Chapter no.6 The Color of Doubt

The sun was high in the sky as Naruto and Ebisu made their way through Konoha’s training grounds, the sound of rushing water growing louder with every step. The path they walked was mostly dirt, winding between thick trees, until it finally opened up into a clearing. A large waterfall cascaded down the rocks into a shallow river, the air cool from the mist rising off the water.

Naruto walked with a bounce in his step, practically vibrating with excitement. He still couldn’t believe it—he was a genin. He had a sensei. He was finally on his way to becoming Hokage!

Ebisu, on the other hand, walked in measured steps, his hands behind his back as he observed the boy. The sheer energy radiating off of him was both exhausting and oddly impressive. Naruto had limitless enthusiasm, but enthusiasm alone didn’t make a shinobi.

“Well,” Ebisu finally said, stopping in the middle of the clearing. “This is good enough. From today onward, this will be our training ground until you are ready.”

“Ready? Ready for what?”

“Genin Naruto, I have a strict standard when approaching any shinobi missions, and as your superior officer, I expect you to meet that standard as well.”

“Do… do I meet that standard?”

“Well, let’s find out—with a spar.”

Naruto perked up instantly. “A spar? You mean, like, right now?”

Ebisu raised his hand, forming the Seal of Confrontation, the half-tiger, half-ram sign that all shinobi used to begin combat. “Right now.”

Naruto grinned, mirroring the seal before dropping into a stance that could barely be called a stance at all. His knees were too stiff, his balance all wrong. Then, without waiting for a signal, he charged forward.

Ebisu frowned. Predictable.

Naruto swung at him wildly, fists flying in big, looping arcs. He fought like a street brawler, like a kid who had gotten into too many scraps without anyone teaching him how to throw a proper punch.

Ebisu simply stepped aside.

Naruto stumbled past him, blinking in confusion.

“Huh?”

The boy spun around and threw another punch, only for Ebisu to casually sidestep again, hands still tucked behind his back.

“Too slow.”

Naruto growled in frustration and swung harder, faster. Ebisu weaved through each attack without effort, his movements precise and almost lazy. Every time Naruto thought he had him, he’d find himself hitting nothing but air.

“Is that really your best?” Ebisu

“I’m just getting started!” Naruto snapped, trying to sweep his legs under Ebisu’s feet.

Ebisu simply jumped over it, landing lightly without even looking at him. “Sloppy. No footwork. No strategy. Just flailing. This isn’t a playground fight, Naruto. This is combat.”

Naruto’s frustration boiled over. He pulled out a kunai, gripping it tightly. “Fine! You wanna see me fight for real?!”

“By all means.”

Naruto hurled the kunai straight at him, following it up with a handful of shuriken.

Ebisu didn’t even move at first, watching the trajectory of the projectiles. At the last moment, he flickered to the side, easily dodging every single one.

“Your form is terrible,” Ebisu said as Naruto gritted his teeth. “You’re gripping the kunai too tightly, throwing with more force than technique. Your shuriken spin is inconsistent, meaning you have no control over their arc.”

“Shut up!” Naruto yelled, pulling out another kunai and charging.

Ebisu sighed internally. He hadn’t expected much, but even so, Naruto was worse than he thought. It wasn’t just that he lacked technique—he had no foundation at all. It was clear no one had ever properly taught him.

It was also clear Naruto didn’t like being underestimated.

So far, he had been making a point to dodge everything, to show Naruto just how outclassed he was. But Naruto wasn’t the type to learn through humiliation alone. No, this boy needed something else.

So, as Naruto lunged at him again, Ebisu let him get close. Just close enough to think he had an opening.

And then, with precise movement, Ebisu reached out—and flicked Naruto in the forehead.

Hard.

Naruto yelped, stumbling back as he clutched his forehead. “OW! WHAT THE HELL, EBISU-SENSEI?!”

“That’s what happens when you rush in blindly.”

Naruto scowled. “Fine, you want serious?! You’re about to see my ultimate jutsu!”

“Oh?”

“I’ve been working on this for months, and you’re gonna be the first person to witness its power!”

Ebisu felt it before he saw it.

