Naruto: Different Path

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Kakashi brought the group to a scenic high point and began the introductions. 

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't particularly like or dislike anything, and I have many dreams."

Next was Naruto. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like learning different jutsu." 

"I don't really dislike anything right now, and my dream is to become a ninja stronger than the Hokage."

Sasuke followed, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like anything, and I'm not too fond of many things. My dream is to kill that man and restore the Uchiha clan."

Then, it was Sakura's turn. "I'm Sakura Haruno, and I like…" (she glanced at Naruto and Sasuke), "I dislike people with thick eyebrows, and my dream is…" 

Before she could finish, a large drop of sweat rolled down Kakashi's forehead.

After the introductions, Kakashi outlined the test for the next day: if they failed, they would be sent back to the academy to repeat their studies. 

This startled Sakura and Sasuke. Kakashi emphasized that they had to arrive at 5 a.m. sharp and suggested not eating breakfast. 

With that, he dismissed them.

Even though they knew Kakashi would likely be late, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura still arrived at the meeting spot before dawn. 

But Naruto had brought breakfast with him, just in case. 

After waiting two hours without a sign of Kakashi, Naruto pulled out the food and shared it with Sasuke and Sakura.

Sakura looked at Naruto with admiration. "As expected of Naruto, he was prepared!"

Naruto, playing it cool, said, "As a ninja, solving the issue of food is an essential survival skill. This was taught at the academy, after all." 

Seeing Sakura's admiring expression, Naruto thought to himself, Success! Looks like things are going well with her.

After eating, they continued to wait for quite some time before Kakashi finally appeared. 

Glancing at the wrappers on the ground, Kakashi narrowed his eyes and said, "It seems at least one of you knows how to prepare."

Without further chit-chat, Kakashi laid down the rules. "You need to take these bells from me before noon. If you fail, you're out." 

"Remember, you have to come at me with the intent to kill."

As Kakashi finished explaining, Naruto thought to himself, Although I've made great progress in my training over the years and have learned some powerful jutsu, I don't have any real combat experience. 

Without revealing the Flying Thunder God technique, winning will be tough.

However, Naruto also knew that Kakashi was testing their teamwork. He didn't want to lose too badly and ruin his perfect image. 

With that in mind, Naruto quickly pulled Sasuke and Sakura aside to discuss strategy.

"None of us alone can match a Jonin, so we must work together," Naruto explained. 

Normally, Sasuke would see this as a burden, but Naruto was the only one Sasuke viewed as a worthy rival. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

Sakura pointed out, "But there are only two bells. How are we supposed to work together?"

Naruto smiled. "That's not something we need to worry about before we get the bells." Sakura nodded, agreeing with Naruto's logic.

The three of them discussed their strategy, and once they were ready, they all hid as Kakashi opened up his infamous adult novel, pretending to be relaxed.

Suddenly, with a shout of "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" ten Naruto clones charged out of the bushes straight at Kakashi. 

Seeing Naruto use the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Kakashi wasn't too concerned initially. 

But as the clones attacked with punches and kicks, Kakashi was shocked. This isn't the power of a typical Genin. His taijutsu is nearly at Chunin level.

Despite the overwhelming attack, Kakashi remained calm. 

As a seasoned Jonin, more was needed to beat him. Using the Substitution Jutsu, Kakashi successfully escaped the assault. 

However, Naruto, also skilled in the Substitution Jutsu, quickly located Kakashi's new hiding spot and immediately hurled a shuriken in his direction.

Kakashi closed his book and jumped out from the bushes just in time. "Not bad, but you're still not strong enough to defeat me," he said, impressed but unfazed.

Naruto didn't respond and immediately charged forward with ten shadow clones. 

Suddenly, one of the clones quickly formed hand signs and shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" This move caught Kakashi off guard. 

He saw Sasuke, who had released his transformation jutsu, performing the Fire Style technique. 

"I see. Sasuke was hiding among the shadow clones," Kakashi said, using an Earth-style jutsu to prepare for a sneak attack underground.

