Chapter 044: Having Been Drenched, One Must Tear Others’ Umbrellas Apart

"Mr. Guy, I think Sasuke is really pitiful," Lee whispered to Guy.

"I once saw an abandoned puppy outside the school wall, drenched by the rain. Sasuke's voice just now sounded so much like that little dog."

Naruto heard them but paid no attention. He continued shouting loudly, "The purpose of this training is to strengthen your Sharingan's dynamic vision! And to make your body and neural reflexes perfectly adapt to the extraordinary dynamic vision the Sharingan brings!"

"During training, you may use any means! That includes, but is not limited to, taijutsu, throwing techniques, and ninjutsu! In short, do whatever it takes to survive!"

"The only restriction is, from the start to the end of training, you must keep your Sharingan activated the whole time! I've calculated the number of bolts in the drum magazine—they will absolutely not exceed the limits your Sharingan can handle!"

"Oh, wait, there's one more: keep the apple on your head intact."

"You just said 'survive,' didn't you? You definitely said it, right?" Sasuke shouted, "This training is life-threatening, isn't it? You know it's dangerous, and you still let Akira do it! You know full well her aim is terrible!"

Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "That's exactly why I want her bad aim! That way, you'll be forced to use the Sharingan and carefully observe the trajectories! Relax! I've adjusted the power. At worst, if it hits your forehead, you'll just end up bald. It won't cost you your life!"

But that wasn't true at all—the bolts were all training rounds. Even if they hit you, they wouldn't hurt; they would simply burst into a cloud of colorful smoke.

Naruto knew deceiving Sasuke was unethical, but he was the kind of jerk who, having been caught in the rain, would yank someone else's umbrella apart just to see them suffer too.

Back when he underwent this training, his own brutal instructor hadn't even used blanks—those were live rounds, and he ended up with several holes in him.

Only after passing the training did he learn, when his instructor was sent to a court-martial, that this method was an obsolete regime long since abandoned.

And, as a rule, only training rounds should be used on the practice field.

Naruto didn't care about any of that. If he had to suffer, so should the others. In fact, he felt that letting Sasuke just experience some thrills instead of real pain was already being more than generous.

"Can't I just not end up bald? Or, better yet, not participate in this ridiculous training at all? Can we switch to another exercise..."

"Akira, fire!"

"Yes!" Bang, bang—

"Naruto, you scoundrel! You have no sense of decency! You're too wicked!"

After an initial moment of panic, Sasuke quickly regained his composure.

The Uchiha clan's trademark coolness and composure in battle were on full display.

Under the barrage of dense fire, Sasuke dodged left and right, sometimes hooking a stone with his toe and flicking it at the incoming bolts.

Seeing this, Naruto nodded.

Though Sasuke hadn't trained long, he had already grasped the essence of the Uchiha throwing technique.

It was unrefined and awkward, but the core principle was there. All he lacked was physical strength and practical experience.

Bang, bang, bang—when the magazine was finally empty, Sasuke immediately deactivated his Sharingan, collapsed onto the ground, rubbing his eyes and panting heavily.

After resting for a while, Sasuke began another round of training.

After three consecutive rounds, Naruto finally called a halt to Sasuke and took the crossbow from Akira for her turn.

But just as Naruto was aiming at Akira, Guy called out to him.

"Young man, let me have that. I want Lee to give it a try."

So Guy said.

Lee stood up and took his place opposite Guy, where Sasuke had been standing.

Seeing Lee's determined expression, Guy frowned.

"What is it, Lee? Are you unwilling? Where is your youth? Your passion?"

"Yes, Mr. Guy! It was my negligence!" Lee shouted fervently.

Naruto could only wonder how Guy had managed to see reluctance in Lee, who was always so eager for training.

And then Lee was tormented by Guy, to the point of near ecstasy and agony.

Naruto could tell that Guy's shots were extremely tricky, always aimed at the angles most difficult for Lee to handle.

Yet, the training effect was the best; it greatly improved Lee's agility.

After this training routine went on for a while, Kakashi and Hinata joined in as well.

The Hyuga clan finally lifted their tight restrictions, no longer forbidding their members from going out.

As for Kakashi, he was simply idle.

According to him, he had completely retired from ANBU and was now an ordinary jōnin leading a team.

In addition to missions, he had to mentor fresh graduates.

"Newcomers in the Leaf are really lacking these days; to say they're getting worse is no exaggeration."

Kakashi complained loudly, "They can't even pass the basic test—I have to send them back for a redo."

"My standards aren't high! I know there's no way a genin can beat a jōnin, and I don't even give them especially strict tests."

"But the problem is, don't they know how to cooperate with each other?"

"Would it kill them to protect their teammates?"

"Worse yet, some of them hide behind their comrades, some watch their teammates die, and some even pull their comrades into danger to save themselves..."

"For goodness' sake! Your opponents are already stronger than you—only by working together can you survive! Letting your teammates die is the same as slitting your own throat!"

Kakashi's rant seemed endless.

Naruto said nothing; he was all too aware of the importance of allies.

The younger ones, like Sasuke, all nodded in agreement. Over this period of joint training, they had come to deeply appreciate the value of teamwork.

Especially when facing someone of Naruto's caliber—a foe they couldn't possibly defeat alone.

Having more companions meant sharing the blows and the pain. Sending a teammate to face such an enemy alone was the height of foolishness.

"Kakashi, you have the nerve to criticize others?" Guy mercilessly exposed Kakashi, "What were you like right after graduation? You were a lone wolf, always saying anyone who couldn't complete a mission was useless, never caring about your comrades. If Obito's death hadn't shaken you, would you have ever learned the value of teamwork? That's why you always lose to me!"

Hearing Guy mention Obito's death, Sasuke and Akira wanted to speak, but Naruto stopped them.

Kakashi, usually so calm, couldn't help but lose his composure at this topic.

He gave Guy a sinister look and sneered, "Is that so? I always lose to you? Funny, I remember my wins outnumber yours by more than a dozen."

"Nonsense! I clearly have one more win than you! Wait, have we even competed more than ten times? Are you just making things up?"

"No way, Kakashi, I can't let this go! Let's settle this right now!"

"Hey, why are you ignoring me? Are you scared? Where's your youthful spirit?"

"Damn you, Kakashi! As expected of my eternal rival!"