pertwk Chapter 326 Sass: Damn, how can Naluto be so handsome?
Chapter 326 Sass: Damn, how can Naluto be so handsome?
Chapter 326 Sass: Damn, how can Naluto be so handsome?
On the border of the Land of Fire, the forest stretches endlessly.
After a quick preparation, the seventh squad set off again. This time, as they sped through the dense forest, the person leading the way had changed.
Sasuke took the lead, his figure darting through the forest like an arrow. The gust of wind generated by his high-speed movement lifted his short black hair back, his angular jaw tightened, and his gaze sharp as a knife, staring straight ahead.
Compared to Sasuke's sharp and imposing aura, Naruto, in the middle of the group, moved with much more ease.
Naruto appeared relaxed and calm, easily keeping up with Sasuke's pace while still having the energy to survey his surroundings, wary of potential dangers, and silently observing Sasuke's back in front of him.
As for Sakura, who was at the back of the group, she looked rather disheveled at this moment.
She gritted her teeth and tried her best not to fall behind, desperately trying to keep up with her two companions, but she was still slightly behind by half a step.
As she chased after him, she wondered what was wrong with Sasuke today; he was much faster than yesterday.
Naruto keenly sensed the state of the two.
Sasuke continued to drive forward at high speed without saying a word, full of energy, as if he was holding back a lot of anger.
Sakura, behind him, was breathing heavily, but she gritted her teeth and refused to complain.
"Sasuke seems to be holding back a lot of energy. Could it be that he's trying to outrun me?"
Sakura, who had been hurrying along, caught up and asked in confusion, "Huh? Naruto, what did you say?"
Naruto turned around upon hearing this and saw Sakura looking at him breathlessly. He smiled gently and waved his hand, saying, "Ah, it's nothing."
He quickly looked her up and down. Sakura was indeed panting from running, but she was still clear-headed and determined. She was clearly not at the point of exhaustion.
Seeing this, Naruto felt a sense of relief.
He turned around and looked ahead without making a sound, only to see Sasuke still sprinting at high speed, without even turning his head.
Naruto smiled knowingly, his eyes crinkling with amusement, which further confirmed his judgment.
Sasuke suddenly took the lead today and sped up so fast, he was probably competing with himself.
However, although Sasuke had a fierce edge, he controlled his speed with great precision.
It was noticeably faster than yesterday, yet it was still perfectly controlled within a range that Sakura could barely keep up with, without actually leaving her behind.
This shows that even though Sasuke was determined to compete, he subconsciously considered the limits of his teammates and did not recklessly push himself.
She really is cold on the outside but meticulous on the inside.
Naruto chuckled to himself and couldn't help but shake his head.
Looking at Sasuke's back, which never turned around, a meaningful light flashed in his eyes.
[Ding! Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
in the audience.
Naruto kept a close eye on every move of the dream Naruto on the screen.
Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but frown, looking puzzled.
He couldn't help but turn to look at Kakashi and Jiraiya beside him and asked in a low voice, "Um—Kakashi-sama..."
"Master, you perverted sage, don't you guys think that the way I treated Sasuke in my dream was a little strange?"
Although the words were somewhat vague, the doubts within them were clear.
Although Naruto is slow to react in some ways, he has an unusually keen intuition about Sasuke's and "himself's" performance.
Having gone through so much entanglement, he paid close attention to every detail of Sasuke.
The series of reactions I just had in my dream were indeed somewhat unusual.
Upon hearing Naruto's question, Kakashi and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, both of their eyes flashing with shock and seriousness.
[Ding! Jiraiya's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +300!]
[Ding! Kakashi Hatake's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
Of course they discovered it.
As elite ninjas with astonishing insight, their ability to detect details and anomalies far surpasses that of ordinary people.
It begins with Naruto squinting as he scrutinizes Sasuke's back.
Naruto's behavior in the dream already showed signs of abnormality.
After a moment of silence, Jiraiya, unusually, put away his nonchalant demeanor and muttered in a low voice, "Something's not right—something really is wrong."
