"Um, Ishiro? We know how to do that already..." Akane replied after Ishiro revealed the "rough" training was tree-climbing.
"To be fair, she has a point." Dhuveena continued.
"Wait, wait, he's not done yet," Kakashi spoke up.
"This is no normal tree-climbing," Ishiro stated. "You three will be climbing the tree... without using your hands."
"Uh, what?" Akane asked, hearing this, Ishiro jumped down onto the ground.
"Let me demonstrate," Ishiro replied. Turning to the tree, he placed a foot on the bottom of its trunk as if it was the ground and started to walk up the tree without using any assistance from his hands, amazing everyone present except Kakashi. "This is the basic form, you can also walk on water. The method to do this is to build up chakra in the bottom of your feet and it will cling to surfaces."
"So how exactly is this supposed to help us?" Menma asked.
"Well, it helps to teach you to control chakra. As Ishiro mentioned earlier, the most important aspect of using jutsu is being able to bring out the proper amount of spiritual and bodily energy to the proper areas of the body. This can be difficult for even experienced ninja. To be able to climb a tree, the amount of chakra sent to the feet is small but precise, and it is said that the bottom of the foot is the most difficult part to gather chakra. Theoretically, if you can master this technique, you can use any jutsu."
"Well, the both of us talking won't help you three, so take a kunai to mark your progress as you try it yourselves," Ishiro instructed. "You guys probably won't be good enough to do it first try, well you could, but I doubt it, so try to build up momentum with a running start, k?"
"This is nothing to me! I'll get it first try, I'm most improved after all!" Menma boasted.
"We'll see about that. How about you quit bragging and actually try it?" Ishiro replied.
The three shinobi made singular hand seals, gathering chakra to the bottom of their feet. After gathering their assumed necessary amount of chakra, the three pulled out kunai and ran forwards, and attempt to run up their trees.
Just as he took his first step up the tree, Menma fell off the tree, not making any percentage of progress. Akane took a few steps up the trunk of the tree, before the next step created a large hole in the tree, making her lose her balance, forcing her to mark her progress and backflip off the trunk. The biggest surprise, to Ishiro anyways, was Dhuveena, who managed to run up to a branch on her first attempt.
"Seems like Dhuveena is currently the best in chakra control." Ishiro congratulated. "So far, she is the closest to becoming the next Hokage, unlike a certain someone..." Ishiro said, the last part on purpose to mock and inspire Menma. 'Although, I shouldn't have been surprised. Akane has used a sword for the most of her life, from what I have seen, and should my calculations be correct, Menma has the most chakra here, about three times my amount.' Ishiro analyzed mentally.
'Alright. I've got this. I'll catch up to Akane first!" Menma mentally declared.
"Dhuveena, I suppose you can attempt walking on water now," Kakashi suggested.
-Somewhere else-
"I swear, the next time I see Kakashi, I shall crush him." Zabuza declared while the hunter-nin tended to his wounds. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard. A short, plump man with sunglasses and two armed men entered the room.
"So, even you have returned defeated... It seems like you Hidden Mist shinobi are really quite useless." Gato mocked, walking next to the bed Zabuza laid in. "Now, now, there's no need to stay silent." He extended an arm.
Before his arm could make contact, the hunter-nin grabbed his wrist. "How about... You don't touch Zabuza with your dirty hands?" Seeing this, the two armed men pulled out their katanas, but before they could act, the hunter-nin had grabbed both katanas, pointing them at the two men's necks.
"A monster you are... I swear your hand is at least a thousand degrees below normal body temperature..." Gato stated, running to the door of the room. "Look, if you fail one more time, you two are dead." Gato finished, before leaving with his two bodyguards.
"Haku, you didn't need to do that..." Zabuza stated, revealing a hidden kunai.
"I know, but it wouldn't be convenient," Haku replied. "I feel it. My blood flowing within the veins of another. He is near. I must see him, and I must see if it is who I think it is."
-Evening, Training Forest-
Menma still hadn't made much progress, Dhuveena took a few steps on the surface of the river before dropping in, while Akane got closer and closer to the top of the tree. Ishiro was descaling and filleting a fish he had caught while Kakashi was reading his book. Menma, fed up with all his failures, walked over to where Ishiro was. Sensing a strange chakra, Ishiro threw his knife, which embedded itself on a trunk next to Menma, completely shocking everyone.
'No, it wasn't Menma, it was someone else...' Ishiro thought, retrieving his knife. "Sorry about that, Menma, I thought you were someone else."
"It's fine, could you give me any tips on this exercise?" Menma asked, hanging his face.
"Well..." Ishiro began.
"I'm listening..." Came the sudden voice of Akane, who came to ask for help as well.
"Well, chakra uses spiritual energy, so to gather your chakra more accurately you can't get too excited," Ishiro explained. "Relax and focus on the tree and it would be fine." Ishiro turned back to his cutting board and the fish. "If you don't mind, let me focus on cutting up this fish, or everyone is eating vegetarian today." Unbeknownst to them, Kakashi was watching from the distance.
'Good, it seems they are finally getting a better grasp on teamwork.' Kakashi thought to himself.
-Night, Dining Table-
Kakashi, Menma, Dhuveena, and Akane sat at the dining table with Tazuna and Inari, while Ishiro helped Tsunami with cooking dinner. After what felt like forever, Ishiro turned off the stove and placed the fish that he had prepared on a large plate, before placing it on the table. Around the fish itself, tomatoes and tofu were adorned to increase the overall flavor of the dish. Tsunami was the most taken aback.
"Wow, Ishiro-san, how did you know that this breed of fish was local to this region?" Tsunami asked.
