Kakashi shrugged, unconcerned with Hiruzen's stress. "I don't think it's worth stressing over. It doesn't change much. Even if Kirigakure don't send their Genin, there are still hundreds of participants from other great and small ninja villages anyway."
Hiruzen sighed, then nodded to Kakashi. "Yeah, maybe I am overthinking this. You can go now." Kakashi bowed slightly before vanishing from the Hokage's office in a flicker.
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The next morning, at breakfast, after washing up, Kakashi and Naruto sat at the dining table, eating grilled fish with rice and miso soup. Since Naruto was here, Kakashi had made a large breakfast for sometimes.
Naruto picked up his chopsticks, a line of drool on his lips, and yelled with a hungry smile, "Let's dig in!"
As they ate, Kakashi asked, "Naruto, how is it going with that fox?"
Naruto paused, chewing, and looked at Kakashi. "Um, he still isn't talking to me properly. BUT! He no longer shouts whenever he speaks."
Kakashi chuckled. It had taken around 4 days for their return from the Land of Waterfall, and Naruto had obviously tried many times to talk to Kurama during journey, with little success so far.
Kakashi said, "Don't lose hope. I know you'll change his attitude. After all, Minato-sensei and Aunt Kushina also believed you could do what Mito-sama and your mother weren't able to."
Naruto looked up, a hint of emotion in his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, what do you actually mean? What did they believe I could do that my mother wasn't able to?"
Taking a bite of his fish, Kakashi no longer bothered to hide his face. He replied, "When Minato-sensei sealed the Half Nine-Tails inside you, he did so with the conviction that his son would eventually overcome its hatred and learn to control its power. Neither Mito-sama nor Aunt Kushina were able to do that. Sensei even designed the seal specifically to allow you access to the Kyūbi's chakra, a clear departure from the 'containment-only' approach of Mito-sama and aunt Kushina as Jinchūriki."
Naruto slowed his eating, then, with a determined look, he announced, "I will definitely become friends with that fox!"
Kakashi chuckled, then took a scroll from his Inventory Seal and placed it on the empty side of the dining table.
Naruto was slightly confused. "Sensei, what is it?"
Kakashi replied with a smirk, "It's a scroll of the basics of Fūinjutsu. When I say 'basic,' I mean the ABCs of Fūinjutsu, which also includes all the Kanji symbols. I understand you don't know them completely, so you have to learn every single one of them."
"Haa... But why? I'm a ninja now; wouldn't it be weird to learn words and stuff again?" Naruto complained.
Kakashi said, "It doesn't only include general symbols, but also the ones needed for Fūinjutsu. As a half-Uzumaki, you definitely have innate talent for Fūinjutsu arts, so you have to learn every single one of them."
Naruto complained again. "Can't I just learn some other cool Jutsu? I've almost mastered the Rasengan."
Kakashi simply stated, "So what? Sasuke has already mastered the Chidori fully, and you're just close to mastering yours. It doesn't matter; you have to learn this, and that's final!"
Naruto pouted before he began stuffing his face with huge bites of rice. Kakashi had only given them two days of rest, but during their journey back from Takigakure, he had them training continuously. Sasuke was able to learn the Chidori, but Naruto was still a few steps away from fully mastering the Rasengan.
"But what are we doing today? You said we would rest today and tomorrow!" Naruto asked.
"First, we're going to the Uchiha Clan Compound after this. Then I'll show you how an elemental nature can be added to the Rasengan, which you can try with your Fūinjutsu training later," Kakashi answered.
Naruto was surprised. "Huh! Sasuke's house! Why?"
Kakashi said, "I just noticed a few days ago that Sasuke only knows one Fire Release Jutsu. The Uchiha Clan definitely has more than just the Great Fireball Jutsu, even if Madara has taken several powerful Fire Release Jutsu with him back then. I decided to find other Fire Release Jutsu scrolls there. There are also a few Genjutsu scrolls that Sasuke will need later."
Naruto nodded and continued eating, while Kakashi's mind drifted back to the previous evening, when his Shadow Clones finally succeeded in creating and mastering the Fire Rasengan.
Currently, he was thinking about what to do in his own training. He had nothing worthwhile for Fūinjutsu as well. Creating a counter for Space-Time Ninjutsu Sealing Technique wasn't an easy task, and he didn't even know where to begin. This left him with nothing to do for 'now.'
'Maybe I should try to improve the Chidori,' Kakashi thought. 'All those variants of the Chidori that Sasuke created in anime would be good to train in, especially that Chidori current and Chidori Eiso. Plus, I've been thinking about the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode for some time. But how do I attain it?'
He had already thought about the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, as his primary affinity was Lightning Release. It was a very powerful technique. While not as good as Sennin Mode, it was still powerful and worth learning.
'It would be hard to get my hands on that scroll, if the Raikage's place even has one,' Kakashi considered. 'The only people who might know it are the Fourth Raikage and maybe Darui, but they definitely wouldn't teach me, a Leaf Shinobi. The only thing I can do is learn the Edo Tensei Jutsu and then summon the Third Raikage to teach me. Hmm, that would be a better option. And Edo Tensei is also a good Jutsu to learn.'