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Chapter 152 What We Build, What We Break
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The next day the sun was high in the sky, lazily warming the fields around Tazuna's home. Birds chirped. The breeze was light. And Kakashi Hatake was deep in a well-earned nap.
Or at least, he was trying to be.
Sprawled across a makeshift lawn chair with his orange book laid flat over his face, Kakashi looked perfectly at peace until a familiar voice shattered it. "Teach me ninja magic, old man!" Naruto's voice rang out with all the subtlety of a detonation tag.
Kakashi groaned, the book sliding off his face. He cracked open a single eye and sighed. "Naruto, can't you bother Sasuke about this?"
Naruto crossed his arms, grinning. "Nope. I want a wind-style jutsu. Teme's got fire and lightning and maybe water. And besides..." His grin widened. "You owe me. You never taught me my first jutsu properly."
"Fine. My nap's ruined anyway." He sat up, stretching slightly before standing. "So. What kind of wind jutsu are we thinking?"
"Long-range and lethal," Naruto said cheerfully.
"Hm. Wind Style: Wind Bullet might suit you."
Naruto tilted his head. "Was that one inspired by, like, a gun?"
Kakashi gave a faint chuckle. "Yes and no. The shape was modeled after a bullet, but the inspiration came from watching smoke rings."
"You're telling me people blowing smoke rings helped create a jutsu?"
Kakashi nodded. "You'd be surprised how often casual habits lead to breakthroughs. Wind Bullet is about rapid compression and controlled release. Imagine compressing a high-pressure pocket of air in your lungs, then forcing it through a tight shape like pursed lips to create a concentrated, high-speed projectile."
Naruto blinked. "That sounds more like physics than chakra."
"It is. But the chakra manipulation is what amplifies it beyond physics." Kakashi explained, holding up a finger. "The three components are: compression, containment, and propulsion."
He drew three symbols in the dirt as he spoke.
"One: You strengthen your diaphragm and lungs with chakra to create the internal pressure.
"Two: You learn to shape the escape path—your mouth, your tongue, even your teeth—so that the release of air maintains cohesion. Like firing a bullet from a barrel. The more shape control you have, the more accurate and faster the shot."
Naruto leaned in, absorbing every word.
"And three: Chakra-enhanced propulsion. The burst isn't just air, it's wind chakra. Razor-sharp. And that's what makes it deadly. Normal air disperses quickly. Wind chakra cuts."
"So it's like... a precision cannonball?"
"Exactly. It's a jutsu that mimics both the physics of projectile mechanics and the principles of cutting. The better you are with chakra shape and nature manipulation, the more devastating it becomes."
Naruto whistled. "Good thing I've got two advantages then."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Shadow clones?"
"And Hinata," Naruto said, beaming. "She can monitor my chakra flow in real time and help me fine-tune the control part."
"She's at the bridge with her team," Kakashi said, already knowing what was coming.
Naruto grinned, grabbed his gear, and vanished in a flicker of speed. Kakashi followed a moment later.
They arrived at the half-finished bridge, where Team 8 was wrapping up a patrol shift. Workers moved stone and iron around them, the clinking of tools echoing over the water.
"Kurenai," Kakashi greeted. "Mind if we borrow Hinata?"
The genjutsu specialist tilted her head, glancing at her student. "Of course. Hinata, go on."
Hinata stepped forward with a respectful nod. "For what exactly?" she asked.
"To help Naruto learn Wind Bullet," Kakashi said.
"Oh, I'd be honored," she said quickly, cheeks already coloring faintly.
Kakashi gave them a few more instructions, walking through the chakra flow, the breathing technique, and mouth shaping needed to start developing the technique. Naruto listened attentively, practicing how to pull in air, let it settle in his diaphragm, and then push it back up with force. Each motion was subtle, internal, but difficult.
"Now, practice is everything," Kakashi said.
"Got it," Naruto said with a grin. "Thanks, old man!"
"Don't call me old," Kakashi muttered, flicking open his book again.
Hinata opened her mouth to ask where they would be training but was immediately swept off her feet. Naruto had picked her up bridal style.
"W-Wait, Naruto-kun!?" she squeaked, face bright red.
He flashed a grin and shouted, "Training trip!" before leaping off the edge of the bridge.
Her scream echoed through the air.
Tazuna dropped a hammer. "Did that brat just jump off the bridge!?"
"Should you not do something?" one of the workers asked.
