Training Ground 7: Morning…
Kakashi came to learn he couldn't take things easy with his new squad, like he would if given any other team. The last loyal Uchiha, the son of a hero, it was two though your average citizen or Shinobi wouldn't know Naruto was Minato's son, and the Hyuga heiress.
There was a great deal of expectation after word spread that Kakashi passed them. It led to people nicknaming the team as, Squad Potential. If all that wasn't enough, the fact that the Hyuga would be looking for results certainly was.
Granted, Hinata was now his soldier, and that entitled him to a lot when it came to her career as a Shinobi. That said, if his training of her was seen as ineffective, without proper evidence to the contrary, the Hyuga could really make things hard on him.
As such, he now stood before his Genin, upon arriving a little later than them. "After the events of yesterday, you are all Shinobi ready to take missions on behalf of the village. We'll begin those today, at noon, with D ranked mission. It might mean walking dogs, weeding, or…"
"Come on, give us a real mission!" Naruto interrupted, incensed.
"When you are ready to take on more strenuous missions. I will get them." Kakashi assured the boy. "First, you must improve through training and that you can handle it through the missions every Genin starts with."
Naruto crossed his arms with a frustrated expression.
"I want to get in on more advanced missions as well Naruto, but what Kakashi Sensei says makes sense." Goku reasoned. "At this time, we're fresh Genin. Even if sensei wanted to get us a more serious mission, Great Uncle Hiruzen likely wouldn't go for it."
"Alright, we'll just have to work hard and prove we deserve them." Naruto declared, lightening up.
"Sensei, you said we'd start D rank missions at noon today." Hinata interjected. "Am I to assume we are then here now to train?"
"An apt deduction Hinata." Kakashi nodded. "We will be training; however, don't expect the same schedule every day. There are some D ranks only given out in the morning while others are given out after lunch.
As such, I shall inform you at the end of the day if we'll switch times. Even though they are just D rank missions, the rather varied approach will look better on your records in as far as getting a more serious mission faster."
It'll also looked a bit better to anyone paying attention than a constant stream of the same missions done repeatedly. Effectively, Kakashi aimed to knock out two birds with one stone.
"What's the training?" Sasuke asked.
"First, we'll begin with a review of Chakra, a ninja's basic source of power." Kakashi informed. "Understanding Chakra is essential."
"We already know this." Sasuke voiced.
"I'm certain there's a reason why he's bringing this up." Goku spoke up.
"Thank you, Goku." Kakashi stated. "Now, who among you would like to give said review?"
"I got it, Kakshi Sensei." Hinata voiced. "Chakra is the energy utilized within Jutsu. It has two forms being physical and spiritual. Physical energy exist within all the cells working together while spiritual energy is the primal source of power that is intensified through training and experience. To perform Jutsu, one must bring them together and focus them through hand signs."
"Right on all points." Kakahi voiced. "Iruka did have some excellent students."
"What's the big deal with all these complicated explanations?" Naruto asked. "The whole point is to learn the Jutsu."
"Naruto is right, for once." Sasuke voiced. "We're already using Chakra in our Jutsu."
"No, you have not mastered it." Kakashi rebutted. "In fact, you've barely scratched the surface."
"Ah, I get it." Goku realized why sensei had the review. "It's just as Hinata said. We must draw on spiritual and physical energies before combing them within ourselves."
"There lies the conundrum." Kakashi voiced. "How do you do that? Each Jutsu requires different types of Chakra, in different proportions. You must select and combine them in exactly the right way. Up till now, three of you have guessed at the proportions."
"Three of us?" Sasuke knew he wasn't the exception here. "Who out of us hasn't been?"
Even if you produce a lot of Chakra, unless you can balance and control it, it's worthless." Kakashi continued. "The Jutsu won't work, or it'll just be a joke. You waste so much energy that way. Then, you're out of Chakra and can't fight. You're just a target."
"So, how do we change that?" Naruto asked.
"Train hard to the point controlling your Chakra becomes second nature." Kakashi informed, seriously. "To achieve this, you must be ready to put your life on the line."
"What do we have to do?" Hinata asked.
Kakashi chuckled. "Climb a tree, to start with."
"Climb a tree!?" The four Genin asked.
"That's right, though you must do it without hands." Kakashi responded, getting looks of disbelief from his students. "Here, allow me to demonstrate." He looked at Hinata. "Use your Byakugan to see what I'm doing."
