Chapter 58: Want to Learn?

Konoha's corner.

The abandoned Uchiha compound.

Sasuke sat in the courtyard.

According to his usual routine, this would be the time for taijutsu training.

But… at this moment, he had no mood at all.

He simply looked up, dazed, staring at the half-curved moon.

The rain earlier in the day had wiped the sky clean—there wasn't a single cloud.

Yet in a daze, he kept seeing a golden figure drifting across the sky.

That was Naruto's shadow.

The scene from earlier in the day kept replaying in his mind.

Standing above the sky, leaving at will regardless of Konoha's opinion...

The entire village could do nothing, and could only comply.

All of this came from overwhelming strength.

But...

How did Naruto obtain such great power?

Even if he developed his Sharingan to the "three tomoe" stage, he probably still wouldn't catch up to Naruto.

He frowned deeply.

Suddenly, he turned his head, glaring at a nearby shadow. "Who's there? Come out!"

"Your perception isn't bad, Sasuke." A man in a black cloak slowly stepped out. "You noticed me so quickly."

Sasuke sprang up and drew a kunai. "It's you…"

"Kabuto!"

"To appear in Konoha at this time—you've got guts."

The man took off his hood, revealing an ordinary face with glasses, a fake smile on his lips. "My courage is actually quite small. But it was really hard to get this chance."

"Konoha's full attention is on that person right now."

That person.

Sasuke was stunned. Several names flashed through his mind.

After a pause, he finally confirmed who it was and said, "Naruto?"

Kabuto nodded. "That's right, the jinchūriki. He just returned to Konoha and stirred the entire village into unrest."

"He went to the hospital for a while, and then left again."

"I thought Konoha would at least try to stop him."

Sasuke squinted his eyes, not responding to the comment. Instead, he snapped, "Cut the crap. Tell me why you're here."

He didn't need to ask "what Naruto was doing at the hospital."

The answer was obvious.

It was to treat Rock Lee.

Compared to Naruto, he cared more about why this man was looking for him.

"Naruto is truly powerful," Kabuto turned his head, gazing into the distance. "I was trembling in fear and only dared to come find you after confirming he had left the village."

"You're about three months older than him, right?"

Sasuke didn't reply.

He knew Naruto's birthday: October 10th.

Which made him, born on July 23rd, two and a half months older.

"Do you crave power?" Kabuto turned his head back, smiling at him.

Sasuke lowered his hand, though he remained on guard. "Jinchūriki?"

"You all call Naruto that," he said. "Is it because of that title—because of the Nine-Tails sealed in him—that he's so strong?"

Kabuto chuckled. "You're so naïve, Sasuke."

"That kid from the Sand Village—Gaara—is also a jinchūriki."

"But the difference between him and Naruto…"

He clicked his tongue and didn't finish.

Sasuke made the judgment himself.

Gaara was indeed powerful. At their age, few could match him. But the gap between him and Naruto was like a chasm compared to a mountain.

"Want to catch up to Naruto?" Kabuto raised his hand toward Sasuke, looking sincere.

Sasuke shook his head and gave him a disdainful glance. "You?"

His tone was full of scorn.

He'd seen Kabuto in action during the Konoha Crush plan, fighting alongside some Sand ninjas, able to go toe-to-toe with Kakashi and the others.

Naruto's judgment wasn't wrong.

This guy was no pushover.

But at best, he was on par with Kakashi—possibly even weaker.

"Of course not." Kabuto pointed upward. "Did you forget the one above me?"

"You mean that guy named Orochimaru?" Sasuke was startled.

Kabuto nodded.

Sasuke frowned. "Didn't Naruto already kill him?"

"You want a dead man to teach me?"

"And you can say something like that with a straight face?"

Kabuto still wore that fake smile. "Even I thought at first Orochimaru-sama had truly died."

"But his techniques far exceed our imagination."

He recalled returning to Orochimaru's base.

When he delivered the news of Orochimaru's 'death' to the man who was most trusted by him—

That man calmly said Orochimaru wasn't dead, and even ordered Kabuto to bring Sasuke back to prepare for Orochimaru's resurrection.

Kabuto grinned with disdain, then continued, "Death is just an illusion."

"After all…"

(This version contains no mistakes!)

"Compared to falling into Konoha's hands, death is a more acceptable fate."

Sasuke's expression changed slightly.

Orochimaru wasn't dead?

"Come with me, Sasuke." Kabuto extended his hand again. "Konoha isn't the place for you."

"That jinchūriki brat should've destroyed this place."

"Wiped away the darkness buried under this village."

"You won't grow stronger here."

"You'll only be consumed by the darkness."

Sasuke shoved both hands into his pockets, standing tall. "So what if Orochimaru isn't dead?"

"What can he teach me?"

"How to play dead and evade enemies?"

"I need the strength to kill enemies head-on—not the power to run away."

Kabuto withdrew his hand and adjusted his glasses. "Isn't killing the Third Hokage proof enough of Orochimaru-sama's strength?"

"Just an old man." Sasuke shook his head, rejecting the offer firmly.

Orochimaru...

Back when he appeared in the Forest of Death, he indeed gave Sasuke an overwhelming sense of pressure.

But in Sasuke's eyes, Orochimaru didn't deserve the title of 'strong.'

He seemed to want to do something to Sasuke...

But was quickly chased off by Naruto.

He barely managed to kill the aging Third Hokage...

Only to then be killed by Naruto.

That kind of guy...

Such paltry strength wasn't enough to lure Sasuke into learning.

Leaving Konoha to seek out someone who was killed by Naruto?

He'd rather stay in Konoha, follow Kakashi for now, awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan, and then make plans.

"Is that so? So that's how you see Orochimaru-sama..." Kabuto sighed, voice soft. "However… even if you temporarily misunderstand him…"

"Orochimaru-sama will always welcome you."

"If you ever change your mind,"

"Come to the Village Hidden in Sound."

Sasuke gave no reply.

He silently watched Kabuto disappear into the shadows.

Only when he could no longer sense his presence or chakra did he look up again, continuing to stare at the moon.

The fist in his pocket clenched tighter.

Power…

Naruto had just left the village—

He hadn't gotten far when he sensed a familiar chakra trailing behind him.

He stopped, standing on a tree, waiting.

The person quickly caught up—it was Jiraiya.

"You chasing me like this… what do you want?" Naruto looked at him calmly.

Jiraiya scratched his head and spoke, sounding a bit unsure, "There are two jutsu I'd like to teach you."

"One is the Summoning Technique—signing a contract with the toads of Mount Myōboku. That way, we can communicate."

"And the other... is a jutsu called Rasengan."

Naruto shook his head.

He didn't need more jutsu right now—these things wouldn't significantly increase his power.

"These were jutsu your father once used," Jiraiya added, his voice firmer when he mentioned Minato. "Rasengan was even a technique your father developed himself."

"So…"

"Do you want to learn them?"

(End of chapter)