A huge surge of chakra exploded around Naruto, radiating off him in waves. It wasn’t refined or controlled—it was raw, untamed power, far too much for a child his age. Ebisu’s breath hitched.

Holy—

The sheer volume of chakra made his throat dry. Just how much did this brat have?

Then, just as quickly as it surged, it twisted into something entirely different.

“SEXY JUTSU!”

There was a puff of smoke. And standing before Ebisu was a naked woman, her body obscured only by strategically placed clouds of mist.

Ebisu’s jaw dropped.

“What—“

His brain completely short-circuited.

This boy—this child—had just wasted an absurd amount of chakra for this?!

He clenched his jaw, forcing down the sheer irritation bubbling inside him. I am an elite shinobi. I will not be undone by a child’s nonsense.

With a burst of speed, Ebisu flickered behind Naruto, kunai at the boy’s throat.

“Give up,” Ebisu said flatly, pressing the blade just enough to make a point.

“Tch—fine, I give.”

A puff of smoke later, Naruto was back to normal, looking thoroughly disappointed.

Ebisu sighed, forming the Seal of Reconciliation as Naruto did the same, officially ending the spar.

Then, without missing a beat, Ebisu asked, “Naruto, I want you to evaluate your performance in that spar.”

“Huh?”

Ebisu crossed his arms. “Tell me—what did you do right, and what did you do wrong?”

Naruto frowned, kicking at the dirt. “Well… you’re strong, Ebisu-sensei.”

“And what about you?”

Naruto opened his mouth to answer—then hesitated. The words didn’t come immediately, which was exactly what Ebisu had expected.

Naruto was the type to push forward no matter what. Determined. Stubborn. But self-reflection? That was something he lacked. And if he was ever going to grow, he needed to recognize his own shortcomings first.

After a long pause, Naruto sighed. “I guess… I rush in too much. And I don’t really think about what I’m doing. And my kunai-throwing sucks. And maybe… maybe my ultimate jutsu wasn’t the smartest move.”

Seeing Naruto frustrated, Ebisu took a deep breath. He still wasn’t used to teaching someone this young—or this stubborn. A student doubting themselves was normal, but too much of it? That would backfire fast.

He cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. “That… jutsu,” he began carefully, “was an innovative use of the Transformation Technique.”

Naruto scowled, kicking a pebble. “Yeah, well, it didn’t work on you.”

“That’s because I am an elite shinob.”

“Tch. Of course you’d say that.”

“But,” Ebisu continued, ignoring the brat’s tone, “I am sure that jutsu would have worked if—” he hesitated, pushing up his glasses, “—if your opponent happened to be a closeted pervert… and if there were at least a dozen more clones of that particular transformation…”

Naruto blinked. Then squinted at him.

“…That’s real specific, sensei.”

Ebisu coughed. “Irrelevant.”

“Wait, wait—how exactly do you know that it’d work on a closeted pervert specifically?”

Ebisu coughed harder.

“That’s not the point,” he deflected, clearing his throat aggressively.

“Huh. Sounds like it is the point.”

“I assure you, it is not,” Ebisu insisted, suddenly looking anywhere but at Naruto.

Naruto just kept staring at him, squinting even harder.

“…Okay,” he said slowly, dragging out the word. “If you say so.”

Ebisu did say so. And he was not going to continue this conversation.

“Naruto, you have the goal of becoming Hokage.”

Naruto nodded immediately.

“That is an extremely high standard to set for yourself,” Ebisu continued. “But to achieve it, you need to recognize what you lack and work on yourself if you ever hope to reach your goals.”

He paused, letting the lesson sink in. He half-expected Naruto to wave him off or start shouting about how he was already plenty strong. The reports described the boy as disruptive, impatient, unwilling to sit still or learn anything properly.

But here he was—silent. Listening.

It was a surprise. A good surprise.

Maybe the problem had never been Naruto himself. Maybe it was the way people had tried to teach him—if they had even bothered to teach him at all.

“So… are we not going on missions yet?”

“We will,” Ebisu said. “You’ll start with D-rank missions, the same as any other genin. They’re essentially chores around the village.”

“What?! That’s not what ninjas do!”