"Uh, yes Sensei." Hinata made the hand sign. "Byakugan!"
The veins along the side of Hinata's eyes became visible as she could now see what the others could not. Kakashi then made a hand sign of his own before proceeding the nearest tree and walking along its trunk, to the amazement of the Genin.
"He's climbing." Naruto commented.
"Using nothing but his feet." Goku smiled. "That so cool!"
"Well, you get the idea." Kakashi voiced as he now hung by his feet, on the bottom of a tree branch. "Focus your Chakra to the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree. First, you learn to apply a subtle amount of Chakra to a precise point on your body.
This requires a mix of physical and spiritual energy while the bottom of the feet are some of the most difficult points to focus Chakra to. Are you getting the picture? If you master Chakra Control, you can master any Jutsu…Well, in theory.
The second point is to learn about maintaining your Chakra levels. When a ninja is focused in battle, it's harder to control and maintain their Chakra. A deadly mistake. To avoid this, maintaining Chakra must become second nature. Effortless.
Well, I could talk about this all day, but that wouldn't advance your skills. You need to apply Chakra through training." He withdrew four kunai and threw them down. "Use the kunai to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb, without using your hands.
Then, try to get past that mark the next time, and the next. At first, you'll need to run at the tree, your momentum takes your until you're used to it. Ready?" The Genin each grabbed a kunai. "Now, get focused and do it!"
The four Genin made the hand sign and drew Chakra to their feet before running up a tree. Naruto didn't even make it up a few feet before falling and hitting his head on the ground. Sasuke and Goku both made good distance before their feet impacted with the trunk.
This pushed the pair off, but they managed to mar the tree before landing in a crouched position. The pair had used too much Chakra while Naruto had used too little, resulting in their failures. This left Hinata who hadn't made a sound of failure like the rest.
"Kakashi Sensei, I made it!" Hinata called out.
This drew the Jonin's attention while the other three Genin stared on wide eyed as Hinata now stood atop the tree.
"Just as I expected from the Hyuga." Kakashi decided to utilize this as motivation for the other three. "Well, looks like she's got the most advanced Chakra Control. Well done, Hinata."
"Yeah, way to go Hinata!" Naruto cheered. "It does sort of tick me off though."
Sasuke scoffed and looked away as he muttered, "Whatever."
Goku saw this and clenched his kunai firmly before immediately running at his tree again, determined to catch up.
"Someone's got the right idea." Kakashi commented. "After all, he did declare his intention to be the strongest Shinobi in all the Elemental Nations. His drive is more than I can say for the one who wanted to be Hokage or one of the last members of the supposedly great Uchiha."
Goku fell to the ground again, only to immediately charge the tree once more. That, coupled with their Sensei's words, got the other two moving as well.
"There we go." Kakashi wove hand signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." A Shadow Clone appeared and took up a position where he could watch over the three, freeing up the original to approach the tree the Hyuga stood atop. "Come on down and follow me Hinata."
"Yes Sensei!" Hinata declared.
She lept down and followed her Sensei to an area where the others could not observe easily. While unlikely they would, with their focus solely on getting Tree Climbing down, Kakashi figured it'd be best this way.
With Kakashi & Hinata
"Alright Hinata, I must confess I knew you wouldn't have a problem with Chakra Control." Kakashi informed. "Hyuga tend to be perfect with it, and I knew upon seeing me with your Byakugan, you'd get it down instantly."
"I kind of figured that's what you wanted." Hinata voiced. "It also appears you wished to use me as motivation for my teammates as well."
"That is correct; however, I'm not about to forget your training." Kakashi stated. "While I am going to pull the same stunt to help them better learn the next exercise, I'll now be jumping you a step beyond to expertise."
"Expertise?" Hinata asked.
"When it comes to the Gentle Fist and your Byakugan, no one is more fit to instruct you than your own clan." Kakashi voiced. "As such, I will not even try in that regard. That said, everything that makes a Hyuga a Hyuga could be seen as an example of expertise."
"Ah, I understand." Hinata nodded. "As a Hyuga, I have perfect Chakra Control, so you want to point me to a field wherein that aspect flourishes."
"With your Chakra Control, there's a truly bright future ahead for you as a Genjutsu Specialist Medical-Nin, or even an Assassin."
"Assassin?" Hinata questioned.
