Chapter 5 : Return to Konoha!

The next day, Team 7 stood proudly on the now completed bridge, the villagers buzzing with excitement. Tazuna, with a wide grin, officially named the structure The Great Naruto Bridge in honor of the young ninja who had played such a key role in defending the village. Naruto couldn't hide his pride, standing tall as the bridge was named after him, his smile wide and contagious.

After bidding farewell to Tazuna and his family, Team 7 began their journey back to Konoha. Without the added weight of Tazuna and the mission's tension, the trip was much faster. The team moved through the forests with ease, making it back to Konoha by the evening.

As they entered the village gates, Kakashi turned to his students. "Good work, all of you. You're dismissed for the day. Get some rest—we'll reconvene tomorrow."

Sasuke and Sakura nodded and headed off in different directions, but Naruto lingered behind, an anxious look in his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, wait!" he called out.

Kakashi paused, turning to face the boy. "What is it, Naruto?"

Naruto fidgeted, a little nervous, before finally blurting out his request. "Can I use my Shadow Clones tonight for training? I haven't trained in a few days, and I really want to keep improving."

Kakashi studied Naruto for a moment, his expression unreadable behind his mask. Then, with a soft sigh, he nodded. "Alright, Naruto. I'll allow it, but remember—no more than twenty clones. And keep it focused on the basics."

Naruto's face lit up in excitement. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei! I promise I'll stick to it!" With that, the boy raced off to the training grounds.

Kakashi, shaking his head with a fond smile, made his way to the Hokage's office to deliver his mission report. Upon arriving, he found the Third Hokage seated at his desk, the familiar pipe in his hand as smoke gently curled around him. Hiruzen looked up, his sharp eyes resting on Kakashi.

"Ah, Kakashi. Welcome back. I trust the mission went well?"

Kakashi stepped forward, his demeanor calm but respectful as he began recounting the events of the Wave mission. "Yes, Hokage-sama, the mission is complete. However, what was originally a simple C-rank mission to protect a bridge builder escalated to something far more dangerous. We encountered Zabuza Momochi, a missing-nin from Kirigakure and one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Zabuza? That complicates things."

Kakashi nodded. "Indeed. Zabuza was working alongside a young boy named Haku, who possessed an advanced kekkei genkai, Ice Release. They were hired by Gato, a wealthy businessman trying to prevent the bridge's completion to maintain control over the land."

He continued, detailing the battles they faced, including the moments where his students had been forced to rise to the challenge. "Sasuke was able to unlock his Sharingan during the fight with Haku, and Naruto… well, Naruto showed remarkable potential, even tapping into the Nine-Tails' chakra during a moment of extreme duress."

Hiruzen listened carefully, his face grave as Kakashi elaborated on Naruto's surge of power. "It was brief, but it was enough to turn the tide of the battle. After the fight, we had time to reflect on what happened, and that's when I discovered Naruto had been secretly training himself to the point of exhaustion."

The Hokage raised a brow at this, leaning forward slightly. "Secretly training? Elaborate."

Kakashi took a breath, recounting the discovery. "Naruto was using his Shadow Clones to push himself in ways that no ordinary genin could. He discovered that when his clones dispel, he gains their memories and experiences, and he'd been using this ability to train at an accelerated rate. However, the downside was that the sheer mental and physical toll was exhausting him. His clones were doing everything from physical conditioning to chakra control exercises, but the accumulated strain was dragging him down during our regular team training."

Hiruzen nodded, a knowing smile playing at his lips. "Ah, Naruto. Always so reckless."

Kakashi smiled slightly under his mask. "I had to step in and command him to stop the excessive training, limiting him to only twenty clones at a time for now. I've also focused his training on basic skills, where he needs the most improvement. He has incredible stamina, but his fundamentals are still lagging behind. If he keeps pushing too hard without mastering the basics, he'll plateau quickly."

The Hokage's eyes twinkled with amusement. "A wise approach, Kakashi. It's good to hear that you've found a balance between curbing his recklessness and supporting his growth."

Kakashi nodded. "He's been listening so far, and I'm confident this method will help him progress without overburdening himself."

With Naruto:

At Team 7's usual training ground, Naruto stood at the center of the clearing, surrounded by twenty identical clones. This time, none of the clones were engaged in physical exercises—something Naruto had learned the hard way wouldn't benefit him. Kakashi had explained that while the clones could give him experience and muscle memory, they wouldn't improve his physical stamina or strength. On top of that, he'd still feel the mental fatigue of overworking his clones if he pushed them too hard.

Naruto had been mortified when Kakashi pointed out how inefficient his earlier training had been, but he was relieved to have figured it out now rather than wasting more time.

Tonight's training session was different. Instead of running through his usual ninjutsu drills, Naruto had broken the clones into groups focused on the core basics, starting with tasks that he desperately needed to improve.

Naruto himself was overseeing the groups, jumping in occasionally to check their progress. Though the clones had his exact skill set, he had discovered that watching from the outside gave him a unique perspective—he could spot mistakes that he might have missed in the heat of training.

The twenty clones were divided into four groups, each dedicated to a different aspect of basic shinobi skills.

One group was focused on practicing with shuriken and kunai, throwing them at targets placed at different distances. Naruto had always struggled with accuracy, and this was no exception. The clones were working on refining their technique—everything from the grip to the angle of release. Naruto watched carefully, noticing that some of the clones were overcompensating by gripping the shuriken too tightly. "Loosen your grip just a bit… there, that's better," he said to a clone who had been struggling.

Another group was sparring in pairs, practicing basic taijutsu techniques. Naruto had always been more of a brawler, relying on his stamina and unpredictability, but he knew he needed to refine his technique. The clones were working on maintaining a balanced stance while striking and blocking. Naruto watched closely, noting that some were overcommitting to their strikes, leaving them vulnerable. He stepped in to adjust their posture, reminding them to keep their guard up even while attacking.

The third group was focused on chakra control, practicing the tree-walking exercise. Each clone was concentrating on maintaining a steady flow of chakra to their feet as they stuck to the vertical surface of a tree. Naruto observed as some clones slipped, losing their balance. He reminded himself to breathe and focus on the flow of chakra, making sure the clones didn't overexert themselves. "Steady, steady… don't push too much at once," he advised, feeling the benefits of the exercise even as he watched.

The final group was working on something Naruto had long struggled with—his hand seals. He had always been slow when forming hand seals, a major weakness in fast-paced combat situations. The clones were practicing speeding up their hand seals for basic jutsu, like the Transformation Jutsu and Substitution Jutsu. Naruto winced as he noticed some of the clones fumbling through the seals, their fingers clumsy and uncoordinated. "Focus! Speed comes with practice," he encouraged them, determined to improve this crucial aspect of his ninja skills.

As the evening wore on, Naruto felt a sense of accomplishment. He wasn't pushing himself to the point of exhaustion, but he was finally honing the basics he had neglected for so long. Even with just twenty clones, the amount of progress he'll make in a single night will be staggering compared to before.

For once, Naruto wasn't chasing after Sasuke blindly—he was methodically building his own foundation, one step at a time. He couldn't wait to see how far he could go.

KingRK - Thank you for the review, I think the concept of the story is very interesting too.

GodlyVortexOfPain - Whilst it's true Sasuke now knows the secret of the Shadow Clone being able to transfer memories, I don't see him being able to copy this. The only reason Naruto can do it is due to his massive reserves, whilst Sasuke's reserves are large, he simply would not be able to effectively use this training method like Naruto. Naruto also isn't learning any techniques or new fighting styles, he's simply just improving his overall abilities, meaning there isn't really a counter.