Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master

Page 273

However, overall, Konoha Village appeared orderly, peaceful, and tranquil, just like usual.

A moment later, Itachi had a thought: Now that we're here, let's first check on Sasuke's situation.

He controlled the crows to glide slowly through the air, beginning his search for Sasuke.

The crow flew around Konoha Village for a long time, and finally, over a secluded training ground, it spotted two figures engaged in fierce combat.

The weasel's eyes lit up slightly, and it immediately swooped down to approach.

That place is the seventh training ground of Konoha Village.

……

Konoha Village, Training Ground 7.

The midday sun shone brightly on the training field, dust flew everywhere, and a faint smell of burning filled the air.

In the center of the training field, two figures were locked in a fierce battle, engaging in sparring.

On one side was Naruto Uzumaki, who created a series of shadow clones, three, five, and even more than a dozen of them swarming forward to attack the other person from all sides.

His main body was mixed among his clones, sometimes launching fierce attacks with fists and feet at close range, and sometimes rapidly forming hand seals to release wind-style ninjutsu, creating sharp gusts of wind.

The other side, without a doubt, is Sasuke.

He remained calm as he dodged Naruto's overwhelming attacks, using his Sharingan to skillfully evade Naruto's storm-like onslaught.

Naruto's every movement became slow and visible in the reflection of his eyes.

Taking advantage of a brief lull in Naruto's fierce attack, Sasuke swiftly formed hand seals and took a deep breath: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive, blazing fireball roared out, hurtling straight at the group of clones ahead.

In an instant, the first few Naruto shadow clones were engulfed by flames and exploded into white smoke.

Seeing this, the remaining Narutos quickly scattered and jumped away, causing their attack to stall for a moment.

As the smoke cleared, Naruto was seen covered in sweat, but his face was beaming with excitement.

"You almost beat me, Sasuke!" He wiped the sweat from his forehead and praised loudly, "I must say, you've improved quite a bit!"

Sasuke gave a soft hum: "Likewise."

Sakura, watching from the sidelines, clasped her hands tightly to her chest, her eyes fixed on Sasuke's figure on the field.

Seeing Sasuke dodge Naruto's fierce attack, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she saw—

She quickly raised her voice to warn, "Sasuke-kun, watch out behind you!"

Snapped!

Sasuke didn't even look, as if he had expected it, and threw a shuriken behind him.

boom!

The shadow clone that attempted to launch a sneak attack instantly turned into a cloud of white mist and disappeared.

On the tall canopy at the edge of the training field, an inconspicuous black crow stood quietly in the dense shade of the leaves.

Through this crow, the weasel, far outside the forest, could see everything inside the training ground.

Seeing his younger brother effortlessly handle Naruto's attacks and even counterattack and gain the upper hand, Itachi Uchiha, who was usually calm and collected, couldn't help but smile with a hint of satisfaction.

Compared to their last separation, Sasuke has grown very rapidly.

Whether it's ninja tools, taijutsu, or the application of ninjutsu, everything has become more sophisticated.

Itachi glanced at Naruto and nodded to himself.

With a thought, Sasuke's figure rapidly zoomed in and magnified in the shared perspective of the crows.

Through those crimson eyes, he clearly saw Sasuke's stubborn and focused expression, and nodded in satisfaction.

Just then, Sasuke in the arena suddenly stopped moving, as if he had sensed something and abruptly looked towards the woods to the side.

His Sharingan quickly detected an unusual red light—

Deep within the bushes, it seemed as if a pair of red eyes were watching him!

At the same time, a very subtle yet familiar chakra fluctuation also swept through my senses.

Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly, a sudden shock running through him: Was someone in that direction?

And why does this chakra feel so strangely familiar to me...?

He stared intently at the spot where the shadow of the tree was swaying, trying to see what it was all about.

However, Naruto, who was in the midst of a fierce battle, would not let this opportunity pass him by.

Seeing that Sasuke had suddenly lost focus, he immediately shouted, "Sasuke! What are you looking at!"

With that shout, Naruto pounced forward from the side, his clenched fist carrying all his strength, and slammed it hard into Sasuke's face!

boom!

Caught off guard, Sasuke took the full force of the punch.

With a muffled thud, he was sent flying, rolling twice on the ground before finally coming to a stop in a disheveled state.

"Haha!! I won!! I won!!" Naruto jumped up excitedly after landing a blow, stood with his hands on his hips, and laughed triumphantly at Sasuke. "What did I tell you? Sasuke, you were too careless, Sasuke! Getting distracted in battle is a big no-no!"

Sasuke, clutching his numb and throbbing cheek, got up from the ground, glaring angrily at Naruto: "Idiot Naruto...you're so sneaky! You dared to ambush me when I wasn't looking!"