"Your perfect Chakra control makes masking your Chakra Signature easier while your Jutsu will be highly Chakra Efficient. Kill strikes will be precise and hard to detect." Kakashi responded. "Right now, I'd like you to spend time thinking which expertise you'd want."
Hinata considered her options. Assassination didn't sound like something she wanted. Genjutsu was a rare talent, but one of the biggest advantages to being a specialist was the ability to break Genjutsu, on yourself and your allies.
The Byakugan already gave her a leg up in seeing through Genjutsu. Being a Medical-Nin sounded interesting, and she did enjoy helping people. Plus, Tsunade Senju was a Medical-Nin and a member of the legendary Sanin. It was highly respectable."
"Don't make a decision now." Kakashi had seen her thinking it over. "As things stand, I predict you're the only one of my Genin with more than one path before them. What I'd like you to do is check out basic Medical-Nin and Genjutsu text books from the Shinobi Library.
The Medical-Nin books can help you learn how to kill as an assassin by striking certain parts of the body and teach you the fundamentals of healing. They won't teach you how to mold chakra to heal but will give you the foundation of first aid as well as how the body operates.
The Genjutsu text books won't give you anything to practice, but they will help you understand that aspect better. By the time your teammates are ready for the next exercise, after we start them on that, you can tell me your decision."
"Sensei, this is a big decision." Hinata voiced worriedly. "Wouldn't you know best?"
"A Shinobi makes decisions every day." Kakashi eye smiled. "All you need to make it, aside from time, is the confidence you've displayed up to this point." He nodded. "This is your choice, Hinata."
Hinata nodded before taking off to do as her Sensei instructed, in getting the proper materials. Then, she'd take the information provided to make an informed decision about her future.
Over the next 6 ½ Days…
Goku, Naruto, and Sasuke pressed on with Tree Climbing right up until Kakashi returned with Hinata. He called an end to training for the day. Given the boys were disheveled and tired, he'd ended training one hour early. This would give all four time to clean themselves and get a meal.
Then, they'd meet him at the tower. Of course, given his tendency to be tardy, he had to promise them he'd be there. Once the break was over, Squad Seven reconvened at the tower to get started on missions. As they were already informed, these missions would be D ranks.
Their first ever mission was to paint a fence. Between four Genin, it was completed in no time. Given Kakashi knew his students wanted a C rank as soon as possible, and D ranks were an easy way for him to squeeze in reading, he had no problem taking more.
Especially since D ranks were aplenty. With the precedence set by his team on the fence, he selected a whole slew when they returned to the tower. That's how the six days after turned out, with one day of rest on there to let them recharge.
Training Ground 7: Evening…
(7 Days Since Training & Missions Began)
Kakashi eye smiled as the three Genin rested comfortably atop their respective trees. "They made better time than quite a few Shinobi I know."Goku and Naruto were grinning while Sasuke had a small smile. "Perhaps Team Potential is an apt name after all. At this rate, they'll be ready for a C rank sooner than even I thought."
Kakashi informed his Genin they'd meet the next morning, at the training grounds, near the river. There they'd move onto the next stage of training.
Morning…
(Start of Second Week)
At the start of their second week as Squad 7, the four Genin stood before their Sensei near the river that ran through their training ground. From what they'd gleamed, this river tied into the second Chakra Exercise their Sensei had for them.
"Today, I'll teach you all how to walk on water." Kakashi declared, though none of them were surprised given the man had walked up a tree, and they'd been doing the same. "While this is harder than walking up a tree, I suspect you lot should have it down by at least two weeks."
In truth, he had them getting it down in far less time than that. Even if they didn't have Tree Climbing, Kakashi suspected two weeks would have still been too generous an estimate.
"In Tree Climbing, the key is to build up Chakra at the points of contact and maintain it at a steady rate." Kakashi continued. "To walk on water, you'll need to bring over what Tree Climbing taught you and constantly adjust the rate of discharge to maintain balance."
"It's obvious how this is more difficult." Sasuke thought.
"Now, it's time to observe." Kakashi voiced. "Hinata, Byakugan."
Hinata made the hand sign once again. "Byakugan!"
With it active, Kakashi once again made the hand sign to focus his Chakra. He then walked out onto to the water and turned to face his students.
"Cool!" Naruto/Goku marveled.
"There's no kunai markers for this, yet I'm positive each of you will know whether you've succeeded by how dry you are." Kakashi declared. "Now, give it a try."
