Chapter 321: Naruto's Team's Training Plan
"Additionally."
Uchiha Akira sat behind the heavy oak desk, his dark eyes locking onto Sasuke. The sheer weight of his gaze seemed to press the air out of the room. "If you wish to apply for graduation, I can grant you this opportunity. I will approve your graduation application."
Sasuke's head snapped up, his bruised face flashing with shock. Graduation?
"Of course, graduation isn't just empty talk," Akira continued, his voice calm and measured. "I will arrange a separate graduation assessment for you. Its content and difficulty will naturally differ from the regular exams." He leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his steepled fingers. "Whether you become a qualified Konoha Genin or return to the Ninja Academy in disgrace depends entirely on your performance."
Sasuke didn't hesitate. He bowed deeply, bending at the waist in a rigid, respectful salute. "I accept the assessment, Hokage-sama!"
"Very good." Akira's expression remained impassive. "The specific time for the assessment will be announced separately. During these two weeks of confinement, you are on your own."
His tone shifted, dropping a fraction of an octave into something far more serious. "Once you pass the assessment and officially become a Genin, I will assign you new missions. Be prepared, Uchiha Sasuke. The path ahead won't be as easy as playing ninja in the Academy."
Sasuke's heart trembled against his ribs. The sheer authority radiating from the man before him left no room for doubt. "Yes, Hokage-sama!" he answered, his voice tight with resolve. "I will never disappoint you again!"
Akira watched the boy, a quiet thought stirring in his mind. Instead of letting Sasuke waste his time rotting in the comfortable, sheltered environment of the Ninja Academy, it is far better to force him to graduate early.
True blood and brutal battle were the only catalysts that could make a shinobi grow quickly. With a little harsh tempering, Sasuke would be forged into a sharp blade—a vital future fighting force for Konoha.
"That's enough." Akira waved a hand dismissively. "You may go back now and begin your confinement. Anbu will supervise you around the clock, so do not try any clever tricks."
"Understood," Sasuke answered respectfully.
Seeing the exchange conclude, Naruto offered Akira a bright, slightly subdued greeting before turning to leave the Hokage Office. Sasuke followed silently in his wake.
Outside the Hokage Building, the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the streets. Sasuke walked forward, his head lowered, his steps heavy and methodical.
Just then, the hurried scuff of sandals against the pavement echoed behind him.
"Hey!" Naruto's voice rang out.
Sasuke paused, his shoulders tensing.
Naruto jogged up to his side, falling into step so they walked shoulder to shoulder. Neither of them spoke for a long moment. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy with the unspoken weight of their recent clash. The atmosphere was stiflingly awkward.
After a long stretch of quiet, Naruto clasped his hands behind his head, staring up at the sky. He forced a deliberately relaxed, casual tone. "I say... don't mess this up, idiot."
Sasuke's body trembled slightly. He kept his eyes fixed forward.
"Teacher gave you a chance," Naruto continued, his voice dropping its casual facade, replaced by a fierce sincerity. "If you act foolishly again, I... I won't let you off!" He punctuated the threat with a loud snort.
Sasuke still didn't speak. He just listened quietly to the blonde boy beside him.
Naruto turned his head, glaring at Sasuke's profile. "Even if you graduate early, I will definitely be stronger than you! The position of Hokage will definitely be mine in the future! You just keep chasing me from behind!"
It was the familiar provocation, delivered in that exact, gratingly familiar tone. But this time, as Sasuke listened to the loud declarations, a strange, warm feeling welled up in his chest. The bitter resentment that usually clouded his mind was entirely absent.
Is this idiot... encouraging me in his own way?
Sasuke turned his head, his dark eyes staring directly into Naruto's blue ones.
Naruto shifted uncomfortably under the intense gaze, his cheeks flushing slightly as he pouted. "Wh-what are you looking at! Do I have something on my face?"
Sasuke kept looking at him. Slowly, a very rare, almost imperceptible upward curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Naruto." Sasuke's voice was quiet, lacking its usual arrogant edge. "This time, I lost."
He frankly admitted his defeat. The words hung in the air, leaving Naruto completely stunned. His jaw went slack, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Sasuke took a slow, deep breath, his expression hardening into pure determination. "But next time, I will defeat you honorably! I will no longer use any underhanded tactics. I will convince you with my absolute strength!"
Naruto stared at the blazing fighting spirit reignited in Sasuke's eyes. That familiar, fiery rivalry roared back to life between them.
Naruto grinned, revealing his signature, blindingly bright smile. "Ha! You finally said something sensible!" He pointed a thumb at his own chest. "However, you want to beat me? In your next life! I am the man who will become Hokage! I will never lose to a pompous guy like you! Just you wait!"
Sasuke snorted coldly, the faint smile vanishing as he turned on his heel and walked away.
Early the next morning.
A sharp knock echoed against the heavy door of the Hokage Office.
"Come in," Uchiha Akira's voice commanded.
