Chapter 44: Kakashi's Miserable Day - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

**Chapter 44: Kakashi's Miserable Day** Once all the apples were picked, Sasuke seemed relatively fine, just looking a bit disheveled and dirty. On the other hand, Naruto was sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes rolling back and tongue lolling out, barely having the strength to breathe. Hinata stood up, dusted off her clothes, gathered the tea set and kettle, and followed Kakashi over to where Naruto and Sasuke were. She glanced at Naruto. Hmm... Naruto isn't dead from exhaustion yet. The life force of the Nine-Tails is truly resilient! But there's no rush; we have plenty of time to play around. At least, there's a long road ahead until Naruto becomes the Seventh Hokage, plenty of opportunities for Hinata to deal with him. Even if Naruto becomes the Hokage, Hinata might be an advisor by then, frequently dropping by to give him a hard time. No matter, we have a lifetime; she could torment him to her heart's content. For teaching Konohamaru bad habits and for trying to lead her sister astray. Just wait and see, Naruto! Kakashi placed the "Make-Out Paradise" book into his ninja tool pouch with satisfaction. "The mission was accomplished excellently; we still need to deliver the apples to the farmer. Let's keep up the good work!" "Pant, pant," Naruto gasped for air, weakly protesting, "Kak... Kakashi-sensei, can't we rest for a bit?" Kakashi chuckled, "Alright, alright. Seeing you all so exhausted, let's take a little break before we deliver." Hinata bent down to look at Naruto, and with a sweet smile said, "Naruto, you've really worked hard. Let me teach you a little training tip right now!" "Watch closely!" After saying this, Hinata approached an apple tree, scaling it step by step with her feet on the trunk, ultimately hanging upside down from a branch. Without avoiding Sasuke's eyes, she loudly explained, "Climbing trees is the first step in chakra control training. Once you master this, you'll greatly enhance your control over chakra." "With better chakra control, the biggest benefit is minimizing chakra wastage during jutsu execution, allowing for faster activation." Naruto sat up, eyes shining brightly as he looked at Hinata, raising his hand earnestly to ask, "Uh... Hinata, what's 'chadola'?" Hinata rolled her eyes at Naruto and continued her explanation without acknowledging him, "The trick to tree climbing is gathering chakra at the soles of your feet to create a suction grip on the trunk. This is quite simple, since trees don't move. Just stabilize your chakra and you're good to go." "Ahem, ahem!" Kakashi cleared his throat, unhappy at being ignored by his students, waving his hand. "This training is indeed useful. I was planning to teach it later, but since Hinata already mentioned it, you might as well practice during your free time on this mission!" Sasuke's eyes flickered with interest. Since both Hinata and Kakashi deemed this training important, perhaps it was worth trying. Naruto, bursting with excitement, dashed over to an apple tree, placed a foot on it, only to leave a shallow one-centimeter deep mark, lost his balance, and tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap. Kakashi sighed, "Don't practice here. These are the farmer's hard-earned fruit trees." Hinata glanced at Naruto before suggesting, "When practicing tree climbing, you definitely need to train on a taller tree, preferably against a cliff face." It won't kill you anywhere else! Yet, the Nine-Tails' recovery is amazing; Naruto's energy returned so quickly. Delivering dozens of baskets of apples to the farmer's house, Kakashi went back to report on the mission. As he was leaving, Hinata suddenly said, "Thank you for treating us yesterday, Kakashi-sensei. Naruto, Sasuke, and I celebrated at the barbecue restaurant under your name, so don't forget to go settle the bill!" Kakashi nearly stumbled upon hearing this. What? I treated you to barbecue yesterday? Trying to recall, Kakashi vaguely remembered something like that. But he thought that if he left, Hinata and the others wouldn't actually go. Who would have thought that not only did they go, but they also billed it to Kakashi, leaving him to pay... Kakashi was tearful: I didn't even eat a single bite! Oh well, considering he didn't get to enjoy any barbecue himself, and it was Hinata and the others who billed it, what did it matter to him? So thinking, Kakashi headed to the mission assignment area, only to run into Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy with his team. Guy, upon seeing Kakashi, grinned and gave a thumbs-up saying, "Yo, Kakashi, my eternal rival! Treating your disciples to barbecue on credit, why didn't I think of that?" Kakashi: "..." "Guy, don't follow Kakashi's example!" Kurenai admonished, then eyeing Kakashi, whispered, "You're not seriously planning on skipping out on the bill, are you?" Asuma laughed, "Probably hoped his disciples would pay, but who knew they'd charge it! Kakashi, you've been outwitted!" Kakashi was speechless, wondering how everyone knew after just a day? Were they waiting here on purpose? This was definitely not a coincidence! An innocent, sweet smile flickered in Kakashi's mind, darkening with every thought as the smile twisted into something eerie and sinister. Earlier, Kakashi thought having a female team member was a blessing, but now... Kakashi decided to concede! He had to pay up, lest word spread among the elite jounin circle and he became a laughingstock. Kakashi tried to recall and realized he didn't remember agreeing to treat for dinner yesterday! Whew! Dodged a bullet. After submitting the mission, a gloomy-faced Kakashi headed to the barbecue restaurant, ready to settle yesterday's tab. Just as he finished paying, a hauntingly sweet voice echoed in his ears. Hinata's voice was indeed sweet and soft. "Kakashi-sensei, we've been waiting for you. Come join us! We're planning to train after dinner and hope you'll guide us!" Kakashi turned mechanically, and sure enough, saw Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke already halfway through their barbecue. Although Hinata's voice was sweet, it was also loud. With her outburst, every customer in the restaurant turned their gaze to Kakashi. Kakashi desperately wanted to flee, but if he left now, rumors might spread that the elite Leaf jounin Kakashi was too proud to dine with his genin disciples. Resigned, Kakashi sat down at Hinata's table, his spirit seemingly absent, shrouded by a gloomy aura. Inwardly, Kakashi questioned his decision to pass Hinata's team during the test. Can I choose again? Where can I find a remedy for regret?