Naruto protested, "What?! You lost and you're not admitting it! This was a fair and square duel! It wasn't me who made you lose focus!"

"Alright, alright!!" Sakura quickly ran forward, spreading her arms to block between the two, first glaring at Naruto, "Naruto, you went too far! Sasuke-kun is injured!"

He immediately turned around and anxiously helped Sasuke up, "Sasuke-kun, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Sasuke gently pushed away Sakura's hand that was supporting him, dusted himself off, frowned, and looked towards the bushes where the crow had just perched. He said in a deep voice, "I clearly sensed something over there just now..."

Naruto and Sakura looked in the direction Sasuke pointed, and saw the shadows of the trees swaying in the forest. Apart from the rustling of leaves in the breeze, there was nothing unusual.

Naruto curled his lip and said dismissively, "There's nothing at all! Sasuke, you're not just making up an excuse because you can't accept defeat, are you?"

Sasuke snorted coldly and did not reply, but the doubts in his heart lingered.

Or is it really just my imagination?

But that fleeting fluctuation of chakra just now...

Why does this remind me of...?

He pursed his lips and said nothing more, but a faint unease rose in his heart.

Anger and resentment swirled in his heart, and Sasuke shook his head violently, temporarily setting aside those distracting thoughts.

He touched his still numb cheek, got back into position, and stared intently at Naruto: "Again!"

Naruto laughed heartily, clenching his fist excitedly: "Bring it on! You defeated opponent!"

Before he could finish speaking, Sasuke snorted coldly, rushed in front of Naruto, and delivered a fierce spinning kick.

Seeing this, Sakura couldn't help but sigh and rub her forehead, "Seriously, here we go again..."

……

Forest surrounding Konoha Village.

Under the shade of the tree, Uchiha Itachi slowly opened his eyes, withdrawing from the crow's remote view.

"Ichishichi-san, did you find something?" With a cheerful voice, Kisame emerged from the forest carrying Samehada.

He had already set up a concealed campsite not far away. Now, returning to Itachi's side, he casually asked, "How's the situation in Konoha? Are the defenses tight?"

Kisame keenly noticed that Itachi, who was usually expressionless, seemed to still have a strange look lingering at the corner of his mouth.

However, before he could think about it further, Itachi had already concealed the strange expression on his face and regained his usual calm demeanor.

Itachi slowly shook his head and said, "Everything is normal. I will continue the investigation."

After saying that, he closed his eyes again, intensifying his connection with the crow.

At that moment, the crow was circling high above Konoha Village.

The ferret adjusted its direction slightly and quickly locked onto another target.

A familiar figure came into view—Jiraiya.

At this moment, Jiraiya was squatting on the outside of a hot spring wall, his body pressed against the wall, leaning forward and sticking his head out, peering through a crack in the wall with an expression as focused as a devout believer.

This one of the legendary Sannin was now striking an extremely lewd pose.

He leaned forward, his buttocks sticking out high, with both hands on the wall, his body leaning forward and one eye closed, while the other eye was pressed against the crack in the wall, peeking inside.

Seeing Jiraiya's "dedicated" demeanor, Itachi, who was observing from a distance, couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

Itachi then focused his mind and manipulated the crow to swoop down silently, landing lightly on Jiraiya's left shoulder.

From inside the hot spring walls, the occasional giggles of young girls playing in the water could be heard, almost making Jiraiya unable to hold back his excitement, his nosebleed nearly bursting out of control.

"Hehehe... This is fantastic! These are all rare finds!"

Just as Jiraiya was engrossed in reading and imagining the plot he would write next, he suddenly felt a weight on his left shoulder, as if something had fallen on him.

At the same time, a strange aura of chakra appeared silently beside him, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

"Who?!"

He slowly turned his head, glancing at his shoulder out of the corner of his eye.

It was a completely black crow, perched quietly, its head tilted, staring at him with a pair of eyes that glowed with an eerie red light.

"Those eyes...!" Jiraiya's pupils contracted, and he immediately recognized the uninvited guest.

Jiraiya was no stranger to Itachi's summoning crows, and upon seeing the bright red light in the crow's eyes, he instantly recognized it as Itachi's summoning beast!

Upon thinking of this, Jiraiya's previously lewd smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious and cautious demeanor.

The crow remained perched on his shoulder, its bright, red eyes fixed on Jiraiya.

They noticed the crow's strangely human-like gaze.

Jiraiya blushed slightly, then broke the silence with an awkward dry laugh: "Haha, I was just passing by! Just passing by!"

As he spoke, he casually moved his face away from the crack in the wall and quietly straightened his back.

Was it awkward? No, I just heard the playful noises coming from inside when I was passing by, and I couldn't help myself.