Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master

Page 138

Sasuke rubbed his temples and stood up.

He knew that worrying was pointless, so instead of anxiously waiting in his room, he decided to go to the training ground as planned, hoping that training might help distract him.

After quickly washing up and changing, Sasuke slung his ninja tool bag over his shoulder, pushed open the door, and hurried towards Training Ground No. 3, facing the cool morning air.

Inside the third training ground of Konoha, the rising sun cast dappled light through the dense foliage.

When Sasuke arrived, he could see two figures in the center of the training field from afar.

Naruto stood listlessly under the shade of a tree, his head drooping, a far cry from his usual energetic self.

Karin, standing nearby, gently comforted him, patting Naruto's shoulder and softly saying, "Don't worry too much, Naruto... The Fourth Hokage is so powerful, he'll definitely be alright."

Hearing footsteps, Naruto and Karin looked over together.

Sasuke strode forward and sized up the blond boy in front of him.

Naruto rarely showed such a somber expression; his deep blue eyes were dull and lifeless, filled with worry about what he had seen in his dream.

"Naruto," Sasuke called out as he approached.

Naruto forced himself to stay awake and replied, "Good morning, Sasuke."

His tone was weak and listless, as if he were not paying attention.

Sasuke and Naruto locked eyes, each with their own unspoken thoughts.

In that brief moment, the two seemed to see their own reflections in each other's eyes—they shared the same plight.

In their dreams, the people most important to each of them are in danger.

This weighed equally heavily on the hearts of the two boys.

Sasuke sighed softly, patted Naruto on the shoulder, and said in a rare gentle tone, "Don't worry, they'll be alright."

His tone was firm, as if he were comforting Naruto, but more like he was convincing himself.

Naruto paused, then looked up at Sasuke's slightly serious face.

After a long pause, he sniffed and forced a smile: "Hmm... I hope so."

……

Beyond the leaves, cicadas sing in the stream.

A clear stream meanders by, its surface reflecting the summer sun, with occasional duckweed swaying gently on the water.

On the rocks by the shore, Kisame Hoshigaki crouched down, filling his container with water.

The reflection of the water on his shark-like face made his row of fangs appear exceptionally white.

"Oh—how strange, Mr. Seven." Kisame said jokingly, "I never thought you'd volunteer for a mission one day."

The words had barely left his mouth when—

Several crows were startled from the dense forest behind him, flapping their wings and skimming across the stream, flying swiftly towards Konoha Village.

The shadows intertwined with the shimmering reflections cast on the water's surface.

Itachi emerged from the forest, his footsteps crunching on fallen leaves. The wind carried a faint scent of pine resin, ruffling the black hair that fell across his brow.

He glanced at Kisame indifferently, his voice calm and emotionless: "Finished packing? We can set off now."

Kisame pursed his lips and followed Itachi's gaze into the distance—

Not far away, the tall red gate of Konoha Village stood quietly in the midday sun, the character "fire" on the lintel seemingly distorted by the heat.

Kisame clicked his tongue and grinned, "So this is Konoha? You haven't been back in a long time, have you? Before we look for 'things,' how about we try some 'local specialties'?"

"No need."

Itachi slightly withdrew his gaze, his eyes deep and unfathomable like an ancient well.

He turned around, his long robe with black background and red clouds sliding down, the hem brushing against the grass with a sharp rustling sound.

"Let's go."

The two figures, one after the other, quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.

……

Konoha Village, Third Training Ground.

A Chunin from Konoha rushed to the edge of the training ground.

"Excuse me, are Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno all here?" the Chunin asked loudly.

Naruto immediately raised his hand upon hearing the voice: "We're here!"

The Chunin stepped forward quickly, bowed slightly, and said, "Kakashi-senpai asked me to pass on a message to Team 7. He received an important mission at the last minute and won't be able to come and guide your training today."

"Huh? Kakashi-sensei can't make it?" Naruto exclaimed upon hearing this, his previously low spirits turning into disappointment and resentment. "Damn it, I was really looking forward to training with Team 7, and now it's all ruined again!"

Sasuke frowned slightly upon hearing this. Although he didn't complain out loud like Naruto, a hint of helplessness and annoyance flashed in his eyes.

