On the parched desert, the sky was adorned with a magnificent sunset, along with countless shimmering, distorted air currents.
At the border of the Land of Rivers, filled with drought and desolation, the wind and sand seemed capable of blowing for eternity.
On the silent sand dunes, three figures stepped onto the smooth sandy surface, intruding upon this wasteland.
"Let's rest a bit!"
Sakura led the two to a wind-sheltered hollow on a sand dune to set up camp and take a short break.
Having traveled for an entire day from the Land of Fire to the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, Naruto and Sasuke had both reached their limits. Naturally, they agreed when Sakura suggested a rest.
"Hah, I'm exhausted. How do Gaara and the others live in this environment every day?"
Setting down a half-emptied water pouch, Naruto wiped the corner of his mouth and let out a long, comfortable sigh.
"Are you on good terms with Sunagakure's Jinchuriki?"
Sasuke, currently polishing his blade with oil, glanced at Naruto in surprise.
"Yeah, I ran into them on a mission outside during my training."
Naruto stroked his chin, recalling. "We stayed close by, so we got familiar back and forth. And also..."
"They complained to you about me, right?"
Sakura rummaged through the luggage for food, finishing the sentence Naruto left unsaid.
The boy guiltily averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head.
Seeing his expression, Sasuke snorted coldly. "Idiot, even though we're allies, don't forget we're ultimately not from the same village!"
"Shut up, I... I know that, of course!" Naruto's face flushed, looking about to start arguing with Sasuke again.
Quick-handed, Sakura stuffed a ration bar directly into his mouth, stopping his antics.
"Speaking of which, remember what I told you two during the Chunin Exams?"
Sakura pulled out a storage scroll from inside her Jonin flak jacket, slowly unrolling it before the two.
It was a storage scroll she had logged into her system inventory using points long ago. It only had two slots, and the storage space wasn't large.
However, this very storage scroll had saved Sakura a considerable amount of achievement points in subsequent adventures.
[Tch!]
"You mean... the treasure?!"
Recalling the frustration after losing to Orochimaru back then, Sasuke leaned in close to the storage scroll, looking at the two large characters written in the center of the sealing formula.
"Fruit... is it something to eat?"
Naruto also flipped over, lying prone in front of the scroll.
"The secret treasure of the sea… the Devil Fruits. Fruits that grant their eaters incredible abilities."
While explaining to the two, Sakura undid the storage scroll's seal.
Immediately, two fruits with peculiar swirling patterns appeared on the scroll. One was a deep purple apple, the other a multicolored, spiraled pineapple.
"Now then, don't be shy, pick one!"
Sakura grinned mischievously, leaning back against the sand dune, gesturing for them to go ahead.
"Then I won't be polite... Ouch, what are you doing, Sasuke?!"
Naruto was about to casually reach for a Devil Fruit when a karate chop from Sasuke behind him landed on his head.
"We don't know what abilities these things will give us."
Sasuke gave him a disdainful look, picking up both fruits and placing them before Sakura. "Do you want to gamble yourself, or ask the person across from us who clearly knows the abilities but is watching us make fools of ourselves?!"
"Oh, right!" Naruto, clutching his head, sat up cross-legged. "Sakura must know their abilities! Tell me, quick!"
"You're hopeless!"
Sasuke helplessly covered his forehead at the boy's carefree attitude, sighing softly.
However, his gaze never left Sakura, awaiting her answer just like Naruto.
"First, I have a question for you two. Do you want to extend your existing abilities, or make up for your shortcomings?" Under the two boys' expectant gazes, Sakura, with her arms crossed, raised a finger.
"Extend my abilities!" "Make up for my shortcomings!"
Just as Sakura expected, Naruto and Sasuke gave completely different answers.
Hearing each other's answers, the two looked at each other speechlessly, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
'Seriously?'
"Hahahaha!"
The two's comical expressions made Sakura burst out laughing.
"Why?" Chewing his ration, Naruto poked Sasuke. "Shouldn't this thing be like Haki, choosing an area you're good at to extend?"
"Haki relies on training, but a power that makes up for shortcomings can be obtained without effort." Sasuke sheathed his sword, shaking his head. "The time and effort required for these two are different."
Naruto thought for a moment, then turned to Sakura. "Then let's go with what Sasuke said. He needs this power to make up for his deficiency anyway!"
"No regrets?" Sakura stared intently at Naruto's face.
"Of course not! You're my comrades!" Naruto, with determined eyes, raised a fist, giving a thumbs-up.
"Such a reassuring answer!"
Sakura smiled at Naruto, picking up the purple-swirled apple and placing it before Sasuke. "Artificial Zoan Type - Mythical Beast Model: Azure Dragon Form. Eating it will grant you the power to transform into a dragon, enhancing close combat, strength, and stamina. It also grants you the power to command storms, breathe fire, and manipulate lightning. It greatly compensates for your weak Yang Release Nature. The only catch might be that the color might not suit your taste."
"Lightning and fire? Feels like a good match for the Uchiha." Sasuke cradled the fruit in his hands. "But what do you mean by 'color might not suit your taste'?"
"Well... Cough." Sakura coughed awkwardly. "Eating this will turn you into a Pink Dragon, not an Azure Dragon."
"Pfft, hahahaha." Naruto clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he rolled on the ground. "So it's pink? Good thing it's not me eating it!"
"Tch, what's so funny!" A blush spread across Sasuke's face. "What about him? What's Naruto's fruit?"
Sakura also placed the multicolored fruit before Naruto. "Based on my cross-referencing with the encyclopedia, this is the Logia Type - Kurin Kurin no Mi. The eater gains the ability to transform their body into an element. Attacks without Haki cannot harm the user. Additionally, the ability to manipulate phosphorus allows the creation of highly toxic white phosphorus. White phosphorus has a low ignition point, which can complement your Wind Release, making up for your lack of area-of-effect techniques." (T/N: Phospor-Phospor Fruit.)
"That sounds really strong!" Naruto's eyes sparkled as he held the fruit.
"Tch, no other side effects?"
Sasuke curled his lip. "We roughly understand the situation. Are there any other precautions?"
Hearing this, Sakura, who had been getting drowsy from the explanation, suddenly perked up.
The girl grabbed both boys' hands. "Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun!"
"Wah, what's with the sudden formality?"
Startled by Sakura's abrupt change, Naruto shrunk his neck.
"There's one important precaution you must absolutely remember!"
Sakura's drawn-out tone made both boys swallow hard simultaneously. "You must eat the entire Devil Fruit in one go to ensure you gain the complete ability!"
"Alright, I got it!"
Sasuke nodded at Sakura. Together with Naruto, they each picked up their respective Devil Fruits and took a bite.
Crunch!
"Blergh~" x2
Two sounds of retching echoed repeatedly within the sand dune hollow, becoming the only seasoning for the long night.