Sasuke, realizing Kakashi had vanished, remembered Naruto's earlier advice and knew Kakashi must have used an Earth-style jutsu. 

He jumped into the air, avoiding an ambush. 

At that moment, another of Naruto's shadow clones transformed back into Sakura, and she delivered a powerful punch to the ground where Sasuke had just been standing. 

Kakashi, about to emerge from the ground, felt the tremor and thought, "They're coordinating perfectly," and moved to the bushes to catch his breath, preparing to launch another jutsu.

Just as Kakashi was about to act, a shadow darted past him, and one of the bells tied to his waist was snatched. 

"What?!" Kakashi quickly turned around to see Naruto smiling and holding the bell. In an instant, Kakashi realized what had happened. 

Naruto had used his shadow clones, along with Sasuke and Sakura, to attack while he had been hiding in the bushes. 

When Kakashi dodged Sasuke and Sakura's attack, he let his guard down, allowing Naruto to steal the bell.

Kakashi shrugged with a sigh. "I didn't expect you three to devise such a well-coordinated strategy in such a short time." 

"And, despite there being only two bells, you didn't let that cause any infighting. I'd say Naruto played a big part in that." 

Internally, Kakashi thought, As expected of Minato-sensei's son. He might become even more of a genius than his father one day.

Turning to the group, Kakashi declared, "You all pass. Remember, those who break the rules are considered trash in the ninja world." 

"But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. Given your teamwork today, I'll treat you all to lunch."

However, Kakashi quickly regretted that decision when he saw how much Naruto could eat. 

Though being a Jonin meant Kakashi earned plenty, Naruto's appetite was a shock even for him. Nonetheless, Kakashi paid for the meal.

Naruto was quite satisfied with having Kakashi as their sensei. 

Kakashi, also known as the Copy Ninja, had copied over a thousand jutsu, making him the perfect teacher for someone eager to learn as many techniques as possible. 

Speaking of learning new jutsu, Naruto suddenly remembered: aside from knowing that he had Wind-style chakra, he wasn't sure if he possessed any other chakra natures. He decided to ask Kakashi about it later.

After forming the team with Kakashi, Naruto knew they would be doing many tedious missions, but whenever he had free time, he would ask Kakashi about jutsu training. 

One day, Kakashi brought out a chakra nature paper to test Naruto's affinity. 

After testing, it was confirmed that Naruto's base chakra nature was indeed Wind. It seemed that his reincarnation hadn't altered that. 

However, ninjas must continuously train to develop affinities for elements they aren't naturally skilled in.

Naruto then asked Kakashi, "Sensei, aside from mastering my primary chakra nature, is there a way to learn other elements?"

Kakashi replied, "Usually, Genin should focus on mastering their base chakra nature first, as it gives the most significant improvement in strength. 

But there are exceptions." As he spoke, he glanced at Naruto. "Remember, training in an element you're not naturally skilled in can be ten times harder."

Naruto, always up for a challenge, found that difficulty exciting. So, following Kakashi's advice, he started training to master other elements. 

For now, Naruto decided to focus on Fire and Lightning. 

As expected, training in elements outside his primary Wind nature was tough, but Naruto, being a genius, coupled with the speed boost from his Shadow Clones, advanced much faster than normal. 

What was supposed to be difficult still meant Naruto was progressing ten times faster than an average ninja learning their base chakra nature.

After about a month of hard work, Naruto gained mastery of Fire and Lightning. 

He then approached Kakashi to learn new jutsu. Kakashi taught Naruto three techniques:

Wind Style: Wind Blade – A jutsu that uses wind chakra to generate a powerful, sharp blade wind, sending it toward the enemy. 

Lightning Style: Lightning Flash – A lightning-infused fūma shuriken at their opponent, knocking them back.

Fire Style: Great Fireball - This technique simply shoots a large flame ball at the enemy.

These three jutsu weren't particularly powerful, but their strength depended on who used them and how well they were mastered. 

