Cardo's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, feeling the edge of the blade graze his skin.
He didn't doubt it anymore — if he said one more word, Zabuza would kill him.
Haku quickly stepped forward, his soft voice breaking the tension.
"Please, Zabuza-sama… he's the employer. Killing him now will only bring more trouble."
Zabuza glanced at Haku. For a moment, the tension in the air eased.
With a grunt, he pulled the massive Decapitating Blade away and set it against the wall.
The cold killing intent faded — but not entirely. Cardo staggered back several steps, clutching his throat.
"If you don't kill that bridge builder before the construction's finished," Cardo snapped, his voice trembling with false bravado, "then forget the rest of your payment!"
Leaving his threat hanging, he turned and ran from the cabin, nearly tripping over himself in his haste.
Zabuza stared at the door for a long moment, then muttered,
"…Why did you stop me, Haku?"
Haku stood quietly beside him.
"Killing him now would only cause chaos. If the Hidden Mist's ANBU hear of it, they'll come hunting again."
Zabuza's silence said enough. He didn't like it — but he knew Haku was right.
Meanwhile, back behind Tazuna's house, the morning sun filtered through the trees.
In the quiet clearing, Kakashi stood before his team — Arata, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura — his posture casual but his gaze sharp.
"Alright, everyone," he began. "It's time for training."
Naruto pumped his fist. "Finally! Some real action!"
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in amusement. "Oh, it's real, all right. You're going to learn chakra control."
Naruto blinked. "Chakra control? What kind of lame training is that?"
Kakashi didn't answer. He simply walked over to a massive tree, lifted one foot — and stepped straight onto the trunk.
Then, without a word, he placed his other foot beside it and began walking upward.
The genin's jaws dropped.
"Wha—?! He's walking on the tree!" Naruto shouted, eyes bulging.
Even Sasuke looked intrigued, and Sakura's eyes widened in awe.
Kakashi kept walking calmly until he was standing upside down on a high branch, his hands in his pockets as if gravity didn't exist.
"You channel chakra into the soles of your feet," he explained from above. "Not too much, not too little. Balance is everything. Do it right, and you can walk on any surface — even upside down."
He dropped back down lightly, landing in front of them.
"Alright. Your turn."
Naruto was the first to bolt forward.
"Piece of cake!" he yelled, charging up the trunk — only to slip after two steps and crash face-first into the dirt.
"AAAGH! My head!" he groaned, rolling on the ground.
Sasuke followed, far calmer. He managed to climb halfway up before his chakra flickered, and he fell backward — but landed on his feet.
Then came Sakura.
To everyone's surprise, she walked smoothly all the way to the top and waved down.
"Look, Kakashi-sensei! I did it!"
Naruto's jaw fell open.
"Wha—?! How come Sakura can do it already?!"
Kakashi smiled. "Impressive, Sakura. Your chakra control is excellent."
Then he turned toward Naruto and Sasuke, a lazy smirk on his face.
"Not bad for a girl. I thought the future Hokage would at least last longer than two steps."
Naruto froze. "Huh?"
"And Sasuke," Kakashi continued, his tone teasing, "I thought the Uchiha clan was supposed to be full of geniuses. Doesn't seem that special to me."
Both boys stiffened immediately.
He didn't need to say more. The provocation had landed perfectly.
Naruto jumped up, fists clenched. "I was just warming up! Watch me nail it next time!"
Sasuke said nothing — just set his jaw and went back to the base of another tree.
Kakashi smiled faintly. Works every time.
While the others trained, Arata stood off to the side, watching quietly.
He hadn't moved a muscle since the exercise began.
Naruto glanced over at him. "Hey, Arata! Aren't you gonna try?"
Before Arata could answer, Kakashi spoke for him.
"He doesn't need to. He already mastered this a long time ago."
Naruto's face twisted. "Figures…"
He groaned and stomped back to his tree, muttering something about "show-offs."
Sakura sat comfortably on a branch, watching the two boys struggle below.
Her gaze drifted back toward Arata.
He's so calm… like he's seen all this before.
She thought back to the times he'd saved her — twice now, without hesitation.
Despite being classmates for six years, she realized she barely knew him at all.
And the mystery only made her more curious.
A few minutes later, Kakashi turned to Arata.
"Let them train. I've got something else for you."
Arata nodded. The two slipped quietly into the trees, walking until they reached the edge of a misty lake.
The surface shimmered under the morning light, rippling softly with the breeze.
Kakashi stood with his hands in his pockets, staring across the water.
"This brings back memories," he murmured. "That night, by another lake… if your chakra hadn't gone out of control, you'd have mastered it already."
Arata nodded, calm and focused.
"I've been thinking about that too. I think I can control it now."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Confident, aren't you?"
Arata smiled faintly. "You'll see."
Kakashi stepped back several meters — then a few more.
"Fine. But if your chakra flares again, I'm not fishing you out of the lake this time."
Arata chuckled softly.
"Don't worry. This time, I've got it under control."
Kakashi hesitated, then nodded once. "Alright. Show me what you've got."
The forest fell silent, the air thick with anticipation as Arata closed his eyes.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 50 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/MrSenpai0