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Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Sasuke’s Doubts, a Life with No Regrets

In the usually quiet and desolate Training Ground Three, chosen for its remote location, two small shadows darted through the trees, one chasing the other. As their chakra steadily drained, the misunderstanding that had arisen by pure coincidence turned into a live-action parkour race, now nearing its end.

Weird... it hasn't even been that long, how is that guy already out of sight? Did I go the wrong way?

Sasuke looked around but found no trace of Naruto. With most of his chakra already spent, he gradually slowed down and gave up the chase. Nearby, he found a large tree, slumped down against the trunk, and sat there panting, his flushed cheeks puffing with every gasp as he tried to calm his pounding heart.

Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have taken that shortcut…

After all that running around, Sasuke had completely forgotten that his original reason for following Naruto to Training Ground Three was nothing more than a fleeting moment of curiosity. He'd started seeing it as a game of tag between kids.

His pudgy little fists clenched with frustration, but despite that, Sasuke couldn't suppress the grin spreading across his face.

Ever since his older brother Uchiha Itachi graduated from the Ninja Academy, Sasuke had been left with fewer and fewer chances to play. Their father, Uchiha Fugaku¹, was strict, and with barely any friends to play with… how long had it been since he'd played so freely, without a care in the world?

...Ah crap, I almost forgot. I still have to practice the Fireball Jutsu today. It's not that late yet—I should head ba—huh?

As he muttered to himself and recovered some strength, Sasuke slowly stood and instinctively stretched. That's when he noticed something unexpected—Naruto, whom he thought had long since run off.

Or more accurately, Naruto was hanging upside-down directly above him, standing on a tree branch using only his feet, with no support, staring down at him with gritted teeth and wide, unblinking eyes.

That's amazing... how is he doing that…? Wait, no! You've been hiding in the tree this whole time? That's cheating! You cheater!

"Huh? What cheating? Idiot, I don't even know what you're babbling about… Hmph! Don't tell me you're just making excuses 'cause you couldn't catch me?"

"You—! If you've got the guts, come down here! Let's do this again, fair and square!"

"Nyeh-nyeh~ No thanks! If you've got the guts, why don't you come up here! Dattebayo!"

"Get down here!"

"Get up here!"

"Down!"

"Up!"

With his face twitching in disbelief and the corners of his mouth spasming like he just witnessed something unbearable, Naruto pointed at Sasuke with bean-shaped white eyes, their childish bickering reaching its peak. Deep down, though, Naruto felt like he'd just been trampled by ten thousand wild horses—he was on the verge of tears.

Earlier, Naruto had deliberately limited his chakra output to avoid exposing anything suspicious to anyone who might be watching. He made sure his running speed didn't look too far off from a normal kid giving it his all. But despite his precautions, as time passed, Sasuke hadn't even come close to catching him.

I thought he was one of Root's agents, playing some cat-and-mouse game just to test me... but he's just a regular kid?! I wasted all that time being on edge for no reason, dattebayo!

He'd burned precious training hours dealing with this, even preparing several fallback excuses in case things went south… and now it turns out he was just fighting air, overthinking himself into a frenzy?

How embarrassing... this has gotta be a joke!

Phew… just like Naruto said, maintaining a consistent chakra flow is way harder than I thought…

Lying in a heap of leaves beneath the training tree, Sasuke looked like a complete mess after trying Naruto's tree-climbing technique.

Too much chakra, and the tree bark breaks. Too little, and you can't stick to the surface… Either way, you fall before you get very far.

Sweating and panting, Sasuke reviewed everything he'd learned from his repeated failures while staring up at the trunk he'd been climbing. The bark was covered in pits and uneven white scratch marks—evidence of Naruto's relentless training. Compared to all those marks, his own attempts barely left a trace.

So... these are all from Naruto training by himself. That means he wasn't even going full speed earlier, huh? Welp, guess I can't complain about losing...

Pushing himself upright with what little strength remained in his aching limbs, Sasuke leaned against the tree and slowly shifted his gaze from the battered trunk to Naruto, who was sitting nearby, carefully carving a piece of wood with a kunai.

He was called a monster who should've died young... but he seems like a pretty decent guy. Why would anyone give him such a cruel nickname?

"…Huh? What is it, Sasuke? Giving up already?"

Sensing Sasuke's gaze, Naruto glanced up from his partially shaped three-pronged kunai and flashed a teasing smile.

"G-Give up?! As if, idiot! I'm from the mighty Uchiha clan, the strongest in the Hidden Leaf Village! Like I'd lose to some kiddie training like this!"

For some reason, Naruto's gentle smile reminded Sasuke of how his older brother used to watch over him during training. That warmth caught him off guard, and for a brief moment, he stood there stunned. His face turned red like he'd been caught thinking something embarrassing, and he quickly looked away with a pouty scowl. Still, his eyes sparkled with laughter.

"…Hey, Naruto. Do you… know what people in the village say about you?"

Despite everything, the rumors didn't match the boy he was seeing now. Kind, approachable, even fun to be around—Sasuke couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and finally asked, carefully and hesitantly.

"Huh? Oh, that stuff? Like, 'I'm the demon fox that killed the Fourth Hokage, a monster that should've died long ago,' or whatever?"

Naruto didn't even flinch. He kept carving his wooden kunai, his voice calm and unconcerned, like it didn't involve him at all.

As a transmigrator, Naruto had long since come to terms with the fact that his parents—who gave their lives to protect him from the Nine-Tails—had in some way died because of him. And with Kurama sealed inside his body, those rumors weren't exactly wrong.

"Meh. I've heard it since I was little. I'm used to it. Doesn't bother me."

"Huh? But still…"

"Let me ask you something, Sasuke. Are those villagers irreplaceable family to me?"

Sasuke's chest tightened for reasons he couldn't explain. Frowning, he opened his mouth to speak—but Naruto cut in first, serious now.

"Uh… I guess not?"

"Exactly. They're just strangers. So why should I care what they think?"

"…Eh? That… kind of makes sense?"

"Just because they whisper behind my back and tell me to die, I'm supposed to actually go and die? Even an idiot wouldn't do that, right?"

As Sasuke blinked in confusion, trying to process Naruto's words, the boy's grin grew wider. After a pause, Naruto continued, almost like he was explaining to Sasuke—or maybe reminding himself.

"No matter what they call me—demon fox, monster—I'm still me. I'm Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf Village. That won't ever change."

"Instead of wasting time caring about what a bunch of nobodies think, I'd rather work harder and make my life as awesome as I can… Because as long as I can live without regrets, live in a way I won't be ashamed of—then that's enough for me. Dattebayo!"

 

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