The door pushed open, and four figures filed into the room in succession. It was Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata, Gaara, and Temari.
Temari kept her eyes glued to the floorboards, her palms slick with cold sweat. Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Could it be that Hokage-sama is going to hold us accountable? Gaara had severely injured Uchiha Sasuke yesterday. The thought of facing the Hokage's wrath terrified her.
"Teacher!" Naruto broke the tension, excitedly running right up to the edge of the mahogany desk. "We're all here!"
Akira leaned back in his chair, his dark, calculating gaze sweeping over the faces of the four genin, analyzing them one by one.
"Very good," Akira said, his voice echoing in the spacious room. "Starting today, the four of you will form a new team. However, your training location is going to be a bit special."
A faint, enigmatic smile touched Akira's lips.
Without offering any further explanation, he stood up. He raised his right hand and, with a casual, almost dismissive motion, swiped his five fingers downward through the empty air in the center of the office.
Reality tore open.
A jagged, pitch-black spatial rift fractured the air out of nowhere, radiating a deep, chilling emptiness.
"Th-this is?!" Temari's eyes instantly widened to the size of saucers, the color draining from her face. She subconsciously stumbled half a step backward, her breath catching in her throat.
Space-Time Ninjutsu?!
Gaara was equally shocked. His stoic facade cracked. The sand within the heavy gourd on his back surged uncontrollably, spilling out to form a thin, defensive wall of yellow sand in front of him. It was a purely instinctive reaction to an overwhelming, unknown danger.
Compared to the Sand siblings' total loss of composure, Naruto and Hinata appeared completely unfazed.
"Let's go," Akira said lightly. He took the lead, stepping smoothly into the dark, swirling rift. His tall figure was instantly swallowed by the inky darkness.
"Naruto-kun, we should hurry and follow," Hinata whispered, gently tugging at Naruto's sleeve as he stared blankly at the tear in space.
"Oh, oh! Alright!" Naruto snapped out of his daze and immediately jumped into the rift. Hinata followed closely behind him, disappearing into the void.
In the quiet office, only Gaara and Temari remained, frozen in immense shock. The two siblings slowly turned to look at each other.
"Hey... Gaara..." Temari's voice was dry, barely a whisper. "Are we... dreaming?"
Gaara didn't answer. He simply stared at the swirling black rift in silence. Then, without a single word of hesitation, he stepped forward and vanished into the dark. No matter what lay ahead, he had to follow.
Seeing her younger brother disappear, Temari gritted her teeth, steeled her nerves, and quickly threw herself into the rift.
After a brief, disorienting sensation of weightlessness, the solid feeling of ground returned beneath her feet. Temari squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for an attack. When nothing happened, she slowly opened them.
The next second, she was completely stunned.
What greeted her eyes was a vast, boundless world. A clear blue sky stretched infinitely overhead, dotted with fluffy white clouds. Warm, golden sunlight shone down, bathing the endless landscape in a gentle glow.
"Where... is this place?" Temari murmured to herself, her voice trembling slightly as she looked around the impossible scenery. "Is it a Genjutsu?"
"A Genjutsu cannot create such a real world," Akira's voice sounded from beside her.
Temari flinched, turning to see the Hokage standing calmly on the grass.
"Welcome to my world," Akira declared, his tone carrying the absolute authority of a god surveying his domain. "Six Paths: Imperial Heaven."
My... world?
Temari and Gaara's pupils instantly constricted to pinpricks. Creating a physical, breathing world out of nothing—this concept far exceeded their entire understanding of Ninjutsu. It was the world of myths.
A thought stirred quietly in Akira's mind as he observed the space. The effect of Life Resonance is indeed immediate.
His perception instantly spread out, blanketing the dimension. He could feel the very boundaries of the space slowly expanding outward at a visible speed, feeding off the energy of the living beings within it.
Currently, it can provide about seventy meters of spatial growth per day, Akira calculated silently, withdrawing his thoughts.
He raised a hand and pointed toward a massive, perfectly flat expanse of hard rock situated a short distance away. "That will be your designated training ground for the foreseeable future."
Then, Akira waved his hand again.
The ground beside them rumbled deeply. Thick wooden pillars and heavy timber erupted from the earth, twisting and weaving together at a blinding pace. Within seconds, a sturdy, fully-furnished two-story building constructed entirely via Wood Release Ninjutsu stood out of thin air.
"I will prepare your daily supplies," Akira instructed, turning back to the awestruck genin. "Your training plan is strict. You will train in this space for six days, then you may go out to the real world and rest for one day."
He crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze sweeping over them. "At the same time, I will make time in my schedule to personally guide your training. Later, I will arrange for elite Jonin to enter this space and spar with you as appropriate, to rapidly enhance your practical combat abilities."
Akira's eyes hardened, leaving no room for failure.
"There is only one goal. To give you the absolute strength to stand on your own in the shortest possible time!"
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