Sakura bent forward slightly, speaking apologetically with the manner of a model student.
"Sorry, Teacher Ayato, that question from Sasuke was too rude."
The Third Hokage was the village's current leader.
Ayato was the teacher of Team 7.
Asking "who is stronger, you or the Hokage?" inside the village was indeed a very impolite question—but since it was Sasuke who said it, it had nothing to do with her.
Nice.
Good job, Sasuke!
Naruto glared at Sasuke and scolded,
"Sasuke, that's going too far! The Third Grandpa is the Hokage, the greatest ninja in the whole village!"
He respected the Third Hokage deeply, believing he was the greatest shinobi in the entire ninja world.
His own dream of becoming Hokage was heavily influenced by the Third.
"Teacher Ayato, please answer me." Sasuke ignored Naruto completely, staring coldly at Ayato.
"Who's stronger? Hard to say~ If that old Third were still young, he'd probably be quite troublesome. It's difficult to make conclusions on things you haven't actually experienced."
Ayato rubbed his chin, sucking on his lollipop as he thought seriously.
He had never actually fought the Third before, and he rarely made conclusions about things he hadn't experienced.
Besides, the Third in his youth was supposedly extremely strong—his summoned beasts especially were troublesome.
"Would you lose?" Sasuke asked.
Ayato didn't even pause. Without a second of hesitation, he answered firmly:
"I would win."
Who was stronger or weaker was unclear without an actual fight.
But—Ayato Hinata would win.
Forget Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, which could slice the moon; even if the Third Hokage could withstand a single Super Earth-Bursting Star, that would already count as his victory.
The difference between someone at the Six Paths threshold and someone at weak Kage level was an entire dimension apart.
"Teacher Ayato… would win?"
Team 7 froze slightly.
They could tell Ayato was being serious—his answer was extremely definite.
Fighting the Third Hokage head-on…
Ayato would win?
What the—
That ridiculous?
Maybe…
Maybe Team 7 had lucked out.
Maybe they had somehow gotten a super strong ninja as a teacher.
"Since you'd win, why act all mysterious about it earlier?" Sakura complained. His earlier attitude made her think he'd actually lose.
"Adults must be cautious, you know? You brats need to remember—don't jump to conclusions about things you've never experienced."
Ayato said.
"No matter what happens, go witness it, experience it, then think carefully."
Naruto kicked a pebble, arms behind his head, muttering,
"Tch… Third Grandpa is super strong though!"
He genuinely respected the old Hokage from the bottom of his heart.
"It's fine, it's fine. You'll understand in the future how amazing Teacher Ayato is."
Ayato waved lazily, uninterested in continuing the topic.
Sigh.
That old mutt Third really was good at brainwashing the little Nine-Tails brat.
"Let's get back on topic. When you can perfectly control chakra, the power of your techniques increases dramatically. That's why I showed you the Great Fireball earlier."
Ayato clapped his hands, steering the topic back toward training.
He'd purposely used that Fireball to lay the groundwork—to get Team 7 excited enough to train seriously in controlling chakra through tree climbing.
Sasuke asked, doubtful,
"Once I master chakra control… will my Great Fireball be as strong as yours, Te—Teacher Ayato?"
"Very unlikely. But you will get stronger."
Ayato smiled faintly, with a hint of mockery.
"There's no need to compare yourself to me. Compare yourself to someone weaker—like that little brat Uchiha Itachi."
"Teacher Ayato… You're saying—if I can freely control chakra, I can defeat him?" Sasuke trembled with emotion.
"That's right. Chakra control is the foundation of everything. It'll make it much easier for you to gain greater power later."
Ayato said.
"Uchiha Itachi…!"
Sasuke's expression grew dark, fists clenched tightly, eyes filled with hatred.
He was more excited now than ever before.
Finally—
Finally, he saw a path toward gaining power.
Chakra control was only the foundation—
But even that alone was hope.
"Sasuke…" Sakura watched him nervously. His current state frightened her—it felt distant and unfamiliar.
"And you, brat—before dreaming of becoming Hokage, at least learn to control chakra first."
Ayato glanced at Naruto.
Naruto grinned brightly, clapping a fist into his palm.
"Yeah! Don't worry, Teacher Ayato! I'll definitely learn chakra control and become Hokage—you'll see!"
Anything related to becoming Hokage multiplied his motivation tenfold.
Ayato turned to Sakura,
"Flat-chest girl, you'd better work hard too. If Naruto surpasses you, I'll probably laugh so hard my stomach hurts."
"Surpassed by Naruto…?" Sakura imagined it and felt pure humiliation.
Ayato chuckled inwardly.
Kids were really too easy to manipulate.
Given Sasuke and Naruto's current states, they'd probably complete tree climbing far quicker than expected.
As for Sakura… well, she was at least smart.
She asked curiously,
"Teacher Ayato, how do we control chakra?"
"Practical training is more effective than theory. First…"
Ayato walked to a large tree and tapped the trunk with his finger.
"Tree climbing."
"T-tree climbing?"
Team 7 stiffened, staring at him like he was joking.
"Hey! Teacher Ayato—are you messing with us?" Naruto pointed accusingly, annoyed.
"Tree climbing? I could reach the top when I was three!"
Tree climbing?
What kind of joke was that?
He, Naruto Uzumaki, was scaling trees at age three!
"Sigh… impatient brat."
Ayato sighed, giving Naruto a cold, unimpressed look.
"If you interrupt me again, I'll strip off your clothes, hang you at the village gate, and let everyone admire your not-yet-developed little worm."
Sakura's cheeks turned red.
Seriously!? There's a girl here! What kind of teacher says things like that!?
Pervert teacher!
Sasuke snorted coldly, turning his head.
"Hmph. Little worm."
"Wuuuuuu—!" Naruto clapped his hands over his mouth and glared at Sasuke with fiery eyes.
"As for tree climbing… just watch."
Ayato placed his hands in his pockets and pressed his foot against the tree trunk—then simply walked upward as if it were flat ground.
He reached the top effortlessly.
"H-he walked up!?" Naruto shouted, eyes wide.
"Amazing!" Sakura gasped.
Sasuke's expression tightened.
So this is chakra control?
Ayato hopped down from the top of the tree and landed before the group.
He raised one finger.
"There are two steps.
First—feel your chakra."
"Second—send that chakra to the soles of your feet."
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