The four Genin stepped out onto the river with Hinata getting it right away, just like last time. Goku and Sasuke were having difficulties maintaining balance. One foot would end up sinking while the other maintained a shaky control.
Then, the feet would switch as they attempted to find balance. This only lasted a few seconds as Naruto immediately fell through the water, splashing the other two. This saw them losing concentration and taking a dip after him.
"Once again, Hinata is showing she's closer to your goals than any of you." Kakashi voiced.
That was all Kakashi had to say this time as the three boys immediately reset themselves and got back to work. Given the repeated result, it was clear they were not about to get this down today. Once again, Kakashi made a Shadow Clone and took Hinata aside.
With Kakashi & Hinata
"Have you reached your decision on what expertise you'd like to pursue?" Kakashi asked.
"I have." Hinata declared firmly. "While I want to be strong, I also like helping people, and it seems I can do more of that as a Medical-Nin than as a Genjutsu Specialist. Even though I did think about it, I know Assassin was never really an option for me."
"It's good you understood the limits of what you're comfortable with." Kakashi voiced while producing a medical ninja bag.
"Did you know this is the path I'd pick all along?" Hinata asked as she accepted the item.
"No, I actually had a Genjutsu scroll ready." Kakashi responded.
By omitting anything linked to assassination, he informed the Hyuga heiress that he knew the role of an Assassin would never have fitted her. Hinata then noticed her Sensei was giving her a large eye smile.
"What I will say is that unlike the Genjutsu scroll I prepared; this pouch once belonged to a comrade who was very precious to me." Kakashi stated. "Someone who cared deeply for her teammates and strove to protect them with her whole heart."
"You think I could be like this person who was precious to you?" Hinata asked genuinely.
"There isn't a doubt in my mind that you have a heart much like hers." Kakashi voiced. "Now, I did take the liberty of adding a scroll for the Healing Palm Jutsu to the pack since she left hers out upon mastering it. What I want you to do is take this pack and head to the hospital.
Tell the receptionist Kakashi Hatake sent you. While I could certainly show you the Healing Palm Jutsu, they'll be better suited at helping you better utilize it, and likely have other things you can learn. That'll be where you go any time we train until I inform you otherwise.
"Understood Sensei." Hinata declared.
She then took off determined to make good on Sensei's belief in her.
Over the next 6 ½ Days…
With only the substitution of training method, things progressed as they had the prior week…for three days. The boys had been determined, motivated, and put in the hard work. Over the next three sessions after, there was a day of rest, Kakashi ensured the boys had the exercises down.
They were forced to slow down on Tree Climbing and Water Walking to ensure they had them down. While the three boys were unhappy, to certain extents, they were placated by promises of personalized training come the start of their third week.
Training Ground 7: Evening…
(Start of Third Week)
Kakshi stood before his Genin, ready to begin the next leg of their training. While he wanted to get them started on their expertise, like Hinata already was, he first needed confirmation on something. Besides, learning what he would from this would come in handy.
"As I promised, I do have personalized training ready for the three of you; however, I must first confirm something." Kakashi informed. "With that comes another lesson, one all four of you may just find interesting so bear with me.
This lesson is on Chakra Natures, something a few of you might have vague ideas about, yet nothing is certain." He held up five fingers. "There are five basic natures to Chakra. Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, and Earth. The 5 Great Nations took their names from these natures.
They are the foundation for Ninjutsu. Most Chakra will fall under one of the five. For instance, members of the Uchiha tend to have Fire Nature while Hyuga typically have an Earth Nature. Uchiha excel at Fire Ninjutsu while most Hyuga could excel at Earth Ninjutsu.
Of course, there are instances of people having more than one affinity, but that's determined by genetics. Whether you inherit a nature-based Bloodline or have more than one through other circumstances. Having an affinity means learning Releases of that affinity is easier."
"If you don't have an affinity with a nature, can you still learn Ninjutsu from it?" Naruto asked.
"It is difficult, unless you are an Uchiha with the Sharingan." Kakashi responded. "Each element requires molding Chakra in a specific way. To put it another way, learning Jutsu that you have an affinity for is like studying a complex problem written in the language you know.
Learning a Jutsu you do not have an affinity for is like studying a complex problem written in a foreign language. You can learn a second language, but you typically always think in your native tongue. Difficulties in learning Jutsu from multiple elements increases on an exponential level."
Hinata thought she understood the concept. "Unless you're an Uchiha, learning a 2nd element is twice as hard while learning a third element might be four times as hard?"
