Chapter 70 – Naruto: "Sasuke, I Want to Train With You Tonight!"
Naruto already knew the Three Body Technique, but against today's opponents, he hadn't needed it. Taijutsu alone should have been enough—yet in battle, his chakra had betrayed him.
Scratching his head, he muttered, "I don't get it… My chakra listens to me in practice, but once I start fighting, it just runs away."
"Chakra… runs away?" Sasuke frowned quietly. He'd never heard of chakra behaving like that. He made a mental note to ask his father later. Normally, he would have asked his older brother, but Itachi was away on a long mission.
Shizune folded her arms thoughtfully. Without the Uchiha's Sharingan or the Hyūga's Byakugan, she couldn't see the exact cause. As a medical-nin, she was simply more attuned to chakra than most.
"It might just be lack of control," she said gently. "Keep practicing."
Naruto clenched his fists. I'll train hard. I'll never lose to anyone again.
Being mocked by the girl he liked hurt worse than rotten vegetables.
He turned to Sasuke, eyes shining.
"Sasuke, can I come to the training ground with you tonight?"
Sasuke sighed, pretending impatience, but those big blue eyes were difficult to resist.
"…Fine. Tonight."
"Really? Yes!" Naruto shouted, face lighting up.
"But if you train with me, don't quit halfway," Sasuke warned.
"I won't! I swear I'll keep up!" Naruto nodded firmly.
At that, Sasuke allowed a small smile to slip through.
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By now it was past midday. Shizune glanced at the sun. "I should get going."
"Oh! Bye, Shizune-neechan!" Naruto called. Then, gathering his courage: "Next time, please come watch me again! I'll definitely win!"
Shizune smiled warmly but shook her head. "I probably can't. Lady Tsunade and I are leaving Konoha today."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Leaving? Where?!"
He felt reluctant—Shizune was kind and beautiful, and the thought of her disappearing from his daily life made his chest ache.
"Who knows?" she laughed softly. "We'll travel to other countries… see hot springs, mountains, famous places."
Naruto's eyes sparkled as she spoke, dazzled by the world beyond the village.
"Wow… can I go too?"
Before Shizune could answer, Sasuke snorted. "Idiot. Of course not."
"Eh—?!" Naruto groaned dramatically.
Shizune chuckled and patted his spiky hair. "When you graduate from the Academy and become a ninja, you'll be able to go anywhere you want."
"Really? Then… five more years!" Naruto counted on his fingers, then sighed. "That's forever…"
"Not at all," Shizune said kindly. "Five years will pass in a blink. Work hard." She called to Tonton, then waved goodbye.
Naruto waved back with both hands until she disappeared through the school gates. "She's really… such a good person."
Sasuke, for once, agreed. "Yeah. She is."
Naruto beamed. "Right? Right? Even Sasuke thinks so!"
But when he leaned close, Sasuke shoved him away. "You're filthy. Covered in dust. Stay back."
Naruto looked down and finally noticed the footprints and dirt smeared across his clothes. "Ahh, no good…" He scrubbed at them anxiously, but faint marks remained. "Sasuke, what do I do? They won't come off!"
"It's just dirt," Sasuke said flatly.
Still, Naruto looked uneasy. He was clearly worried about being scolded when he got home.
Sasuke sighed, then quietly smeared some dirt onto his own clothes. "See? I've got one too."
Naruto instantly brightened. "Haha! Sasuke, you're in trouble now! Your mom's gonna scold you too!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. So that's it… he's afraid of my mother scolding him. Honestly…
If only Naruto knew: Mikoto had been showering him with care lately, sometimes enough to make even Sasuke jealous. She'd never scold him harshly.
"You really are an idiot," Sasuke muttered.
"Huh?! You're the idiot, stupid Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, puffing out his cheeks.
Sasuke turned away, but Naruto kept bobbing into his line of sight, left and right, refusing to let him escape. His expression all but screamed, Admit you're the idiot!
Sasuke exhaled sharply. Life with Naruto was going to be noisy.
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