in strength, but not to a significant degree.
For instance, while he had confidence in defeating a Chūnin, he believed that several Chūnin together would always be able to overcome a Jōnin.
The usually kind and grandfatherly Third Hokage, no matter how strong, could at most handle a dozen or so Genin at once. After all, ninjas were ultimately flesh and blood, with no insurmountable gaps between them—or so he thought.
However, after witnessing Kakashi's abilities, Naruto’s worldview was completely overturned.
Kakashi could handle a Chūnin with such ease that it was obvious he could also take on a dozen or even twenty Genin effortlessly. For the Third Hokage, the number of Genin hardly seemed to matter anymore.
The dream of becoming Hokage suddenly felt far more challenging than Naruto had imagined.
In the days that followed, Naruto often sensed Kakashi's gaze lingering on him. Though he was somewhat used to being watched like this, it still left him feeling a bit uneasy.
After physical training, Naruto attended cultural and political lessons.
He listened attentively to the cultural lessons related to his future as a ninja. These were important for his goal of becoming Hokage.
However, when it came to lessons on the "Will of Fire," Naruto found himself growing bored.
It wasn't because he disrespected the concept. When he was very young, he had read every book in the library about the Will of Fire.
These books all emphasized the ideals of self-sacrifice and protecting one's comrades. But they rarely taught practical ways to achieve these ideals, nor did anyone clearly define who "comrades" truly were.
At first, Naruto thought everyone in the village was a comrade.
Even though they looked down on him due to certain rumors, he believed that if he showed them sincerity, he could earn their trust and gradually gain their recognition as comrades.
This proved true in many ways. After he began presenting a cheerful and enthusiastic persona, the villagers’ attitudes toward him became much friendlier. Apart from a few individuals who sought to exploit him, most people eventually accepted him.
So, Naruto excluded those who didn’t recognize him from his definition of "comrades."
From that moment on, Naruto realized that not everyone in this village, which preached the Will of Fire, genuinely believed in or practiced it.
Many people only paid lip service to the Will of Fire while their actions completely contradicted its principles.
Some hypocritical villagers were like this, and so were some of the instructors at the ninja academy. In Naruto’s eyes, the only ones who truly practiced the Will of Fire were Iruka-sensei and himself.
Naruto pursued it to earn recognition. But what was Iruka-sensei’s reason?
Naruto pondered for a long time but couldn’t arrive at an answer. However, that didn’t stop him from continuing to practice the Will of Fire. To Naruto, it was as useful a tool as ninjutsu itself.
After school ended at 3 p.m., Naruto followed his usual routine of wandering the streets, looking for people who needed help.
He ran errands for shopkeepers, helped elderly people cross the street, and stood up for bullied children by teaching the bullies a lesson with his fists.
While Naruto busied himself to help others, Kakashi silently observed him from the shadows.
Naruto’s actions were flawless, even better than those of Kakashi’s old friend Obito. Unlike Naruto, Obito often made clumsy mistakes when helping others, and his grades weren’t exceptional.
But Naruto committed no such errors. He was like a textbook-perfect model of a ninja.
Seeing this, Kakashi felt conflicted.
Naruto had inherited the best qualities of Minato-sensei, which was a good thing. But it also meant that Kakashi couldn’t find any meaningful way to help Naruto. He seemed to need no guidance or assistance at all.
When night fell, Naruto left the bustling streets of Konohagakure.
After wandering for a while, he arrived at a secluded clearing in the mountains behind Konoha. There, he began practicing his throwing techniques and taijutsu against a few wooden training posts.
Exchanging a glance with the ANBU assigned to guard Naruto, Kakashi turned his full attention to observing the boy's every move.
From Naruto’s training intensity and techniques, it was clear that his strength far exceeded that of his peers. He was comparable to or even stronger than Kakashi at that age.
Naruto’s current abilities were more than sufficient for him to graduate and become a Genin, ready to serve on the frontlines.
However, as a jinchūriki, Naruto’s strength was still far from enough. A jinchūriki was destined to be a prime target for enemy attacks.
Without Jōnin-level skills, he couldn’t evade assassination attempts or control the Nine-Tails to wield its powerful Tailed Beast Ball.
Despite how impressive Naruto appeared now, it was uncertain whether he had even faced the Nine-Tails yet.
After two hours of training, Naruto finally left the training ground, panting heavily. As Kakashi prepared to follow, Naruto suddenly spun around and said, “Mr. Kakashi, you’ve been trailing me all day. What exactly is it about me that you find so interesting? Or… were you sent here by Grandpa Hokage? Other than him, no one else has the authority to order a Jōnin in the village.”
Hearing Naruto reveal his identity and purpose, Kakashi’s face grew slightly awkward.
Maintaining his usual aloof demeanor to preserve his authority, Kakashi replied coolly, “Your perception is sharper than I expected. You’re right—the Third Hokage sent me. My mission is to help train you into a proper ninja.”
Hearing this, Naruto turned back toward the training ground and called out, “If you’re my mentor, then hurry up and guide me. No matter how long I train alone, I’ll never fully understand the gap between myself and a Jōnin.”
Kakashi’s lips twitched slightly at this but followed Naruto.
Watching Naruto’s calm, unhurried figure walking ahead of him, Kakashi felt a faint sense of disorientation. At last, he understood what felt “off” about Naruto.
Naruto was excellent in every way, except he didn’t feel like a child.
A child of Naruto’s age, no matter how mature, would inevitably show glimpses of childish behavior. Even while mimicking adults, their immaturity would show in subtle ways.
For example, when Kakashi attended the ninja academy, no matter how cool he tried to act, he couldn’t help but grin after defeating Obito in a sparring match.
It wasn’t until he found his father dead at home that he began closing himself off emotionally.
Even then, as a grieving child, he still displayed bouts of anger and tantrums, behaviors typical of his age.
Naruto, however, was different. Kakashi couldn’t sense any childishness in him. Naruto always wore a smile when dealing with others, and no matter the situation, he maintained a calm, measured demeanor.
Kakashi couldn’t fathom what Naruto had experienced to become so composed.
Was it because he had been an orphan since birth? Or was it the discrimination he faced from the villagers? Kakashi couldn’t decide whether this aspect of Naruto’s personality was a blessing or a curse.
But if Naruto truly had no temper, what would happen to him when he faced challenges no one could help him overcome?
