Patting his stomach, Sasuke felt deeply satisfied. The food had been simple, nothing fancy, but somehow... it reminded him of something precious. Even the dango his older brother Itachi once fed him might have tasted like this.
Rubbing his stomach contentedly, Sasuke casually asked,
"Naruto, do you guys come here to train every day?"
"Of course! Youth must never be wasted!"
Sasuke: "..."
Lee suddenly struck a dramatic pose, his teeth gleaming in the sunlight. Sasuke was left speechless by the sheer enthusiasm radiating from the bowl-cut boy.
Now that his hunger was sated, Sasuke's urge to immediately spar with Naruto had faded. Instead, his curiosity turned to the training ground itself—this place that felt like Naruto and Lee's secret hideout.
And in truth, it was. For Sasuke, still just a child, the idea of a "secret base" felt incredibly cool and alluring.
After sharing a meal, Sasuke instinctively began to view himself as part of Naruto's circle.
"Can I train with you?"
The question slipped out. Sasuke's true intention was to observe Naruto's strength up close. By training together, he hoped to get a clear grasp of just how strong Naruto really was.
To Sasuke, Naruto was odd, yes—but there was also something different about him. A quiet maturity. A mysterious confidence. Compared to the other kids in the Academy, Naruto stood apart.
"Oh? You want to train with me too?"
Naruto looked surprised. Since when did Uchiha Sasuke become so clingy?
Ever since their last spar, Naruto had noticed Sasuke occasionally sneaking glances at him during class or training. He hadn't thought much of it until now.
Naruto didn't believe he had some magnetic charm or charisma. No, this had to be something deeper—something tied to fate.
Asura and Indra.
Their chakras—bound by reincarnation—tied them together like a thread of destiny, just like in the original story.
But Naruto frowned inwardly. Spending too much time around Sasuke might attract attention from the Third Hokage, or worse, from Uchiha Itachi. He didn't want to stand out too much yet.
Still, if he refused, Sasuke would likely cling harder. In that case… he might as well accept him under a condition.
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Ahem... it's not impossible for you to join us. But I have one condition: if you can bring me the training scroll for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, then I'll let you train here."
"Lee! Show him what we've got!"
Naruto winked at Lee. Understanding immediately, Lee sprang into action, delivering a rapid flurry of kicks at the wooden training posts nearby.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Under Sasuke's astonished gaze, Lee shattered the posts. Though these weren't the reinforced logs used in standard shinobi training grounds, breaking them like that still showed that Lee's physical skills were at a high level—close to a graduation-level Genin.
"See? If you train hard with Naruto, you can become strong like me too!"
Lee caught Naruto's signal. He could tell Naruto was extremely interested in that Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Hmm... Naruto, you're not simple at all," Sasuke muttered with mild shock. The bowl-cut kid clearly respected Naruto, which meant Naruto was no slouch himself. At the very least, he wasn't weaker than this thick-browed weirdo.
Tch. Just wait. One day, I'll surpass you, Naruto!
Sasuke was still full of youthful pride and confidence. In his mind, as long as he trained harder, his talent would take care of the rest. He believed he could catch up to Naruto—or even surpass him.
He hadn't yet been beaten down by the harshness of reality.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. His desire to train with Naruto wasn't entirely about strength—it was about understanding his mysterious classmate.
But Sasuke's face betrayed his thoughts. He was still just a kid, after all.
Unlike Itachi, who had experienced the battlefield from a young age and understood the weight of death and war, Sasuke had been protected his whole life.
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu, huh? Just wait! I'll get it for you!"
Sasuke shouted confidently, then turned and ran home at full speed.
Lee blinked as Sasuke vanished from sight. "Naruto, do you really want that Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he turned and walked toward the center of the training ground.
Then, in Lee's mind, a calm voice echoed:
"Lee, don't be startled. This is a jutsu I developed. To avoid being overheard, I'll communicate this way. I have some important things to tell you."