"I am doing something," Kakashi said casually, not lifting his eyes from the page as he turned it with deliberate calm.
A split second later, the sound of an enormous splash echoed from below the bridge, followed by the unmistakable metallic clang of heavy armor hitting water.
Several workers yelped, stepping back in alarm.
"They'll be fine," Kurenai said, unfazed as she glanced over the edge.
Down below, Naruto bobbed to the surface with a laugh, his waterlogged armor gleaming in the sunlight. Hinata floated beside him, flustered but unharmed, her chakra control keeping her steady atop the waves. The two began moving across the surface, Naruto gesturing animatedly as he explained something, Hinata nodding shyly and adjusting her stance.
Kakashi finally looked up.
He wasn't watching the two trainees, though. His gaze drifted instead to Kiba, who stood silently at the railing as a plan formed in the white-haired jonin's mind.
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By the time the orange hue of dusk blanketed the sky, Kiba and Naruto stood across from Kakashi and Pakkun in the open field. The air was heavy with the scent of salt and sweat.
Kiba groaned. "Kakashi-sensei, is this really necessary? Naruto's been going nonstop since dawn."
"Think of it as multitasking," Kakashi replied casually. "Naruto needs to learn how to coordinate with Oscar. And you," he pointed lazily at Kiba, "could use some polish on working with Akamaru. This is just a light spar. A practical evaluation."
"Great," Pakkun muttered from the side, voice gruff and unimpressed. "Do I really have to train Ugly and Uglier?"
"Oi! Who the hell are you calling ugly?"
"The other one."
Kiba smirked, turning to Naruto with a smug look. "Ha! Sucks to be you."
Naruto shrugged, completely unfazed. "I concede. I'm the ugly one."
"Damn right... wait, hold on!"
Clang!
Everyone looked down. Oscar had smacked his crystal head against Naruto's gauntlet, stubby limbs wriggling with anticipation. The sound echoed like a tiny war drum.
"See? Oscar's ready," Naruto grinned, kissing the lizard's head affectionately.
Kakashi gave a nod. "Good. Now fight."
"Wait, you didn't even teach us anything!" Kiba protested.
"I'm evaluating, not instructing."
Naruto sighed but stepped forward, forming the Seal of Confrontation. "Let's get this over with."
Kiba mirrored him. "Hajime."
It was over in a blink.
The flat edge of Naruto's Zweihander was at Kiba's throat before the Inuzuka could even shift his footing. The sheer weight of the black blade made the earth groan. Kakashi noted the weapon with a degree of caution, it was unlike anything he knew.
"I win," Naruto said plainly.
Kiba gritted his teeth. "This was supposed to be about working with our ninken, not just flexing your oversized butterknife."
Naruto turned to Oscar, who was sitting with his legs curled underneath him like a well-mannered student, blinking up in confusion.
"...Yeah, okay, fair point," Naruto admitted.
"Also, why is it black?"
"Because it's stronger," Naruto said as Kiba's questioning was cut off.
"Restart," Kakashi said, tossing a kunai high into the air.
This time, both teams had a moment to prepare. The kunai spun once, twice, then clattered to the ground.
"Hajime."
Kiba and Akamaru sprang forward like arrows loosed from a bow. Their synchronization was uncanny—Kiba darted left while Akamaru curved right, fangs gleaming with chakra.
Naruto created a shadow clone, tossing Oscar toward it. The lizard chirped once in protest, then got scooped up and carried away to safety.
"Don't worry, buddy. This is gonna get messy."
"Fire Style: Fire Fang!"
Both Kiba and Akamaru's jaws erupted in synchronized bursts of flame, tongues of fire licking their fangs as chakra surged through their limbs. With a sharp howl, the two launched forward, spinning violently around each other. Their bodies blurred into a twin helix of fire and fang, spiraling through the air like a living, flaming drill. The heat cracked the earth beneath their takeoff point, and every rotation howled with wind and combustion.
Naruto, unfazed, pulled the Dragon Crest Shield from his inventory and braced.
BOOM!
The impact was thunderous. Flames exploded around him as the fire-spun vortex slammed into the shield with enough force to send tremors through the earth. Naruto grunted, digging his heels into the dirt. The Zweihander stayed sheathed; he held his ground with the shield alone.
The force pushed him back, furrows forming beneath his feet, but he didn't stagger.
Kiba and Akamaru bounced off, landing in a crouch, panting heavily.
