Chapter 162 - 28

Chapter 28: The Bet is Set! If You Lose, Wear the Shameless Leotard; Sasuke Cracks on the SpotNaruto walked all the way to the top of the tree.That was more than thirty meters high in the air.He turned around, his feet firmly stuck to the underside of a branch, hanging upside down like a golden bell.His golden hair dangled down, swaying with the wind."Is that it?"Naruto's voice drifted down from high above, clearly entering everyone's ears."Old man Kakashi, is this what you call special training?""This little trick of sticking Chakra to the soles of your feet is something three-year-olds in our Uzumaki Clan use to climb out of their cribs before they wet the bed."A vein throbbed in Kakashi's temple."And you, Er Zhu Zi."Naruto looked down at Sasuke on the ground."What were you doing just now? Tickling the tree bark?""An elite of the Uchiha Clan needs to relearn how to walk?""If I were you, I'd rip off that fan clan crest and throw it away as a frisbee, just to save myself from the embarrassment."Sasuke's face instantly turned the color of pig liver.Humiliation.An unprecedented humiliation.Gritting his teeth, he charged at the tree trunk again.This time he was more careful, trying to control the flow of Chakra.Three steps.Four steps.Snap.His Chakra output was insufficient, his foot slipped, and he fell down again."Tsk, tsk, tsk."The sound of someone cracking melon seeds came from the treetop.Everyone looked up.They saw Naruto had produced a piece of chilled watermelon from somewhere and was hanging upside down, munching on it with gusto.The red juice flowed from the corners of his mouth toward his forehead, but it was blocked by a thin layer of Chakra, keeping his clothes clean.This level of Chakra micro-management was simply outrageous."Ptooey."A black watermelon seed fell from the sky.It whistled through the air.It struck Sasuke precisely on the forehead just as he was about to look up.Thud.Sasuke was knocked off balance, his gathered Chakra instantly dissipated, and he fell to the ground for the third time."Naruto! What are you doing?!"Sakura shouted in anger."Increasing the difficulty."Naruto spat out another seed with full justification.This time, he aimed for Sasuke's butt."Will an enemy on the battlefield let you gather energy in peace?""If you can't even dodge a watermelon seed, how do you expect to dodge Zabuza's giant blade?""Er Zhu Zi, with your reaction speed, are you part sloth?"Sasuke climbed up from the ground and wiped the mud off his face.In those black eyes, a fury so intense it was almost tangible burned.But he didn't curse back.Because Naruto was right.He was too weak.If he couldn't even withstand this kind of interference, how could he talk about revenge?"Again!"Sasuke let out a low growl and charged at the tree again.Once.Twice.Ten times.Sasuke fell again and again, his body covered in bruises and his clothes torn by the bark.But the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.It was the madness of someone pushed to the brink."Interesting."Naruto finished the last bite of watermelon and casually tossed the rind into the distant bushes.[Ding! Flexing successful.][Reward issued: Chakra Adhesion MAX.][New Skill Obtained: Gravity Ignore (When activated, allows walking on any surface as if it were flat ground for a short time, no Chakraconsumption required).]Naruto jumped down from the tree.He landed silently.He walked up to Sasuke, who was still panting heavily."Hey, Er Zhu Zi.""Do you dare to make a bet?"Sasuke looked up, his chest heaving violently, sweat dripping from his chin."Bet on what?""Before dark."Naruto pointed to the top of the tree."If you can climb up there, I'll admit you're a genius of the Uchiha.""If you can't climb up..."A piece of clothing suddenly appeared in Naruto's hand.It was something he had just exchanged from the system mall.A fluorescent green tight-fitting bodysuit.On the chest, four large bright red words were printed: [I Am A Weakling].On the back, there was also a pattern of a mother hen laying an egg."Wear this and run a lap around the Land of Waves, shouting 'Boss Naruto, I was wrong' as you run."Sasuke looked at the outfit, his pupils trembling violently.This thing...If he had to wear that, he'd rather commit seppuku on the spot!"What? Scared?"Naruto raised an eyebrow, that punchable grin fixed on his face."Afraid to lose? Makes sense, after all, you're a weakling who can't even dodge a watermelon seed.""I'll take that bet!"Sasuke's rationality completely snapped.The pride of the Uchiha wouldn't allow him to back down.And it certainly wouldn't allow him to show weakness in front of this dead last."If I win, you have to be my sparring partner for a month! The kind where you're not allowed to hit back!""Deal."Naruto snapped his fingers."Sakura, you'll be the witness."Sakura, who had been ignored all this time, weakly raised her hand."Um... Naruto...""I climbed up too."Sakura pointed to a nearby tree.Although not as high as Naruto, she had indeed climbed to a very high position and was standing steadily on it.Her face held a hint of expectation, hoping to receive even a single word of praise.After all, in this part of the training, she had beaten Sasuke.Naruto turned his head.His gaze swept over Sakura.There was no surprise.There was no admiration.There was only a coldness that seemed to see through everything."Oh."Naruto responded flatly."So?"Sakura froze. "I... I learned it before Sasuke-kun...""That's because you're weak."Naruto interrupted her ruthlessly."Your Chakra capacity is pitifully small, like an empty bottle. Of course it's easy to control with a little shake.""But inside Sasuke is an ocean. Controlling the waves is naturally harder than controlling a single drop of water.""Not only did you not help, but you're standing here being self-satisfied?"Naruto walked to the base of the tree and looked up at Sakura."If you had spent this energy on increasing your Chakra reserves or physical training, you wouldn't have just stood there shivering and crying when we encountered Zabuza.""Besides being a cheerleader, what use do you have?""Wide Forehead."Sakura's face instantly turned as pale as paper.That meager sense of achievement was shattered to pieces.Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't dare let them fall under Naruto's cold gaze.Kakashi frowned as he listened from the side.Although what Naruto said was the truth, the words were far too harsh."Naruto, that's enough."Kakashi spoke up to stop him."Tch."Naruto shrugged and turned to walk deeper into the woods."I'm going for a stroll. The air here is too bad; it's full of the stench of the weak.""Where are you going?"Kakashi asked."To pee."Naruto waved his hand without looking back."Don't follow me. I'm shy; I can't go if people are watching."Just as his figure was about to disappear behind the bushes.Naruto's hands formed a seal.Poof.A cloud of white smoke dissipated.A Shadow Clone remained in his place."This clone will stay here to supervise Er Zhu Zi."The Shadow Clone sat cross-legged on a rock, with another handful of melon seeds appearing in his hand."If you dare to slack off, I'll pull that leotard straight over your head."Sasuke glared at the clone, his teeth grinding audibly.But he didn't lash out.Instead, he turned around and charged at the tree again.This time, his feet stuck even more firmly.The anger from being humiliated had transformed into the purest form of motivation.