After the old man took his ramen to go and disappeared down the street, Sasuke glanced in that direction and asked casually, "Sakura. You know him?"
"Yes," Sakura said, nodding. "Before my dad retired, he teamed up with Grandpa Kosuke on missions a lot. He lives near us too. When I was little, my dad took me to visit him a few times."
Naruto blinked. "Wait, that grandpa is a ninja?"
With a pot strapped to his back, he'd looked more like a traveling cook.
"Of course," Sakura replied. "He's only a genin, and his rank isn't high, but my dad always said his experience is incredible."
"Sakura," Sasuke said.
"Hm?"
He looked away from the street. "If you have that kind of connection, you should ask someone like him for advice more often."
"…Huh?"
She hesitated. A genin, even one with decades behind him, didn't sound impressive on paper. Her father had been stronger than that.
Sasuke continued evenly, "Anyone who's stayed a ninja for that long has something worth learning. You'll graduate in a couple of years. Guidance like that matters."
Sakura fell quiet, then nodded slowly.
"If Sasuke-kun says so…" she murmured.
They finished eating not long after and went their separate ways.
On her walk home, Sakura let the small water construct hop along her shoulder again, her thoughts drifting.
Kosuke was rarely home. He was usually on patrol or already en route to another assignment. Her father had said he carried responsibility heavily, that his devotion to the village never faded with age.
Someone like that deserved his rest.
"…I'll ask Dad first," she decided softly.
Naruto headed toward the training grounds, hands jammed into his pockets.
He was frustrated.
He hadn't sprinted this time. Sasuke had drilled that lesson into him too. Eat first, move later.
Still, the loss gnawed at him.
Teacher. Friend. Rival.
From the beginning, something inside him had insisted on one rule. He could befriend Sasuke, sure. But he could never accept losing to him.
And yet, he always did.
"How do I get stronger, fast enough to knock that guy down?" Naruto muttered, scratching his head.
Training still worked, but the growth had slowed. He'd mastered the academy's taijutsu. Even picked up parts of Sasuke's style. The explosive leaps forward were gone.
"…Do I really have to read?"
The thought alone made his stomach sink.
He clenched his teeth, stopped at an intersection, then turned sharply.
The library.
The Konoha Library was quiet.
Naruto pushed inside under a weight of glances. Curious. Cold. Disinterested.
He forced himself to the counter, grabbed a catalog, skimmed it just long enough to find the taijutsu section, then hurried deeper inside.
Rows of shelves stretched out endlessly.
He swallowed and grabbed the first book.
Academy Taijutsu Basics.Nope.
Key Points of Physical Conditioning.Already covered.
Hardcore Strength Training.Done.
Men: How to Train Your Waist.…What?
How Men Can Improve Endurance.What is this place?
Naruto shoved the books back, face burning. Nothing here felt useful. Either he already knew it, or it wasn't what he needed.
He reached for another book.
Something slipped out and hit the floor.
A green scroll.
Naruto picked it up.
"Konoha Dragon God?"
His eyes lit up.
He unfurled it eagerly.
"An S-rank taijutsu technique created by Konoha's strongest physical fighter…"
Strongest.
Naruto's heart pounded as he scanned ahead.
"…Huh?"
The text broke off.
A section was missing.
Naruto stared at the gap, stunned.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."