Then Akamaru yelped, a high-pitched panic, as Oscar reemerged, head popping from the dirt like a mischievous trapdoor spider. His crystal jaws clamped firmly on Akamaru's tail, and the poor pup began spinning wildly in place, kicking up dust.
"Wh-What the hell?!" Kiba shouted.
Naruto took the opening.
One swift step forward and BAM!
A heavy kick landed square in Kiba's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. In a flash, Naruto was on him, a crossbow drawn and aimed between Kiba's eyes.
"That's game," Naruto said, smirking.
Kiba groaned, winded and stunned. "Remind me... not to spar you again."
"Remind me to train Oscar to aim for the throat next time," Naruto joked, lowering the crossbow and offering a hand.
Kakashi turned to the small pug at his feet. "Thoughts?"
Pakkun gave the two boys a long, slow look, his beady eyes narrowing. "Alright, let's break it down." He jerked his snout toward Kiba. "Dog Boy over there has solid instincts and some decent synergy, but his pup can't do jack without him."
"Oi!" Kiba barked.
Pakkun didn't even flinch. "You fight like you're two people with one brain and all the subtlety of a headbutt. No finesse. No layers. You expect Akamaru to follow your lead, but you haven't taught him what to do when things go sideways."
Kiba's jaw clenched, but his eyes flicked to Akamaru.
"Think. Why didn't your mutt bite back when that lizard of Blondie's nipped him?"
Kiba stiffened.
"You trained him to follow. Not to think. And that's a problem. You want a partner, not a pawn. You wanna win against smarter enemies? Start letting Akamaru make his own decisions. Give him space to grow."
Akamaru gave a quiet whine and nudged his partner's leg. Kiba lowered a hand to ruffle his fur, silent but thoughtful.
Then Pakkun turned to Naruto, sizing him up like a tailor measuring a restless client. "And you. Blondie. You look marginally less stupid than before. That's something, I guess."
"Uh... thanks?"
"Don't thank me yet. Tell me, how do you think you did?"
"Not great. I fought solo. Oscar fought solo. No coordination, no plan. I was just swinging around, and he was biting stuff. We need actual teamwork."
Pakkun gave a small grunt of approval. "Self-awareness. Finally." He stepped forward. "But that's not the real question. The real question is: what kind of partnership do you want?"
"Huh?"
"Look at Kakashi," Pakkun said, nodding toward the silver-haired jonin. "He uses summons as tools: support, tracking, flankers. Kiba's the opposite. His fighting style revolves entirely around Akamaru. So what do you want to be?"
Naruto went quiet for a moment. Then his eyes lit up. "Both."
Pakkun blinked. "Both?"
Naruto grinned wide. "I wanna fight on my own if I need to. But I also wanna fight with Oscar, like Kiba and Akamaru. I want us to cover each other's backs. To be partners."
There was a moment of silence.
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in quiet approval.
Pakkun let out a rough bark of laughter. "That's ambitious. Not easy, but not impossible. It'll take time, trust, and a whole lotta trial and error."
"I'm good at failing forward," Naruto said, grinning. "Now I just need to teach him how to use chakra."
Oscar, currently trying to gnaw on a bent kunai, chirped in response.
Kakashi pulled a small scroll from his vest and tossed it to Naruto. "This has the base method for chakra-beast transference and training. Basic steps for sensing, synchronizing, and shaping chakra in non-human companions."
Naruto caught the scroll and carefully stored it in his inventory pouch.
"Alright!" Pakkun snapped. "Since you're both so eager to fail your way into greatness, let's go through some drills."
"Yes, sir," Naruto and Kiba said in unison.
Pakkun narrowed his eyes. "Next time I want to hear that with spine. Or I'm going to bite your balls off."
"YES, SIR!" both boys yelled.
Hours later, as night fell over the Land of Waves, the stars scattered across the sky like distant fires. A quiet peace settled over the town, but Naruto's heart was anything but still.
Training had gone well. Oscar was adapting. Wind Bullet was beginning to take shape. And Hinata's guidance had helped him unlock new levels of control. But deep inside, there was a pull. A familiar one.
Lordran called to him.
It wasn't just curiosity anymore. He needed to test how chakra and soul truly interacted within Oscar. He needed to refine Oscar's transformation into a proper ninchū companion. Wind-style jutsu, fuinjutsu, and more—it was all theory until he had a place where time moved differently and danger sharpened his instincts.
And Lordran gave him exactly that.
