» Chapter 005 Summary: Carelessness is Your Worst Enemy «

On his word, Kakashi’s students dash off in a cloud of dust. Kakashi looks around the field for his students, commenting that the most basic skill for a ninja is to hide oneself. As both Sasuke and Sakura peer at Kakashi from their hiding spots in some bushes, their sensei comments that they have been able to hide themselves quite well. All except Naruto who stands in plain sight and loudly demands that Kakashi come and fight him. Kakashi is taken aback and tells Naruto that his mentality is a bit off. Sasuke watches from his hiding spot, not believing that Naruto could be such a big moron.

Naruto angrily charges Kakashi, but the jounin remains unfazed. He calmly reaches towards his bag and snaps it open. Naruto stops in his tracks, wondering what Kakashi is reaching for in his bag. The spiky haired jounin begins, “Ninja Fighting Lesson #1: Taijutsu. I’ll teach you about it.” He continues to talk as he reaches further into his bag. “Taijutsu is Ninja hand-to-hand combat.” Naruto grits his teeth and looks on, wondering why Kakashi is reaching for a weapon if he is lecturing about hand-to-hand combat.

With a dramatic flourish, the jounin pulls out a book entitled “Come, Come Paradise”, and starts to read it. It is obviously not a book meant for children. Naruto is stunned. Kakashi asks him what’s wrong, and tells him to hurry and attack. Naruto is flabbergasted, “But…Hey, hey?!! Why do you have a book?” Kakashi calmly answers that he wanted to know what happens next, and that it really won’t make a difference against the young ninjas. Naruto blinks, but then becomes angry. “I’ll beat you to a pulp!!” He screams as he charges Kakashi. He launches into the air to punch and kick his sensei. Without taking his eyes off the book, Kakashi blocks the punch and ducks below the kick. Naruto pushes off the ground and charges at Kakashi. He launches a punch while Kakashi makes no move to block or dodge.

Naruto extends his arm in a punch, but just as he is about to connect, Kakashi appears behind him in a puff of smoke. “A ninja isn’t supposed to get caught from behind, idiot.” The jounin then brings his hands together, while Sakura and Sasuke look on. Sakura recognizes the hand seal their sensei has made. “Is that the Seal of the Tiger? No way!! He’s going to use that jutsu on Naruto?!” Sasuke watches grimly, realizing that the jounin is getting ready to do a Fire jutsu, and that he’s not playing around. Sakura can’t stand it and jumps out of hiding, yelling to Naruto to get out of there or be killed. Naruto looks behind with concern, but Kakashi tells him it’s already too late.

With a demonic glint in his eye, Kakashi strikes. “Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique: A Thousand Years of Pain!!” With that, he strikes Naruto, who goes flying through the air while yelling in pain. Sakura narrows her eyes incredulously. “Supreme technique? That was just a super powerful ass poke.” Sasuke just sneers, calling them both morons. Naruto splashes down in the lake while Kakashi returns to his dirty book. Sakura wonders what they are supposed to do against someone with that much strength. Things seem very unfair in her eyes. Naruto is undeterred, as he swims below the water’s surface. He curses to himself, and reaches into his pocket for his shuriken.

Out of the water, a flurry of ninja stars fly towards Kakashi, who continues to stand there reading his book. Sasuke and Sakura are surprised to see Naruto pull off the attack. They are even more stunned when Kakashi catches the stars on his finger as he continues to read, laughing at a particular passage in the book. Naruto curses once again and thinks back to his encounter with Mizuki. Mizuki claimed that no one would ever acknowledge him, but Iruka did, calling him an excellent student. Naruto grits his teeth in determination, telling himself “I can’t fail here!” Beneath the water, he forms the seal for the Kage Bunshin no jutsu.

Naruto climbs onto the shore, coughing up water. Kakashi reminds him that if he doesn’t get a bell by noon, he won’t be able to have lunch. Naruto complains that he knows that already. Kakashi taunts him even further by saying that for someone who wants to surpass the Hokage, Naruto is awfully weak. Naruto is infuriated, and declares that he is still able to fight on an empty stomach. Still hiding in the bushes, both Sasuke and Sakura’s stomachs growl. Sakura complains to herself that she didn’t even eat dinner the night before due to the new diet she’s started. Kakashi turns around and starts to walk away from Naruto, reading his book. Naruto yells that he’s just been a little careless so far, that’s all. Without turning around, Kakashi replies, “Ever hear that carelessness is your worse enemy?”

Naruto can’t believe how weak with hunger he feels, but narrows his eyes at Kakashi’s back. He is determined to make his sensei acknowledge him. “I must become a ninja!” With that, eight Naruto clones leap from the water and land on the shore. “Hah! My specialty, Kage Bunshin no jutsu!” Sasuke and Sakura can’t believe that Naruto learned such a jutsu, especially the fact that the clones are real and not an illusion. Kakashi takes this in, and realizes that this is the jutsu he used to defeat Mizuki. He guesses that with Naruto’s current ability, one minute is about the longest that he can hold the jutsu. “No matter how many you line up, you’re still Naruto. You can’t beat me with that jutsu.”

Suddenly, Kakashi’s eyes go wide as he is grabbed by Naruto from behind, who holds him as the rest of the clones close in for the attack. The bells jingle tantalizingly as Kakashi is jostled from the impact. Naruto throws Kakashi’s words back at him, “Weren’t ninjas not supposed to get caught from behind?” Naruto had sent a clone to sneak around the jounin while he was distracted. Sakura and Sasuke are reasonably impressed with Naruto’s plan, but Kakashi’s expression returns to its bored state.

Naruto complains that his ass is still hurting, and will now exact his revenge by punching Kakashi. He winds up and delivers a strong blow. Blood goes flying, but as Naruto cheers the hit, it is revealed that Naruto has only managed to punch himself. Naruto’s eyes widen in shock as he tries to figure out what happened.