"What?!"
"Kakashi-sensei, how could you do this?!"
Naruto's face twisted in shock when he learned that Kakashi had been watching him train all afternoon. This was his secret—a unique skill he had been mastering and was planning to show off later. He hadn't expected Kakashi to already know what he had learned.
Kakashi, calm as ever, simply said,"Do you know how dangerous it is for you to run off like this? Zabuza could attack at any moment. Do you really think you can defeat him?"
"Isn't Goku here?" Naruto shrank slightly and looked at Wukong.
Wukong only smiled, saying nothing.
Ahem. Kakashi cleared his throat, looking slightly exasperated."Mr. Wukong, we haven't known each other long… do you really expect him to be your bodyguard?"
He couldn't admit that part of the reason he had followed them was caution.
"I know I was wrong, Kakashi-sensei, but could you please not tell Sasuke that I'm practicing Qi?" Naruto apologized quickly, realizing his mistake, but he didn't want Sasuke to know about this in advance.
"That's fine," Kakashi replied. "But I do have a question… what exactly is this Qi you're talking about?"
He had heard the word before but still couldn't grasp its meaning.
"Ah? Kakashi-sensei, you don't know?" Naruto scratched his head, surprised. Even Kakashi, in his mind, should at least have some idea.
Kakashi gave him a blank stare. "Why would I know this?"
Naruto laughed awkwardly, then said,"This Qi is the energy hidden in our bodies."
This time, he spoke seriously, expressing the concept effortlessly—so different from the troublemaker he had been in school.
Hidden energy in the body… isn't that chakra?
Kakashi's deadpan eyes narrowed. "Naruto… this isn't called Qi. It's called chakra. What do your teachers teach you in school?"
"Chakra?" Naruto's face filled with confusion. "What's that?"
Kakashi shook his head. "You've heard of it before. Here, watch."
He condensed chakra in his hands and held it out for Naruto to see.
"So this is called chakra?" Naruto leaned forward, instantly recognizing it as the same blue energy he had channeled earlier.
"Yes, this is chakra, not Qi," Kakashi said, relieved that Naruto understood.
But then Naruto's next words hit Kakashi like a thunderbolt.
"But what I'm practicing isn't chakra—it's Qi."
Before Kakashi could respond, Naruto closed his eyes. A wisp of white energy appeared in his hand.
"What is… this?" Kakashi frowned. The energy was unfamiliar, though it resembled chakra. A million questions flooded his mind: What is this? Why does the human body have it? How is it practiced? Who discovered it?
He looked at Wukong, the source of this mystery."Mr. Wukong, I've always wondered… who are you? Where are you from?"
From his clothing, his training methods, even his appetite, Wukong was unlike anyone Kakashi had ever seen. Could there be an unknown place outside the ninja world, where people like Wukong live?
"I'm from Earth," Wukong said, scratching his head and smiling foolishly. "As for me, I suppose I'm a traveler now."
He gazed at the sky, as if seeing his friends and family peacefully living on Earth.
Earth… traveler… Kakashi thought. That confirmed his suspicion—Wukong was from a world outside the ninja realm. That explained all the differences. The last thread of caution he had toward Wukong faded. As long as Wukong wasn't from another ninja village, he likely meant no harm. And having saved Naruto before made it even more certain.
"We're back!"
Naruto pushed open the door, striding in with a grin, holding his head in excitement. He turned to Dazna's daughter, Tsuna."Sister Tsuna! We've got an extra meal tonight!"
Tsuna, preparing dinner, looked up in surprise. "An extra meal?"
Outside, Kakashi's eyes widened as he saw Wukong carrying two enormous wild boars effortlessly on his shoulders. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Wait… did he eat like this at every meal?And each boar… must weigh hundreds of pounds!He's carrying them as if it's nothing… what kind of strength is this?
Kakashi realized this power was enough to rival the strongest in the ninja world—and he had only seen a fraction of it.
"This is… too much," Tsuna whispered, stunned.
Wukong placed one boar on the ground. "You guys eat this one," he said with a smile. Then, pointing to the other boar still on his shoulder: "I'll eat this one."
Though Wukong often appeared heartless, he was perceptive. At lunch, he had noticed Dazna's family had spent a fortune to feed him. When he hunted the wild boars for dinner, he deliberately took the mate as a reward for the family—everyone was happy, and only the boars suffered.
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Dazna was preparing to build a bridge, and Kakashi took Sasuke and Sakura to protect them and teach them chakra techniques.
Naruto, however, would stay with Wukong. Kakashi trusted him not to harm Naruto, and Naruto's determination to practice Qi made him curious to see what his student could achieve. If Naruto couldn't learn anything, he could always continue his chakra training later.
Meanwhile, Zabuza had sent Haku to gather intelligence on them…
—End of Chapter