Chapter 57: The Arrogant SasukeNaruto and the other two ran a great distance. A few minutes later, Itachi signaled for Shisui to let go, indicating that he was fine now. After a while longer, having confirmed that no one was following them, they finally stopped.During the journey, Itachi had already finished reviewing the information Shisui had passed to him. He sighed, "Is this the final outcome of our world? The enemies from beyond the heavens are so incredibly powerful. Can we, as Ninjas, truly prevent all of this from happening?"Shisui said, "Unfortunately, not only are the Five Great Nations still engaged in open and covert struggles, but even Konoha Village is surging with undercurrents and internal strife. In such a state, wanting to resist external enemies is nothing more than a pipe dream.""Of course it's impossible. What you saw is the scene of our failure, which is why we must start preparing early. I have known what my mission was since I was born, and that is why I have been constantly training and recruiting powerful Ninjas," Naruto added.In truth, Itachi already believed most of it, and he had also guessed Naruto's true purpose in seeking him out. However, he still asked, "Then how can you prove that all of this isn't just a lie you fabricated?"Naruto smiled and replied, "It is indeed impossible to prove, but you actually already have the answer in your heart, don't you? I can tell you even more incredible news: all of this was told to me by the Six Paths Sage, the founder of the Ninja Sect."However, Itachi did not pay much attention to this. He stared intently at Naruto and said, "If I choose not to believe you, will you use Kotoamatsukamion me as well?""Yes!" Naruto answered decisively.Hearing this, Shisui became somewhat worried. He said, "Itachi, Naruto is absolutely not lying. Even Lady Tsunade has chosen to believe him, and he has never used Kotoamatsukami on me either. You shouldn't...""Tell me what we should do next!" Before Shisuicould finish, Itachi interrupted him.Naruto smiled happily. All his hard work over these past few days had not been in vain; he had finally won Itachi over. Now, they just needed to formulate a perfect plan together.The three of them stood in this unknown place for a long time discussing, until the sky was already faintly brightening, before they finally devised a nearly perfect plan.When Itachi returned home, he found Sasukesitting at the door waiting for him, but he had already fallen asleep. He tiptoed forward, gently picked him up, and walked toward his room.When Itachi placed him on the bed, Sasukesuddenly woke up. Seeing his older brother, he hurriedly asked, "Brother, did you win?"A smile appeared on Itachi's face, and he said gently, "Your friend is truly impressive. Brother fought him for a long time and was almost defeated. Fortunately, in the end, I remembered Sasuke's entrustment to me. I couldn't let you lose face in front of your friend, so in the end, I won."Upon hearing this, Sasuke immediately jumped up from the bed happily. He wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck and said, "I knew Brother would definitely win! You are the most amazing person. How could that arrogant brat possibly be your opponent?"Itachi stroked Sasuke's head and said dotingly, "Alright, get to sleep early. I fought all night, and I need to go rest too."After hearing this, Sasuke immediately let go of Itachi's neck. Before he could speak, Itachiextended two fingers and pressed them against his forehead, saying, "I don't have any missions for the next little while, so I can accompany you for training every day. How does that sound?"After hearing his words, Sasuke was not only happy but also somewhat disbelieving. He had always been the one begging his brother to accompany him in training, and he would always refuse with the excuse of having missions. But today, his brother had actually proposed it himself—was he really not dreaming?Today, both brothers slept exceptionally soundly. Sasuke was happy because his brother would have plenty of time to accompany him, and Itachi had finally shed the burden on his shoulders and could get some proper rest.The next day, Sasuke appeared before Naruto with his nose in the air, stepping on Naruto's stool, and said arrogantly, "You brat, weren't you acting pretty wild? How about it? You got taught a harsh lesson last night, didn't you! Just based on you, wanting to beat my brother is simply a pipe dream! There are gaps even between geniuses. Young man, it's better to keep a low profile in the future!"Facing the ugly mug of Sasuke, Naruto couldn't beat him up in front of so many people, so he could only smile bitterly, turn his head away, and ignore him.Who knew that seeing him like this would make Sasuke even more smug? He continued, "Yo, yo, yo, know to keep quiet now? Don't even think about it—how could you possibly be an opponent for a genius of our powerful Uchiha Clan? Every move you make has nowhere to hide before the Sharingan. Sigh, I really feel sorry for you all."Although Naruto didn't say anything and continued to remain silent, Sasuke's words had obviously enraged the crowd. The first person to stand up was actually the shyest, Hinata. She stood up very excitedly and rebuked, "Sasuke, you've gone too far! Naruto isn't even saying anything anymore, what more do you want from him?""Exactly, it was your brother who defeated him, not you. Look at that smug, villainous look on your face," Shikamaru, who was usually lazy and hated trouble, also said."Yeah, yeah! Plus, your brother is so much older than Naruto. If they were the same age, it's not certain who would win!""Don't you dare insult my senior brother like that!""Daring to talk about my big brother like that, are you looking for death?""You looked exactly like Akamaru guarding his food just now."Facing the crowd's rebuke, not only did Sasuke not restrain himself, but his attitude became even more arrogant. He said, "Oh my, what's wrong with you all? Want to stand up for him? Or did I poke a sore spot? If you're not convinced, bring it on! Let's go outside and fight, shall we? I'll let you all witness the fury of the powerful Uchiha Clan. I'll be waiting for you outside. If you have the guts, come over. All of you come at me together; I, Sasuke, have nothing to fear."After speaking, Sasuke walked out first. These words were like poking a hornet's nest. Everyone here was a pampered character at home, so how could they endure such humiliation? They all stood up one after another and followed Sasuke out.Hinata, who was sitting next to Naruto, also wanted to go, but was grabbed by the hand. Naruto looked at her flushed face and, like a domineering CEO, said, "Girls should just stay here and watch the excitement; don't go out and mess around with them."
