Page 13
Page 13
Naruto:"……"
hateful!
That's it again!
Why does Sakura always hang around that annoying Sasuke?!
I'm clearly... I'm clearly better than him!
And... I'm going to learn some amazing ninjutsu soon!
A sour feeling of jealousy welled up in Naruto's heart.
He pursed his lips, snorted unhappily, and without even bothering to say hello, walked straight to the other side of the bridge, took out a rubber ball from his pocket, took a deep breath, and began practicing making the ball.
Naruto placed the ball in his left palm and pressed his right hand against it, trying to recall the teachings of his "father" in his dream.
He concentrated, held his breath, and mobilized his chakra, trying to make it spin rapidly in his palm.
"drink!!"
Naruto grinned and used all his strength.
However, condensing and rotating chakra was far more difficult than he had imagined.
The chakra in his palm would sometimes gather a little and then instantly dissipate, making it impossible to form an effective rotational force.
The rubber ball in his hand was only slightly deformed by the chaotic chakra flow and wobbled a couple of times. It was far from exploding, let alone reaching its target.
"Damn it! What's going on?! It didn't feel this difficult in the dream!"
Naruto was sweating profusely with anxiety, but he dared not relax for a moment.
He didn't give up; he gritted his teeth and tried again and again tirelessly.
His strange behavior naturally attracted the attention of the two people next to him.
Sakura was initially entangled with Sasuke, but she was quickly drawn to Naruto's comical appearance as he struggled against thin air with a ferocious expression.
Sasuke also turned his head slightly, glancing at the constantly deforming rubber ball in Naruto's hand, and at the faint but definitely present chakra fluctuations in his palm. A barely perceptible interest flashed deep in his dark pupils.
"This guy... he's actually practicing that technique from my dream?" Sasuke thought to himself.
Although yesterday's dream was absurd, the blue ball that the Fourth Hokage displayed at the end was quite powerful, easily snapping such a thick tree in half...
As Sasuke recalled the last scene of his dream, a sense of curiosity arose involuntarily about the technique Naruto was trying.
'If... this loser can really learn that technique from a dream... then wouldn't that mean...?'
A thought arose in Sasuke's mind.
In order to defeat that person and for revenge, he must become stronger at all costs!
He would not let go of any opportunity to improve his strength.
With that thought in mind, Sasuke no longer hesitated.
He subtly moved closer to Naruto, who was engrossed in fiddling with the ball, and casually glanced at it, asking in a tone that was as calm as possible but still somewhat stiff:
"Hey, you loser, what are you... up to?"
Sasuke tried his best to appear indifferent, but his burning eyes had already betrayed his inner curiosity and desire.
Naruto, who was focused on making a Rasengan, was startled by Sasuke's sudden conversation, and all the chakra in his hands dissipated instantly.
He turned his head sharply and found Sasuke staring at the ball in his hand with a strange look, and alarm bells went off in his mind.
'What's wrong with Sasuke today? Why is he standing so close?! And staring intently at my ball? Could it be... he's trying to steal my techniques?'
Upon realizing this possibility, Naruto immediately became anxious.
This is the profound secret that "Dad" personally taught him in his dream!
It is his secret weapon for defeating Sasuke, winning over Sakura, and becoming Hokage in the future.
How could that jerk Sasuke have stolen my skills?!
"Humph!"
Naruto suddenly turned around, immediately putting his left hand holding the ball behind his back, and turned his back to Sasuke, adopting a defensive posture that said "don't let me see".
"Trying to steal the secret techniques my dad taught me? No way! Not even a crack in the window! Once I've mastered them, I'll beat you to a pulp right in front of Sakura! I'll show you who the real strongest in Team 7 is!"
Thinking angrily, Naruto trained even harder.
His face flushed red, and he gathered his chakra again, vigorously rubbing the ball in his hands.
Sasuke: "..."
Seeing Naruto's guarded, thieving manner, Sasuke's temple throbbed with unease.
Just then, Sakura also came over.
She looked curiously at the crumpled ball in Naruto's hand and asked with concern, "Hey, Naruto, what new ninjutsu are you practicing? It looks like you're putting a lot of effort into it."
Upon hearing Sakura's voice, Naruto's wariness vanished instantly, replaced by a smug smile.
