A few days later.
"Naruto, practice your Chakra control well at home, don't be lazy."
"Naruto?"
Satoshi called Naruto a few times, but found no one responded.
He poked his head in and looked at the empty room, frowning slightly.
Where did that blond kid run off to again? He couldn't have snuck off to fish and catch shrimp early in the morning, could he?
Tap... Tap...
A series of footsteps approached, and Naruto's voice reached Satoshi's ears.
"Why are you shy, Sasuke? Sensei is a very nice person."
"Go away, don't pull me."
"Oh, why do you blush so easily like Hinata? You're like a girl."
"You're the one blushing! I'm just tanned!"
Satoshi rubbed his messy hair. What were these two good buddies doing?
Naruto almost half-dragged, half-pulled Sasuke in front of Satoshi, with a bright smile on his face.
"Satoshi-sensei, please take Sasuke as your student."
"Cough, cough..." Satoshi almost choked to death.
"What did you say?"
Naruto quickly leaned closer to Satoshi, stood on tiptoe, and said mysteriously, "Sasuke secretly asked me what Ninjutsu you taught me, and if I could teach him too."
"Hiss..."
"Then did you teach him?"
"I did."
As he spoke, Naruto gestured earnestly.
"I said you first do this, then that, spin, control, and then, poof! That's it."
Satoshi put on a mask of pain.
He's not Konohamaru, it would be a miracle if he learned anything from that.
Listening to their conversation, the tsundere Sasuke's cheeks were flushed.
In his heart, he furiously complained about Naruto. That loose-mouthed bastard tells everything.
Does he know what's between him and Satoshi?
Forget it.
Does he know that he considers Satoshi his strongest opponent?
Sasuke scoffed, "I still have to go find that sixty-seven-pound big fat dog for the old lady. I'm leaving first."
Satoshi said, "Sasuke, if you want to learn, I'll teach you."
This sentence was like a thunderbolt, striking Sasuke's heart.
He spun around abruptly, his eyes filled with suspicion, and a hint of a desperate longing that even he hadn't noticed, suppressed to the extreme.
He stared intently at Satoshi, as if trying to find traces of mockery or ridicule on that lazy face.
Satoshi yawned. "Seven o'clock tonight, wait for me here with Naruto, and help me prepare some dinner."
Sasuke's jaw tightened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally squeezed out a stubborn cold snort.
"Who wants to learn from you?"
—
That night, at seven o'clock.
In the courtyard, Sasuke stood like a spear in front of Satoshi. In his hand, he held a freshly brewed cup of tea. He lowered his head slightly, his cheeks now as red as ripe tomatoes.
His voice was so low it was almost inaudible. "Satoshi-sensei, please, have some tea."
He wanted to gain enough power from Satoshi, and then, in front of everyone, defeat him.
...
Time slowly passed, and Konoha regained a rare peace.
The tsundere Sasuke and the naive Naruto would come to Satoshi's place to study every day after completing their missions.
Sasuke would challenge Satoshi every day, then get beaten up and thrown onto a tree.
Naruto would then carry him down, saying, "Sensei, you're too cruel," and so on.
Under this masochistic training, Sasuke's progress was rapid. However, he still felt it wasn't enough.
After all, Naruto would occasionally burst out with a huge, terrifying Chakra, punching him from the west end of the courtyard to the east end.
Sometimes, Hinata would even peek from outside the door, and faint the moment her eyes met Naruto's. So, besides taking care of Sasuke, Naruto also had to take care of Hinata. It was really hard on him.
You guys are really delaying my Rasengan practice, you know?
As for Sasuke's fangirl, Sakura, she would also secretly peek a couple of times every now and then.
She had already become Tsunade's student and was actively learning Medical Ninjutsu.
The villagers of Konoha seemed to be doing quite well. But there was one exception.
Kabuto.
He stood alone at the entrance of a secret laboratory. He pushed up his round-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting a dim light, obscuring all his emotions.
His life had been tied to Orochimaru very early on. As his most capable assistant and spy, he had infiltrated Konoha for many years, continuously providing Orochimaru with valuable intel.
However, ever since the failure of the earth-shattering Konoha Crush plan, Orochimaru had been completely out of contact. He had tried all known methods of contact, but Orochimaru had vanished as if into thin air.
Today, with a last glimmer of hope, he stepped into this most remote and inconspicuous laboratory. He searched every corner, but still found nothing.
"Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto's voice was so low it was almost inaudible. "Is he really dead?"
He slowly raised his head, the gaze behind his lenses no longer the usual meekness and loyalty.
The pillar that had supported his life for so long seemed to be crumbling.
Just then, a thought began to sprout.
Why must I always be dependent on Orochimaru-sama?
Why can I only be the assistant who forever stands in the shadows?
The power, knowledge, and forbidden Ninjutsu that Orochimaru-sama pursued his entire life...
Why can't I, Yakushi Kabuto, inherit them?
And even surpass him!
Once this thought emerged, it spread like wildfire, no longer to be contained. It ignited Kabuto's deep-seated ambition and extreme craving for power, which had never been properly acknowledged before.
—
A few nights later, it was a dark and windy night.
Kabuto defected.
He took away all the information he could find.
Kabuto's destination was Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields.
As Orochimaru's former lair, this place held a vast amount of experimental data, forbidden Ninjutsu scrolls, precious cell samples, and numerous prepared reagents of unknown purpose.
In a central laboratory, filled with various bizarre biological specimens submerged in liquid, Kabuto stood before the operating table.
He picked up a test tube and gently shook it, the liquid reflecting a strange luster under the light.
"Come." He murmured to himself.
"Let me see how far I can go with Orochimaru-sama's legacy, and with my own hands and wisdom."
Those who frequently watch Naruto know that Kabuto is a very talented ninja. Unfortunately, in some aspects, he is a bit inferior to Orochimaru.
For example, he transplanted Orochimaru's genetic material into himself to obtain Power of the White Snake, but was slowly corroded by Orochimaru.
Snake-like patterns faintly appeared on half of his cheek, and occasionally, it would twitch uncontrollably, bringing tearing pain.
But this did not break Kabuto's confidence. He remembered Orochimaru once mentioning Ryūchi Cave.
It is one of the three legendary Sage Regions, alongside Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest, where the White Snake Sage resides.
Kabuto firmly believed that a ninja like him could definitely pass the test. He would absolutely obtain power surpassing Orochimaru.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, revealing the half of his face that had been corroded.
Destination: Ryūchi Cave.
(End of Chapter)
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