"Kakashi-sensei, why all of a sudden—"
Sakura was mid-sentence when she looked up and saw who was sitting inside. Her words stopped instantly.
Yagyū Souma.
At this point, he was practically a living legend in Konoha. Since the First and Second Hokage, no one had carried so many titles and auras at once. A peerless genius, a walking miracle of ninjutsu creation.
She'd heard he had gone traveling recently—yet here he was again.
So that's why Kakashi-sensei suddenly invited everyone to dinner…
Understanding dawned on her.
She entered the room and saw Souma chatting casually with Tenten and Kazusa. Kakashi sat off to the side, quietly holding a book.
Sakura glanced at the cover and couldn't help being surprised.
Advanced Analysis of Sealing Techniques?
"Very good."
Souma spoke seriously.
Who would've thought it would actually come in handy.
"Mm."
Sakura's defensive ninjutsu.
Chakra Armor.
"Let's eat first," Souma said calmly.
Before anyone could make trouble, Konoha had already patched every possible hole. Between Jiraiya's maneuvering and the fact that Cloud Village had zero concrete evidence, the Eight-Tails incident simply couldn't be leveraged.
Thinking of Jiraiya's handiwork, Souma almost laughed.
Hardening Technique.
"Oh, you're back?" Sakura asked. "Handling things?"
"Yes," Souma replied lightly. "Some matters. And I thought we should get together. Talk a bit."
"Are you heading out again?" she asked.
"I will," he said with a smile. "This time I'm staying for a while. What exactly I'm doing—give it some time. You'll know soon enough."
He stood and looked at Sasuke.
"If I'm going to teach you anything," Souma continued, "I need to see how far you've come. Let's go. I hope your month in ANBU wasn't wasted."
A sharp clang rang out—
Sasuke's blade was struck by an invisible force and nearly knocked from his grip.
On the surface, everything seemed peaceful. In reality, Konoha was stockpiling ninja at an alarming rate.
The difference this time was that the scroll Souma handed out leaned toward genjutsu resistance combined with defense. It even mentioned an experimental chakra mode.
One scroll went to Kazusa.
Souma narrowed his eyes slightly.
He glanced at Tenten and chuckled. "I thought you'd ask why the scroll was blank first. Guess he's what you're really curious about."
"What do you mean by that?" Kazusa asked.
Raido looked confused, not understanding why Souma suddenly said this.
Tenten laughed awkwardly. "I was just… curious."
She hesitated for a long moment, then pushed the scroll back.
"No. I shouldn't take it. Like you said—if I really have value, I can ask the Third Hokage myself."
Souma was slightly surprised.
He nodded. "Fair enough."
Sasuke, meanwhile, stayed silent.
One day… I'll kill Itachi myself.
After a while, Souma spoke again.
"Your progress isn't bad," he said to Sasuke. "That's why I'm willing to teach you more. But if you ever stop pushing yourself, I won't give you anything."
Very practical.
Kakashi closed his book with a sigh. "I do read ninjutsu books occasionally, you know. You don't have to look so shocked."
Souma smiled but didn't comment.
In the forest, Sasuke attacked.
Souma moved at the instant Sasuke initiated his strike, catching his wrist cleanly.
"You've learned to use what the enemy knows about you to set traps," Souma said calmly.
"But you also need to be prepared for unknown variables."
Sasuke's jutsu wasn't a complete Chidori Stream yet, but it already had its framework. If Souma hadn't sensed the chakra flow beforehand, he might've been hit.
After the exchange, Souma smiled.
"To deal with Itachi, you must be able to identify and resist genjutsu. You've studied my improved genjutsu-resistance method, right?"
Sasuke nodded.
Souma took out several scrolls.
One went to Sakura.
"This is yours."
She opened it—and froze.
It was a continuation blueprint for Sakura's Chakra Armor, including future expansion concepts. It required further completion by the user.
Sakura's breath caught.
This was exactly what she needed.
Another scroll went to Tenten.
She opened it without hesitation.
Inside was a conceptual framework for Earth-Release Chakra Armor.
Her eyes lit up.
Souma smiled. "Don't underestimate the value of a weaponsmith."
The old Tenten hadn't specialized in forging. Now, she was walking a completely different path—one whose value kept rising.
Another scroll went to Kazusa.
She read it and looked up in surprise.
Medical ninjutsu insights. Chakra control techniques.
Individually, each piece didn't seem shocking—but together, they were priceless.
Sasuke finally couldn't hold back.
"What about me?"
Souma handed him a scroll.
"Yours."
Sasuke opened it and went silent.
It was a composite system: genjutsu resistance, defense, and chakra mode integration.
If mastered, his strength would rise another level. He still couldn't face Itachi—but he'd be closer.
"Thank you," Sasuke said, bowing deeply.
Souma waved it off. "Don't thank me. I'm giving you tools. What you build with them is up to you."
He looked around the table.
"Listen. We're all still young. But time waits for no one. Do not become complacent."
Wars could erupt at any moment.
Cloud Village. Mist. Even Rain Village was unstable.
Once the tide came, those who stagnated would be swept away without resistance.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
"I won't," he said firmly.
"Good."
Souma stood.
After dinner, on a quiet street, Sasuke followed behind him.
"Senior… will you be leaving again?"
"Yes."
Sasuke took a deep breath. "Then—what was that earlier? 'Don't be satisfied with the status quo.' Is that about him?"
Souma didn't answer directly.
"Literal meaning," he said instead. "Keep moving forward."
Sasuke's heart tightened.
He understood.
As Souma walked away, Sasuke remained standing under the dim lantern light, clutching the scroll in his hand.
I won't stop.
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