He immediately turned around, held the ball up like a precious treasure in front of Sakura, puffed out his chest, and proudly announced:
"Hehe! That's right! This is an extremely powerful ninjutsu! Once I master it, you'll definitely look at me in a completely different light!"
Sasuke was so angry that he rolled his eyes and almost couldn't resist giving those two idiots a good fireball each.
However, Sakura did pique Naruto's curiosity.
She stared at the ordinary rubber ball in Naruto's hand, blinked, and asked curiously, "Oh? Really? Then... what's the name of this ninjutsu? It looks really powerful."
"Name? Name?" Naruto was taken aback by the question, scratching his even messier blond hair, trying to recall the name his "father" seemed to have mentioned in his dream yesterday... What was it again? It seemed... quite long and difficult to pronounce...
After struggling for a long time, he finally... seemed to... grasp a vague impression.
He answered somewhat uncertainly, "Uh...it seems...it seems to be called something like...two white-haired balls with popsicles?"
Sakura: "..."
Sasuke: "..."
The two of them simultaneously gave each other looks as if they were looking at an idiot.
Sakura sighed and rubbed her forehead, saying, "Naruto, you big idiot, what kind of ninjutsu has such a long and weird name? You must be daydreaming."
Sasuke was also speechless, completely giving up any hope of getting any useful information out of this idiot.
'I actually believed it just now... thinking that this loser could learn some powerful ninjutsu from a dream... I'm so stupid.' Sasuke thought to himself.
"It really does!"
Naruto felt incredibly wronged and stomped his feet in frustration.
“In my dream last night, my dad—ah, no, the one who taught me ninjutsu, that’s what he said, although… uh, I can’t quite remember…”
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a glance, too lazy to pay him any more attention, and instead began to complain in unison about why Kakashi hadn't arrived yet.
"Kakashi-sensei is really something! He's late again!"
"Hmph, it's always the same."
Chapter 15 The Third Hokage, Master of All Ninjutsu
This time, the two kids misunderstood Kakashi again.
He usually arrives right on time, or he's an hour or two late, and he can make up all sorts of ridiculous excuses without batting an eye.
But today is different.
Kakashi was late again today, but not as late as he usually is.
In fact, he got up earlier than usual.
Early in the morning, he mustered all his energy and headed straight for the Hokage Building.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand and knocked on the door of the Hokage's office on the top floor.
"Come in," came an old and dignified voice from inside.
Kakashi pushed open the door and entered.
Behind the desk sat an old man with an old-fashioned pipe in his mouth, who looked like the kind old grandfather next door.
It is none other than the current supreme ruler of Konoha Village, the Third Hokage, known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu" and proficient in all ninjutsu—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Upon seeing Kakashi appear, a hint of surprise flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
He put down the documents in his hand, looked up through the wisps of smoke at one of his most trusted subordinates, and asked gently, "Oh? It's Kakashi. What brings you here so early?"
Sarutobi was somewhat puzzled.
Logically, Kakashi should have led Team 7 on the most basic assigned task today.
He should be with those three kids right now, so why did he suddenly come here?
Kakashi didn't exchange pleasantries; his expression was exceptionally serious, even solemn.
He walked to the desk and solemnly said, "Third Hokage, I apologize for disturbing you. I have encountered some... strange and inexplicable situations, and it is necessary to report to you immediately."
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Kakashi's unprecedentedly solemn expression.
He understood Kakashi's personality.
This kid usually seems lazy and carefree, but he is actually meticulous and observant. He would never lose his composure like this for no reason.
Something that Kakashi described as "bizarre" must be something extraordinary.
"Sit down and talk slowly, Kakashi."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to the chair in front of the desk, gesturing for him to sit down. He also put his pipe aside and became focused. "What exactly happened? Don't rush, explain slowly."
"Yes."
Kakashi sat down as instructed, pondered for a moment, and then recounted to the Third Hokage in detail the incredible events that had occurred over the past two nights.
"...That's how it happened."
“Starting from late the night before last, every night after I fall asleep, my two subordinates, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, and I are forcibly pulled into a dimly lit space that resembles a movie theater. In that space, we cannot move or use most ninjutsu. We can only watch, like audience members, the dream of Naruto Uzumaki playing on the huge screen in front of us.”
"Watching... Naruto's dream?" Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Such a thing is possible?"
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