Naruto still hadn't revealed anything about the ANBU to Lee. The time wasn't right.
That was why he used this excuse to speak privately.
"Next, I'll teach you some advanced Taijutsu training methods, along with the foundations of the Six Styles I've been developing."
Within the mental space, Naruto subtly strengthened his spiritual energy to prevent Lee from reacting too loudly. By combining beginner-level Genjutsu principles with his naturally vast mental strength, Naruto had already learned to manipulate spiritual influence in subtle ways.
Even this level of mental communication was something he'd cultivated on his own—proof of just how far he'd come in mastering the mind.
This kind of spiritual communication should have shocked Lee, but strangely, he remained calm. Though surprised at first, he accepted it in mere moments. The existence of such a "mental space" only deepened his belief—Naruto was a genius. A true prodigy.
And now, Naruto began transmitting Taijutsu knowledge directly into Lee's mind. The moment Lee made contact with that information, his body trembled involuntarily.
Outside, their physical bodies didn't stop moving. Only a small portion of their consciousness had entered this mental realm—like driving a car while talking on the phone. It wasn't impossible to multitask, just a matter of how you divided your attention.
Lee could feel the torrent of knowledge Naruto was passing to him. It included precise striking techniques, conditioning drills, and Naruto's own experimental framework for the Six Styles—a system still under development, but clearly trainable.
The sheer depth of it left Lee shaken. These weren't just tips or pointers—this was the core of Naruto's Taijutsu mastery. He was sharing it with him, without any hesitation.
Lee looked at the developing but promising Six Styles system and realized: This was everything Naruto had.
Lee might seem naive on the outside, but even he knew what this meant. In the shinobi world, knowledge like this was often kept tightly guarded—reserved only for bloodline heirs or the inner circles of powerful clans.
"...Naruto."
Lee's voice caught in his throat. He didn't know what to say, his heart swelling with emotion.
"Don't get all emotional on me."
Naruto gave Lee a light punch on the shoulder.
Then, Naruto's expression froze—his tone suddenly turning serious, colder.
"Lee. If one day, I become an enemy of Konoha… or even an enemy of the entire world—will you still stand by my side?"
Lee stood frozen, stunned. There was a chill in Naruto's voice—one that revealed the weight of hidden burdens. At that moment, Lee sensed something: Naruto was carrying secrets. Big ones.
An enemy of Konoha?
That idea had never even crossed Lee's mind. And as for the world… that sounded far too distant, too unreal to grasp.
"W-Why would you even think something like that?" Lee asked hesitantly, caught between disbelief and concern.
Naruto didn't respond right away. He turned to face Lee and spoke evenly, calmly—but with a gravity that made Lee's chest tighten.
"Lee… this world isn't as simple as you think. And neither is Konoha. As for me… I'm not just some orphan. There's more to who I am—but I can't tell you everything right now."
Naruto wasn't ready to fully open up. This test wasn't about secrets—it was about trust.
He needed to know if Lee could truly walk this path with him. If Lee chose loyalty to the village above all else, then this was the limit of what Naruto would give him.
Unbeknownst to Lee, Naruto had used a subtle psychic imprint during their mental link. If Lee ever tried to reveal their conversation, that embedded spiritual trigger would activate, leaving him in a catatonic state.
Not because Naruto didn't trust Lee—but because he couldn't afford to take any chances. Exposure meant death.
Still, based on everything he knew about Lee, Naruto didn't believe it would come to that.
Lee stood in silence, reflecting. His mind replayed every moment he'd shared with Naruto so far. Then, slowly, a fierce grin broke across his face—his signature shining smile.
"I'm honored to receive Naruto-kun's trust!"
He clenched his fists, his teeth gleaming as he declared,
"My Ninja Way is to bloom for the sake of my friends! If Naruto-kun ever faces danger—then please… step over my corpse first!"
Naruto couldn't help but smile.
At that moment—he was truly happy.
...
TN:
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