Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Chapter 65 - Sasuke's doubts

Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Kakumei – Arc 3: Naruto Next Generation

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Chapter 65 – Sasuke's doubts

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One morning, in the Hokage's office, Naruto is doing his usual paperwork for the day when his advisor, Shikamaru Nara, walks in the room.

"How's it going?" he asks the Hokage who raises his head from the bills and requests and lightly waves at him.

"As usual... Just the routine, nothing else." answers Naruto. "How about you?"

"Pfff... What a drag... Everybody's running around in the building like some new big deal is going on..."

"Why? What's going on?" asks Naruto.

"Lot of stuff I guess. A lot of incoming mission requests, claims, the next Chunin Exam,... Anyway, still no news about Sasuke?"

"Nah, still nothing..." complains the Hokage. "He didn't suddenly break his nearly 5 years of silence in the middle of the night."

"..." Shikamaru doesn't insist on this topic, and changes it to a more joyful one. "What about Team 1? How is it going with them?"

Naruto stands up on his seat, and suddenly gets extremely enthusiastic.

"Great! Everything's going well!" he exclaims. "Boruto's incredible! Inoue's fantastic! And Izuna is splendid! They're all really over the top... We've been doing nothing but missions and training non-stop lately. Since D-rank missions aren't good enough for Boruto's cheeky face, they've completed C-ranks, and even B-ranks. Maybe it's about time I find them an A-rank job..."

"I see... So who's gonna be the next Hokage out of these 3?" Shikamaru asks for the future. "To whom are you gonna teach the Rasengan all this stuff? You know, all this seemingly mandatory heritage stuff."

"I won't do it this way." firmly says Naruto, getting serious again. "I made one thing clear with them. I won't show them any jutsu. They gotta choose their own. They can come to me and ask for help in training, but I won't guide them. They have to choose what kind of ninja they'll become. They'll have their own style, and their own ninja way."

"Clever enough..." comments Shikamaru. "And how does it look so far?"

"Boruto's going full offensive... Most of his training relies on his Taijutsu and Byakugan. He's trying long range Juken, like his auntie." starts Naruto. "Inoue's trying to be more active than other members of her clan. She's focusing on ways to use Mind-Body jutsus in active combat... And Izuna is becoming a mini Sakura. He's training with Granny Tsunade, and is already saving chakra for the Byakugo seal."

"Byakugo seal? Really?" says Shikamaru, surprised by this advanced training. "Nah, wait... Actually, he's almost as old as Sakura when she began doing the same thing..."

"It took Sakura 3 years." Naruto answers. "From when she was 14 to 17. Izuna's chakra is faster to grow and I guess that Sasuke's heritage makes him somehow more gifted than his mom. Maybe he'll take less time and will be done before he reaches 16."

"I see... Also, I'm glad for Inoue." the advisor comments. "It's good that she found her way, despite the traditions and all these drags... Also, are you sure about not passing on the Rasengan?"

"Absolutely. If anyone wants it, I'll be glad to help. But if they all find their own alternatives, it's even better, I think."

Their passionate discussion about the genin team is interrupted by the Hokage's new assistant, Moegi Kazamatsuri, walking in with a pile of paper in her arms, that she leaves on the Hokage's desk.