"Right concept but wrong degree." Kakashi gave her an eye smile, "It's not precise, but for most Shinobi with one Chakra Nature, learning a 2nd element is typically ten times as hard." His students looked at him wide eyed. "Learning a 3rd element is then 100 times as hard as the first."
Additionally, even though one with the Sharingan can learn Jutsu outside their affinity, those who use a Jutsu they have an affinity with, tend to produce more potent Ninjutsu. Of course, training does play a factor."
"If both Shinobi are just as trained in an element, the one with an affinity for it would come out on top should they clash." Sasuke reasoned.
"Correct, Sasuke." Kakashi nodded. "Anyways, let's not get ahead of ourselves. The first step to all of this is actually learning your affinities." He took out five slips of paper. "We'll find those out by using these."
"What are those?" Goku asked.
Kakashi held one of the slips between his fingers, and it suddenly crinkled, to the surprise of the Genin. "If you have a Lightning Nature like me, the paper crinkles. If you have Wind Nature, it tears. A Fire Nature makes it burn. A Water Nature, the paper becomes wet.
An Earth Nature sees it crumble away. These are litmus papers that react to Chakra. They come from a special tree that grows by absorbing Chakra." He held them out. "Each of you shall take one and take it in turns to let your Chakra flow into them. That will tell us your nature."
Each Genin took their paper, and though some were excited, they refrained from going ahead with flowing their Chakra. Kakashi was internally thankful since he wouldn't be surprised if each of them had more than one. In fact, he was hoping one of them had more, like their father did.
"We'll do this just as we did introductions." Kakashi voiced. "We'll start from the right and work our way left."
This time, that put Sasuke first, so he went about doing as he was instructed. After a moment, his paper crinkled before burning.
"So, that would be Fire & Lightning." Sasuke voiced.
"Two destructive elements if not utilized properly." Kakashi nodded. "Correct Sasuke." He then shifted his gaze. "Next."
It was Naruto's turn, and he happily let his Chakra flow. After a moment, his paper was cut in half before both halves were soaked.
"Aw, Wind & Water." Naruto complained. "If I was going to have two, I'd want Fire & Lighting since they look the more powerful."
"I figured those might be Naruto's Natures the moment Sasuke did his. The two are such opposites that it was almost impossible they'd be anything else." Kakashi reasoned internally before speaking. "Perhaps you might accept them given a little more information.
When it comes to Chakra Natures, each one is strong against and weak against another. Fire beats Wind, Wind beat Lightning, Lightning beats Earth, Earth beats Water, and Water beats Fire. Of course, this isn't every interaction between the elements, but it is a start."
"That means…" Naruto chuckled at Sasuke. "My Water trumps your Fire, and my Wind trumps your Lighting!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself loser." Sasuke scoffed. "Fire still beats out Wind, and while not indicated to beat out your Water, it's still a conductor for my Lightning." He turned his head. "Knowing you, you'll mix up what's good against what anyways."
"Why don't we go right now!?" Naruto suddenly exclaimed. "I'll wipe the floor with my Chakra Natures!"
"You might actually stand a chance in that battle if you had any Ninutsu of those elements, Naruto." Kakashi voiced, exasperated, while Naruto sweat dropped. "Anyways, let's proceed."
It was Hinata's turn, and she let her Chakra flow. After a moment, her paper crinkled before soaking.
"Lightning & Water." Hinat voiced, happily.
She liked having a nature in common with each of her teammates; however, she couldn't deny more satisfaction at the one she shared with Naruto over Sasuke.
"An interesting combination on her part." Kakashi nodded. "All three of you did pay attention and correctly noted what elements the paper indicates. Now, we are left with the last." He looked at Goku. "Time to see what his paper indicates."
Goku looked at the paper and wondered what it might reveal. Would he be more like his older brother, as well as his teammates, and only have an affinity for two elements? Could it be with one? Would he instead take after Bardock in this regard?
The only way he'd know was by letting his Chakra flow into the paper, so that is what he did. It wasn't long before his paper divided four ways, as opposed to Naruto's two, and each segment did one of the four remaining signs. Soaked, burned, crumbled, and crinkled.
"Looks like he takes after Bardock, in this regard, after all." Kakashi noted. "Just like him, Goku has an affinity with all five basic natures."
