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"Oh, ho... I've decided!
Sasuke, you will be the rival I pursue my whole life to defeat.
Waaah... This is the youthful passion Teacher Guy spoke of; I've already made up my mind..."
Suddenly, Lee, who was nearby, jumped up, brimming with youthful vigor.
This somewhat eccentric, choked-up declaration made Ino–Shika–Chō, Sakura, and Sasuke twitch at the corners of their mouths... He was just lying on the ground in a sorry state, how did he suddenly become so lively!
"Come out..."
Sasuke was about to reply when his gaze suddenly shifted to a certain spot.
"Oh my~
I've been discovered... but I'm not an enemy, Sasuke..."
On a tree trunk, a clear and crisp, teasing voice followed.
With a whoosh... Tenten's figure jumped down from the tree and stood beside Lee.
She looked at Sasuke with sparkling eyes, an undisguised mix of admiration and apprehension... This cool junior is definitely a formidable opponent!
"You guys??"
Hearing this, Shikamaru's expression froze, and he immediately followed Sasuke's unmoving gaze.
Then his pupils contracted as he saw Hyuga Neji, unmoving on a tree branch... "Uchiha Sasuke... I admit you indeed have the capital to be proud, and you are qualified to be my opponent.
I hope we'll have a chance to spar in the future..."
After a moment of contemplation, Neji met Sasuke's gaze, his expression indifferent, and said coldly.
Regardless of Sasuke's strength, or because of their shared village and Lee's connection,
he couldn't possibly go and steal scrolls from Sasuke and his team... This was also his pride as a Hyuga genius!
"I look forward to it..."
Sasuke smiled in return, not refusing; interaction might trigger a mission.
He wasn't actively seeking it out, but Byakugan was promising... "And me, and me! Neji, Sasuke, you are both my rivals to defeat!"
Feeling ignored, Lee immediately shouted with passion, making Sasuke glance at him again.
Lee = Eight Gates, that could be useful... But thinking of Kakashi and Might Guy's unrestricted duels, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a slight headache.
He hoped passionate Lee wouldn't turn out like that too... "Then we'll be going, everyone..."
Tenten could no longer endure Lee's fiery enthusiasm. She called out and immediately led him away.
"Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, you should leave too!
We'll wait for Naruto to wake up and find the scroll, then we'll meet you at the tower."
Seeing Might Guy's team leave, Sasuke turned his head and spoke, sending them off.
He didn't know what Naruto's situation was yet, and he couldn't keep Ino–Shika–Chō dragging along here... Most importantly, Ino and Sakura together were too noisy!
"Alright... With your strength, protecting Naruto and Sakura is no problem at all.
Six people together is too big a target, it's indeed not conducive to squad movement!"
Ino's delicate brows furrowed, still wanting to refuse, but Shikamaru, who disliked trouble, spoke first and agreed.
With Sasuke's strength, there was no need to worry; their staying would only be icing on the cake.
Rather than that, having already collected the scrolls, they might as well go directly to the tower and rest early... "That's right... We don't know how long Naruto will be unconscious, we can't delay your exam."
Sakura's beautiful eyes lit up, and she quickly followed up, saying she absolutely didn't want Ino to stay here.
That girl would definitely try to steal her Sasuke while she was taking care of Naruto...
"Sakura, you..."
"Let's go, Ino..."
Ino's eyes flashed with electricity, about to erupt, but Shikamaru directly turned and urged her.
Choji nodded to Sasuke and Sakura and immediately followed.
With her teammates leaving, Ino felt momentarily powerless... "Sakura, don't you dare do anything out of line while I'm gone!"
Reluctantly dropping a warning, Ino gave Sasuke a lingering look and turned to chase after them.
"Sakura, let's leave here first..."
Seeing everyone leave, Sasuke immediately turned and walked towards Naruto, giving instructions.
This place was no longer suitable for hiding; they had to move positions...
"Yes, Sasuke-kun..."
Seeing Sasuke already helping Naruto up and preparing to leave, Sakura's eyes narrowed, and she immediately followed.
Led by Sasuke, the two quickly left the area, traveling two kilometers... They found a hidden and suitable tree hollow to temporarily reside in.
The night passed without incident.
The next day.
After a night of rotating rest, Sasuke and Sakura had mostly recovered... Only Naruto was still unconscious and hadn't woken up!
This made Sasuke secretly worried... 'Ninja Art: Multiple Shadow Clone Technique...'
Seeing the sky brighten, Sasuke walked out of the tree hollow, formed hand signs, and activated the Ninjutsu.
With a 'bang,' three Shadow Clones appeared out of thin air... It wasn't that Sasuke couldn't create more clones, but doing so would spread his Chakra too thin, weakening both the clones and his main body.
There was no need for it... "Sakura, you and one of my Shadow Clones will stay here to look after Naruto.
I'll go out to find food and see if I can find an opportunity to acquire a scroll.
That way, when Naruto wakes up, we can go directly to the tower..."
Under Sakura's curious gaze, Sasuke's eyes flickered as he spoke earnestly.
"I'll take care of Naruto... Sasuke-kun, you be careful too, don't overexert yourself!"
Sakura readily agreed, seeing no objection.
Last night they could temporarily fill their stomachs with dry rations, but today they would have to rely on hunting...
"Mm..."
Sasuke nodded, gesturing to one of the Shadow Clones to follow him.
After they left, the remaining two Shadow Clones also began guarding and watching, one openly and one covertly...
Meanwhile, Sasuke's main body, who had left with a Shadow Clone, quickly moved several hundred meters away before stopping.
"Now, it's time to test this Jutsu..."
Muttering to the Shadow Clone, Sasuke extended his right hand and rapidly gathered Chakra.
At the same time, his eyes turned scarlet, activating his two-tomoe Sharingan...
"Here it comes..."
The Shadow Clone immediately stepped forward, its hands continuously helping to maintain the Chakra flow in Sasuke's right hand.
That's right, Sasuke was going to complete the shortcut development for the Rasengan!
Having obtained the Shadow Clone Technique, how could he not utilize it... As long as he completed the Rasengan, he could personally experience the Jutsu's details and accelerate the development of the one-handed Rasengan.
Under Sasuke's anxious attention, the final stage, which was already on the verge of completion, smoothly broke through...
In less than a breath, a brilliant blue Chakra sphere appeared in his right palm.
Shadow Clone Rasengan · Success!
"Awoo..."
Just as Sasuke was excited, a deep beast roar suddenly echoed in his ear.
"Help me..."
Immediately after, another terrified scream reverberated through the nearby forest.
Sasuke's Sharingan's tomoe spun rapidly, and his powerful perception vaguely saw a stout black bear chasing something...
And the petite figure making the sound, with vibrant red hair, was intermittently visible...
"Is that Karin... I didn't expect to encounter her here!
A fated, troublesome encounter..."
Sasuke sighed slightly as he looked at the graceful figure, then his feet erupted with Chakra, and he charged forward.
The Shadow Clone beside him 'poofed' into a puff of white smoke and vanished...
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