"Trying to overwhelm me with numbers? Not bad. But cheap tricks like this don't work on me."
Hyūga Ayato kept his hands in his pockets, glanced at the charging shadow clones, then slowly raised one hand and extended a finger.
"Repel."
A deep hum echoed through the air.
A wave of force blasted outward from Ayato, like a hurricane ripping from a single point. Even the ground beneath him tore open.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dozens of Naruto's clones were instantly blown apart, their forms dispersing in bursts of smoke. The real Naruto was blasted away as well, flung through the air toward the trees where Sasuke and Sakura hid.
"UWAAAAAAA—!!"
Naruto plummeted from the sky and, driven by the force, crashed straight toward Sasuke.
"You idiot—this force—what the hell!?"
Sasuke reached out, trying to catch Naruto, but an invisible pressure pinned his body in place. He couldn't move, forced to watch in horror as Naruto's face closed in—
Their lips collided.
"Mm!?"
Naruto and Sasuke froze, eyes wide, staring into each other's souls.
"...…"
Sakura stared with her mouth open in an O, completely stunned by the bizarre scene of Sasuke and Naruto… stuck together.
"BLEUGH—!!"
Both boys jerked away simultaneously, turning their backs and gagging violently.
"I'll kill you for this—ugh—!"
Sasuke glared with pure disgust, but before he could finish, another wave of dry heaving overtook him.
"You bastard, Sasuke—!"
Naruto clenched his fists, ready to argue—
"NARUTO!!"
Sakura's voice shook the forest. Flames of fury ignited around her, and her tightly clenched fist cracked ominously. She approached Naruto step by step like an executioner.
"S-Sakura-chan, let me explain—!"
Naruto fell to the ground in panic and scrambled backward.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!"
Screams echoed through the woods as Naruto was thoroughly "educated."
Back in the clearing, Ayato covered his forehead with a hand as he watched from afar.
"Two guys kissing… pfft. That's hilarious."
He had intended to use the opportunity to strike at Sasuke, but he hadn't expected to accidentally facilitate a sudden… bonding moment.
Ayato stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"For someone with enough power to control gravity, naming the technique 'repel' feels a little plain."
His Transmigration Eye could freely manipulate attraction and repulsion — to the level of controlling the moon itself.
While the Rinnegan was the eye of creation, the Tenseigan was destruction incarnate.
Its ultimate technique, Truth-Seeking Golden Wheel Reincarnation Slash, could easily slice the entire moon apart.
He had once considered using names like Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in, but ultimately rejected copying the Rinnegan's moves.
A proper attack deserved its own name — something flashy to shout before striking. A man needed cool technique names.
Time passed, and Team 7 still didn't move.
Ayato raised a brow. Naruto being quiet for once was unusual.
"Well… may as well eat."
He took out a bento box Hinata had prepared for him — packed full of delicious dishes.
He could still hear her soft, timid voice from earlier that morning:
"C-Ayato-nii, n-no matter how strong you are… you should still eat properly…"
"Mmm. Tastes great."
Ayato ate happily. He hadn't eaten since waking and was famished.
"And some coffee."
He unrolled a scroll and pop — a small coffee machine appeared.
He relaxed on the grass, eating leisurely and brewing thick milk coffee.
He was tormenting Team 7 on purpose.
Meanwhile, in the forest—
"So… good…"
Naruto sniffed the air, drooling helplessly as the aroma of food drifted over. His stomach howled loudly.
"Grumble…"
Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs also rumbled in protest.
They were starving. Before, they could barely endure it — now, watching Ayato eat luxurious food and sip hot coffee…
The hunger only intensified.
"That bastard Ayato-sensei! He told us not to eat anything and now he's feasting!?"
Naruto pointed angrily toward the clearing. "He totally planned this just to torture us!"
Sakura said nothing — she was too focused on staring at the bento box, swallowing discreetly.
Sasuke clenched his fists, face twisting slightly.
"Damn it… I actually thought about stealing his lunch for a moment."
Shame burned through him.
He was a shinobi — how could he be controlled by something as petty as hunger?
Ayato finished eating, wiped his mouth, and said lazily,
"People who think gaining power will solve everything… are often the ones too weak to do anything at all."
He placed the empty bento aside.
"If you encounter a problem, are you going to stand there stupidly waiting for a chance to appear?"
"Use your brain. Think about what you have in your pockets."
He stretched, satisfied.
"Alright. Ate well, drank well. Time to end this boring game."
He was eager to claim his system's newbie reward.
Back in the trees—
"What's in our pockets…?"
Naruto rummaged through his pocket and pulled out his beloved frog wallet.
He suddenly brightened.
"Oh! So simple! Ayato-sensei means we can BRIBE him, right!?"
He rubbed the frog wallet against his cheek, eyes full of pain.
"I saved this money for so long…"
"YOU IDIOT!"
Sakura punched him flat to the ground.
"Sakura-chan…"
Naruto whimpered, holding his swollen head.
Sakura frowned.
"Ayato-sensei means we should think, strategize, and find a real solution."
That was her interpretation.
Sasuke clenched his fist, replaying Ayato's earlier words:
'Weak people think gaining strength will let them do something… when they can't even act now.'
It felt like a direct insult — aimed at him.
He was an Uchiha prodigy.
How dare this man look down on him?
"Hmph. Fine. I'll show you."
Sasuke stood up, voice cold.
"Naruto. Sakura. Help me. I have a way to make him move."
He already had the plan earlier, but pride had stopped him.
Now, Ayato's words had ignited his temper — and his Uchiha pride refused to let it go.