Watching Naruto's transformation from the hero of the Konoha to the hero of the Ninja World in the storyline, Sakura couldn't help but feel a sense of inadequacy.
In Naruto's storyline, she often felt like a background character.
But this feeling only arose when comparing herself to the dashing, golden-haired hope in the storyline.
On the other hand, looking at the messy, careless kid in front of her...
Sakura began to doubt again...
'Was the hero in the storyline, whose achievements rivaled any modern Hokage, really Naruto?'
This mix of admiration and doubt swirled within Sakura, making her feel somewhat distant from the Naruto in front of her.
Before, she could casually yell Naruto's name in a fit of rage, but after watching the storyline, Sakura hadn't spoken a word to him.
She felt that no matter how she approached him, it would feel... awkward.
After all, Naruto was destined to become the hero of the Konoha and the entire Ninja World.
By the middle of Shippuden, Naruto and Sakura had many opportunities to work together, but the moments of fighting side by side became increasingly rare.
Especially during the Fourth Ninja World War, it wasn't until the final moments when Sasuke returned that the three of them fought together again.
This gave Sakura the illusion that she was just a background character.
And compared to Sasuke, who also had limited screen time in the storyline…
While Sasuke appeared less often, every time he did, he brought immense pressure to Naruto.
Clearly, his strength wasn't inferior to Naruto's.
Now, the gap between her and the two of them was widening. In the future... could she ever catch up?
Throughout the day, Sakura's mood had been low.
The feeling of being left behind while the other two surged ahead made her feel somewhat insecure.
And it wasn't just in real life… even in the game, where Sakura's talent was average, she had a strong learning ability and was always willing to ask Kakashi or Sasuke for tips.
As a result, Sakura's gaming skills were quite solid.
But today, Naruto's Naruto [Kurama Link Mode] had shattered her esports dreams, deepening her self-doubt.
---
Sasuke's situation was similar to Sakura's.
If Sakura still knows how to keep her emotions in her heart, then Sasuke wore his jealousy on his face.
He also glanced at Naruto from time to time.
His bowl of ramen remained untouched, as he sipped the broth, his attention fixed on Naruto.
Sasuke's jealousy stemmed partly from the storyline.
Naruto's treatment in the storyline... was undeniably that of a protagonist!
Although he had seen glimpses of his future self in the storyline, accompanied by a few followers…
Sasuke couldn't understand why there were so many storylines about Naruto but none about him, Uchiha Sasuke?
This disparity made him deeply uncomfortable.
And then there was... Naruto, whom he had always looked down on, suddenly skyrocketing in gaming skill, even surpassing him.
Sasuke naturally attributed this to the characters being overpowered.
'Damn overpowered characters! What's a skill-based player like me supposed to do?'
At this thought, Sasuke's frustration and resentment turned into determination. He slurped down the remaining broth in one gulp.
He inwardly shouted: 'Is Naruto really the chosen protagonist? Why?! I refuse to accept this!'
Sasuke also thought about how Naruto had awakened an ability that grew stronger with his killing intent.
To be honest, while Sasuke was confident, he didn't think he could currently surpass Naruto in real combat. So he had been focusing on honing his skills in the game, believing that one day he could surpass Naruto again.
But now, even his gaming prowess had been mercilessly crushed by Naruto.
---
Just as the three of them, each lost in their own thoughts, were focusing on Naruto, someone pulled open the curtain of the ramen shop and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone:
"Oh~ Kakashi~ Just as I thought, you're here after all."
Kakashi turned around, only to be met with a lecherous face, and immediately felt a wave of annoyance.
Although he hadn't been paying much attention to the 'enlightenment reading materials' in his hands...
The spicy scenes in the book were still quite enjoyable to him.
But the moment he saw Jiraiya's face, Kakashi suddenly remembered that the adorable girls in the book might have been spied on by this old man, and a sense of disgust washed over him.
Naruto squinted his eyes, "Huh? Pervy Sage, what are you doing here?"
At this point, Jiraiya also noticed the three kids sitting nearby.
So he greeted them with the same enthusiasm.
"Oh~ Team 7 is here too! What a coincidence!"
Naruto continued squinting, "Eh? Pervy Sage, you're so over the top. You clearly saw the three of us but still greeted Kakashi-sensei first."
Jiraiya didn't seem embarrassed at all. Instead, he grinned at Naruto and praised, "Wahahahaha... Naruto, you've really made your mark on the entire Ninja World, hahahahaha..."
After finishing his laugh, Jiraiya's tone softened slightly, "You've grown into someone I could never have imagined."
Jiraiya's tone still carried a joking vibe.
But Kakashi could sense that Jiraiya's words came from a place of genuine admiration.
'Yeah, the future Naruto... was truly the 'Golden Hope' of the Ninja World.'
'Who would have thought that the one to turn the tide of the Ninja World would be this little guy in front of us?'
Naruto, however, didn't dwell on whether Jiraiya's words were sincere or not.
Because he felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
So Naruto waved his hand and said, "Hehe... it's really not that big of a deal. I'm not that famous, am I?"
As soon as Naruto finished speaking, the three others at the table couldn't help but silently reflect.
Sasuke: 'You are destined to be the protagonist, so you think that such achievements in the future are nothing special?'
Sakura: 'You are indeed a hero, to be able to remain so humble despite your accomplishments…'
Kakashi: 'As expected of Sensei's child, he never let his achievements get to his head. His personality is exactly like Sensei's.'
However, only Jiraiya noticed something was off.
Jiraiya asked with a puzzled expression, "Do you even know what I'm talking about?"
Caught off guard by Jiraiya's sudden question, Naruto was also confused. He answered honestly, "Aren't you talking about how I reached the Kage rank in just a few hours?"
At this, all four of them froze.
'Huh? Are we even talking about the same thing? Who cares about how quickly you climbed the ranks in the game?'
Naruto's comment nearly made all four of them lose their composure.
Kakashi, being the most clear-headed, immediately countered, "Didn't you watch the storyline?"
Naruto looked clueless, "St-storyline? What storyline?"
Kakashi was speechless, but Naruto quickly caught on.
"Oh, you mean the storyline for getting the new Ninjas, right?"
'Yeah, what else?'
All four of them were utterly dumbfounded.
However, Naruto just grinned and said, "That thing was way too long."
"Here's a secret: if you hold down the screen for five seconds, you can skip the storyline and get the Ninjas directly! Hehehe, pretty clever, huh?"
The four of them nearly choked on their breath, feeling as if the world had gone dark.
'So, while the entire Ninja World had watched the storyline... the main character himself had skipped it?'