Land of Waves, morning light.

"Wake up, everyone!"

Kakashi's lazy voice sounded from outside the door.

"Special training starts now. This isn't just for the upcoming Chunin Exams, but also to prepare you for powerful enemies you may face in the future."

Naruto rubbed his sleepy eyes, his blond hair sticking up in all directions. He yawned loudly and mumbled, "Special training… Kakashi-sensei, can't we sleep a little longer?"

Sasuke silently stretched his stiff neck. Though tired, his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

He would never miss a chance to grow stronger.

Sakura was more awake than the others. She stretched her sore arms and asked cautiously, "Kakashi-sensei… you're not going to do the bell test again, are you?"

Kakashi, with Icha Icha Paradise open in one hand, spoke in his usual nonchalant tone.

"Well, if you want to get stronger, you'll always have to pay a price. But don't worry I'll tailor the training plan according to your individual strengths."

He glanced meaningfully at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, I have some personal insights into the use of the Sharingan that might help you. I'm not especially skilled in genjutsu, but I do have unique experience in conserving chakra and improving the efficiency of its copying and dynamic vision abilities."

Sasuke froze mid-motion, his towel half-raised to his face.

The Sharingan?

That was the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit. No one outside the clan could possibly understand its secrets.

But Kakashi-sensei… how did he know so much?

Almost as if reading his thoughts, Kakashi reached up lazily and pushed up his Konoha forehead protector.

The next moment, Sasuke's pupils shrank and his breath caught in his throat.

His face mirrored the same shock he had felt when seeing Naruto's dream version for the first time.

In Kakashi's left eye burned a scarlet Sharingan three magatama spinning in its depths, radiating sharp, piercing insight.

"Kakashi-sensei… your eye…"

Sasuke was speechless. Never in his wildest imagination did he expect that his jonin leader also possessed the Sharingan and a level of mastery that far surpassed his own.

Everything he thought he knew was overturned in an instant.

Kakashi let the forehead protector drop again, covering his eye with practiced ease. His voice grew softer, tinged with nostalgia.

"This eye was a gift… from a very important friend. I didn't obtain it through any underhanded means. Because of that, Sasuke, I can still teach you a thing or two about its basic applications and combat techniques."

Sasuke was stunned.

A gift… from a close friend?

When he looked at Kakashi now, the admiration he already felt was joined by something more complex.

To entrust such a precious eye to Kakashi-sensei what kind of person could that friend have been?

Extraordinary, no doubt.

And if they entrusted it to Kakashi… that meant

Sasuke quickly pieced together the implication. His gaze steadied, and he nodded firmly.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei! Please!"

Sasuke's voice was firm. Kakashi's insights were nothing short of a blessing for him especially when it came to refining his Sharingan.

He immediately entered a state of full focus, hanging onto every word.

Kakashi broke things down with ease, drawing from his own battle experience. He explained everything step by step: precise chakra control, maximizing the Sharingan's dynamic vision, increasing efficiency when copying ninjutsu, and the tactical ways to apply the Sharingan in real combat.

Sasuke listened, utterly absorbed.

When Sasuke's lesson ended, Kakashi turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, your combat instincts are sharp, and your chakra reserves are far beyond the norm. Next, I'll show you ninjutsu that suit your strengths and how to use your shadow clones more flexibly in battle. You shouldn't rely only on Rasengan and sheer numbers. A more diverse arsenal will be vital for your growth and future missions."

"Really?! That's awesome! Teach me something super cool, Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto's fatigue vanished in an instant. He practically bounced with excitement, his eyes glowing at the thought of learning new techniques.

After Naruto's turn, Kakashi also gave Sakura pointed advice. He broke down her reliance on brute strength and on Sasuke during battle. To correct this, he introduced her to a defensive-style Earth Release technique.

It wasn't the infamous Headhunter Jutsu, but a more practical Earth-Style: Earth Wall, geared toward defense and team support.

Still, with Sakura's limited chakra and her inexperience, the first wall she summoned was pitifully small.

Even so, it was a start.

As he watched his three students train in the morning light, Kakashi leaned against a tree. The corners of his mouth lifted almost unconsciously. For the first time in a while, he felt… content.

In truth, jonin weren't expected to teach ninjutsu. Their main duty was to guide subordinates in the ways of missions, survival, and the harsh reality of the shinobi world.

Ninjutsu, for most, came from clan legacies or sheer luck.

