From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

"asshole!"

Seeing Sasuke's smug expression and smug laughter, Naruto clenched his fists, wanting to rush forward and beat the guy a hundred times over, shouting:

"Listen to me carefully. I just didn't put my heart into cultivation before. Once I start cultivating seriously, I will definitely leave you far behind. Just you wait, hmph!"

"Is that so?" Sasuke nodded slightly, looking into his eyes and said calmly, "If that's the case, then I'm looking forward to it. But please don't go back on your word, Naruto!"

"Hmph!" Naruto stood up and said loudly, "Speak your mind and do what you say. That is my ninja way, Naruto Uzumaki. Don't underestimate me."

Sasuke's lips curled slightly as he casually asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"Dinner?"

Naruto was taken aback, wondering what this arrogant guy was up to now.

"What does it matter to you whether I've had dinner or not?"

Naruto shook his head and said with a displeased expression.

"If you haven't eaten yet, considering you got a beating from me today and look so pitiful, I'll treat you to a meal."

Sasuke sighed and said with a helpless expression.

"Damn it! Who wants your pity?"

Naruto's face turned bright red as he angrily retorted.

"Alright then!"

Sasuke nodded, offering no further advice, and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Naruto was dumbfounded. After Sasuke walked further and further away, he quickly chased after him.

"Sasuke, wait for me!"

Sasuke glanced at him with amusement and teased, "Didn't you say you didn't need it?"

"Hmph!" Naruto pouted and snorted, "Since you've sincerely invited me, I, Naruto Uzumaki, will be magnanimous and reluctantly accept."

"However, let me make this clear first: if the food you treat me to is too awful, I won't eat it!"

Despite Naruto's somewhat unfriendly tone, Sasuke wasn't angry. He just chuckled and casually glanced at the sky above Konoha Village.

This feeling of potentially being watched at any moment is really unpleasant...

Sasuke withdrew his gaze, his eyes becoming deep and unfathomable.

------------------

"It's so fragrant!"

Inside the Uchiha clan's territory, Naruto devoured his food like a starving ghost, picking at the food in his hands, which secretly alarmed Sasuke.

This guy can really eat!

Although Sasuke's body is still small, he is at an age of rapid development. In addition, he has been undergoing various high-intensity physical training every day, and his appetite has been increasing recently.

Even so, his appetite was only about the same as the guy in front of him.

This guy sleeps and naps all day and doesn't do any physical training, so where does he get such a big appetite?

It has to be said, this is truly the constitution of the Uzumaki clan.

No wonder she later got together with Hinata Hyuga; foodies are always drawn to each other.

Sasuke thought to himself that Naruto, who had been starving, finally stopped and put down his bowl and chopsticks. Sasuke then said with satisfaction, "Sasuke, I never imagined you were such a good cook. These are the best things I've ever eaten besides Ichiraku Ramen."

Naruto's favorite food is Ichiraku Ramen. Besides the fact that Uncle Tezuka is a highly skilled cook, more importantly, Uncle Tezuka is one of the few people in the village who did not ostracize Naruto because of the rumors about the Nine-Tails. He was also the first person to treat Naruto to a free meal.

Ichiraku Ramen holds a special and extremely important meaning for Naruto.

I wonder what the Fourth Hokage and his wife, who entrusted their son to each other on their deathbed, felt when they learned about Naruto's experiences over the years.

The Fourth Hokage, resurrected through Edo Tensei, witnessed his eight-year-old son living in a doghouse and drinking expired milk. At his command, 100,000 retired ninjas rushed to the scene!

The shopkeeper, who looked down on people, refused to sell anything to Naruto. A red-haired woman pushed open the door and walked in. The shopkeeper was so frightened that he bowed and shouted: "Sir!"

amount.

In short, it must be very heartbreaking.

........

"I didn't expect your house to be so big. But, Sasuke..." Naruto looked around for a while, then suddenly asked, "Why is this place so empty? We haven't encountered a single person since we came in?"

Upon hearing this, Sasuke remained silent for a moment before calmly saying, "Dead!"

"Huh!?" Naruto's pupils shrank dramatically, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

"How is that possible?..."

Naruto now understands what his premonition was all about, and he also knows the reason for Sasuke's sudden change in personality.

"That Sasuke, I..."

Naruto opened his mouth, glanced cautiously at Sasuke, wanting to comfort him, but was interrupted by Sasuke before he could finish speaking.

"Naruto, I heard you want to be someone who is recognized by others?"

Naruto paused, his keen intuition telling him that Sasuke didn't seem to want to discuss family matters. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded earnestly and said, "Yes! That's why I hope to become Hokage and gain everyone's recognition!"

“You’ve got the cause and effect wrong, Naruto,” Sasuke said calmly. “It’s not that I became Hokage and gained everyone’s recognition, but rather that I became Hokage because I gained everyone’s recognition.”

Naruto was silent for a while, then scratched his head in distress and said bitterly, "But I don't know how to gain everyone's approval."

He often faced the world with a carefree, smiling face, but he was sensitive enough to sense the coldness and disgust in the villagers' eyes when they looked at him.

