There were still fifteen days left before the final round of the Chunin Exams, and Team 7 was on the move—without their teacher for the first time. The sun filtered down through the treetops as they trekked steadily north, toward the Land of Bears. Despite the distance, none of them looked tired. If anything, their recent training under Kakashi had sharpened both their bodies and minds.
Each of them had grown.
Yuto, walking in the lead with his usual calm focus, had made solid progress with his chakra switch ability. Thanks to Kakashi's detailed guidance, he'd learned a few new maneuvers, especially techniques that allowed him to exploit an enemy's blind spots or launch sneak attacks by switching positions mid-fight with his teammates.
'Still, it's not perfect,' he thought, narrowing his eyes as he jumped over a low-hanging branch. 'Kakashi-sensei made me realize that timing is everything. If I switch too late or too early, I leave myself open alongside my teammates.'
'As for Chidori...it's stabbing power is insane. Wonder what will happen if I mix it with Radiation release in the future.' he thought.
Behind him, Hitomi walked with sharp confidence in her eyes. Her raven-black hair tied in a ponytail swayed slightly as she moved from one branch to another.
"Keep your eyes open," she said calmly, glancing at the trees lining the mountain path. "There could be bandits or rouge chunin groups along this route. We're not that far from their known territory. Though I do wonder why the 5 Great villages have let those rogue chunin and Jounin groups alive."
"Man, I hope they show up," Naruko said with a grin, running beside her. "I need someone to test my Rasengan on!"
Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."
Naruko had changed a lot too. Thanks to a mix of Yuto's advice and the Nine-Tailed Fox's reluctant cooperation due to their everyday game challanges, many talks, bickering, and secret therapy sessions for the nine tails through Yuto, she had finally succeeded in forming the Rasengan. It wasn't perfect yet—sometimes unstable, sometimes underpowered—but it was real. And Kurama, the name of the nine tails, had agreed to help Naruko if needed, but that would only be as a last resort. Clearly Kurama still was a tsundera.
"Only ten clones for training at a time though," she muttered, almost pouting. "Kakashi-sensei's such a strict teacher..."
"You should be glad he even let you use that many," Yuto called over his shoulder. "You're already pushing the headaches from the clones to the limit."
"Easy for you to say!" Naruko huffed. "You don't have a tsundere fox living in your stomach telling you to hurry up their training so they can duel in card games!"
Hitomi blinked. "...He talks to you?"
"Sometimes!" Naruko said with a shrug. "Mostly just bickering or playing games. But it's better than before, And he really is a tsundera! We can be considered as friends now."
Yuto smirked quietly to himself. 'From their interactions, i know for a fact that Naruko will likely get KCM before Shippuden. Add to the fact that I will give her hints about Odama rasengan and Rasenshuriken, she will likely kill everyone in the akatsuki with Sage Mode+KCM Odama Rasengan/Rasenshuriken Barrage.'
Yuto had a contemplative look as he thought. 'Speaking of Sage Mode, i remember that Sage of Six Paths Madara can only be hurt by sage mode, Six paths power, taijutsu, truth seeking balls, etc. Sage mode is still up for future, as for taijutsu, all three of us know the 8 gates, upto 3rd gate. We just don't usually use them because of the strain and never getting time to use them in the fast paced battles. I guess I will train it upto the 7th gate in the 3 year timeskip. With that, I will have a last resort move: 7th gate+ sage mode(will learn in future)+ Ittou Shura(Ability that will power up all of Yuto's abilities by times 10).'
Back in the Land of Iron, Kakashi sat at a quiet inn with a cup of tea in one hand and his favorite orange book in the other.
"Pakkun should've delivered the scroll by now," he murmured, flipping a page with one finger. "They'll be fine. This mission will test their leadership and field sense."
He sighed lightly and looked out the window. "If....no, When they pass the exams, they won't be my team for much longer… I'll probably be back to solo S-rank missions. Better give them one last push before that happens."
He had requested this specific mission from Lord Third through Pakkun, and Sarutobi had approved it—labeling it a B-rank to match their current level and give them a decent challenge. The mission was simple: travel to the Land of Bears, retrieve a package from the leader of the Hidden Star Village, and deliver it safely to Kakashi, who would then take it back to the Hokage.
Back on the road, the three of them had already read the details of the mission scroll.
"I still can't believe Kakashi Sensei and Guy Sensei are going to be the Hokage's personal guards during the final round," Naruko said, frowning. "Kinda makes you wonder what's going on behind the scenes, huh?"
Hitomi looked thoughtful. "He probably used it as an excuse to push this mission onto us."
Naruko nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."
Yuto said nothing. His mind was elsewhere, deep in thought.
'The Star Village… that's the one with the meteorite. The so-called "Star" that fell from the sky. If I remember right, it can boost chakra, though it has… side effects.' His eyes narrowed slightly as the idea slowly took form in his mind.
'If I can get a sample—or better yet, the whole meteorite—it could change everything. Enhancing my swords, helping in Project:Dragonzord…Even helping in Project:New Tailed Beast.'
He glanced over his shoulder, eyes gleaming slightly.
'No one else knows where that women had hidden the star at. If the opportunity arises, I'll take it. I'll make it mine.'
With that thought, he pressed on, leading the team toward the distant Land of Bears.