So, when the house fell quiet and the others were deep in sleep, Naruto stepped outside under the moonlight. He pulled out the Homeward Bone from his inventory. "Let's get to work," he muttered to himself.
A swirl of light enveloped him and in an instant, Naruto was gone.
Back to the land of fading fire and undead dreams.
Back to Lordran.
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A few minutes went by as the air slightly shimmered from where Naruto had vanished. The faint shimmer lingered, distorting the light like heat rising from stone. Kakashi stepped out from the shadows of the trees, exhaling slowly. The forest around him was quiet... too quiet for comfort. He glanced toward the fading sigils etched into the earth, the remnants of whatever reverse summoning method Naruto had used.
"That's some fuinjutsu," Pakkun murmured, padding beside him with his usual frown.
Kakashi didn't respond immediately. His single visible eye was fixed on the ground, tracing the ghostly afterimages of the glowing symbols. They weren't just advanced, they were alien. Even with the knowledge passed down from Minato, even with decades of field experience, Kakashi didn't recognize a single stroke.
It made his skin crawl.
"You sure about this?" Pakkun asked, ears twitching. "You know how summoning clans treat trespassers."
Kakashi gave a stiff nod. "I know. Intrude on the wrong clan, and you're lucky if trials are all you face. Some... won't even let you finish your first step."
"And you still wanna go through with it?"
"I need answers, Pakkun."
Kakashi had tried to rationalize it. But with every new piece of evidence, the rational explanations thinned. He needed to know where Naruto was going. Who he was dealing with. What kind of summoning clan had accepted him.
And so he set his plan into motion.
All of it.
The Wind Bullet training. The ninchū ritual with Pakkun and Kiba. The overwhelming schedule. Kakashi had loaded Naruto down with just enough to force a retreat—just enough pressure to make returning to his clan the most logical option.
And now, all Kakashi needed was to follow.
The scroll he had given Naruto for Oscar's training wasn't just a training tool. Hidden inside was a sealed kunai etched with a reverse summoning sign, one linked directly to Pakkun. As soon as Naruto entered the summoning realm again, the sign would activate after a few minutes, and Pakkun would be drawn in after him. Then Pakkun would reverse summon Kakashi in.
That was the plan.
"Okay," Kakashi said. "We're close. The reverse summoning sign should go off in a few minutes."
Pakkun gave a resigned grunt, closed his eyes, and waited.
A minute passed. Then two.
Then fifteen.
Nothing.
Pakkun blinked. "Uh. Is something supposed to happen?"
Kakashi's silence was immediate. He didn't move. He didn't breathe. His eye widened, only slightly, but in that single motion, it was obvious: something was wrong. Very wrong. The reverse summoning seal... had been nullified.
That wasn't supposed to be possible.
"Pakkun," Kakashi said slowly, voice dry. "Are you sensing anything at all? Even a pull?"
"Nothing. Not even a tug. It's like the space doesn't exist to me."
"Do you know of any summoning clan that can block reverse summoning from the inside?"
Pakkun hesitated. "Maybe one or two of the Old Clans. The ones who signed their pacts before even the Sage of Six Paths came down the mountain. But I've never seen it. Never heard of it being done like this."
Kakashi turned, walking a slow circle before driving his fist into the bark of a tree.
The thud echoed in the woods.
"This isn't like you," Pakkun said softly.
"I know." Kakashi let his hand drop. "I just... I staked everything on this one move. If I could get in, just once, I could get answers."
"So again," Pakkun asked, voice gentler this time, "why? Why go through all this trouble?"
Kakashi closed his eye and breathed deeply. "Because I'm scared, Pakkun."
They sat beneath a tree on the edge of the forest. The wind rustled the leaves gently, but Kakashi's voice carried low and clear, stripped of his usual aloofness.
"I'm scared of where Naruto's path is leading him," he continued, fingers idly brushing over the hidden pouch strapped to his thigh. "The things he's done in the Wave... the way he fights, the things he says, the ideals he has. For heaven's sake, the boy thinks that being a shinobi is a hobby."
Pakkun blinked his small eyes and listened, his ears twitching.
Kakashi's visible eye darkened. "He's kind. Relentlessly so. And yet, I've seen that same kid cleave men in half with a straight face. I've seen him come back soaked in blood and guts with no regret. That kind of contradiction, it's not natural. It's not sustainable. And the worst part?"
He paused.
"I can't tell if I should be proud or afraid."
