Patting his belly, Sasuke felt very satisfied. Although the food and setup in front of him looked simple, he felt that even if... well, even if his brother fed him meatballs himself, they would probably taste like this.
Sasuke, full and content, patted his stomach and casually asked, "Naruto, do you come here to train every day?"
"Of course! How can youth slack off so easily!"
Sasuke: "..."
Rock Lee suddenly chimed in. Looking at Lee's shining teeth, Sasuke felt a little stunned.
After the meal, Sasuke no longer had the desire to fight Naruto. Instead, he became curious about the training ground where Naruto and Rock Lee trained. This place felt like a secret base the two of them shared.
In fact, it was exactly that—a private training ground between Naruto and Rock Lee. For Sasuke, still a child, the idea of having a secret base of his own was incredibly exciting.
With the camaraderie built from eating together, Sasuke began to insert himself naturally into Naruto's little group.
"Can I train with you?"
Sasuke made his request. He believed that if he trained alongside Naruto, he'd be able to witness Naruto's true strength firsthand. That was his real intention.
To Sasuke, Naruto was a bit odd, but compared to other kids, he had a strange maturity that Sasuke subconsciously respected.
"Oh! You want to train with us too?"
Naruto was a little surprised. Why was Uchiha Sasuke so clingy all of a sudden? Ever since their last match, Naruto had noticed Sasuke was secretly watching him.
Naruto didn't believe he was that charming. After some thought, he suspected only one possibility—Ashura and Indra's chakra.
It was fate, he realized. Just like in the original series, the two were destined to be entangled.
But if he spent too much time around Sasuke, it might draw the attention of the Third Hokage or even Uchiha Itachi. That wouldn't help his goal of staying low-profile.
If he rejected Sasuke outright, the boy might retaliate in some way. In that case, it was better to accept him.
Suddenly, Naruto's eyes lit up. "Ahem... It's not impossible to join us, but I have one condition. If you can bring me the method for the Shadow Clone Technique, I'll let you train with us!"
"Lee! Show him what you've got!"
Naruto winked at Rock Lee, who understood immediately. He stood and charged at the wooden stakes they used for training. His kicks were so fast that Sasuke could barely react.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Under Sasuke's stunned gaze, Rock Lee broke several wooden stakes with pure force.
Although these weren't the specialized stakes from Konoha's training grounds, the fact that Lee could kick them apart showed he was already at the level of an upperclassman.
"See? If you train hard with Naruto, you can reach my level too!"
Lee grinned, catching onto Naruto's plan. It was clear that Naruto really cared about the Shadow Clone Technique.
"...Naruto! You really are something!"
Sasuke muttered, clearly impressed. The bowl-cut kid in front of him was obviously Naruto's follower, meaning Naruto's strength was even greater.
Damn it! One day, I'll surpass you, Naruto!
Sasuke, still untouched by the harshness of reality, had blind confidence in his own talent.
His expression shifted several times. Deep down, his real reason for wanting to train with Naruto was to gauge his strength.
But Naruto could read Sasuke like a book—he was still a kid, after all.
Itachi had sheltered him too well. Unlike Itachi, who had gone to war as a child and understood the brutality of reality.
"Shadow Clone Technique? Just wait for me!"
Sasuke yelled before sprinting off toward home.
Rock Lee watched Sasuke run off and asked curiously, "Naruto, do you really want the Shadow Clone Technique?"
Naruto said nothing. Instead, he turned toward the training ground.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Lee's mind: "Lee, don't be surprised. This is a jutsu I developed. To prevent information from leaking, I'll use this space to speak to you directly when discussing important things."
Naruto didn't mention the Anbu surveillance. It wasn't the right time yet.
"Next, I'll share with you advanced Taijutsu training methods, as well as my current theory and approach to the Six Styles!"
Inside the consciousness space, Naruto began sharing.
At the same time, he discreetly used his strong mental power to stabilize Lee's emotional response. He didn't want Lee to react too dramatically and accidentally speak aloud.
Using basic genjutsu knowledge and his formidable mental strength, Naruto was already capable of mobilizing and shaping his mental power.
As a result, Lee, though shocked, accepted everything in just a few moments. He was starting to believe Naruto was a super genius.
Then, Lee began absorbing the knowledge Naruto shared—techniques for efficient striking, physical conditioning, and Naruto's early Six Styles framework.
It wasn't perfect yet, but it was definitely trainable.
Lee was completely stunned. Naruto had just handed him what amounted to a clan's core secrets.
Even though Lee usually acted a bit naive, he fully understood what these teachings meant. They were priceless.
"...Naruto…"
Lee didn't know what to say. His voice wavered with emotion.
"Cut the sentimental stuff!" Naruto lightly punched Lee's shoulder.
But then his tone turned serious. "Lee, if one day I become an enemy of Konoha—or even the world—will you stand by me?"
Lee was stunned by Naruto's words. At that moment, he realized Naruto carried many secrets.
Become an enemy of Konoha?
That had never crossed his mind.
"...Naruto, why would you say something like that?"
Lee hesitated. He didn't respond right away.
"Lee, this world isn't as simple as it seems. And Konoha isn't purely peaceful either. As for me—there's more to my identity than just being an orphan. But I can't tell you everything yet."
Naruto didn't intend to reveal his truth yet. He said this just to test whether Lee was someone who could truly train alongside him.
If Lee chose loyalty to the village, then Naruto would give him no more than what he'd already taught. He had secretly embedded a mental trigger in this conversation. If Lee ever revealed it, the mental imprint would activate—and Lee would become brain-dead.
Naruto didn't believe Lee would betray him, but he wasn't willing to gamble everything.
Lee processed the words in silence. Then he grinned, flashing his trademark sparkling teeth.
"I'm honored Naruto-kun acknowledges me!"
"My ninja way is to blossom for my friends. If anything ever threatens you, Naruto-kun... they'll have to go through me first!"
Naruto smiled.
At that moment, he felt genuinely happy.
End of the Chapter.
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