Hokage, no one knows better than me how to cultivate talent.

Chapter 105 Almost Ran Away with a Bucket (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Sasuke listened intently, his eyes glued to Shusui's every move, not daring to miss even her breathing.

"Once you've mastered this breathing technique, I'll teach you the next step," Qiu Shui said, retracting her posture.

Sasuke nodded and began practicing according to the method Shusui had described.

It sounded simple when I listened to it, but when I actually tried to do it, I found that it was not as easy as I had imagined.

His previous breathing method was already deeply ingrained, and his body was used to that rhythm. Now, if he wanted to completely change it, it would indeed take a considerable amount of time to adapt.

"Hinata, your Water Breathing Technique," Shusui turned to Hinata and demonstrated it to her in slow motion. "First, inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for one second, then exhale for six seconds, and rest for two seconds."

As he spoke, he gestured the famous rhythm.

"When lying down, place your hands on your abdomen and feel the rhythm of exhaling longer than inhaling. When in water or showering, imagine the water entering and leaving your body with each breath. When walking, coordinate with your steps: inhale for four steps and exhale for six steps."

Hinata listened intently, her eyes fixed on every detail of Shusui's movements, afraid of missing anything.

After Qiu Shui finished speaking, she began to try practicing.

Like Sasuke, Hinata was initially very unaccustomed to it, and her breathing rhythm was always out of control. She would either inhale for too long or exhale for too short a breath, and she could never find the balance.

"From now on, you will train in the way I've described," Qiu Shui said gently, looking at the two of them as they struggled to train.

"Haha, I finally did it!"

Suddenly, Naruto's excited, almost manic shouts came from not far away.

Following the sound, Qiu Shui looked and saw hundreds of Narutos densely packed on the lawn, a bright yellow expanse, like a large group of sunflowers suddenly blooming on the training ground.

Sasuke was sprinting when he saw this scene. He was so shocked that he forgot to breathe. He then coughed violently and bent over, panting for a while.

Hinata stood there blankly, her pupils dilated, staring at the hundreds of Naruto clones.

Although she knew about the Shadow Clone Technique, she was unfamiliar with the forbidden-level ninjutsu, Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, and this was the first time she had ever seen it in person.

Xiao Li was originally the least educated of the four, but after a week of theoretical exams and hundreds of questions every day, he also learned about the function of the Shadow Clone Technique.

Seeing Naruto release so many clones, he was filled with envy. If he could also release so many clones, wouldn't his daily training efficiency improve by leaps and bounds?

But the thought only appeared in his mind for a second before disappearing quickly. He couldn't even unleash the most basic Three Body Technique, let alone the higher-level Shadow Clone Technique.

However, since this was Naruto's first time using Shadow Clone Jutsu, he wasn't yet proficient.

The clones only lasted for a few seconds before disappearing one after another.

Naruto's smile froze instantly.

Immediately afterwards, an overwhelming feeling of fatigue washed over me like a tidal wave.

He felt everything go black before his eyes, and his body fell straight to the ground.

With quick reflexes, Qiu Shui used a Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Naruto and steadily support him.

He quickly glanced at Naruto's chakra; there were only a few hundred left, almost completely drained.

Without hesitation, Qiu Shui immediately activated the Healing Fruit to restore Naruto's health.

To prevent Naruto from having any accidents, he directly consumed nearly 40,000 chakra, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Master Shusui, I've learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" Naruto felt a warm current flowing through his body, slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was look up at his face with an expression that asked for praise.

"Did you see the taboos I highlighted in red in the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique training manual I gave you?" Qiu Shui said with a serious expression. "I repeatedly reminded you not to use up all your chakra the first time you used it. Do you know that if something goes wrong, you really could die?"

When Naruto collapsed, Shusui was genuinely panicked.

The forbidden technique of multiple shadow clones is not as simple as it is portrayed in anime.

If you're not careful, something really bad could happen.

He didn't dare use it for safety reasons.

Naruto was initially a little aggrieved. He had finally learned such a powerful ninjutsu, but instead of being praised, he was scolded.

But when he looked up and saw the undisguised anxiety on Qiu Shui's face and the genuine worry in her eyes, he knew that Teacher Qiu Shui was truly doing what was best for him and was genuinely worried about him.

"Shusui-sensei, I'm sorry." Naruto lowered his head and readily admitted his mistake. "I'll definitely pay attention next time and listen to you."

"For the next two days, you can only eat white rice for lunch, no vegetables," Qiu Shui said after a moment of silence.

Although Naruto's attitude in admitting his mistake was very good, and he admitted it very quickly.

But Qiu Shui felt that he still needed to be punished.

