Sasuke's body tensed, and he quickly looked up to see Naruto crouching on a tree branch above him.
The slender branch seemed to bear none of Naruto's weight, remaining firm, trembling only slightly in the gentle breeze.
Naruto… he's gotten stronger again.
Sasuke's pupils constricted.
"Damn it!!" His heart seethed with frustration.
No matter how fast he improved, Naruto always seemed to be one step ahead. The feeling was unbearable.
Moreover, in the month or so since Naruto had joined Root, Sasuke himself had mostly remained in the village, never undertaking any high-difficulty missions. This had caused his growth in strength to become incredibly slow.
Jiraiya had also left Konoha on a secret mission, apparently to search for the Fifth Hokage. The Third Hokage, with his crippled arm, had retired to the background. Kakashi had been incredibly busy lately, constantly on missions. Word was that other nations were beginning to eye Konoha covetously, so the current workload was immense.
Among the Konoha 12 of their generation, only Naruto and Rock Lee, who had both joined Root, were consistently undertaking missions.
I'm so envious. I want to join Root too. I should ask Naruto if there's a way in, Sasuke thought.
He looked up at Naruto and managed a smile. "Long time no see, Naruto."
"Huh? Is this Naruto the guy Big Bro Sasuke considers his biggest rival? He looks kinda weak," Konohamaru scratched his head, asking curiously.
"I dunno~ Big Bro Naruto looks so gentle," Moegi replied.
Swoosh.
Naruto used Shunpo to appear directly in front of Sasuke, startling the Konohamaru trio, who stumbled back several steps.
"S-So cool!!" Having regained their composure, the Konohamaru trio stared with stars in their eyes.
"Big Bro Naruto is so fast!"
"You just finished a mission?" Sasuke sized Naruto up. His robes were immaculate, and his exposed skin showed not a single scratch.
"Mm."
"How difficult was it?"
"It was alright. Pretty easy, actually."
"Hmph. Looks like Root missions aren't all that tough. Only through trials of blood and death can one truly become strong. Naruto, it seems you haven't experienced enough yet," Sasuke declared, tilting his head back proudly.
"Yeah, just two Jonin, and they easily killed the two Jonin assigned to protect our squad. The difficulty really was a bit low," Naruto nodded, his tone conveying perfect understanding.
"Sigh, I think I need a Kage-level opponent to truly stimulate my body's potential," Naruto shrugged, a playful glint in his eyes.
The environment in Root was still extremely oppressive. In comparison, the days he'd spent with Sasuke and Sakura now seemed like a rare period of genuine joy. Naruto had long suppressed his youthful innocence and naivety. Only now, facing Sasuke, would traces of it occasionally peek through.
Hearing Naruto's words, Sasuke froze. After a long moment, he let out an indignant cry, "Damn it! I want to join Root too! Naruto, hurry up and get me in!"
ANBU? No way in hell! Root was clearly the only place to be!
But jokes aside, Naruto would never actually let Sasuke join Root. The environment there was simply too corrupt, too vile. Naruto had no intention of letting his 'masterpiece' be tainted by it.
Although Sasuke's growth couldn't match his own, he had the potential for steady accumulation leading to a major breakthrough. He had Kakashi, and perhaps Jiraiya would even teach him in the future. Once his Sharingan evolved again, Sasuke's strength would skyrocket. Forging his own path was what mattered most, not just blindly following in someone else's footsteps.
After placating Sasuke, Naruto glanced around but didn't see Sakura. "Where's Sakura?" he asked.
"She went with Pervy Sage to look for Tsunade. Maybe she can become Tsunade's disciple," Sasuke replied.
At this, Naruto's expression turned peculiar. If Sakura became Tsunade's disciple, would she inherit that monstrous, terrifying strength? Everyone was growing. He hoped they wouldn't disappoint him.
Naruto chuckled softly and bid Sasuke farewell. "Well, I'm off then. I still haven't reported to Danzo-sensei. Let's meet up next time."
"Yeah… Naruto…" Sasuke called out, his expression complex. His lips moved as if he wanted to say much more, but in the end, a thousand unspoken words transformed into a single challenge. "Next time, let's have a match. A serious one."
"Oh? I'm pretty strong right now, you know," Naruto paused, his voice gentle.
"Don't underestimate me, Naruto."
"Alright. Next time, then," Naruto nodded. "Let me see what you've learned about 'genius'." With that, he vanished from Sasuke's sight using Shunpo.
Sasuke sighed, his face a mask of complicated emotions. He was, by nature, a proud Uchiha, burdened by the honor of his clan. The pressure was immense, yet he refused to back down. At such a young age, he carried a sense of familial responsibility that even adults would find difficult to uphold.
His world had once been gray and colorless. Then Naruto had illuminated it.
He had thought… he would just keep getting stronger, striving towards Naruto as his goal, following in his footsteps. Perhaps, one day, he would possess power that surpassed Naruto's. When that day came, he would stand before him with a smile, having restored the Uchiha's honor.
But ever since Naruto had left their team, he'd been confronted anew by his own weakness. If Naruto was in the first tier, then he was, at best, in the second. For the proud Sasuke, this was intolerable.
He trained day and night, and day and night he missed the time when he and Naruto had been partners. Seeing him again today, he'd initially wanted to express how much he missed his best friend. But his damned pride had twisted those feelings into a challenge. Perhaps fighting was the only way he and Naruto could truly communicate.
He wanted to tell him that he had changed! That now, he understood the true meaning of protecting others.
"Next time we fight, I won't lose! I'll prove myself! Prove that I can become the future Hokage!" Facing the morning sun, Sasuke broke into a warm smile, one that seemed capable of melting solid ice.
The Konohamaru trio stared, captivated.
"When Big Bro Sasuke smiles…"
"He looks kinda goofy," Konohamaru mumbled.
Sasuke's face immediately darkened. "You! Get to training!" He grabbed Konohamaru. "Start practicing water walking, now!"
"Whoa, Big Bro Sasuke, you're totally abusing your power for personal revenge!" Konohamaru yelped.
"Less talk, more training!!!" Sasuke barked. "You wouldn't want your grandpa to see you lazing around every day, would you?"
Naruto had barely returned to Root headquarters when he was summoned by Danzo. Inside a dimly lit room, Danzo's expression was grim.
When Naruto entered, Danzo's face softened fractionally. He inquired with an air of concern, "The developments on this mission were unexpected. It's fortunate you're unharmed. Were you injured?"
Naruto shook his head, his tone calm. "My chakra was just a bit depleted, that's all. But there's something I need to discuss with you, Sensei."
Danzo understood that Naruto was likely about to divulge information not included in the initial report. He sat up straighter and nodded.
"The Konoha rogue ninja I engaged at the end… it felt like he possessed some kind of strange power within him," Naruto said, frowning slightly as if in thought.
"That's also why I summoned you," Danzo stated, his expression grave. "That man is already dead."
"Dead?" Naruto displayed a look of genuine surprise.
"That's correct. Dead. His body is here in Konoha. This indicates that what you encountered might not have been him, or perhaps… it was a spirit form," Danzo took a deep breath, his face set in serious lines.
"Did you notice anything else unusual during the fight?"
Naruto nodded, answering without hesitation, "I believe he was some kind of mutated soul body."