Pakkun let out a low, thoughtful grunt. "You're not afraid of him. You're afraid for him."
Kakashi gave a slow nod. "Naruto's ideals, whatever they are, they don't align with the shinobi world. He doesn't kill like a tool. He doesn't obey orders like a soldier. He's not chasing rank or prestige. And because of that... I can already see how the others will look at him someday. Not like a comrade. Not even like a weapon. But like an anomaly. Something they can't control, so they'll try to isolate him. Or worse."
His voice lowered.
"The way they did with my father."
Pakkun said nothing.
"He died a hero, but they treated him like a traitor first. I still remember how quiet the village got when they talked about the White Fang. All those years, and they still don't say his name with honor. If Naruto keeps growing like this, if he keeps breaking the rules the way he does..."
"You think the shinobi will turn on him?" Pakkun asked.
Kakashi nodded once. "And not just us. The other villages... the moment they learn what Naruto's carrying: the jutsu, the items, the bloodline. He'll be a target. Not just as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. But as a threat to their balance."
"And what happens," Pakkun said slowly, "when Naruto realizes that?"
Kakashi didn't answer.
"Or worse," Pakkun went on, "what happens if he decides he doesn't need the Leaf anymore?"
"...Then the hunt begins," Kakashi said softly. "We'll brand him a missing-nin. We'll send hunter-nin after him. ANBU. Teams of his friends. And eventually... someone will kill him or he'll burn Konoha to the ground."
He bowed his head, the weight of the words settling like iron on his shoulders.
"And I'll have helped it happen."
Pakkun tilted his head. "So you think sneaking into the summoning clan's territory will prevent that future?"
Kakashi closed his eye, torn. "I don't know. But if I can learn something... anything about what's behind all this, maybe I can help guide him. Maybe I can protect him from what's coming."
"And you don't think telling Naruto the truth is the better option?"
"I can't risk it," Kakashi murmured, his voice barely audible over the wind. "If I dig too deep, ask too soon... he'll know. Naruto might act like a simple kid, but I've seen the signs. That kid's sharp. Dangerously sharp. And if he starts connecting dots, if he begins to suspect me, or the Third..."
He didn't finish the thought.
Pakkun sat beside him, tail still, small eyes unreadable. "So you want to protect the cake while stealing a bite."
Kakashi sighed, lips twitching bitterly. "I don't want him to feel used," he said quietly. "Everyone's been waiting for him to become a weapon. I just want him to feel... trusted."
"But you are breaking his trust," Pakkun said, flat and unflinching.
Kakashi flinched.
"I'm not trying to be cruel," Pakkun went on. "But you're dancing the same dance, Kakashi. The one that left Obito under a boulder. The one that left Rin bleeding out by your hand. You think caution makes you safe. But maybe it just makes you alone."
Silence.
"I'm not doing this for control," Kakashi finally said, jaw tight. "I want to be ready. I want to be prepared. I want to be the one who steps in when it all falls apart again. So maybe this time... no one dies."
"Even if it means becoming the one who breaks him?"
Kakashi said nothing.
"If that territory he vanished into really blocked a reverse summoning," Pakkun continued, "then whatever's out there already knows more than you do. If they tell Naruto what you're planning—about the kunai, the seal—what do you think he'll feel?"
The question lingered like a blade just shy of his neck.
"That you're waiting for him to fail?" Pakkun asked softly. "That you don't trust him? That you see him as a danger?"
Kakashi's mouth was a hard line. "I didn't want it to come to this. I just wanted answers," he whispered.
"Then you shouldn't have gambled," Pakkun said. "Because now you're not chasing the truth. You're betting against trust."
Kakashi felt something crack inside him. And Pakkun, the pug who had seen him through blood and loss and silence, didn't raise his voice. He simply looked him in the eye. "You can't protect him by controlling him, Kakashi. And if you keep walking this line, be ready. Because when it breaks and it will, the only thing waiting on the other side will be regret."
Then, without another word, Pakkun padded off into the night.
Leaving Kakashi alone with the weight of what he had done, as he felt the old curse return again.
The same curse that had haunted him at the death of Obito. At the grave of Rin. At the fall of Minato.
The curse of too little, too late.
Of good intentions turned to ruin.
Of choosing wrong when it mattered most.
And now?
Now it might be happening all over again.
Kakashi didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
Because in his silence, he finally understood what he'd done. And a part of him already knew, Naruto would find out. And he was scared of what would happen next.
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 74, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!