Naruto, Hinata, and even Sasuke stared at Goku in disbelief while the Genin himself stared at the paper with a smile of satisfied relief. No one ever mentioned it to him, but based on what he heard, he wasn't sure if his father would have been proud of him.
Sure, Goku looked like the spitting image of his father, but he didn't know if that was good enough. Raditz was currently representing their father's strength while Turles looked enough like Bardock and acted exactly like him, at least that last part was said often enough.
While he didn't know if Turles had come up against the litmus paper like him, he did recall that Raditz only had two affinities, being Earth & Fire. In a way, this gave Goku a semblance of peace from something he hadn't even realized was weighing on him.
"How does Goku have an affinity for all five basic Chakra Natures?" Naruto asked, curious.
"His father had the same affinity; however, that's as far back as it can be traced." Kakashi responded.
"Why?" Sasuke asked.
"Grandpa found my dad, out in the woods, when he was just a baby and adopted him." Goku responded. "That means there's no telling how he had his affinity, but he was well known for his Ninjutsu usage. In a village with the Uchiha, that means something."
"Perhaps Bardock came from a small clan, or it could have been a mutation in his DNA." Hinata reasoned.
"Whatever the explanation, the fact is that Goku has an affinity with all five natures." Kakashi voiced. "With that, we can now move onto the next stage of your training. Expertise." He looked at Hinata. "You may return to the hospital to carry out the rest of today's training."
"Understood, Sensei." Hinata voiced.
She took off, leaving Kakashi with his students. "Now, we get your personalized training. Expertise." He produced five scrolls, and each was marked with a kanji for one of the elements. "Goku, your expertise will be Ninjutsu."
"Wait a minute, that's not fair!" Naruto complained. "I want to learn cool Ninjutsu as well."
Sasuke didn't voice it, yet Kakashi could see it in the usually impassive Uchiha. He wants some Ninjutsu as well. As an Uchiha, he'd eventually garner a perfect tool to learn them. Even with eventual Sharingan, affinity with five elements was a massive leg up.
"You, Sasuke, and Hinata will garner Ninjutsu in due time." Kakashi voiced. "Right now, we are working on expertise, and Goku is set to have his be in Ninjutsu." He handed the scrolls to the Sarutobi. "Not to worry, I got something special for you and Sasuke too.
Kakashi produced a sheathed blade and passed it to Sasuke. The Uchiha wordlessly unsheathed it to see it was a white straight-bladed tanto with a small, circular handguard. Sasuke swung it, and the weapon gave off a white streak of Chakra.
"This was at one point my Chakra Sabre, but it was broken in the Third Shinobi War." Kakashi voiced. "Fortunately, I was able to find a smith capable of restoring it. This blade will help further optimize your Chakra output and should help you mold your Chakra creatively."
Despite learning that he wouldn't get cool Ninjutsu, Naruto had become excited upon seeing what Sasuke got. It got him wondering just what Kakashi Sensei had in mind for him, only to ultimately receive a book on the basics of Fuinjutsu."
"What!?" Naruto looked at his Sensei, offended. "Sasuke gets a cool sword, Goku gets Ninjutsu, and I get some book on something called Fuinjutsu? That's not fair Sensei."
"I believe it is fair Naruto." Kakashi gave the excitable Genin an eye smile. "Fuinjutsu is sealing techniques. With it you can seal objects, living beings, and Chakra. Not to mention the wide variety of other things one can do should they delve further into Fuinjutsu."
"I mean, I guess that sounds cool." Naruto relented a bit, but he wasn't truly convinced.
"Why don't I sweeten it?" Kakashi offered. "For the next two weeks, I intend for you all to work on your expertise. In that time, if you seriously put in the work, I'll give you a Ninjutsu for each of your Natures the next time we train. Also, if you don't like Fuinjutsu by then, you can stop."
Naruto's eyes brightened instantly. "Alright, you got a deal!"
As they talked, Goku took a precursory look at the five Ninjutsu his Sensei had given him. "Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu, Wind Release: Breakthrough, Lightning Release: Lighting Beast Tracking Fang, Earth Release: Earth Shore Return, and Water Release: Wild Water Wave.
"Sensei is giving us two weeks, so in that time, I'll work hard to get these Jutsu down." Goku thought, determined.
Now that he knew he had his father's affinities, Goku was determined not to waste it. While he was determined to do well, Naruto and Sasuke were right there with him on their own expertise, and Hinata had already been hard at work on her own.