"If only I could be a genius like you, Sasuke. Your teachers like you, your classmates like you, and Sakura likes you too."

Naruto said with a hint of envy.

“There are two kinds of geniuses!” Sasuke glanced at him and said calmly, “One is a born genius, and the other is a genius who works hard!”

Upon hearing this, Naruto's eyes lit up, as if he understood something, and he excitedly asked, "Sasuke, are you saying that you are a natural genius, and I can become a genius through hard work?"

"No, don't get me wrong, you're just an idiot!"

Sasuke retorted mercilessly.

"As for me? I'm the third type: a natural-born and hardworking genius!"

"Forehead....."

Naruto lowered his head in frustration. He felt that Sasuke was much more annoying than before. This guy could always strike him down in the calmest tone.

But what Sasuke said seemed to be true, which made him feel somewhat frustrated.

However, his frustration was short-lived, and Naruto, with his competitive nature, quickly cheered himself up.

Sasuke silently watched Naruto as his emotions gradually recovered and even his fighting spirit rekindled. After a while, he spoke up: "So, if an idiot like you wants to catch up with me, you'll have to put in ten times, a hundred times, or even a thousand times the effort. Otherwise, you might as well give up now."

Sasuke's words did not dampen Naruto's spirits; instead, they fueled his fighting will. His eyes gleamed, and he shouted:

"Hmph! The word 'give up' doesn't exist in Naruto Uzumaki's ninja way. I'll definitely beat you to the ground and make you beg for mercy someday. Just you wait, Sasuke!"

Faced with Naruto's bold words, Sasuke simply closed his eyes quietly, and after a moment he opened them again, saying calmly, "In that case, I'll teach you a ninjutsu!"

Naruto was taken aback: "Teach me ninjutsu?"

"Yes!" Sensing the persistent, lingering sense of being watched that had been looming over his head ever since he and Naruto entered the Uchiha clan's territory, Sasuke's gaze gradually deepened, and a smile curved his lips.

"The name of this ninjutsu is..."

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Chapter 22 A Promise Between Men!

Inside the Uchiha training grounds.

"Huh? It's that simple?"

Naruto and the shadow clones around him looked at each other, then burst into laughter in unison.

"I really am a genius, hahaha!"

When Sasuke said he would teach him the Shadow Clone Technique, Naruto was a little hesitant.

After all, the Shadow Clone Technique is a B-rank ninjutsu, while he himself used even the basic E-rank clone technique poorly at school.

To his surprise, the Shadow Clone Technique was simpler than the Basic Clone Technique. After receiving only half an hour of instruction from Sasuke, he had already mastered the Shadow Clone Technique.

Naruto was happy for a while, then he and the shadow clones around him all turned their gaze to Sasuke, who remained calm. To his surprise, Sasuke didn't say anything to discourage him this time, but instead nodded slightly and said calmly:

"It seems you do have some talent, and you're not as bad as I thought. That's beyond my expectations."

Sasuke calmly glanced at the shadow clones around him.

Ten!

The Shadow Clone Technique can only create a maximum of ten physical clones, and Naruto reached the limit of the Shadow Clone Technique the first time he used it.

It should be noted that after more than three months of training, Sasuke can now create ten physical clones. However, considering the mental and physical burden, ten physical clones are a bit too much for him. Therefore, he usually only creates about five clones to assist in his training.

Naruto used ten shadow clones at once, and still looked energetic and full of spirit.

However, he could understand that ten shadow clones were child's play for Naruto. In the original work, he learned an enhanced version of the Shadow Clone Technique—the Forbidden Technique of Multiple Shadow Clone.

The first time it was used, it split into a thousand, which left Mizuki, who was a Chunin teacher at the time, half-paralyzed.

According to the official databook, Naruto's limit is at least five thousand, at least!

Sasuke couldn't help but sigh to himself, "Sometimes comparing yourself to others can really be infuriating."

"Hehe!" Naruto scratched the back of his head a little embarrassedly. It was the first time he had heard Sasuke praise him. Although it wasn't very obvious, he was still very happy.

"Um, Sasuke..." Naruto was happy for a moment, then looked at him seriously and asked, "Why did you teach me this ninjutsu?"

Naruto sounded nervous and uneasy. For him, who was lonely, what he wanted most was to be recognized by others, and among his peers, what he longed for most was Sasuke's recognition!

Looking at Naruto's clear yet somewhat nervous eyes, Sasuke remained silent for a moment. Instead of answering his question directly, he said, "The Shadow Clone Technique is a B-rank ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage. It uses chakra to create physical clones that can act and fight just like the user. They have consciousness independent of the user's original body and a certain degree of resilience. They are usually used for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, as well as for supporting combat."

"But recently I discovered another use for it, which is to assist in cultivation!"

"Assist in training?" Naruto scratched his head, puzzled.

“Yes!” Sasuke nodded slightly and calmly continued, “After the physical clone is dispelled, the memories and experiences will return to the main body, which to some extent is equivalent to speeding up the training.”