Sakura gripped a kunai tightly, her eyes darting around, searching for any trace of Kakashi. She didn't react until Naruto's reminder snapped her out of her daze, and she quickly darted into the bushes.
'This should be a good hiding spot. I won't be found here.'
Lying low in the dense weeds, she carefully observed her surroundings.
But then—the leaves around her suddenly scattered in all directions. A figure staggered into view. Sasuke. His entire body was covered in blood. Kunai were piercing through his limbs, and his movements were slow and weak, as if the very act of walking was a struggle.
"Sakura… help me…" His trembling hand reached out for her. Then, with a dull thud—he collapsed.
Sakura's mind went completely blank. Her chest tightened as a wave of panic crashed over her. Her vision blurred with tears.
"Sasuke… what happened…?"
And then—
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Sakura's shriek tore through the forest, her eyes rolling back as she fainted on the spot.
Outside the bush, Kakashi squatted lazily, his hand still forming a genjutsu seal. He sighed.
"One of the fundamental ninja tactics— Genjutsu."
With a shake of his head, he muttered, "Sakura, with your Academy grades, you should've seen through that one…"
Sasuke, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality when he heard Sakura's scream. But at this moment—he had completely lost his fighting spirit. Doubt and frustration swirled inside him. He stood frozen, unmoving.
"As a ninja, the last thing you want to do… is stand there like a sitting duck, Sasuke~~"
A voice whispered from behind him. Sasuke's pupils shrank. Too late. Before he could react, a powerful force knocked his legs out from under him.
THUD!
The next thing he knew, he was on the ground. Sasuke gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but—A single finger pressed against his chest, pinning him down effortlessly. Kakashi, still holding his bright orange book, barely spared him a glance.
"Another fundamental ninja tactic—taijutsu." His tone was calm, indifferent, as if he wasn't even trying.
"Sasuke, you're too distracted. If your mind is shaken, you won't stand a chance against an opponent."
Sasuke clenched his fists, his frustration boiling over.
'Why?'
'Why was it always like this?'
'Why did it feel like no matter how hard I tried, I was still so far behind?'
And then—
"HEY, KAKASHI-SENSEI! GET READY TO EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF MY REPEATED BOMBS!!"
A loud, excited voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Kakashi finally looked up—And what he saw made his eye twitch. A sea of orange filled the clearing.
Hundreds—no, maybe thousands—of Naruto clones had appeared out of nowhere. Some stood on tree branches, others on the ground. A few were even balancing on each other's shoulders. Kakashi blinked.
'...What the hell…?'
In all his years, he had never seen shadow clones used like this. For a moment, he couldn't help but think—
'Sensei… you really gave birth to a ridiculous son.'
And then—
"CHARGE!!"
A storm of Narutos rushed forward. Each clone was grabbed by two others and swung forward, launching them like human missiles straight at Kakashi.
To an outsider, it looked like a giant wave of orange about to crash down on him. Kakashi sighed. 'Fine… I guess I'll play along.' His hands flew through hand seals.
"Ninjutsu—Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
As he formed the last seal, Kakashi jumped into the air, still clutching Sasuke with one arm. And then—A massive torrent of water erupted around him, forming a swirling, 360-degree defensive wall.
The first wave of Narutos hit the wall and were instantly washed away. Then the next. Then hundreds more. With each passing second, the clones were swallowed by the water, drowning in the swirling currents before vanishing into puffs of white smoke.
Soon, only a handful of soaked, exhausted Narutos remained. The flood finally settled.
Naruto popped out of the water, coughing and gasping for breath.
"Bleh! Damn it, Kakashi-sensei, a little warning next time would be nice!"
Kakashi landed gracefully, finally setting Sasuke down.
"Another fundamental ninja tactic—ninjutsu."
He placed his hands on his hips and exhaled. "Alright, Naruto. The survival test is almost over."
Suddenly—
"SASUKE!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!"
Sakura stumbled out of the bushes, her face still dazed. The moment she saw Sasuke standing upright, her eyes welled up with tears.
And then—
She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Sasuke!! I thought you were dead!"
Sasuke froze. His body stiffened. His mind went blank. Three seconds passed.
And then—
"Sakura. Let go."
Sakura sniffled, burying her face deeper into his chest.
"Sakura—I said LET GO."
Sakura ignored him. So Sasuke did the only thing he could—He peeled her off and stepped back. Annoyed, he walked past her and stopped in front of Naruto.
His fists clenched tightly.
"Naruto."
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
Sasuke's jaw tightened. His voice was low, shaking with frustration.
"Why?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Why what?"
"WHY DO YOU HAVE THIS MUCH STRENGTH?!"
Naruto tilted his head. "Uh… I train?"
Sasuke eye twitched violently.
"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU AGREE TO MY CHALLENGE?!"
Naruto blinked again. "Because… it sounded fun?"
Sasuke's soul left his body. At that moment—He realized something terrible.
Naruto wasn't mocking him.
Naruto wasn't looking down on him.
Naruto wasn't even thinking that hard about it.
…He had just wanted to fight.
Sasuke stood there, completely broken. His breath came out unevenly, fists trembling as a single name echoed in his mind.
'Uchiha Itachi.'
'…I swore I would kill him.'
'I swore I would become strong enough to defeat him.'
'But…'
He looked at Naruto.
This idiot, this dead-last, this fool who used to be nothing—He had left Sasuke in the dust.
At this moment, Sasuke realized—He was still weak.
And he hated it.
(End of Chapter)