A New Yet Similar Path

Time is up Part 6

Naruto sighed as he woke up from a light nap. He stretched his arms, getting rid of any stiffness.

'Man, what a drag…' he thought as he painfully popped his joints. 'Great, now I sound like Shikamaru, how troublesome…'

Naruto got out his sleeping bag that he had been sleeping in. He looked around the room to find it simple and plain. 'At least Tazuna's house isn't like some of the others in town…'

He stretched his back for a moment before grabbing the shirt by his sleeping bag and heading downstairs.

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Kakashi sat at the dinner table, reading Icha Icha Paradise as he spoke to his two Genin.

"So, as soon as Naruto wakes up from his nap, we'll begin our training."

"Why did you even let Naruto take a nap?" Sasuke asked, slightly irritated that Kakashi had denied him his request for a nap.

"Naruto has done a lot today, a lot more than necessary and therefore, he deserved a nap. Also, he was the one that was up last night on guard duty."

"Why'd you ask him to do it alone?" Sakura asked.

"He didn't" came Naruto's voice. Sasuke and Sakura turned around to find Naruto dressed in mesh tank top with black shinobi pants. In his hand, was a red t-shirt.

Sakura was drooling at this point. She could see Naruto's muscular body underneath the tank top. Then, she noticed something.

"Hey Naruto, what's on your torso?" she asked as she got up to get a closer look.

"Nothing" Naruto said quickly as he put the red shirt on.

Kakashi looked over the top of his book to see what Sakura was talking about and only glimpsed a part of Naruto's seal.

'So that's where Minato put the seal… Interesting…'

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he snapped his book shut.

"Alright you three, follow me, we have some training to do!" he said with his eye smile.

Kakashi had led the three of them into the forest near Tazuna's house.

"Well, let's begin your training. Today, you will be learning how to climb trees!"

"Um sensei, I already know how to do that" Sakura said.

"Maybe, but instead of normal tree climbing, you aren't allowed to use your hands."

"Like she said Kakashi-sensei, already done" Naruto said.

Sasuke wasn't following.

"Wait, what are guys talking about?"

Naruto sighed. "Sakura, why don't you demonstrate?" he asked.

The pink haired kunoichi nodded as she walked towards a tree.

Kakashi watched on curiously, wondering if they already knew the exercise.

He was mildly surprised when Sakura started to scale the tree using chakra to walk parallel from the ground.

'What do you know…'

"So Naruto, do you know how as well?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto nodded. "Pretty much. In fact, you should remember that when you were captured, I walked on water as well."

Kakashi had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.

"I may have been a bit caught up in the moment…" he said sheepishly.