On the third day after Naruto returned to Konoha, the four mbers of Team Seven visited Hoshiyomi's ho together.
After so casual greetings, Sasuke and Naruto could hardly contain themselves and imdiately began their first spar in three years at Hoshiyomi's place.
As expected, the match ended in a draw.
Although the two were still evenly matched, the commotion caused by their battle was far greater than it had been three years ago.
At fifteen or sixteen years old, one's strength grows at a rapid pace—and that was especially true for monsters like Sasuke and Naruto.
Sasuke's current strength was not far off from the "Hebi Sasuke" of the original story. Although he lacked Orochimaru's Curse Mark and had not absorbed Orochimaru's consciousness, under the alternating guidance of two geniuses—Kakashi and Itachi—his progress was still remarkable.
His ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu had all improved dramatically, and his Sharingan had advanced to the three-tomoe stage.
Even more impressive was the fact that after learning Chidori from Kakashi, Sasuke had developed many advanced variations over the past three years.
Techniques like Chidori Stream and Chidori Sharp Spear were both highly practical, excelling in offense and defense. Coupled with the near–broken abilities of the three-tomoe Sharingan, Sasuke had now reached elite jōnin level, just a step away from Kage-level.
Naruto's strength was far greater than in the original tiline. Because there were no issues with his seal and his relationship with the Nine-Tails was not so antagonistic, Naruto had taken a completely different path.
In the original story, Naruto tried to strengthen himself while isolating the Nine-Tails' interference. In contrast, the current Naruto was much closer to a traditional jinchūriki.
Under the guidance of Hoshiyomi and Kushina, the Nine-Tails had beco far less hostile toward humans. When it had been sealed into Naruto, it had done so more out of willingness than resistance—otherwise it would never have agreed to let a fragnt of itself enter Kushina to sustain her life.
Thanks to the solid foundation Kushina laid, Naruto got along well with the Nine-Tails the first ti he entered his inner world. Influenced by Naruto, the Nine-Tails—though still tsundere—reluctantly agreed to lend him a portion of its chakra.
As for whether it would share more chakra in the future, that depended on Naruto's performance.
As a side note, although the Nine-Tails considered this only a "small amount" of chakra, it was more than enough for Naruto to enter a Four-Tails mode without any trouble.
Just recalling how Jiraiya once said that he had suffered two serious injuries in his life—one from peeping on Tsunade and failing, and the other from facing a berserk Four-Tails Naruto—was enough to show how terrifying Four-Tails Naruto truly was.
After witnessing Naruto and Sasuke's current strength, Hoshiyomi was extrely satisfied. He even felt that when it ca ti to deal with the Akatsuki, he might not need to take action himself.
With just Sasuke and Naruto, most ordinary Akatsuki mbers would likely be beaten half to death. Looking at it that way, the upcoming Fourth Shinobi War seed easy no matter how he thought about it.
...
Perhaps Hoshiyomi's words were jinxed.
Not long after he had finished evaluating Naruto and Sasuke's sparring match, Minato sent urgent news.
Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure—who had been in office for less than a year—had been attacked by mbers claiming to be from the Akatsuki. His fate was unknown, and he was currently missing.
Hearing this, no one present could continue sitting around at ho. After informing Tsunade, Hoshiyomi imdiately led the four mbers of Team Seven to the Hokage's office.
Inside the Hokage's office, Temari was leaning against Shikamaru's shoulder, quietly sobbing. Shikamaru wore a helpless expression as he shot pleading looks toward his father and Minato. On the side, Shikaku and Minato rely raised their eyebrows with mischievous smiles.
Just as Shikamaru was feeling restless and flustered, Hoshiyomi and the others arrived in ti.
Seeing the situation, Hoshiyomi and the rest unconsciously softened their movents. Unfortunately, Naruto—the resident airhead—blurted out loudly:
"Hey, aren't you the girl who was on the sa team as Gaara during the Chūnin Exams? Why are you with Shikamaru—"
Before he could finish, Hoshiyomi clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth, but it was already too late. Upon hearing Naruto's loud remark, Temari's face instantly turned bright red. Instinctively, she shoved Shikamaru beside her, sending him tumbling to the floor.
Shikamaru grimaced as he rubbed his shoulder and muttered under his breath:
"This is why won are such a pain… what kind of bad luck is this?"
On the other side, Shikaku shot Naruto a displeased look. Things had been going so well—Temari was practically about to beco his daughter-in-law—but now Naruto had gone and ruined it.
Naruto's outburst also helped Temari regain her composure. After calming herself, she wiped away her tears, stood up, and bowed to Hoshiyomi:
"Lord Hoshiyomi, regarding Gaara, I hope you can spare so effort to help. Gaara is not only my younger brother, but also the future hope of Sunagakure. If sothing truly happens to him, Sunagakure will have the will to support Konoha—but no longer the strength."
Her words were tactful yet firm, befitting a representative of Sunagakure. With just that statent, Hoshiyomi's opinion of her rose considerably. Temari was indeed the intelligent and resilient kunoichi he rembered from the original story.
Although Hoshiyomi had already decided to rescue Gaara, as one of Konoha's high-ranking leaders he still fixed his gaze on Temari and asked:
"Are you certain you want to ask —your father's killer—to help you rescue Gaara?"
The pointed question made Temari's body tremble slightly, and a trace of hesitation appeared in her eyes.
Rasa's death truly could not be separated from Hoshiyomi. In a sense, Hoshiyomi calling himself her father's killer was not incorrect.
Temari recalled everything she had seen and heard since childhood, replayed all that had happened during the Chūnin Exams, and finally glanced at Shikamaru, who was rubbing his shoulder with a listless expression. Her gaze gradually beca firm.
"I admit that within Sunagakure there have always been voices claiming that Konoha is our enemy.
"My father did indeed die in Konoha, but he did not die to Konoha's attack. Konoha gave my father a chance to leave, yet his pride made him abandon that opportunity. He used his life to defend the last shred of Sunagakure's dignity.
"For that, I will always respect my father. But no matter how I try to justify his actions, it cannot hide the fact that he ca to Konoha with the intention of destroying it.
"My father ca bearing hatred, yet Konoha gave him one last chance at the end of his road. That is a debt of gratitude Sunagakure owes to Konoha. That alone is enough to prevent from hating Konoha the way so of my compatriots do.
"The old grudges between Sunagakure and Konoha have already beco history with the formation of our alliance. Both Gaara and I acknowledge this, and I believe Lord Hoshiyomi you share this view as well.
"Since becoming Kazekage, Gaara has been tirelessly working to eliminate hatred and to build peaceful relations with Konoha. Thanks to his efforts, more and more shinobi of Sunagakure have truly let go of their hatred and are willing to develop alongside Konoha.
"So I do not see you, Lord Hoshiyomi, as my father's killer. And I am not coming here today to beg in humiliation. I am simply hoping that you can save a broad-minded Kazekage who is willing to let go of hatred."
User Comments
0 comments from readers