Konoha: The Honored One

Two hours had crawled by as Team 7 trained on chakra control beneath the towering trees.

Naruto and Sasuke were locked in a silent, unbreakable rivalry. Whenever Naruto managed to take four steps up the tree, Sasuke would grit his teeth and push himself to reach five. They'd been trading places like this, neither willing to give an inch.

"Keep going, Naruto, Sasuke!" Sakura called from her spot at the top of the tree, gazing down at them with a smug smile. She had mastered the exercise within an hour and was now watching her teammates' struggle like a queen on her throne.

Naruto, mud-splattered and gasping for breath, looked up at her, beaming. "Sakura-chan, you're amazing!"

At this rate, Naruto could only manage about two-sevenths of the way up, while Sasuke was sitting at three-sevenths, his grip on the kunai practically carving dents in it.

"Of course! Even Gojo-sensei said I'm a natural." Sakura replied, lifting her chin proudly.

Naruto scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Sakura-chan, think you could, y'know, share your trick with me?"

Nearby, Sasuke's ears perked up. He pretended to be absorbed with the tree but was clearly hanging on every word.

"No problem!" Sakura chirped, hopping down and landing gracefully. She cast a quick glance at Sasuke, a small grin sneaking onto her face. He really does look good when he's focused.

Naruto snickered at the sight of Sasuke obviously eavesdropping. "Hey, Sasuke, aren't you supposed to be the genius here? Or are you into 'borrowed genius' now?"

Sasuke shot Naruto a glare, his cheeks pinkening. "Don't lump me in with you, idiot. I already know the trick." Yet as he turned away, he muttered a silent curse at Naruto, all too aware he hadn't caught the 'trick' at all.

"Forget him, Sakura-chan," Naruto chuckled, sidling closer. "Go on, what's the trick?"

"Alright, listen up…" Sakura began, explaining the intricacies of chakra control. Naruto nodded along, eyes wide with understanding—even though half of it went over his head.

"Got it!" Naruto gave her a thumbs-up. "Sakura-chan, you're amazing! Pure genius!"

Sakura laughed awkwardly, scratching her cheek. "Actually… I might've asked Gojo-sensei for some tips."

Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, who let their pride trip them up, Sakura had no problem asking Gojo for help.

Naruto clenched his fists, his face lighting up with new resolve. "Alright, Sakura-chan! Watch me—I'm going to beat Sasuke to the top of this tree!"

Sakura nodded, newly impressed with Naruto's determination. "You got this, Naruto! Meanwhile, I'll ask Gojo-sensei how to stick to a tree with just one finger."

An hour passed, and thanks to Sakura's guidance, Naruto climbed several steps higher than before, much to Sasuke's irritation.

"The dead-last idiot is actually getting ahead of me." Sasuke muttered bitterly, glaring at the tree trunk, kunai clutched in a white-knuckled grip.

As he glanced up, he saw Sakura perched calmly at the top, balancing on one finger. His pride screamed not to ask for help, but his growing frustration was relentless.

Meanwhile, Gojo was observing the group from a distance, lounging comfortably on a nearby bench. With his keen eyes, he saw that Sakura's natural chakra control gave her an edge, while Naruto and Sasuke, with their larger reserves—and Naruto's Nine-Tails' influence—struggled. Sealing the Nine-Tails' chakra had helped Naruto focus, but it was still no walk in the park.

"Guess I'll treat myself to a sukiyaki pot." Gojo mused aloud. With a snap, he teleported to grab a meal, reappearing seconds later with a spread of high-quality beef and a steaming sukiyaki pot, much to the Third Hokage's chagrin.

"Who knew the old man could live it up?" Gojo chuckled as he began cooking.

Naruto's nose twitched, his head swiveling to where Gojo was now enjoying his meal. "Teacher! You're over there with high-grade beef while we're over here training our butts off?"

Sakura clutched her rumbling stomach, grumbling. She was starving after all this effort.

Naruto couldn't hold back any longer and dashed over, plopping down beside Gojo with his chopsticks poised. But just as he went to grab a piece of meat, Gojo tugged him back by his hair.

"If I let you fill up on high-grade beef now, you'll just turn into a lazy adult." Gojo said smoothly. "I'll take you for ramen once you're done with training."

Naruto stumbled back, sulking. "You just don't want to share," he mumbled, heading back toward the tree, shoulders drooping.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Sasuke walked up to Gojo, his expression as impassive as ever. "Sensei."

Gojo grinned, sensing Sasuke's unspoken question. "Need something?"

Sasuke hesitated, his voice low. "The trick you showed Sakura.Tell me, I'll do anything."

Gojo's grin widened. "So, you'll do anything if it makes you stronger, huh?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, voice steely. "If it makes me stronger, I don't care. I need to be strong enough to kill Him."

Gojo rested a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, chuckling. "Well, in that case, here's the deal: If you want the trick, you'll have to shout, 'Gojo is the most handsome man in the world!' loud enough for everyone to hear."

Sasuke froze, his face an unreadable mask. "What? That's insane."

Gojo's grin only grew. "Don't be shy! You did say you'd do anything to get stronger."

Sasuke's cheeks turned crimson, but he glanced over at Naruto, who was now approaching the top of the tree. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke took a deep breath. "Satoru is… the most handsome man!"

"Louder!" Gojo taunted, clearly loving every second.

Sasuke took a deep breath, his face a bright shade of pink. "Satoru is the most handsome man!"

The shout echoed across the park, and Naruto and Sakura whipped their heads around, gaping. Gojo snickered, snapping a quick photo for posterity as Sasuke's blush deepened.

"Now, about that trick?" Sasuke demanded, barely keeping his voice steady.

With a knowing grin, Gojo lightly tapped Sasuke's abdomen with his chopsticks. "You're using way too much chakra. Dial it back, and you'll find it's easier to climb. Same goes for your fire techniques—once you master this, you might even be able to skip some hand signs."

"Hmph. That's all?" Sasuke muttered, though he was clearly relieved. He pocketed his hands, striding back toward the tree with his usual confidence.

As Team 7 resumed their training, Gojo finished his meal and strolled off, leaving behind three determined kids—each more fired up than ever.