After the Chunin left.

Sakura glanced at her two distracted teammates and exchanged a worried look with Karin.

Sasuke and Naruto clearly weren't in the mood to train, and this stalemate couldn't go on.

"Um..." Sakura bit her lower lip and tentatively suggested, "How about we skip training today? Everyone's been training hard enough these past few days, so let's go get something good to eat and relax."

Naruto was stunned when he heard this.

"Great! Great!" Karin was the first to respond, excitedly raising her arm. "I've heard that Konoha has lots of delicious food! Naruto, didn't you say you'd take me to eat something delicious last time?"

The girl tried to liven up the atmosphere, and a smile returned to her face.

Naruto scratched his head: "Haha, that's true... Let's go treat ourselves today!"

He finally managed a slight smile.

The group left the training ground quickly and strolled leisurely toward the village's commercial street.

Along the way, Sakura deliberately walked at the front of the group, enthusiastically acting as the tour guide: "We're not going to Ichiraku Ramen today. When I'm in a bad mood, I prefer to eat something sweet."

She turned around and blinked her bright green eyes. "Sweets can make me happy instantly!"

"Sweet...desserts?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, revealing a hint of disdain. "I don't like sweets."

He has never been a big fan of sweets since he was a child.

Naruto muttered, "Yeah, Sakura, it's weird to eat sweets in the morning. How about ramen..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was silenced by a sharp glare from Sakura.

"it does not matter!"

Sakura snorted, then smiled and waved reassuringly at Sasuke, "The Konoha Dango Shop has tons of different flavors of dango, and they're not all sweet. Trust me, there's bound to be one you'll like!"

Seeing Sakura's insistence, Sasuke could only nod slightly, indicating that he would let her do as she pleased.

Naruto also shut up awkwardly and didn't say another word.

Karin rubbed her hands together excitedly: "A Konoha dango shop? That sounds delicious!"

And so, led by Sakura, the group arrived at a small shop with a red curtain hanging in front of it.

The shop is small, but it has a vintage feel, with a sign hanging high at the entrance that reads "Konoha Maruko-ya" in large characters.

It is said that this shop, like Ichiraku Ramen, is one of the top long-established restaurants in Konoha, and its dumplings are especially famous and loved by villagers and ninjas.

Every day, whether it's early morning or evening, an enticing sweet aroma always wafts from here.

Inside the Muye Maruko shop, the aroma of tea mingles with the sweet scent of the maruko, making one's mouth water.

As soon as they pushed open the shop door, Sakura eagerly grabbed Karin's hand: "Let's order! I know which kinds of dumplings are the best!"

The two girls walked happily toward the counter.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a glance, shrugged, and had no choice but to let them be.

The two casually sat down at a small table near the door, quietly waiting for Sakura and the others to buy the dumplings.

The interior is warm and simple, with wooden tables and chairs that gleam with the patina of time.

Since it wasn't lunchtime yet, the restaurant was quiet with few customers.

Naruto plopped down, looked around, and muttered to himself, "Speaking of which, Sakura's been acting all mysterious today. I wonder what she wants to order..."

He clearly had little interest in desserts.

Sasuke didn't reply, resting his elbows on the table and casually glancing at the other customers in the store.

Suddenly, two figures in the corner of the shop caught Sasuke's attention.

In that inconspicuous corner, two people sat.

Although they were both indoors, they were both wearing straw hats with white tassels hanging from the wide brims, completely obscuring their faces.

The two sat quietly against the wall.

Unless you look for them intentionally, you can hardly notice their presence.

Chapter 138 Kisame: One Against Seven's Little Brother?

Strange attire.

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat.

Why are these two wearing straw hats in broad daylight?

It was as if they were afraid others would see their faces.

Sasuke glanced at it casually, without giving it much thought.

After all, due to the Chunin Exams, many ninjas from other villages came to our village. Each village has different clothing customs, so it's not surprising that some of them wear strange clothes.

These two might be test takers from some other country.

Sasuke looked away, not paying much attention, while Naruto, sitting opposite him, was still idly tapping the table.

However, as soon as he looked away, Sasuke suddenly came back to his senses.