"By this point, Squad Potential might as well be our official name rather than a nickname." Kakashi thought, given these kids just kept showcasing theirs.
Granted, Kakashi knew they could spend time mastering their Chakra Natures, but that could always be saved for later. For now, they deserved rewards for how they tackled Chakra Control.
Over the Next Two Weeks…
The D rank missions continued while Squad 7 proceeded to throw themselves into their new training. Hinata learned all she could under the Medical-Nin, studied the Healing Palm Jutsu extensively, and familiarized herself with every tool in her medic pack.
Since she already had a jump start on her expertise, the Hyuga would learn how to treat wounds, without wasting materials, and managed to get down the Healing Palm Jutsu. Naruto threw himself fully into Fuinjutsu, starting with the basics of calligraphy.
While not having enough time to start in on basic seals, Naruto had to admit that Fuinjutsu was fun, and he seemed to be a natural at it. Naturally, he was glad that all this time spent on it would grant him later access to two Ninjutsu, but he he wouldn't be throwing this away.
Sasuke worked to channel Chakra through the tanto he was gifted with while working with Kakashi on how to properly wield it. While he ended up a step up from a novice in sword's play, he made great progress in what his new blade was meant for as well.
Of course, the White Chakra Sabre was made from a Chakra conductive material, but it was still a feat that Sasuke managed to imbue the blade with his with Fire & Lighting Natures, at separate times. This left Goku, who spent the first week ensuring he had the seals for all five Jutsu down.
Come the second week, he was working to get each one useable and just managed to pull it off by the cutoff date. While there were still things each Genin could work on to perfect their given expertise, Squad 7 has grown greatly this past month.
The Hyuga Compound: Mansion, Evening…
Kakashi was currently sitting across from Hiashi as they shared tea. Honestly, he was surprised that it took a month before he was summoned by the clan head. He had thought the man would have summoned him the day after he passed Hinata.
"Kakashi Hatake, I summoned you because I'd like to discuss a timeline for the future of my daughter and her teammates." Hiashi voiced. "I'd like to know when you plan on having them go on their first C, B, and A rank mission? Additionally, how many years into their training do you plan to have them enter the Chunin Exams?"
"I'm fairly loose when it comes to the team's future." Kakashi admitted bluntly. "As things stand, my students have shown they're far too advanced for all the menial work that comes with D ranks. As such, I've been glancing a C ranks and have been toying around with the idea of entering them into the coming Chunin Exams."
"I must forbid that." Hiashi voiced sternly. "I would prefer Hinata not go on a C rank until she has at least a half years' experience under her belt. If that does not work, then you must allow a Hyuga Branch Member to accompany your team and serve as acting commander."
Kakashi took slight offense to both attempts at a compromise, but he managed to compose himself. "With all due respect, I have no say in how the Hyuga conducts themselves; however, Hinata is my soldier now. That means going on missions as I see fit." With his piece said, The Jonin stood. "Thank you for the tea and conversation; however, I must be going now."
He left before Hiashi could attempt to parley any longer.
Outside
"Kakashi." As Kakashi stepped outside, Hizashi approached him. "I apologize for the brashness of my brother, but as of recently, he has become rather subconsciously protective of his daughters. I suspect it is a reaction to the loss of his wife and in recognition of how poorly he allowed himself to treat them after her death."
"I suppose I can understand why Hiashi acted as he did." Kakashi figured.
"Ultimately, Hiashi needs to see that Hinata is no longer a frail, little girl." Hizashi continued. "In the end, she is destined to surpass us both, so you have my go ahead to ramp up mission difficulty as you see fit. I will cover for you and convince my brother to see the truth."
"Thank you, Hizashi." Kakashi voiced, genuinely.
While he had no intention of letting Hiashi dictate what he could do in terms of missions, having the support of Hizashi would be a huge help. As both men parted, neither noticed Neji, who'd eavesdropped on both conversations.
Let's start with what might be the most contentious thing about this chapter, the fact that Goku has all 5 basic Chakra Natures. Firstly, no I'm not going to go offload advanced Chakra natures into Goku. I will say, right now, that those are not in his genetics. Him having this is meant to be more of a compromise to something every Saiyan should be capable of in DBZ, yet we've only really seen Goku and Vegeta do it. They can both learn techniques just after seeing them.