"Well, I've been here before," Ishiro replied. "I think we should start eating dinner, the fish wouldn't be good if it got cold."
-Ten minutes later-
Akane and Menma finished their fourth bowl of food, before raising their bowls. "More please!" Both requested, before turning around and emptying the food they had eaten prior.
"If you two are going to throw up, maybe stop eating?" Dhuveena suggested.
"No, I must eat," Akane replied.
"Yup. We have to eat if we are going to become stronger." Menma added on.
"That would be true theoretically, but there's no need to throw up," Kakashi replied, as Ishiro stood up.
"I'm done," Ishiro stated, placing his bowl in the sink. "I'm going for a walk." After finishing, Ishiro opened the door and left.
"Well, what do we do now?" Akane asked.
"How about... I tell you about the hero of this land?" Tazuna suggested. Suddenly, Inari smashed his fist on the table, before leaving to his room, slamming the door behind him.
"Goodness me... Pardon me guys, I need to excuse myself." Tsunami stated, going to Inari's room.
-After the story-
"My gosh... that was the saddest story I've ever heard..." Akane said, placing her hands to her mouth.
"With him gone, left Inari's last line of hope..." Tazuna muttered.
"Well then, I'm gonna have to go train to show Inari that hero's really do exist!" Menma exclaimed, running out of the house.
"Menma used to be like Inari, having no parents, but I've never seen him cry once," Kakashi explained.
"I don't think Menma's a good comparison." Tsunami stated. "I believe Ishiro is a better comparison. I see it in his eyes, the same soullessness that is in Inari's."
-With Ishiro-
"I wonder, I have no summoning contract, but what happens if I use the summoning technique anyways?" Ishiro asked himself, before making the necessary hand seals. 'This might be a terrible decision.' He thought before slamming his palm on the ground. Weird markings emerged around his hand before he was engulfed in a cloud of white smoke and disappeared. Ishiro then found himself in a vast and heavy forest, before walking forwards and finding a concrete pathway. He walked on the pathway and soon enough up a staircase. Upon reaching the top of the mountain, he arrived at a holy-looking shrine. Walking in, he was greeted by the appearance of a giant fox.
"Who are you, young traveler? If you've managed to find the holy forests of Shinkyou, then you must be quite special." The massive fox stated. "My name is Resshin, the Priestess of the Foxes."
"Well, my name is Ishiro Uchiha. And I found myself here when I tried to use the summoning technique without a contract." Ishiro replied.
"Hmmm, your heart is cold, as is your blood, but your heart is pure, and so is your mind. You seem trustworthy enough, so... How would you like to be the second-ever Fox Summoner?" Resshin offered.
"Huh, thank you for this opportunity," Ishiro replied as Resshin brought out a contract. "By the way, who was the first summoner?"
"Funnily enough, it was your father, Fugaku Uchiha," Resshin replied. "But that was not the reason you found yourself here. There are two main reasons. The first is that you have a natural affinity for foxes, but also since you have half of the Kyuubi inside of you. Speaking of which, how is my mate doing?"
"Mate? Oh, I get it. He's awfully grumpy all the time." Ishiro replied. He bit his thumb, drawing blood, before smearing it on the contract in the shape of his name, signing himself to be a fox-summoner. As he was about to use the summoning technique to send himself back, Resshin approached a black anklet in her mouth, passing it to Ishiro.
"Here. This is what your father would've wanted you to have." Resshin explained.
Ishiro didn't question it, but the anklet, as if having a mind of its own, expanded itself and put itself on Ishiro's right leg with a tight fit, so tight that it was as if it had been bonded to his skin. After receiving the anklet, Ishiro was sent back to the normal world.
-Normal World-
Ishiro found himself waking up in the middle of a clearing in the forest. He sank his head down on the grass, as soft footsteps approached. A girl with long black hair, pale skin, and dark-brown eyes peered over him.
"You know, you will get a nasty cold if you sleep out here like t-" The girl began, before touching the pulse on Ishiro's neck. "Oh my, long time no see, Ishiro."
"Haku?" Ishiro called out. "It has been a long time..."
-Flashback-
Ishiro had just left the Hidden Leaf village for a journey, one to explore the world around him, but also as one to train, training both his knowledge and power. Upon reaching the Land of Waves, however, he found himself lost and stuck in a forest. Right as he jumped on a tree branch, however, he was knocked out by a random stranger. When Ishiro woke once more, his hands and legs had been tied up, and he was by a fireplace. Opposite to him was a girl with black hair that looked about three years older than him.
"You're finally awake?" The girl asked. "Good. Time for introductions. My name is Haku Yuki, and who are you?"
"My name is Ishiro," Ishiro replied. "How old are you?"
"14," Haku replied. "How bout you?"
"11," Ishiro replied.
"That's strange. You are quite the looker for your age, and your body is quite toned too..." Haku said with a blush.
"That's, ummmm..." Ishiro replied, clearly flustered.
"Well then... How do you think about me?" Haku asked, but Ishiro never answered, his face a deep shade of pink. "That's fine. Most boys who see me have the same reaction anyway. I think we could be some pretty nifty friends, what do you say?"
-Flashback end-
"And then we traveled for a year." Haku finished. "Well I gotta run now, but I gotta ask you... Have you found someone who you consider special and important to you yet?"
"Not yet, unfortunately," Ishiro replied.
"Well, it's never too late for you to do so," Haku replied. "You said before that you want to be the strongest of all... But remember this. Only when you have someone special to you and someone you would give anything to protect, can you become truly strong."
-Team 7-
"We're all ready now, time to let Zabuza make the first move," Kakashi stated.
-Zabuza's hideout-
Zabuza gripped an apple, before crushing it into pieces.