"S-sorry..."
Sasuke blushed and muttered quietly.
Whoa now—Sasuke actually apologized. That's rarer than a scorpion taking a dump.
Sasuke wasn't stupid. He understood that Naruto was bringing up his trauma—not to mock him, but to help him recover.
Still, a part of Sasuke felt confused.
He and Naruto weren't close, and they'd even fought at the Ninja Academy.
So… why was Naruto helping him?
Naruto only gave a faint smile and gently shook his head.
As if reading Sasuke's mind, he said in a cryptic, double-meaning tone:
> "Because we're brothers."
(Indra and Asura were brothers, after all.
And in the original timeline, Naruto and Sasuke were reincarnations of them.
But with Naruto's new presence now, who knew if that destiny still held true?)
At the very least, Naruto hadn't sensed any Asura chakra inside himself—not yet.
> "Maybe you don't know," Naruto continued,
"But your father and mine were close friends—trusted comrades who fought side by side.
> "And our mothers? They were best friends."
Sasuke's eyes widened in sudden realization.
> "So that's why he was at my house that day...
That's why my parents treated him so warmly…"
Naruto nodded.
> "Exactly."
Sasuke thought:
> "Wait, how does he know what I'm thinking? Can he read minds?!"
> "I don't have that kind of power," Naruto said calmly.
Sasuke: 'Liar.'
> "No really, I swear I don't."
Sasuke: …
Naruto stood up, concluding with a firm tone:
> "You've still got a lot ahead of you.
Instead of wallowing in misery, wouldn't it be better to get stronger?"
After all, Sasuke was the one Naruto most wanted to recruit to his side.
In the original timeline, Sasuke's strength had reached near god-level—second only to Naruto himself.
With Sasuke as an ally, even the Otsutsuki Clan would get smacked into cosmic dust.
> "There are more important things you need to do, right?"
> "You don't want to stay like this, do you?"
Sasuke clenched his fists.
> "I want to get stronger."
> "I want revenge. I want power."
> "You'll help me, won't you, Naruto?"
He looked at Naruto with cautious, hopeful eyes—afraid the answer might be no.
He remembered Naruto at the Academy—how he had easily flattened both boys and girls without discrimination.
Naruto nodded firmly.
> "If you're willing, I will."
> "Then don't lie there anymore. Get up."
> "Yeah…"
---
One day later...
Konoha Forest.
Team Body Training Squad was assembled:
Rock Lee with his watermelon bowl cut, the stoic Neji Hyuga… and now, the cold-faced tsundere—Uchiha Sasuke.
> "Do I really have to wear this thing?"
Sasuke looked at the turtle shell strapped to Neji, Lee, and Naruto's backs with disgust.
No mystery why.
It looked hideous.
He'd die of shame if anyone saw him wearing that thing.
Neji, doing basic exercises with his shell on, shot Sasuke a disdainful glance.
So typical of the pampered Uchiha prince—always complaining.
Saying you want to be an avenger, but you can't even carry a turtle shell?
You'll never change fate like that.
You'll just be its puppet.
> "So?" Naruto asked, holding up a smaller-sized turtle shell and shaking it in front of Sasuke.
"You in or not?"
Sasuke looked at the others training seriously.
Then at Naruto.
He wrestled internally for a while—
Until he clenched his teeth and made a choice:
> "Looking cool is temporary. Being strong is forever."
> "I'll carry it."
He snatched the shell out of Naruto's hand.
But the moment he picked it up—
> WHAM.
The weight nearly crushed him flat.
> So heavy!
Sasuke's arms shook violently as he struggled to lift the shell, finally managing to strap it on.
Then, like a slow-motion zombie, he inched forward…
Only to stumble and faceplant into the dirt.
> "Hmph. So much for the proud Uchiha."
Neji chuckled to himself—
Completely forgetting his own embarrassing collapse when he first wore it.
> "Don't worry. Everyone's like that their first time."
Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the arm and helped him up, dusting off his clothes.
Sasuke's face flushed red.
Whether from embarrassment or the shell's weight—no one could tell.
He glanced at his small shell…
Then at the one Naruto wore.
> "If mine's already this heavy, and his is twice as big…"
Naruto pointed over his shoulder at his own shell:
> "That one's about five times heavier than yours."
> "Yours is the smallest—around 100 kg. That was my training load when I was four or five."
Sasuke and Neji thought the same thing at once:
> "Monster." ×2
Rock Lee, of course, was quietly grinding through training without complaint.
Beating Neji in a straight fight had filled him with determination.
Now, he wanted nothing but to get stronger.
> "You two are being awfully rude."
> "You're telling me you don't read minds?!" ×2
> "Nope! I really don't!" Naruto replied innocently.
He was met with two completely unconvinced stares.
---
A week later, Sasuke finally adapted to the turtle shell.
He could now do basic movement with it, though just barely.
Neji mocked him the whole time—it had only taken him six days.
Compared to Naruto's childhood progress, they were both lagging behind.
> "Next training—swimming."
Facing a rushing waterfall, Rock Lee obediently dove in—
Then immediately sank like a rock.
Naruto had to fish him out.
> "You can't swim, why'd you jump in?!"
Meanwhile, Neji and Sasuke—who could swim—gulped nervously as Naruto kicked them both in without mercy.
---
> "Next lesson—farming."
> "Next—"
Yes.
Naruto was training them in the Kame Style martial arts—
Just like how Goku had trained him.
It wasn't just about building a team.
Naruto had a theory to test.
After all, Goku's presence had appeared and vanished mysteriously from within him.
So this training was also a way to verify his suspicion.
And… his theory turned out to be right.
No matter how much he taught them—
Even if he directly transferred his Ki into their bodies—Neji, Lee, and Sasuke could only feel slightly more energized, a little quicker to recover.
But they couldn't sense Ki at all.
It was as if Ki belonged to Naruto alone.
That was both good and bad.
Good: It meant Ki was his exclusive power.
And exclusivity meant rarity, and rarity meant value.
Bad: It meant the others couldn't increase their power like he could.
No Kamehameha. No Flight. No Ki sense.
At best, maybe they could learn Afterimage Technique.
Their growth would still be tied to chakra.
PS: Access advance (50+) chapters at
https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL