Free is the Most Expensive
"Tap."
Lin Ke watched Uchiha Sasuke walk out of the Ninja Apartment's entrance and stopped in his tracks.
"So, do you still want to challenge me now?" He used 'challenge' instead of 'compete with me'.
Uchiha Sasuke lowered his head and remained silent for a long while, without saying a word.
This feeling of being defeated by a classmate he once looked down upon... was terrible.
If this is how I am, if I'm so easily surpassed by others, how am I supposed to avenge that man?
"Could you..." Uchiha Sasuke spoke with difficulty. Fortunately, the other party didn't mock or say anything, and the quiet atmosphere helped him get through the most difficult part. He said, "How can I get you to give me special training too?"
After uttering his request to a genius even younger than himself, he raised his head, feeling much calmer.
For power, for his weak self, for revenge, there was nothing shameful in doing anything.
Because that shame was not even one ten-thousandth of the pain he had experienced.
"A price?" Lin Ke smiled. As expected, he was still a naive kid, actually thinking that such help would require a price...
He took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Standing in the sunlight, he said with a gentle smile, "We're all comrades from the village. If you need to become stronger, come to the Seventh Training Ground tomorrow afternoon."
Comrades...
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Lin Ke in the soft light of the setting sun. His lips moved, and his eyes seemed to be stung by something. He also thought of that dead last. He averted his gaze, stepped out of the shadow of the doorway, and said in a low voice:
"Thank you." After saying that, he quickened his pace and walked away.
Naive kid, sometimes free is the most expensive thing.
Lin Ke didn't stay where he was. With a faint smile on his face, he stepped into the shadows of the Ninja Apartment.
As an avenger, Uchiha Sasuke was too normal before he met Uchiha Itachi again. His outwardly cold but inwardly warm personality made him too susceptible to emotions, and he had great potential, unlike those two meat shields of his who didn't have much value to cultivate...
With a little investment in nurturing him, he would be a standard Kage-level powerhouse. When Uchiha Itachi came to help him awaken his eyes and give him the Eternal Mangekyō, his strength would leap to the top tier even among the Kage.
A new meat shield who values friendship and has potential—
I choose you.
Lin Ke had already begun to formulate a training plan for Uchiha Sasuke in his mind. In the world of Hokage, Orochimaru knew how to use emotions and loneliness to control Kimimaro, but he was unwilling to use such methods to control the more cherished Sasuke...
What a pity.
Now, I will take him away in advance.
Orochimaru.
...
The next day, afternoon, Seventh Training Ground.
"Huff... huff..."
Uchiha Sasuke panted heavily, suddenly feeling the pain and fatigue in his body gradually being stripped away. The mental discomfort still existed, creating an extremely awkward sense of contradiction.
This is—?! With his intelligence, he naturally realized that something was wrong. If even the fatigue and pain in his body could be eliminated, wouldn't he be able to...
"This is my unique secret technique." Lin Ke released his hand from Sasuke, smiling slightly. "If possible, can you keep it a secret for me?"
He didn't really expect Uchiha Sasuke to keep it a secret. Or rather, the Mystical Palm Technique couldn't be kept secret forever.
Whether it was his two comrades becoming stronger at an extraordinary rate, or Nara Yan Shui, who had already recovered and would likely protect the village during the Konoha Crush Plan, would reveal more or less information about his technique.
Therefore, it was better to use this technique to win over others in advance and realize the added value behind the technique, whether it was Sasuke in front of him, or Rock Lee, who would be severely injured in the Chunin Exams...
The fastest way to improve a relationship with someone is to share a secret.
"I understand." Uchiha Sasuke didn't make a promise, just nodded calmly.
No wonder these two guys are getting stronger so fast. If I had such a technique... maybe I could catch up to that man soon...
A fervent look flashed in his eyes. Completely disregarding his mental fatigue, he didn't even allow himself a chance to catch his breath before gritting his teeth, getting up, and continuing his training.
"This guy... Boss, are you sure he can be trusted?" Yuan Wei muttered. Cold-faced handsome guys like that were still very unreliable, he felt.
Moreover, they hadn't had much interaction before. Suddenly joining them like this...
"Trust Boss's judgment, you idiot." Xia skillfully punched him, then looked at Uchiha Sasuke, who continued to work up a sweat, and said, "This guy seems to have something he must bet his life on to accomplish. Seeing him work so hard really makes me feel ashamed..."
Yuan Wei snorted, stood up, and said, "I won't lose to him either!" With that, he rushed over and began his training.
What an idiot...
Xia laughed, glancing at Uchiha Sasuke, whose expression had gone from suppressed calm to fanatical excitement. Haruno Sakura, liking someone like that, she definitely won't get any response, will she?
Thinking this, she also stood up. "Alright, to become a Chunin, I have to give it my all."
Watching the three of them go to train their bodies, Lin Ke calmly opened the book on the rock. He was about to completely learn the Mystical Palm Technique. This technique, as expected, he was still a little concerned about.
Learn it and master it as much as possible before the Chunin Exams.
And then there's the matter of creating special Soldier Pills to replenish stamina that needs to be put on the agenda... Although the Mystical Palm Technique can restore the body's condition, it still can't replenish the stamina that's been used up.
So, in daily training, apart from mental fatigue affecting him, the biggest constraint is the lack of stamina.
The four of them trained at the Training Grounds until evening. Yuan Wei and Xia were panting, exhausted, and hungry. When they chose to leave, they clicked their tongues a little as they watched Uchiha Sasuke, who was still desperately training.
"This guy, he's really pushing himself too hard..."
Yuan Wei sighed. Although he also had the motivation to become stronger, he hadn't reached the point of forgetting to eat and sleep, let alone pushing himself to the limit...
Xia patted his arm and asked, "Boss, do you want to go eat ramen together?" The two of them had been following Lin Ke for a long time, and even their diets had gradually started to resemble his.
"Grumble~" Yuan Wei rubbed his stomach, which was making noises, and said, "Boss, let him stay here by himself. Let's go get something to eat. I'll treat today."
"No," Lin Ke said, turning a page of his book without looking up. "You guys go eat first. Don't be late tomorrow afternoon."
"I want to see his perseverance..."
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