Evening
"Have you finished your tree-climbing and Water Release training?"
"Then, starting tomorrow… Sasuke and Sakura will go to the bridge together to protect Mr. Tazuna."
At the dinner table, Kakashi made the decision after hearing Sakura's report.
This instantly made Sakura overjoyed, and she secretly vowed to seize the opportunity to deepen her relationship with Sasuke… [Damn it, Sasuke has surpassed me again!
Even Sakura…]
Naruto, who was devouring his food, paused his eating, his eyes filled with unwillingness and his teeth clenched.
If it was just Sasuke, he wouldn't be too upset!
After all, being surpassed by Sasuke wasn't a one or two-time occurrence… But this time, even Sakura had surpassed him, completing her training ahead of schedule!
How could he accept this?!
"I'm going out for some fresh air…"
Thinking of this, Naruto no longer had an appetite. He found an excuse and ran out to train even harder.
"Hmm, I'm full!
I'm going for a walk to digest…"
A glint flashed in Sasuke's eyes, and he immediately got up and left.
"Sasuke-kun…"
Sakura looked at Sasuke's retreating figure and immediately stood up, about to chase after him to enjoy this rare moment alone together.
"Sakura, today's training has exhausted you!
Tomorrow you still need to protect Mr. Tazuna, go and rest…"
Kakashi saw through Sakura's thoughts at a glance and stopped her. Sakura was not like Sasuke or Naruto.
She needed to rest well and recover her chakra.
Sakura… Outside, in the woods
"Damn it… I refuse to lose to that guy Sasuke, or even Sakura… Dog, Horse, Rooster, I'll condense chakra in my throat in one breath…"
Naruto formed hand signs and shouted angrily, once again beginning to train harder.
[That's right, just like this!
Expel the chakra as wind in one breath…]
Naruto, who had barely finished forming the hand signs, thought solemnly to himself, while also gathering his resolve, ready to unleash… "Naruto…"
Suddenly, just as Naruto was about to burst forth.
Sasuke's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting his movements!
"What do you want, Sasuke… I was about to succeed, why did you suddenly show up and disrupt my training?!
Damn it…"
Naruto, full of momentum, stumbled and almost fell, pointing at Sasuke and yelling in dissatisfaction.
He had finally managed to complete the hand signs in one second.
"Hmph… I was going to teach you a training trick, but it seems you don't need it!"
A hint of a smile flashed in Sasuke's eyes, and he turned to leave without hesitation.
"A trick?!"
Naruto, who was annoyed, immediately brightened up and quickly scurried to block Sasuke's path.
"Wait… would you really be that kind?"
With the opportunity right in front of him, Naruto still couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.
He and Sasuke were rivals, why would he help him train ninjutsu?
"Hmph, believe it or not!
I just don't want my opponent to be too weak; there's no sense of accomplishment in competing then.
Besides, your Wind Release training is also to complement my Fire Release ninjutsu…"
A dark line appeared on Sasuke's forehead as he coldly snorted, turning to leave directly.
If it wasn't to give Naruto more skills, he wouldn't be so eager to give him a boost… With the system's existence, the more skills and stronger Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi had, the higher the chance Sasuke would trigger a reward… Helping others was helping himself, Sasuke had that understanding.
"Hehehe… I was just kidding, Sasuke.
The trick, the trick, quickly tell me what the training trick is…"
Seeing that Sasuke didn't seem to be joking, Naruto immediately shamelessly chuckled and asked.
His brazen appearance was exactly like a cunning little fox… [Who said this guy was an idiot?
To be able to bend and stretch, to be wise and appear foolish, this must be it…]
Sasuke sighed inwardly, deliberately letting Naruto stew for two minutes before explaining:
"The trick is the Shadow Clone Jutsu… Shadow clones can feed memories back to the original body, it's a high-level clone jutsu.
In other words, shadow clones can also be used as a cheat to speed up training.
Although your chakra won't allow the shadow clones to last long, so the acceleration won't be very obvious.
However, a tenfold acceleration in training effectiveness should not be a problem…"
With Naruto's expression a mix of surprise and joy, Sasuke didn't hold back and explained in detail.
"I see… That's right, that's it!
How could I not have thought of that… Sasuke, you truly are a genius, the top student!
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu…"
Naruto suddenly understood, his fighting spirit soaring, and with a 'poof' and hand signs, he created ten shadow clones.
"Let's start training, everyone…"
Ignoring Sasuke's presence, Naruto waved his hand and shouted enthusiastically.
The shadow clones responded one after another, beginning their training with great fervor… [I've given you the training cheat!
I hope you don't disappoint me, Naruto…]
Sasuke watched the numerous Naruto clones, his eyes flickering, and then he simply turned and went back to rest.
Behind a tree, in the shadows
"Sasuke, you've already discovered this unique training method for Naruto!!
What a genius… But this method will be very tiring, Naruto is still pushing himself too hard right now!
Well, it seems Naruto won't be coming back tonight…"
Kakashi murmured to himself as he watched Sasuke's retreating figure, the corners of his mouth under his mask subtly turning upwards.
It seems their bond has already been established… Yes, they are both comrades who can entrust their backs to each other!
The next day
On the bridge
"I say, uh… Sasuke-kun… what do you think of Ino??"
After much deliberation, Sakura finally couldn't help but ask, excitedly and nervously.
She was trying to subtly gauge Sasuke's thoughts!
"Sakura, if you have something to say, just say it frankly.
I don't like talking to comrades and having to guess what they're thinking…"
Sasuke looked at the calm sea and countered, not taking the bait.
"Uh, I, I actually… I wanted to ask, wanted to ask…"
Sakura, hearing this, felt as if her thoughts had been exposed, her face red, and she stammered like a quail, unable to speak.
This left Sasuke momentarily speechless… You're not Hinata, why are you acting shy!
How could Sasuke not know Sakura's feelings!
However, he genuinely hadn't considered such matters for now.
His young age was one factor; another was that he currently lacked sufficient strength to protect himself.
To avoid any melodramatic plot twists, Sasuke temporarily had no intention of investing too much energy in romantic relationships!
"If you're asking if I like you or Ino.
Then my answer is, I don't know… Are you satisfied now!"
Seeing Sakura still stuttering and looking conflicted, Sasuke simply laid it all out.
Suddenly, Sakura beside him was as if struck by lightning… 'I don't know', what kind of answer is that!!!
Looking at Sakura's pale and fluctuating expression, Sasuke showed no pity.
He wasn't lying about this… Liking original characters and acknowledging Sakura as the original pairing was one thing, but genuinely liking her was another!
Sasuke would definitely find a woman.
But it would be up to fate… He didn't want to simply restrict himself with original plot impressions!
That kind of mindless harem wasn't his pursuit; following his heart was the correct answer.
Living another life, happiness was undoubtedly the most important thing… He couldn't put the cart before the horse and become a tool for the Uchiha clan to procreate.
"Then, then Sasuke-kun, what kind of girl do you like?"
After a long internal struggle, Sakura finally mustered the courage to ask timidly.
'I don't know' was fine, it wasn't the first time Sasuke had rejected her… At least, Ino and she were both equally not liked by Sasuke-kun.
"A girl I like?
Hmm, I probably like strong, confident, and capable girls…"
Sasuke said, his gaze deep and his words carrying a hidden meaning, causing Sakura's delicate body to tremble… Strong, confident, and capable girls??
I see, she finally had a direction to strive for!
She, she would definitely become such a woman to win Sasuke-kun's favor…