Otherwise, if this kid pulls another stunt next time, he'll ruin himself.

He simply couldn't bear to think about the consequences.

When the time comes, Hiruzen Sarutobi will not let him go.

Moreover, if the Nine-Tails inside Naruto were to break free and burst forth, given the current strength of Konoha, there would be very few who could stop it.

Even if they manage to block it, they will inevitably pay an extremely heavy price.

As someone jointly liable, he probably only has one option left: to pack up the bucket and run away.

"Ah? Akisui-sensei, no!" Naruto's face instantly changed, and he grabbed Akisui's leg, frantically begging for mercy, "I really won't do it again!"

His most anticipated thing every week is being able to eat the meals cooked by Teacher Qiushui on Saturdays and Sundays.

If he doesn't get to eat today, he'll not only lack energy for training this afternoon, but he probably won't be able to sleep tonight either.

Seeing that Shusui did not reply, Naruto continued to wail.

He howled for a while longer, but when he realized that Qiu Shui was ignoring him and had walked away, he sheepishly stopped, dusted himself off, got up from the ground, and obediently threw himself into training.

Around noon, Qiushui walked up to the group of people who were exhausted from training, dusted off her hands, and said, "I'm going back to cook now. Sasuke, what do you want to eat?"

Sasuke named two dishes he liked, then took out two small slips of paper from his pocket and handed them to Shusui.

Qiu Shui took it and casually put it in her pocket.

He planned to keep these two slips of paper for repeated use.

An hour later.

Xiao Li picked up a piece of tender, juicy fish and put it in his mouth.

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke saw Rock Lee freeze completely, then lie on the ground, swaying back and forth like a fish swimming in water.

"Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, stop right now! There's something wrong with this dish!" Lee jumped up from the ground and shouted anxiously at them, "I just ate that fish and then I found myself turned into a fish, swimming around in the river! There are water plants and rocks all around me, and other fish are swimming past me."

Naruto paused for a second, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

Sasuke and Hinata couldn't help but laugh.

Naruto put down his chopsticks, patted Lee on the shoulder, and said calmly with the air of someone who's been there, "Lee, don't worry, the food is fine. It's just that Akisui-sensei's cooking is so delicious that this happens. We're used to it."

"Oh, I see?" Xiao Li scratched his head, his expression replaced by one of sudden realization. "So that's how it is! It's so delicious that it makes you feel like you've turned into a fish! Teacher Qiushui is amazing!"

Xiao Li picked up his lunchbox and continued eating.

"Waaaaah... This is so delicious! I've never eaten anything so delicious in my life!" Little Li cried, tears streaming down her face, stuffing food into her mouth as she sobbed.

He usually eats rice balls and has never had anything good to eat.

Although Kai would cook for him after each training session, the food Kai made... well, it was edible.

Xiao Li increasingly felt that coming here for training was the right decision.

Not only do you have someone to practice with, but you also get such delicious meals.

For a moment, he couldn't help but feel envious of Sasuke and the others.

It turns out they had been living this happy life all along.

Sasuke didn't know what Lee was thinking, but seeing him with tears streaming down his face, he immediately picked up his lunchbox and silently kept a safe distance from Lee to avoid accidentally splashing the unknown liquid on himself or his food.

Hinata also quietly moved a few meters to the side.

Naruto did not participate in this migration.

He sat there, inhaling the aroma of meat filling the air, while shoveling large mouthfuls of white rice into his mouth.

Although he can't eat vegetables, he has plenty of ways to manage it.

"Naruto-kun, why aren't you eating any vegetables?" Hinata asked curiously, noticing that Naruto's bowl only contained white rice.

Naruto is usually the most eager to grab the food that Shusui-sensei brings, so why is he acting so differently today?

"Um..." Naruto scratched his head, explaining somewhat embarrassedly, "I did something wrong this morning, and Shusui-sensei punished me by making me eat only white rice for the next two days."

"But the afternoon training is more intense and longer. You're using Shadow Clone Technique, so the energy expenditure is doubled. Can you handle it?" Hinata frowned slightly, her tone filled with worry.

"It's okay, I'll just eat more white rice." After Naruto finished speaking, he took a few more big bites, as if eating more wouldn't be a problem.

Hinata glanced around discreetly, making sure that Shusui-sensei wasn't nearby. Then, she stealthily moved next to Naruto, swiftly grabbed a few pieces of beef, and stuffed them into Naruto's lunchbox.

Then, like a thief, she hunched her neck and looked around. When she found that Qiu Shui had not appeared, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hinata, thank you." Naruto paused for a moment, looked at the extra beef in the lunchbox, and said seriously, "But I can't eat this. If Shusui-sensei finds out, you'll definitely be punished along with him."