noveltune Chapter 32, Pillar Two: Don't Make Too Many Claims
Chapter 32, Pillar Two: Don't Make Too Many Claims
"Hey everyone, good morning." Kakashi strolled over leisurely.
The three little ones were instantly shocked by the voice!
Has the sun risen in the west?
Kakashi-sensei arrived at the meeting point so early!
In fact, Kakashi left home early, which was unusual for him, because he was worried about Sasuke's situation.
Upon arriving at the training ground and seeing Sasuke there, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sasuke, are you alright?" Kakashi stepped forward and carefully examined Sasuke's expression.
Seeing that he seemed fine except for being a little tired, I finally felt relieved.
"I'm fine," Sasuke replied in a muffled voice, turning his head away.
Kakashi nodded upon hearing this and said to the three children, "Alright, now that everyone is here, let's begin our mission."
……
The entire morning, Class 7 was busy running around to various corners.
Helping elderly people living alone buy daily necessities, looking after pets for wealthy businessmen...
In short, it was all incredibly boring chores.
Naruto had long been impatient with these boring D-rank missions, but today he was unusually quiet and didn't yell at Kakashi to give him a more challenging mission as he usually did.
Because he had one thing on his mind all the time.
How can I complete the final training for the Rasengan as soon as possible?
Sasuke was equally distracted.
He forced himself to stay awake last night, and now he is on the verge of mental exhaustion and physically exhausted.
Even so, he persevered and showed no signs of fatigue.
Around noon.
After completing several tasks, Class 7 was finally able to take a short break.
Kakashi was delighted to bring three students to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Oh, what brings all four of you together today?"
Behind the kitchen counter, Uncle Ichiraku greeted Kakashi and the others with a smile and invited them to sit down.
Naruto, however, did not cheer as usual.
He plopped down, crossed his arms, and puffed out his cheeks, sulking.
Kakashi and Sakura exchanged a wry smile; everyone knew he was just sulking with Sasuke.
Sasuke, however, didn't seem to care. He sat down next to Naruto without any hesitation and ordered a bowl of soy sauce ramen with a blank expression.
"Boss, I want miso ramen with extra char siu!" Naruto immediately shouted, not to be outdone.
The ramen was served shortly afterward.
The four people ate quietly, each lost in their own thoughts.
Naruto ate ten bowls of ramen in a row, getting angrier and angrier, while Sasuke acted like he'd taken the wrong medicine today.
He always had a sour face, and his words were sarcastic and unpleasant.
Naruto said with dissatisfaction, "Sasuke, once I learn that ninjutsu, I will definitely defeat you. Just you wait."
Sasuke sneered, "Idiot, being obsessed with that kind of thing will never make you stronger than me."
Sakura covered her face in exasperation: "Here we go again, these two."
Kakashi said speechlessly, "Since you're all full, let's continue with the mission."
Shi Yu, who had just come out of the kitchen, watched the group leave and chuckled.
"Erzhuzi, don't speak too confidently."
……
Next, as usual, the tasks of the seventh squad were still miscellaneous chores.
I worked until sunset and finally finished all the tasks assigned to me for the day.
"Phew—it's finally over!"
Naruto stretched and yawned. After a day of hard work, he couldn't wait to go back to sleep.
Kakashi looked at the three children, who were covered in sweat, and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "You've all worked hard. That's enough for today, everyone!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto turned and ran away impatiently, waving as he went: "Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei! Goodbye, Sakura! Sasuke, just wait until I defeat you!"
Watching Naruto's hurried figure disappear into the distance, Sakura couldn't help but smile: "Why is this guy suddenly so enthusiastic?"
"Hmph." Sasuke snorted coldly, his gaze complex as he stared in the direction Naruto had disappeared, without replying.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke: "Are you going back to the clan tonight?"
Sasuke nodded: "Of course."
"How about we skip training tonight and get a good night's sleep..." Kakashi suggested tentatively.
He was genuinely worried that Sasuke's body wouldn't be able to handle it if he kept going like this.
"No need!" Sasuke refused decisively, his expression unusually firm.
After saying that, he didn't wait for Kakashi's response and turned to stride away in another direction.
……
Night falls.
Uchiha clan ruins.
The desolate and dilapidated streets were shrouded in darkness.
Amidst the ruins, only starlight filters through the broken tiles and rubble, casting faint glows.
Sasuke stood alone in front of the ruins of his own courtyard, silent.
At his feet were seven or eight empty soda cans, which had originally been filled with the high-concentration energy drinks he had specially bought that afternoon.
Unfortunately, even after drinking these, he still felt waves of drowsiness, and his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
"hateful……"
Sasuke pinched his thigh hard to keep himself awake.
He looked up at a towering rock wall in the center of the courtyard.
This rock face is covered with burn marks and scratches left from his early training days; it was the place where he practiced ninjutsu with that man during his childhood.
But now, things have changed, and he is all alone here.
The thought of that name that had brought him endless nightmares filled Sasuke with intense hatred.
He gritted his teeth, charged towards the rock wall, stepped onto the rough stone surface, and began to climb rapidly, looking as if he wanted to develop a ghost-like back.
"Ha ha……"
After an unknown amount of time, Sasuke was panting heavily when his arms finally gave way and he fell off the rock wall.
"hiss--"
He slumped to the ground in a sorry state, cold sweat beading on his forehead; he had clearly taken a hard fall.
My whole body ached as if it had fallen apart, and my limbs were trembling slightly.
Sasuke strained to prop himself up, struggling to stand, but suddenly everything went black before his eyes, and a strong wave of weariness washed over him.
"Damn it...no way..."
He shook his head, trying to dispel the drowsiness in his mind.
But its body had reached its limit and could no longer obey commands.
Sasuke, who had been working hard all night and then busy all day, finally succumbed to sleepiness and drifted off to sleep.
……
On the other side, at Naruto's house in Konoha Village, a completely different scene unfolded.
After taking a shower, Naruto lay down on the bed feeling refreshed, pulled the blanket over himself, and his face was full of undisguised excitement.
He stared at the ceiling, silently encouraging himself.
"Tonight, in my dream, if I can master the third stage of the Rasengan, I'll completely control this technique! Then I'll make that bastard Sasuke look at me in a completely different light!"
Thinking of that moment of triumph, Naruto couldn't help but laugh out loud with excitement.
He turned over, hugged his pillow tightly, and urged himself to fall asleep quickly.
Before long, drowsiness crept in, and Naruto felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier.
He closed his eyes peacefully, letting his consciousness gradually fade...
After an unknown amount of time, Naruto vaguely heard someone calling him.
"Naruto?"
who is it?
Mom?
Naruto groggily opened his eyes, muttering unconsciously, "Mom?"
However, what came into view was not the cozy bedroom of my dream.
Instead, a completely unfamiliar scene unfolded before them.
The surroundings were dark, the air was cold and silent, as if I were in a huge indoor space.
Not far in front of them, a huge curtain stood vaguely, completely empty.
Behind him, there appeared to be rows of seats, extending into the darkness behind him.
Where...am I?!
Naruto snapped back to reality, jumped to his feet, and cautiously looked around.
His heart leaped into his throat.
Why did the scene in my dream suddenly change tonight?
Shouldn't it be in its own bed at home? How did it end up in this gloomy theater?