Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"Sigh, I used to use this eye to copy other people's ninjutsu, which gave them a headache."

"Really, teaching geniuses is a very arduous task."

Chapter 11: Not Wanting to Be Excluded Anymore

The Hokage's office.

Opposite Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi Hatake had just finished a ten-minute-long report.

The office was silent except 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 again, you mean that Uchiha Sasuke has basically mastered all the C-rank and B-rank ninjutsu you know in just three months?"

This conclusion was so alarming that even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was hailed as the professor of ninjutsu, had to confirm it again.

"Yes, Lord Hokage, except for a few techniques that require secret methods to perform, he can basically master them after watching me demonstrate them once."

"..." Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent. He picked up his pipe and took a deep drag.

"Is it those eyes?" he asked in a deep voice.

Yes, but not entirely.

Kakashi explained, "The main reason is that child's attitude towards learning."

Even he sometimes felt a chill when he recalled those three months of training.

During his training, Sasuke did not complain, ask questions, or slack off in the slightest.

He simply watched, then learned, and then mastered it at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people.

"I have no more conventional ninjutsu I can teach him."

Kakashi shrugged. "So, I'm going to start teaching him chakra transformation techniques to prepare him for that jutsu."

"Raichi?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. "That's your signature technique. Isn't an S-rank ninjutsu too early for a seven-year-old?"

"For him, there is no difference between early and late, only between being able to use it and not being able to use it."

Kakashi's tone became serious, "His speed, reaction, and those eyes perfectly match the requirements of the Raikiri. Teaching him is the most reasonable choice."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then nodded, tacitly approving of Kakashi's decision.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he slowly channeled his chakra into the crystal ball in front of him.

A ripple spread across the surface of the sphere, reflecting the scene of the third training field.

However, a scene in the video caused both the Third Hokage and Kakashi to display somewhat subtle expressions.

Inside the crystal ball, Sasuke was forming a hand seal with one hand, a ball of extremely unstable chakra crackling with electricity gathering in his palm, clearly practicing lightning-style nature transformation.

Not far from him, a familiar figure was charging at the trunk of a large tree again and again in a comical manner.

"boom!"

"Ouch!"

"Damn it! Do it again!"

Naruto, clutching his reddened knees, grimaced, but his eyes were filled with defiance. He charged forward again, only to be bounced back once more.

"Naruto...when did he get together with Sasuke?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone carried a hint of surprise and delight.

About two weeks ago.

Kakashi scratched his head and recalled, "Initially, it was just Naruto peeking from the outside of the training ground."

"Later, he got bolder and ran in, and started training on his own, just like Sasuke."

"Sasuke didn't send him away?"

"No."

Kakashi's eyes became somewhat intriguing. "I think you should remember that I reported before that Sasuke could see through the loneliness behind Naruto's behavior."

"Perhaps in his eyes, Naruto, this 'noisy idiot,' is much more pleasing to the eye than those girls who try to save him with sympathy."

Kakashi continued, "So, he just left Naruto there, ignoring him but not chasing him away either."

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the two children quietly through the crystal ball.

"Is that so...?"

The Third Hokage slowly exhaled a long puff of white smoke, and the worry in his eyes seemed to dissipate somewhat.

"Perhaps, this isn't so bad," he murmured to himself.

“Yes,” Kakashi agreed, “At least for Naruto, he finally has a playmate who won’t look down on him.”

"As for Sasuke, he probably thinks that Naruto, being a simple-minded person, is much easier to deal with than other people."

"It seems that my decision to have you guide Sasuke was the right one." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, a smile he hadn't shown in a long time.

"Hmm." Kakashi responded softly, his gaze falling on the crystal ball. He tilted his head slightly and added, "But Naruto doesn't seem like the type to give up if ignored."

As soon as he finished speaking, as if to confirm his statement, the scene inside the crystal ball changed.

On the training field, Naruto Uzumaki, who had been engrossed in practicing climbing trees, finally couldn't hold back after slipping off the tree trunk once again.

"Damn it, why won't it work?!" He grimaced and complained, clutching his numb buttocks.

His gaze quickly and involuntarily fell on the figure not far away.

Why didn't that guy even glance at himself the whole time?

Naruto didn't want to be ignored anymore, didn't want to be excluded alone anymore. He suddenly jumped up from the ground and shouted at the retreating figure:

"Hey, Sasuke Uchiha!"

Sasuke, who was gathering Lightning Release chakra, had the restless ball of electricity in his palm dissipate instantly due to this sudden roar.

He slowly opened his eyes and finally turned around. "Are you ever going to stop?"

"I......"

Naruto was momentarily stunned by his cold gaze and instinctively took a half step back.

But thinking about his purpose here, he found courage from who-knows-where and shouted loudly, "Then teach me! If you teach me this, I won't bother you anymore!"

After shouting, he looked at Sasuke's expressionless face and a strange sense of grievance welled up in his heart.

"I want to become stronger too. Once I become as strong as you, no one will look at me like that anymore!"

Please, teach me!

Those eyes were now filled with obsession and a desperate grasping at the last straw.

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat the moment he saw those eyes.

That look in his eyes...

He seemed to see himself three years ago in Rukongai, covered in wounds, yet still vowing to gain the power to return to the world and take revenge.

The same naiveté, the same irritating charm.

A strange emotion rose from the bottom of his heart, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Shut up, don't look at me like that." Sasuke's voice was a little hoarse as he suddenly stood up and walked up to Naruto.

"That kind of look disgusts me the most."

A suffocating silence ensued.

Naruto stood there, stunned. He thought he had messed up again, and his eyes began to redden slightly.

Just as he was about to give up and turn to run away, Sasuke spoke up again.

"Don't just stand there, come here."

Chapter 12 The Caged Fox

Sasuke walked up to the tree and said coldly, "Chakra isn't something you can have as much as possible, you idiot. Imagine it as a thin film, just enough to stick to the soles of your feet."

Before he finished speaking, he had already easily walked up the tree trunk and then jumped down from the tree, the whole process taking no more than three seconds.

"You understood?" He glanced at Naruto, who was standing next to him with his mouth agape.

"Oh...oh, I understand!" Naruto snapped out of his daze and nodded emphatically.

He imitated Sasuke, closed his eyes to concentrate, and then stomped on it.

"boom!"

The result was predictable: the bark shattered, and Naruto was thrown back again.

Sasuke frowned even more as he watched this scene unfold.

He snapped impatiently, "Idiot, I told you not to use brute force, I told you to attach your chakra to your feet!"

"I know, but it won't listen!"

Naruto was almost in tears; he felt like the chakra within him was a tangled mess.

"Disobedient?" Sasuke frowned.

Chakra is a combination of a ninja's physical and mental energy, so how could it be considered disobedient?

Unless his self-control is extremely poor, this guy's willpower and physical abilities are clearly very strong...

The three-tomoe Sharingan reappeared in Sasuke's eyes.

He wanted to see whether this idiot was simply incompetent or if there were other reasons.

As the Sharingan rotated, the chaotic flow of chakra within Naruto's body became fully visible.

“Something’s not right…” Sasuke’s brows furrowed even more, and he pushed his perception to its limit.

Immediately, he saw the source of the problem, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw that within Naruto's body, around the blue chakra that belonged to him, there was another completely different red chakra.