Goku did it with the Kamehameha while Vegeta used the Destructo Disc to cut of Gohan's tail. At the same time, while it's likely something all Saiyans can do, we haven't really seen the same from Raditz or Turles, hence me saying Raditz didn't inherit all affinities while alluding to the fact Turles might not have as well. Of course, given the Uchiha do exist, I could have very well made Gine an Uchiha and allowed her sons to inherit the Sharingan.
I think that'd be a bit much given what Goku already has going for him, so having the five basic Chakra Natures, thus making learning Jutsu from those natures easier, is a good compromise in my opinion. As for whether or not this will apply to the Vegeta of this world? There's a good chance, he is meant to be the rival of Goku, but you'll just have to wait until he pops up. Onto what might be the second most contentious thing about this chapter.
It's the fact that I have Kakashi actually being a decent teacher to his students. To be fair to him, there is no direct indication of how long D rank missions had been going on between the end of episose 5 and start of episode 6. Everyone seems to have their own idea, so I'll given canon Kakashi a pass by saying it'd been five days before Naruto got them that C rank. Even without that, in part I Naruto the only thing Kakashi taught his Genin on screen was Tree Climbing.
After that, it's the Chunin Exams and Kakashi proceeds to only teach Sasuke, gets Naruto someone he shows an immediate dislike to, and doesn't even bother with getting someone for Sakura. I know she lost in the preliminaries, but what did he expect her to do without a teacher? Train by herself? Well, she didn't even do that. She seemed to spend her time around the village and visiting Lee. As such, I decided they'd spend a month doing missions and training.
Here, Kakashi teaches them Tree Climbing, Water Walking, helps them all find their Chakra Natures, and sets them up on paths to their specialty. Doing this now, sets up Kakashi to have been a fairly great teacher before his students potentially start breaking away to train under other people. Now, let's talk about those specialties. Goku going into Ninjutsu makes sense given he has the five basic natures, and he's not about to snub Taijutsu or his power pole.
Sasuke already was using a sword in canon, and I like the idea of Kakashi getting his sword reforged, in a way, before passing it down to him. Naruto is an Uzumaki, so I'd like to think Fuinjutsu is in his blood. At least let him have that since the Chakra Chains seem out of reach by proxy of being half Namikaze. Hianta going down the path of a Medic-Nin, just think about it. Firstly, Hinata is a kind soul who I think genuinely likes to help people.
Secondly, The Byakugan's power to see inside of people is a skill I'm sure Tsunade would have loved to have herself. As for combat potential, just imagine Hianta learning under Tsunade on how to utilize that strength and getting the special seal. When/if that time comes, not only would the Gentle Fist of hers strike internally, but she could strike externally. That's double the damage that a lot of Shinobi wouldn't be capable of dealing with.
The best part is that by having this prior training, it means people like Tsunade, Jiraiya, and so on can have a better foundation to work with when they get their hands on these students. It's a trickledown effect that will see this team reach their full potentials by the end of the story. The fact is, it's all born from one simple change. The fact that Kakashi realized he can't take things easier with the team he ended up passing.
NBATazuji: As I explained above, I can't really see myself doing a chapter dedicated to the other three teams. Granted, it would be interesting; however, it'd then be far too long before we next see them. As for Kakashi knowing some Ki(Chakra) Techniques, potentially. I will say I already have an idea of where the Kaio-Ken and Kamehameha are. As for anything else, that will remain to be seen.
GojiraSerizawa: I'll see what I can do about SasuSaku. As for Genjutsu, we'll see about that. It depends on if Kakashi deems learning Genjutsu, beyond what the Sharingan can do, is necessary for Sasuke. Even then. I'd see him getting Kurenai to do which would place Sakura in a support role to her in that instance. As for the pills, are you talking about the soldier pills that let Shinobi fight on longer or the Akamichi pills which are a clan secret not meant to be shared.
I know that was war time, but even I think there is a limit to how much any Shinobi is expected to share. Besides, the Akamichi pills, typically, kill the people who ingest all three. The only reason Choji survived is canon is because Tsunade is the greatest healer of her generation. As for the Boruto things you listed, that is a long ways off, and I'm not saying I'm going to do any of that.
What I will say is that wouldn't those technically fit in this crossover? You did call them 'off brand DB aliens' to someone who is crossing over DB elements into the Naruto world. As for Inferno Style, that's for later. Yeah, there'll be more Jutsu; however, I am always open to ideas. When it comes to Kakashi & Sasuke, and more on Sasusaku, we'll see.