But after so many days "together" in the Dream Theater, Kakashi and his three Genin had grown close, building a bond stronger than he had anticipated.

And with the looming threat of Orochimaru and the unseen manipulator behind these dreams, Kakashi's concern only deepened. He wanted no, needed to strengthen these three, just in case a battle came that even he could not face alone.

At that same time, far away in Konoha, within the Hokage's office

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat reviewing documents, pipe smoke curling lazily into the air. Outwardly, he seemed calm.

But the steady tapping of his index finger on the mahogany desk betrayed his unease.

Knock, knock, knock.

A firm, measured knock at the door.

"Come in."

An Anbu wearing a raccoon mask slipped silently into the office, kneeling on one knee.

"Hokage-sama."

"How is it going?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen lifted his gaze. The calm in his eyes sharpened like steel.

"Reporting, Hokage-sama. According to your orders, we thoroughly searched the outskirts of Konoha, including all abandoned buildings and hidden caves that could have served as temporary bases. We found no suspicious corpses and no signs of recent combat."

Sarutobi's brows furrowed deeper.

No bodies? Could Kakashi's information have been mistaken?

But no Kakashi was steady and reliable.

For him to summon Pakkun and rush a message back to the village, he must have uncovered something real.

After a long moment of thought, Sarutobi chose to trust his faithful subordinate.

"Continue the investigation," he said gravely. "Expand the search radius. And monitor carefully for reports of missing villagers or applicants in the Chunin Exams who behave suspiciously. Orochimaru is cunning and elusive. We cannot relax our guard. Prepare before disaster strikes."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" The Anbu disappeared as quietly as he had come, leaving no trace.

Sarutobi picked up his pipe once more, drew in a deep breath, and exhaled rings of thick smoke.

Behind the smoke, his eyes grew darker and more unreadable.

In the following days, under Kakashi's focused training, the strength of Team 7 improved visibly.

Sasuke grew the fastest.

By day, Kakashi taught him practical Sharingan techniques and refined chakra control. He sparred constantly with Naruto, whose progress was equally rapid, testing and reinforcing everything he learned.

By night, in dreams, he trained under the "real" Nii-san Uchiha Itachi learning the clan's most advanced Fire Style jutsu and deeper Sharingan applications. Sometimes he even faced the dream's overwhelming version of Naruto, sharpening his skills against impossible odds.

Day and night combined, Sasuke's growth was nothing short of explosive.

Naruto too surged forward.

Kakashi's lessons went beyond a few new jutsu. He drilled Naruto in combat creativity and efficient chakra management. With guidance, Naruto's enormous chakra reserves and instinctive ingenuity began to shine.

He learned how to better divide his chakra, how to weave shadow clones into both taijutsu and ninjutsu, and his Rasengan grew steadily stronger. Though still shy of perfection, its destructive force was already formidable.

Sakura, not to be left behind, gritted her teeth and trained tirelessly. Though her pace was slower, her progress was real. She steadily honed her Earth Release and gained confidence supporting her teammates.

On the surface, all seemed well. Team 7's strength was growing.

But Kakashi's unease only deepened.

He couldn't ignore what he had noticed in Sasuke's recent dreams.

Since the night Uchiha Itachi had so easily repelled Orochimaru, the dream world showed no follow-up no pursuit, no heightened vigilance. Not from Itachi, not from Minato-sensei, not from anyone.

It was as if Orochimaru's threat had vanished completely.

The dream world had grown unnaturally calm so calm that it set Kakashi on edge.

Too calm… like the silence before a storm. Could a far greater conspiracy be taking shape in the shadows?

During this period, the bridge construction in the Land of Waves did not proceed as smoothly as hoped.

Gatō, the black-hearted businessman driven only by profit, refused to give up. He repeatedly sent groups of hired thugs to harass the workers and sabotage the project, desperate to halt the bridge's completion.

But these mercenaries were nothing compared to Zabuza and Haku. Their strength was pitiful.

Kakashi didn't even bother stepping in. Instead, he gladly handed these convenient "practice dummies" over to his three young Genin, who desperately needed real combat experience.

Thanks to Gatō's interference, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura gained invaluable lessons through repeated battles.

At first, they were clumsy hesitant, fighting on their own, often getting in each other's way.

But after just a few days, their coordination improved dramatically. Their teamwork grew sharper, their division of roles clearer.

What began as chaotic scuffles slowly evolved into smooth cooperation, each of them covering the others' weaknesses and learning to fight as a true team.

....

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