He rubbed his chin, his brows furrowed.
"The characters in the dream have never shown any signs of being able to recognize outsiders, but this Naruto in the dream—is behaving too abnormally."
Kakashi also narrowed his one eye slightly.
"Even if the captain was changed in the dream before, it could still be explained by Naruto's personality in the dream."
But what he just said—almost explicitly—was a clear indication that he had already realized that the Sasuke in front of him was different from usual.
"They might even have recognized that this Sasuke wasn't the original one, but an intruder from the outside world." Jiraiya picked up the conversation, nodding heavily. At this point, he and Kakashi exchanged a glance, both seeing undisguised surprise in each other's eyes.
It should be noted that after the previous appearances of these characters, neither Itachi Uchiha nor Nawaki caused any abnormalities, and the dream characters never retained any memories from reality.
In the darkness of the audience seats.
"What's going on? This has never happened before!"
Shi Yu pondered this in her heart, quickly analyzing the situation, and soon guessed the reason.
The biggest difference between this dream Naruto and other dream characters is...
That means he experienced the chaotic instance from the last time.
It's unclear whether the issue is caused by the chaotic instance or by simultaneous logins.
Meanwhile, in the dream sequence, the three continued their rapid movement.
After an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a clearing at the end of the dense forest.
The three of them suddenly leaped out of the forest, only to find a narrow river valley stretching out before them.
The valley is flanked by steep, towering cliffs covered with lush shrubs.
Deep in the valley, a turbulent river rushes through, its rushing water echoing through the enclosed canyon.
The entire valley forms a natural barrier, easy to defend and difficult to attack, with extremely treacherous terrain.
Such typical terrain makes it a textbook ambush location.
As an outstanding graduate of the Ninja Academy, Sasuke naturally wouldn't rashly rush in to his death.
His gaze sharpened, and he immediately stopped, standing steadily outside the valley entrance. He cautiously surveyed the valley entrance and the mountain walls on both sides, his chakra subtly circulating within him, and his muscles tensing slightly, clearly as he pondered a strategy.
As Sasuke suddenly stopped, Naruto and Sakura also stopped immediately.
"Phew—Finally, it's stopped—" Sakura breathed a long sigh of relief and immediately plopped down on a relatively flat rock by the river.
She rested her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.
The high-speed run left her legs weak and her strength almost completely depleted. Her pink hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to the sides of her forehead, and her flushed face was hot and flushed from the exercise. She didn't even bother to wipe the sweat rolling down her forehead.
Taking a breather, Sakura could no longer suppress her doubts and grievances, and couldn't help but mutter softly, "What's wrong with Sasuke-kun today? He's going way too fast—I'm so tired—"
Although she complained, her tone was one of exhaustion and confusion.
Sasuke seemed to snap out of his daze when he heard the complaints behind him.
He turned his head and glanced at Sakura.
Sakura was slumped on a rock, panting heavily, looking exhausted and quite disheveled.
Sasuke frowned slightly, his eyes lingering for a moment on her sweat-dampened face, a hint of disgust and impatience flashing deep within them.
In his view, Sakura was clearly slowing down the team's progress.
If he hadn't been concerned about her, he could have run even faster, and wouldn't have lost to Naruto in the speed contest.
Thinking of this, Sasuke's displeasure deepened.
However, he ultimately said nothing, only gave a cold snort, and then looked away.
However, just as Sasuke turned his head, his peripheral vision inadvertently swept over Naruto, who was standing not far behind him.
Upon seeing this, Sasuke's pupils suddenly contracted, and his already pent-up frustration instantly intensified.
The blond-haired boy stood calmly in place, breathing steadily and slowly, his face not flushed and his breath not out, as if the frantic sprint he had just made was no different from taking a walk!
Sasuke's face immediately darkened.
Damn it, if it weren't for Sakura, I could definitely run even faster!
They can definitely outrun Naruto in both speed and endurance!