For instance, Fire Style could be devastating in the hands of some, while others might not be able to harness its power at all. 

After focusing on chakra control for a while, Naruto decided to master these techniques until they became second nature. 

Thanks to his training method using shadow clones, his progress was rapid.

Despite his jutsu progress, Naruto grew frustrated with their daily missions. 

Every day they were tasked with trivial jobs like catching stray cats and dogs, which seemed pointless. 

So, after completing one such mission, Naruto suggested taking on more challenging tasks. 

Both Sakura and Sasuke agreed with him. However, the Third Hokage disagreed and explained the principles behind mission assignments. 

Naruto understood that the Hokage had his reasons for assigning missions based on skill levels, but he still wanted to prove his strength.

Naruto then walked over to the window and performed the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu that Kakashi had taught him. 

A massive fireball shot out of the window, a jutsu that could have taken down even a skilled Chunin in battle. 

The Third Hokage was impressed, thinking I didn't expect Naruto to be a genius on par with Itachi. 

He mastered the Fire Style to this extent in just a month. 

Puffing on his pipe, the Hokage said, "In that case, I agree to let you take on a C-rank mission." 

"You'll escort me to the Land of Waves." As he finished speaking, a drunken old man entered the room.

At first, a C-rank mission didn't seem particularly difficult, but this mission was different—it would lead them to an encounter with Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist. 

This would be a challenge for Naruto, who lacked real combat experience. 

Additionally, Naruto knew that using the Nine-Tails' chakra was harmful to his body, so he wasn't willing to rely on it. 

This meant defeating Zabuza's ally, Haku, would require serious effort.

After gathering their gear, the team set off on the escort mission. 

Naruto didn't waste time arguing with the old man and simply brought along what was necessary. 

The group got along well, sharing conversations and jokes as they travelled, and the journey went smoothly with no immediate dangers.

That is until they passed by a suspicious puddle of water. Naruto tensed up. 

The ground had been dry for days, so there was no way a puddle should have been there. 

This meant it had to be the work of a ninja. Just as they passed the puddle, two ninjas jumped out, wielding strange chain-like weapons, and appeared to "kill" Kakashi instantly.

The two attackers then turned toward Naruto. Having never seen real combat or bloodshed, Naruto froze for a second. 

However, he quickly used the Substitution Jutsu to escape just before being struck. Sasuke, on the other hand, handled the situation with ease. 

Using shuriken and kunai, he skillfully countered the enemy's chains. 

Since Sasuke had witnessed bloodshed from a young age, he remained calm and composed, even more so than Naruto, despite Naruto's growing strength.

The two Mist Ninjas quickly gave up on Sasuke and targeted their real objective—Tazuna, the bridge builder they were escorting. 

Standing next to Tazuna, Sakura was so terrified that she couldn't move.

Just as the enemies were about to strike, Kakashi instantly reappeared and took them out. 

It turned out that the Kakashi they had "killed" earlier was merely a log, a substitution.

After dispatching the two Mist Ninjas, Kakashi confirmed their target was Tazuna. 

He then pointed out that this mission had escalated to at least a B-rank in difficulty, far beyond their original C-rank task scope. 

He suggested they could stop the mission here. 

Still shaken from the encounter, Sakura agreed with Kakashi, but both Naruto and Sasuke saw this as a rare opportunity for real training and wanted to continue.

When Tazuna confessed that he didn't have enough money to pay for a higher-ranked mission, the team, in the spirit of Konoha's humanitarian principles, and due to the insistence of both Naruto and Sasuke (with Sakura naturally following their lead), decided to carry on with the mission. 

After a short break, they continued toward the Land of Waves. 

Having taken out the two minor enemies, it was clear that the mission's real boss, Zabuza, would soon appear.

Even though Naruto was no slouch in terms of strength, his lack of experience in actual combat meant that facing someone as skilled as Zabuza would be difficult. 

Fortunately, they had Kakashi, a Jonin, in their team, which gave Naruto some confidence.

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