Hokage's Office.
Opposite Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hatake Kakashi had just finished a ten-minute report.
The office was silent, save for the hissing sound of burning tobacco.
After a long while, the Third Hokage finally took the pipe from his lips and spoke with some disbelief.
"Kakashi, let me confirm one more time. You're saying that Uchiha Sasuke, in just three months, has basically learned all the C-rank and B-rank ninjutsu you know?"
This conclusion was so shocking that even Sarutobi Hiruzen, hailed as the "Professor" of ninjutsu, had to confirm it again.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. Except for a few jutsu that require secret techniques to perform, he can basically master any I've demonstrated after seeing it once."
"..." Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent. He picked up his pipe and took a deep drag.
"Is it because of those eyes?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, but not entirely."
Kakashi explained, "The main reason is the kid's attitude towards learning."
Recalling the past three months of training, even he would sometimes feel a chill.
During training, Sasuke didn't complain, didn't ask questions, and didn't slack off in the slightest.
He just watched, then learned, and then mastered it at a speed far beyond that of an ordinary person.
"I don't have any more conventional ninjutsu to teach him."
Kakashi spread his hands. "So, I'm preparing to start teaching him chakra nature transformation and shape transformation, to prepare for that jutsu."
"The Raikiri?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "That's your signature move, an S-rank ninjutsu. Isn't it too early for a seven-year-old child?"
"For him, there's no distinction between early or late, only whether he can use it or not."
Kakashi's tone became serious. "His speed, reflexes, and those eyes all perfectly fit the requirements for the Raikiri. Teaching it to him is the most logical choice."
Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment, then nodded, tacitly approving Kakashi's decision.
Then, as if he had thought of something, he slowly infused chakra into the crystal sphere in front of him.
Ripples spread across the sphere's surface, and then it reflected the scene at Training Ground 3.
However, the scene in the image made both the Third Hokage and Kakashi's expressions turn a little strange.
In the crystal sphere, Sasuke was forming a hand sign with one hand, a highly unstable and crackling ball of lightning chakra gathering in his palm, clearly practicing lightning-nature transformation.
And not far from him, a familiar figure was charging towards the trunk of a large tree again and again in a comical posture.
Thud!
"Ow!"
"Damn it! One more time!"
Uzumaki Naruto clutched his bruised knee, grimacing, but his eyes were filled with an unyielding spirit. He immediately charged again, only to be bounced back once more.
"That Naruto kid... when did he and Sasuke get together?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone held a hint of surprised delight.
"About two weeks ago, I think."
Kakashi scratched his head, recalling. "At first, it was just Naruto watching from the outskirts of the training ground."
"Later, he got bolder and ran in, practicing on his own by copying Sasuke."
"Sasuke didn't chase him away?"
"No."
Kakashi's expression became intriguing. "I think you might still remember my previous report, that Sasuke can see through the loneliness behind that Naruto kid's actions."
"Perhaps in his eyes, a 'noisy idiot' like Naruto is much more pleasant to look at than the girls who try to save him with pity."
Kakashi continued, "So, he just let Naruto be, ignoring him but not chasing him away."
Sarutobi Hiruzen quietly watched the two children through the crystal sphere.
"Is that so..."
The Third Hokage slowly exhaled a long puff of white smoke, the worry in his eyes seeming to dissipate slightly.
"Perhaps, this isn't so bad," he muttered to himself.
"Indeed," Kakashi agreed. "At least for Naruto, he finally has a playmate who won't shun him."
"As for Sasuke, he probably finds a single-celled organism like Naruto much less troublesome to deal with than other people."
"It seems my decision to have you guide Sasuke was the right one," a long-absent smile appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
"Mm," Kakashi responded softly, his gaze on the crystal sphere. He tilted his head slightly and added, "But that Naruto fellow isn't the type to give up just because he's ignored."
As if to prove his point, the moment his voice fell, the scene in the crystal sphere changed.
At the training ground, Uzumaki Naruto, who had been engrossed in practicing tree climbing, finally couldn't take it anymore after sliding down the trunk yet again.
"Damn it, why won't it work, dattebayo!" he complained, rubbing his numb bottom.
His gaze soon drifted to the figure not far away.
Why hasn't that guy looked at me even once?
Naruto didn't want to be ignored anymore, didn't want to be the one left out. He shot up from the ground and yelled at the figure's back:
"Hey, Uchiha Sasuke!"
Sasuke, who was concentrating the lightning chakra, had the unstable ball of electricity in his palm dissipate due to the sudden roar.
He slowly opened his eyes and finally turned his head. "Will you ever stop?"
"I..."
Naruto was stunned by his cold gaze and subconsciously took a half-step back.
But thinking of his purpose here, a courage from who-knows-where filled him, and he shouted loudly, "Then teach me! If you teach me this, I won't bother you anymore!"
After shouting, he looked at Sasuke's emotionless face, and a strange sense of grievance welled up in his heart.
"I want to get stronger too! If I get as strong as you, everyone will stop looking at me with those eyes!"
"Please, teach me!"
His eyes, at this moment, were filled with paranoia, and the desperation of someone clutching at the last straw.
Sasuke's heart, upon seeing those eyes, trembled violently.
That gaze...
He seemed to see himself from three years ago, in the Rukongai, covered in wounds, yet still vowing to gain power and return to the World of the Living for revenge.
Just as naive, just as irritating.
A strange emotion rose from the bottom of his heart, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Shut up. Don't look at me with those eyes," Sasuke's voice was a bit hoarse. He shot up and walked in front of Naruto.
"That kind of look disgusts me the most."
A suffocating silence fell.
Naruto stood frozen. He thought he had messed up again. His eyes began to turn slightly red.
Just as he was about to give up and run away, Sasuke spoke again.
"Don't just stand there. Come here."