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
After a brief silence, Sasuke broke it first.
"We need to investigate the valley ahead first," he said in a stern voice, his expression tense, his tone colder and harsher than when he was traveling.
Sasuke pointed to the treacherous canyon ahead and succinctly explained why he had stopped: "The terrain is too dangerous; we can't go in rashly."
The implication was clear: the area needed to be scouted to avoid falling into an ambush.
"Investigation? Okay, okay, go quickly!" Upon hearing the word "investigation," Sakura weakly raised her hand as if granted a pardon, and replied breathlessly.
"I'll leave this reconnaissance mission to you guys. I—I need to get some rest!"
She forced a smile and added weakly.
After saying that, she leaned against the rock behind her, half-closing her eyes.
"Okay." Sasuke nodded, tacitly agreeing to Sakura's suggestion to rest for the time being.
Then, he took a deep breath, raised his eyelids, and his gaze was once again firmly fixed on Naruto not far away. His eyes became burning, and he looked like he was determined not to admit defeat.
"Naruto, how about we each investigate one side?"
As Sasuke spoke, he pointed to the high cliffs on both sides of the valley ahead, his intention all too clear.
The two split up, each responsible for scouting one side of the area, to see who could complete the task faster and more accurately and identify potential hazards.
On the surface, this was a reasonable tactical arrangement, but more importantly, it was a direct challenge he launched against Naruto, a contest of ninja abilities.
Naruto calmly met Sasuke's slightly provocative gaze, but his expression remained nonchalant.
"Oh?" He merely raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly, seemingly unsurprised by Sasuke's provocative suggestion, as if he had anticipated it.
Sakura, who was sitting on a rock nearby, panting, was not yet fully aware of the undercurrent of confrontation between the two.
She simply looked up at her two companions, puzzled, wondering why there seemed to be a hint of tension between Sasuke and Naruto all of a sudden.
But seeing that Naruto still had his usual gentle and confident smile on his face, while Sasuke was full of fighting spirit, Sakura didn't dare to interrupt and could only remain silent for the time being.
Seeing Naruto's relaxed and nonchalant expression, Sasuke's own anxiety to prove himself was only fueled.
Then, Sasuke coldly said, "I'll check the left side, you check the right side."
Before he finished speaking, a flash of red light appeared in his eyes, a blood-red glow that flickered deep within his pupils—a sign that his Sharingan had been activated.
In Sasuke's view, with the powerful perception of the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, it would be no difficult task to quickly and thoroughly investigate the situation on both sides of this valley; it would be a piece of cake.
Even if Naruto is strong in taijutsu and endurance, how could he possibly compare to himself with the Sharingan when it comes to reconnaissance projects that require observation and analytical judgment?
Victory seemed to be within reach.
However, just as Sasuke was full of fighting spirit and ready to fight, Naruto suddenly laughed again and said casually, "Isn't it unnecessary to go through all that trouble?"
His tone was calm, his face still bearing a warm smile, and his words even carried an enigmatic teasing tone.
"Besides," Naruto turned slightly to the side, glancing at Sakura who was panting and drenched in sweat, his eyes revealing genuine concern, "I'm not comfortable leaving Sakura here to rest alone. If something happens, it would be dangerous for the two of us to act separately."
"? Naruto————" Sakura was taken aback at first, then realized that Naruto was thinking of her, and her heart warmed.
Her face flushed slightly, and she waved her hand a little shyly, saying, "It's okay! You guys go ahead and investigate, I'll keep watch on the surroundings!"
While saying that, Sakura was actually relieved to be able to rest for a little longer.
If we could avoid setting off immediately and continue our frantic run, that would be ideal.
Hearing Naruto's almost impeccable answer, and seeing Sakura's satisfied expression as she was well taken care of, Sasuke's brows furrowed deeply.
Naruto's words seemed reasonable at first glance, fully demonstrating a captain's concern for his teammates, but Sasuke just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off!
