"To train chakra control," Kakashi began, standing in front of them with his hands in his pockets.
He took a few steps forward, stopping near the base of a large tree. Then, without a word, he raised one foot and calmly placed it against the trunk. In a fluid motion, he stepped up and began walking vertically, straight up the tree as though it were flat ground.
"Whoa!"Naruto's jaw dropped.
Sasuke watched intently, his eyes narrowing.
Kakashi went up a few more steps, then flipped backward and landed smoothly on the ground.
"See?" he said, brushing imaginary dust from his gloves. "It's about channeling the right amount of chakra to the soles of your feet. Too much, and you'll be blasted off. Too little, and you'll slip."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out three kunai, tossing one to each of them. "Mark your highest point with these every time you try."
"Got it!" Naruto pumped a fist.
"This will be easy," Sakura said, confident after watching.
"Hmph," Sasuke said, stepping forward with a cool expression.
Naruto didn't wait. "Here I go!"
He sprinted at the tree full speed, screaming. "Haaaaa!"
He made it two steps before slipping and falling flat on his back.
"Ow!"
Sasuke was next. He approached with more caution, stepping slowly. He managed four steps up before his foot lost grip and he slid down.
Sakura went last. She took a moment to focus, then gently placed one foot on the trunk. She moved up, one step, two, then three… and kept going. She climbed smoothly until she reached nearly twice Naruto's height, then stopped and stabbed the kunai into the bark.
"Nice work, Sakura," Kakashi said. "You've got excellent chakra control."
"What?!" Naruto sat up, still rubbing his back. "That's not fair!"
"Tch," Sasuke muttered, already walking back to try again.
"Now," Kakashi said, eye curving into a smile, "you two better catch up."
And so, their training began.
Sasuke trained with quiet determination. He didn't waste words. Every fall was met with another try. His movements became sharper with each attempt.
Sakura, naturally gifted in control and poor chakra, didn't struggle much. She focused on refining her steps, climbing faster, more efficiently.
Naruto, though… Naruto flailed. He yelled, slipped, argued with the tree, and faceplanted into the dirt more times than anyone could count. But he never gave up. He kept running back, kept trying, sweat pouring down his face as he reached higher bit by bit.
Kakashi, while supervising, leaned against another tree and let them work. Occasionally, he'd glance up to track their progress. Most of the time, though, his mind wandered.
He browsed through the memory of the sealing catalog from ROB, specifically focusing on Jūinjutsu—curse marks. The Heaven Seal that Anko carried still intrigued him. If he could replicate it and reshape it safely…
The days passed.
Kakashi didn't assign any more missions during that time. He wanted them to finish this chakra control training before anything else.
Sakura was the first to completely master it. She could climb up and down with ease by the third day.
Sasuke followed two days later, cutting into the bark with his kunai nearly at the top of the tree.
Naruto took the longest, but on the sixth day, he finally reached his kunai, plunged it into the bark, and stood tall on a thick branch.
"I DID IT!" he screamed, pumping both fists in the air.
Kakashi looked up and gave him a small but genuine smile. "Good job, Naruto."
He knew how difficult it was for Naruto. With the Nine-Tails' chakra disrupting his flow, his control would always be harder to manage. The fact that Naruto still kept pushing forward without giving up, was a strength in itself.
—
A few days later, Kakashi brought Team 7 to a quiet lake just outside the village. The water was clear and calm, reflecting the sky like glass.
"Today's training is harder," Kakashi said simply as he walked forward.
Without warning, he stepped onto the surface of the lake. His foot didn't sink. He took another step, then another, walking across the water as if it were solid ground.
"WHAAAT?!" Naruto yelled, nearly tripping over himself. "You're standing on the water!"
"Yep." Kakashi nodded calmly, taking a few more slow, deliberate steps. "This is the next level of chakra control. Water walking."
Naruto leaned over and stared at the surface. "But… how?"
"To stay above water, you must send a steady stream of chakra to your feet," Kakashi explained. "Water moves, unlike a tree. It shifts, ripples, and pushes back. That means your chakra output must constantly adjust. It's not just control, it's rhythm."
"This looks harder than the tree," Naruto muttered.
"So it's about control and timing," Sasuke said, eyes narrowing.
"Exactly," Kakashi confirmed. "Try it."
Sakura, confident from her success with the trees, stepped forward. She focused, channeled chakra to her soles, and placed her foot gently onto the surface…
SPLASH.
She went under instantly.
Naruto burst out laughing. "Aha! Not so easy, huh?!"
Then he stepped onto the water himself.
SPLASH.
He vanished even faster.
Sasuke approached next, cautiously. He stood still on the edge, focused, and placed his foot down. For a moment, he stood on the water… before sinking up to his knees.
"Keep at it," Kakashi said, then walked over to lean against a tree. He pulled his book back out, but kept one eye on them.
The rest of the afternoon was full of splashes, coughing, and yelling.
They slipped.
They flailed.
They dragged themselves back out of the water again and again.
But slowly… it started to work.
Sasuke improved the fastest. His chakra was strong and focused. Sakura followed with slower but steady improvement.
Naruto, though drenched constantly, didn't stop trying. He clenched his teeth and pushed himself forward, each time learning a bit more.
By the end of the week, all three were able to stand on the lake without falling in.
—
The next morning, the sun rose high above Training Ground 3. The surface of the lake shimmered in the light, broken only by the footsteps of three determined Genin.
Kakashi stood in the center of the lake, arms crossed.
"Well done," he said as the three walked out to join him. "You've come a long way."
"Told you I could do it!" Naruto said proudly, standing on the water like it was solid ground.
Sasuke nodded silently. His control had become nearly flawless.
Sakura smiled, brushing back her damp hair. "What's next, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi's eyes curved upward. "Now comes the fun part."
He pulled his arm forward and tapped his storage seal under his wrist, and he handed each of them the chakra paper from before.
"Remember these?" he asked.
They each nodded.
"Push your chakra into the paper," Kakashi instructed. "Let's find out your nature."
Sakura went first. Her paper first soaked, then crumbled.
"Ah, Water and Earth nature," Kakashi said, nodding. "Interesting."
Naruto shoved chakra into his paper with a grin.
The paper immediately split and then crumpled.
"Huh? It tore?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi raised a brow. "Wind… That's rare in Konoha."
Naruto blinked. "I have a wind attribute?"
"You do," Kakashi confirmed.
Sasuke went last.
His paper burned at one edge and crumpled at the other.
"Fire and Lightning," Kakashi said. "Rare among the Uchiha."
Sasuke gave a faint nod, clearly pleased.
Kakashi tucked the remaining paper away. "Now that you've learned chakra control and elemental affinity… It's time I fulfill my promise."
Naruto lit up. "You mean… the Rasengan?!"
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. But it's a difficult jutsu. It doesn't use hand signs. It requires total chakra control, precision, and rotation."
He turned to Sasuke. "And you, once your control is sharp enough, I'll teach you the Chidori."
Sasuke's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"And me?" Sakura asked.
Kakashi smiled. "For the moment, I'll be teaching you chakra-enhanced strength and medical ninjutsu. You'll be the one keeping these two alive."
Sakura blinked, then smiled, proud of herself.
Kakashi turned, glancing back at the three. "This is just the start. But with how far you've come already… I'm confident."
The water rippled beneath their feet, sunlight dancing over their reflections.
Team 7 was no longer just a group of rookies.