“I know, I know. You probably had… different ideas about what a shinobi does on missions.”

“Yeah! We’re supposed to fight bad guys and go on super cool spy stuff, not pull weeds or— or— babysit!”

“D-rank missions are meant to teach teamwork,” Ebisu explained patiently. “Genin teams need to learn to function together before they’re trusted with real missions.”

Naruto frowned. “But I don’t have a team.”

Ebisu shrugged. “Then let’s just say you’ll now be able to earn money and buy yourself cool things.”

“Wait, I get paid?”

Ebisu paused, remembering what the Hokage had told him. Naruto would be paid significantly more for his D-rank missions than any genin had any right to be. The extra funds came from the salaries confiscated from the Academy teachers—Konoha’s quiet way of making amends for failing him. It was Ebisu’s responsibility to teach the boy how to manage that money wisely, to steer him toward productive choices rather than reckless spending—something that became glaringly obvious the moment Naruto started rattling off an endless list of things he wanted to buy.

“Oh man, I can get so much ramen! And maybe—maybe my own kunai! Oh, oh—those explosive tag things! And— and— do you think I could get a real sword? Like a big one?! Oh! A frog wallet! I saw one in a shop window once—“

“That’s all well and good, Naruto, but you need to start thinking like a shinobi when it comes to money.”

Naruto paused mid-thought. “Shinobi… think about money?”

“Of course. A shinobi goes on dangerous missions, and to survive, they need proper equipment—kunai, shuriken, first-aid kits, sealing scrolls. Not to mention attire that won’t get them killed in battle.”

Ebisu’s gaze flickered down to Naruto’s bright orange attire.

Naruto caught the look immediately and groaned. “Ughhh, you too? I like orange, okay?!”

Ebisu let out a slow, measured sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Okay, okay, fine! I’ll change it, I’ll change it! I don’t even like orange that much!”

Ebisu stilled.

Something in Naruto’s voice had changed.

He wasn’t just arguing—he was backpedaling. There was an edge to his voice that hadn’t been there before.

Ebisu took a second to truly look at Naruto. The way his shoulders hunched slightly, the way he spoke too fast, the way his hands curled just enough to be nervous but not quite fists.

Then it clicked.

He thinks I’m disappointed in him.

The realization sat heavy in Ebisu’s stomach.

Naruto had been insulted his whole life. Mocked, ignored, treated like a nuisance. But this—this wasn’t that. This was something different. This was the reaction of a kid who had probably never had a teacher that genuinely wanted to see him succeed.

And now, when faced with one who actually expected something from him—one who wasn’t ridiculing him, wasn’t yelling at him, wasn’t dismissing him—Naruto immediately folded at the thought of letting him down.

Ebisu crouched to Naruto’s level, softening his tone. “Naruto.”

Naruto blinked, looking at him warily.

“You can wear orange.”

“Huh? But— but you said I needed to change—“

Ebisu shook his head. “What I said was that you need proper attire. Things like chainmail underarmor, arm guards, weapon pouches, storage seals—gear that will help you stay alive in the field.”

“So… I can still wear orange?”

Ebisu allowed a small smirk. “If you want. But I would strongly recommend that for missions, you have proper shinobi gear that will keep you from becoming a target. Outside of the field? In the village? Wear whatever you like.”

Naruto stared at him for a long moment. “Okay. That sounds… fair, I guess.”

Ebisu nodded in approval. “Good. Now, do you know where to get shinobi gear?”

“Uh… the shops?”

“Exactly.” Ebisu stood, dusting off his knees. “So, why don’t we go and get you some proper equipment?”

“But… I don’t have money for that.”

“Think of it as a celebration gift. From a teacher to his student.”

For a second, Naruto didn’t move. Then, before Ebisu could react, Naruto jumped—practically tackling him in a hug before quickly pulling away and pretending it didn’t happen.

Ebisu barely managed to keep his balance.

“Uh— I mean— y’know, it’s cool, or whatever!” Naruto blurted out, crossing his arms and looking away, cheeks slightly red.

Ebisu chuckled to himself, shaking his head. This kid.

“Well then,” he said, turning toward the village, “let’s get going.”