In particular, Sasuke inexplicably detected a hint of sarcasm and mockery in Naruto's unhurried and gentle tone, as if the other party was deliberately using consideration as an excuse to casually deny his suggestion.
"No!" Sasuke insisted again, his face cold, his voice suddenly rising. "Without careful reconnaissance, we absolutely cannot proceed in this terrain!"
His attitude was firm; no matter what, he didn't want to be stopped by Naruto's words.
However, Naruto did not argue further upon hearing this, but simply smiled and said, "So, I'll do it."
Sasuke was taken aback: "—What?"
Naruto's smile faded slightly, and his expression became calm and serious.
"I can handle the rest of the investigation myself."
Sasuke stared straight at Naruto, who was actually planning to—
Before his slightly bewildered eyes, Naruto slowly closed his eyes.
He raised his hands and quickly formed a mudra in front of his chest.
In an instant, an invisible wave of chakra surged outwards from Naruto, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake causing ripples, or like a sonic boom that suddenly exploded and spread rapidly in all directions!
The chakra ripples swept across the entire valley in the blink of an eye, enveloping the cliffs on both sides and the river at the bottom of the valley.
Sasuke's pupils suddenly contracted, and his whole body involuntarily tensed up.
The moment that chakra wave silently swept past him, he suddenly had a strange feeling.
It felt as if I had been completely seen through, inside and out!
Although the sensation was fleeting and the chakra did not probe his body deeply, it still sent a chill down Sasuke's spine.
"This, this is—!" Sasuke was shocked.
He immediately recalled a memory from not long ago.
That's right!
He had witnessed Naruto using this ability firsthand during the Chunin Exams in that dream!
It is a sensory ninjutsu with an extremely wide coverage and extremely high detection accuracy, capable of locking onto the location and number of enemies from a great distance.
This move had shocked Sasuke at the time and left a very deep impression on him.
Now, experiencing this powerful sensory fluctuation once again, Sasuke couldn't help but recall his earlier thoughts, feeling both ashamed and annoyed.
Just now, I actually wanted to use my Sharingan to search the valley inch by inch. Compared with this advanced sensory ninjutsu that can instantly cover the entire area and see everything, it's like the difference between a firefly and the bright moon!
A strong sense of defeat immediately swept over Sasuke, and the fighting spirit that had just been ignited was instantly extinguished by the icy water poured over him.
Sasuke's face turned pale, and a complex mix of shock, anger, and resentment surged within him.
It's happening again! I've been outdone by this guy again!
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +200!]
A few seconds later, Naruto slowly opened his eyes.
His azure eyes remained clear and calm, as if he had just done something insignificant.
Naruto looked around the valley to make sure there was nothing amiss before turning his gaze back to Sasuke, whose face was pale.
He smiled slightly, his expression as gentle as the warm sunshine of early spring.
"Relax, Sasuke," Naruto said casually. Then, he pointed to the cliffs on either side and the depths of the valley. "I've already scouted the area; it's safe. There are no ambushes, and I haven't detected any unusual chakra activity."
He paused for a moment, then suggested gently, "So we can relax here and rest for a bit, without being nervous."
After saying this, Naruto stopped looking at Sasuke's complicated and unfathomable expression, and turned to walk straight towards Sakura, who was still sitting on the rock.
He took a water bottle from his ninja tool pouch at his waist, skillfully unscrewed the cap, and then naturally handed it to Sakura, smiling as he said, "Have some water, Sakura. You must be tired from traveling."
Sakura was stunned for a moment, then thanked him repeatedly, took the water bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Seeing that she was drinking too quickly, Naruto couldn't help but smile and remind her to slow down, while he screwed the bottle cap back on.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, who was still standing there with a gloomy expression and no words.
Naruto, with a conciliatory smile, said to Sasuke, "Well, let's rest here for a while and let Sakura recover her strength. We don't need to rush the rest of the journey."
At this moment, Naruto was gentle and considerate, commanding with composure, calmly reassuring his teammates, appearing every bit the reliable captain who cared about his teammates.
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