Chapter 60: The Righteous Naruto-kun
"Today I'm giving you your second practical lesson: never reveal your trump card ahead of time!"
Just as Uchiha Sasuke's Fire Release Ninjutsu was about to take shape, three of the Shuriken Narutohad thrown turned into puffs of smoke, transforming into Naruto's Shadow Clones. They appeared abruptly around Uchiha Sasuke while he was caught off guard, surrounding him in a triangle formation.
Uchiha Sasuke never expected that, in the blink of an eye, he was actually fighting Naruto's Shadow Clones. The shock in his heart was unimaginable.
However, the arrow was already on the string and had to be released; Uchiha Sasuke couldn't care about that now and still wanted to bite the bullet and spit out the Great Fireball Technique.
"Ugh!"
Uchiha Sasuke's puffed-up cheeks were pinched by one of Naruto's Shadow Clones, stifling the Great Fireball Technique in its cradle.
Naruto didn't intend to let Uchiha Sasuke off, either. While one Shadow Clone pinched his cheeks, another Shadow Clone fiercely delivered a flying kick, striking Uchiha Sasuke squarely in the chest.
"Furthermore... a trump card isn't just about having the greatest power; sometimes, playing it strategically is more important!"
Uchiha Sasuke, flying backward, had a look of disbelief on his face. He couldn't believe his technique had been countered in such a way. Not only was it hard for him to accept, but when Naruto's preachy tone reached his ears, it felt even more intense than adding fuel to the fire!
Just as Uchiha Sasuke was about to open his mouth in anger, another of Naruto's Shadow Clones, which had transformed into a Shuriken, suddenly appeared behind the flying Uchiha Sasuke. Using the momentum from Uchiha Sasuke's backward flight, it delivered a heavy kick in the opposite direction!
"Wah!"
Uchiha Sasuke spat out a mouthful of blood violently. The opposing forces from front and back left him momentarily suspended in mid-air, at which point Naruto's final Shadow Clone made its grand finale appearance.
A wooden stick smashed down from above onto the forehead of Uchiha Sasuke, who was suspended in mid-air with nowhere to leverage himself. This was the Dragon Hammer Flash from the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū swordsmanship, an extremely fierce and lethal Move.
"Thump!"
A dull thud echoed. Before Uchiha Sasuke had even finished spitting out blood, he was slammed heavily into the ground by Naruto's Shadow Clonelike a broken sack.
The blood flowing from his forehead quickly stained half of Uchiha Sasuke's face red, complementing his blood-red single-tomoe Sharingan. However, no matter how one looked at it, Uchiha Sasuke appeared exceptionally disheveled at this moment.
"The final lesson of practical combat: never underestimate your opponent, and never overestimate yourself!"
Naruto's main body finally jumped down from a large tree. Without waiting for Uchiha Sasuke to struggle to his feet, Naruto landed and immediately finished him off.
"By the way, one more point: losing the ability to fight doesn't mean you've won the battle. Only total death marks the end of a battle. Before that happens, being talkative, showing mercy, or mocking your opponent are undoubtedly major taboos!"
...
"Awake?"
Naruto flipped the freshwater fish roasting over the campfire, asking nonchalantly toward the person behind him.
"Oh, are you playing dead and refusing to talk?"
Seeing that Uchiha Sasuke, who was tied to a large tree by him, wouldn't speak, Naruto teased him before standing up and slowly walking over to Uchiha Sasuke.
"Should I untie the rope so you can eat, or should I feed you myself?"
"Untie me."
Uchiha Sasuke was like a defeated rooster, head bowed, letting his black hair cover his cheeks so that no one could see his expression.
"Realize the gap now?" Naruto began untying Uchiha Sasuke. "The gap in strength cannot be bridged by just a pair of Sharingan or by holding a death-defying or kill-at-all-costs mindset. You still have a lot to learn!"
"Who is stronger, you or Uchiha Itachi!?"
"Compared to your brother?" Naruto's hands paused while untying Uchiha Sasuke, but he immediately resumed and continued untying him. "Never fought him, so I don't know and I don't understand."
"I want to kill him! You'll help me, right!?"
Having been beaten up, Uchiha Sasuke seemed to recognize reality, yet he was also like a poor wretch suffering from a long illness, clutching at any straw that might help him achieve his revenge.
"I remember someone once told me that you only have one life. Before you fulfill your wishes or goals, never squander it carelessly."
Naruto said something that didn't directly answer the question. Although he knew the truth of the matter, it was clearly not something he could bring up. After all, the person who tied the bell must untie it, and Naruto wouldn't do a thankless job.
"Tell me the reason. If the reason is justified, given our friendship, I will help you!" Naruto still responded, after all, Uchiha Sasuke was still young. "We are brothers, aren't we!?"
"Hehe... Hahaha... Ahahahahaha!"
Uchiha Sasuke laughed like a madman until tears and snot streamed down his face, and only then did he stop.
"Uchiha Itachi! That damn guy, in order to awaken his own Mangekyo Sharingan and to test his own capacity, he slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan!"
Naruto revealed a look of shock at the appropriate moment, then let out a heavy sigh and reached out to pat Uchiha Sasuke on the shoulder.
"My condolences!" After comforting Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto was silent for a moment before continuing, "In this world, you still have me. After all, we've both become orphans now!"
"..."
Uchiha Sasuke sat under the big tree hugging his legs. His silence and lack of sobbing were the moments when his emotions were most suppressed. If he wasn't comforted properly, who knows how twisted an eight-year-old child's psychology might become.
"Although your surname is Uchiha and mine is Uzumaki," Naruto sat down next to Uchiha Sasuke, "I think I really am the last relative you have in Konoha."
Naruto revealed his signature, masterfully faked sunny smile. "Everything will be fine with me here. We'll shoulder everything together as brothers. After all, you are one of the only two people I acknowledge, and I don't believe you'll just collapse like this!"
"I just want to kill that man!"
"Then, did you propose this duel to test your own capacity, or to use my death to awaken that Mangekyo Sharingan you mentioned!?"
Naruto cast the bait, guiding Uchiha Sasuke to speak out the darkness deep within his heart, hoping to alleviate the trauma Uchiha Sasuke had received in this way.
"Yes!" Uchiha Sasuke didn't hide it, and after speaking, he gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Do you still consider me a brother now?"
"Of course!" Naruto said decisively. "However, I have things I haven't finished yet, and I only have one life. If you want my life, you'll have to wait a little longer."
"You... aren't you afraid?"
"Not afraid!" Naruto's smile remained the same. "After I finish my business, I'll have no more worries. If I can help you fulfill your wish in the end, I think I will go to the Pure Land to see my parents with a smile!"
Uchiha Sasuke was silent once again. If one were to say his heart was still dead or cold at this moment, that would be completely untrue. Naruto's words had injected a brand new light into his heart.
The Uchiha are the clan that understands love the best, but they are also the most contradictory and extreme clan. One second they might be loving someone to death, and the next second they might be drawing their blades against each other.
Having experienced Uchiha life for over a decade, Naruto knew this better than anyone. His words just now had basically won over half of Uchiha Sasuke.
As for the remaining half...
That will have to be accumulated slowly over time. This process is not only slow but must also be done with caution to avoid revealing any flaws.
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