When Naruto leisurely strolled over to the training ground, he saw Rock Lee and Sasuke engaged in a fierce battle. One had opened the first three of the Eight Gates, while the other was wreathed in lightning, his hair standing on end.
The Konohamaru Corps and Sakura were on the sidelines, cheering for Sasuke.
Aburame Neri was also there, a rare sight. She was sitting quietly under a tree, a serene look on her face, with a dense swarm of insects crawling beneath her. If it weren't for the insects, Aburame Neri would undoubtedly be a stunning beauty that everyone would adore.
Aburame Neri was the first to notice Naruto's arrival. She looked up, her eyes filled with a longing and excitement that had grown with each passing day since he had left. Just last night, she had dreamed of him again. In the dream, she had held him gently, and the insects from her body had poured out, crawling into his to build their love nest. And she had tenderly taken his body apart, conducting all sorts of wonderful experiments, savoring his essence.
It was all so intoxicating that when she woke up, she found she'd had a… reaction. It was truly embarrassing.
Aburame Neri's face inexplicably flushed, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Naruto again.
"Naruto." Upon seeing him, Sakura shyly walked over, fidgeting as she tried to find something to say.
"Those two are certainly fired up," Naruto said with a soft chuckle.
Sakura quickly jumped on the topic. "I know, right?! Neither of them will back down, so they've been sparring like this for the past two days." After she spoke, she stole a glance at Naruto. Seeing him look back, she quickly turned her head away, a blush creeping up her fair neck. "Naruto," she mumbled, "are you free tonight? Everyone wants to treat you to dinner. It's been so long, we all really miss you!!"
"Tonight? Alright," Naruto said with a smile. He had been so busy with missions lately that he had neglected to maintain his relationships. He was also curious to see how the rest of the Konoha 12 had progressed.
Hearing Naruto's reply, Sakura's face lit up with joy. She looked at him with adoration. After a few missions, Naruto had become more mature, his features more defined, adding a heroic dash to his appearance that made him even more charming. If, in the future, I could be with him…
"Sakura, what is most important to you?" Naruto suddenly asked.
For Danzo and the Third Hokage, the position of Hokage was the most important thing. For Jiraiya, his life had been one of failure and pursuit, so his mission was the most important. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what the dream of a minor character like Sakura would be.
"Me?" Sakura was taken aback. A thought seemed to occur to her, and her face turned red again. "For me," she said shyly, "the most important thing is, of course, family… and… and living with the person I love, and starting a family."
"I see." Naruto nodded, his eyes calm.
She's a ninja, yet all she thinks about is living a simple, ordinary life.
During his recent missions, Naruto had witnessed the cruelty of the other ninja villages. You could choose not to work hard, but there were thousands of other ninja who would. They would surpass you and get more resources. And you would end up as a corpse under someone else's kunai.
The training and assessment of ninja in the villages Naruto had seen were all extremely harsh. Not like Konoha, which was so peaceful and comfortable. Life at the academy was filled with laughter. This, he believed, was the reason for Sakura's mediocrity.
Naruto's gaze fell upon Sasuke in the center of the field, who was at a disadvantage but still gritting his teeth and persevering. Only those who carried the burden of a destiny that forced them to become stronger could stand out from the mediocre. Lee was like that. Sasuke was like that. And he… was also like that.
To be in a comfortable environment was to lose one's passion and sense of crisis. In the end, one would become like Sakura, someone who yearned for a simple life of domesticity.
This was the reason he had to leave Konoha.
At that moment, the battle in the center of the field was nearing its end. Perhaps seeing Naruto watching, both Rock Lee and Sasuke's fighting spirit rose to a new level. Sasuke even used a new ninjutsu he had just developed!
Unleashing his full power, the lightning around Sasuke's body surged, and a thundercloud suddenly formed in the sky. His ninjutsu had even begun to affect the weather.
"Kirin!!!" he roared. In an instant, a Kirin, with power comparable to a full-force strike from a Kage-level ninja, descended from the heavens.
"You lose! Give up, Lee!!!" Standing in the eye of the storm, Sasuke looked like a thunder god, his voice cold and indifferent. He had intentionally directed the Kirin to strike the small lake near Rock Lee, giving him enough time to dodge. Because the Lee of today could not withstand such a jutsu.
"AHHHHH!!!" Below, the small figure of Rock Lee roared, and a violent wave of chakra erupted from his body. With his mortal body, he leaped towards the lightning in the sky.
"You lunatic! Are you insane?!!" Sasuke's face changed drastically. A Lee with only four gates open could not possibly block Kirin. The only outcome was death. He might not even leave a corpse behind!
"Bakudo Number 73: Tozansho." At this critical moment, Naruto acted.
With his indifferent words, an inverted pyramid-shaped barrier appeared in mid-air.
BOOM!!
The Kirin struck the barrier and exploded, a burst of light and heat erupting in the sky, sending up a plume of green smoke. The barrier trembled violently. But when the smoke cleared, it remained completely intact.
"Let's end it here." With Naruto's intervention, both Sasuke and Rock Lee stopped fighting.
"Hmph. Your strength is decent. Unfortunately, I'm stronger," Sasuke said, lifting his head proudly.
"I'm sorry. I lost," Rock Lee said apologetically to Naruto.
"Sasuke has now brought out the full potential of his ninjutsu and his Sharingan. It's normal that you can't beat him," Naruto comforted him.
From Naruto's eyes, Rock Lee saw the unspoken words: As long as you master Reiatsu, Sasuke will be no match for you. This filled Rock Lee with anticipation. His physical training had almost reached a bottleneck; he could only open up to the fifth gate at most. Compared to Might Guy, Rock Lee's talent for taijutsu was undoubtedly a bit lacking. Without the transformation brought by Reiatsu, he might never be able to open all eight gates in his lifetime.
"How exciting! I never thought you kids would be so strong at your age." Applause suddenly sounded from the edge of the field. Then, they saw Tsunade Senju, wearing the Fifth Hokage's robe, walk over. Shizune, holding a small pig, followed behind her.
"Lady Fifth Hokage!!"
"Master!"
Amidst the chorus of greetings, Tsunade walked into the training ground, looked up at the clear sky, and sighed. "Well now, what a nice day. Perfect weather for a spar. Which one of you wants to help me stretch my muscles?"
Everyone looked at each other, and finally, their gazes landed on Naruto. Rock Lee and Sasuke had already used up a lot of their stamina, and Sakura was Tsunade's student. That only left…
"I'll do it, Lady Fifth Hokage. Please, be gentle with me," Naruto said with a light chuckle, walking up to Tsunade.