"Sasuke, Sasuke, wake up."
A familiar voice. In his daze, Sasuke thought he saw Naruto's sunny, enthusiastic face. It had to be said, Naruto's aura was quite captivating, complementing his own cool and aloof personality.
If the two of them... Bah! Absolutely impossible!
"Sasuke, you can't die! I haven't defeated you yet, haven't earned your acknowledgment, you can't just die like this!"
Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his shirt and shook him violently. But Sasuke seemed to be on the verge of death, his eyes distant and unresponsive.
"Maybe we could try artificial respiration..." Sakura, standing nearby, subconsciously reminded Naruto.
Naruto froze for a moment. Without thinking too much, he leaned down and kissed Sasuke...
Their hot lips drew closer, and Naruto's scorching breath landed entirely on Sasuke's pale face. Just as it was about to happen...
"Damn it! Idiot Naruto, what are you trying to do to me!"
At the last second, Sasuke finally came to his senses and shoved Naruto, who was leaning over him with puckered lips, away.
How detestable! His saliva had dripped onto his face!
Sasuke disdainfully wiped his cheek, his eyes fierce as he demanded, "What are you trying to do to me!"
"Sasuke, you're not dead? Then why didn't you even make a sound? I thought you were ambushed and critically injured!"
Seeing that Sasuke was fine, Naruto's heart finally settled. He then crossed his arms defiantly. Anyone who saw Sasuke lying on the ground like a dead dog, covered in injuries, would naturally assume he was in trouble.
Sasuke was truly annoying.
"Idiot, I was resting. And... there was no ambush. I was having a sparring match with a senior from the clan."
Sasuke coldly turned his head away. He didn't want Naruto and the others to discover anything.
"Really?"
Naruto eyed Sasuke suspiciously. How could a sparring match leave someone looking like a beaten dog on the ground?
He wondered which senior from the Uchiha clan it was. He truly admired that person!
Naruto's heart filled with admiration for this senior. His goal was to beat Sasuke so badly he couldn't even crawl, and then do whatever he pleased!
Sasuke didn't want to dwell on this with Naruto. He changed the subject, "Where's Kakashi-sensei? Why are there only you two... the three of you returning."
Seeing the white-haired old man behind Naruto, Sasuke couldn't help but mutter, *What kind of weird ninja is this? He looks so lecherous.*
"Kakashi-sensei had something to attend to and sent us back first. Oh, right, this is the pervy hermit."
*Thwack!*
"I am the Toad Sage, kid, you better remember it!"
Naruto, clutching the large lump on his head, looked indignant. He was clearly a perverted old man, yet he pretended to be a sage!
"Here, this is Ichiraku Ramen for you. My favorite Chashu Pork Rib Ramen."
Sasuke took the ramen. To be honest, he was very hungry, but he said dismissively, "Tch, what a bother!"
Seeing Sasuke slink away to eat ramen, Naruto's joy grew even more. He loudly declared to Jiraiya, "Alright, let's start today's training!"
"As you wish!"
Jiraiya clenched his fists, their cracking sound echoing. The thought of beating Naruto had occurred to him years ago, and now was the time to realize it.
"Lion Combo!"
"Eh? Aaaaahhhh!"
Naruto's screams echoed across the training ground, lingering for a long time.
...
At the Eternal Organization's base, four figures suddenly appeared in the control center. Kakashi looked around, observing everything.
This wasn't his first time experiencing spatial teleportation, but it was his first time visiting the organization Lin Yu had created outside. Kakashi was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Would Obito be here?
"Don't think about it. Obito is somewhere else. I brought you here this time to make a choice."
Seeing that Lin Yu had seen through his thoughts, Kakashi's face flushed. Fortunately, he had his mask, so he wasn't embarrassed.
"A choice?"
Lin Yu chuckled, "You'll know when the time comes."
"And the two of you, sneaking into Konoha to give Sasuke special training, is that fair to the other competitors?"
Itachi remained expressionless as usual, unmoved. Shisui, however, scratched his head and said, "It was all my idea, it has nothing to do with Itachi, I..."
Seeing Shisui foolishly wanting to take all the blame, Itachi sighed internally and then said calmly, "Toneri went to Akatsuki."
Lin Yu pretended not to care, "What's wrong with Toneri going to Akatsuki? He's just traveling to the Land of Rain."
"Nagato received him."
"Ahem! Let's not talk about this topic, it has no substance!"
Lin Yu coughed, his face slightly red. In terms of applying gravity and repulsion, Nagato could teach Toneri a lot. That's why he had personally taken Toneri to Akatsuki a few days ago. He hadn't expected Itachi to know.
It must have been that big-mouthed Nagato who betrayed him!
Kakashi, standing to the side, was utterly confused. Toneri? Nagato? What were these people talking about!
He couldn't understand at all!
But soon, they arrived at Orochimaru's laboratory, or perhaps their experimental base.
"We're here. Pick one you like, Kakashi."
"Huh?"
As Kakashi was wondering what this meant, he heard a sinister laugh. His left hand instinctively went to his ninja tool pouch.
"Hehehe! Lin Yu-kun brought quite a few people today. Are we going to conduct some experiments?"
"Orochimaru!"
Seeing Orochimaru, Kakashi was on high alert. How could he not know about Konoha's rogue ninja? His mind immediately became a thousand times more vigilant.
"Don't be nervous, Kakashi. Orochimaru is currently a honored guest of Minato. Many of Konoha's technologies were invented by him."
Lin Yu smiled, "Although Orochimaru may still harbor the desire to betray us after gaining immense power, all of that is predicated on him being able to defeat me, or us, first."
Orochimaru chuckled. *Lin Yu-kun, is it really good to say that out loud?!*
"Hehe, Lin Yu-kun is joking. Exploring the truth of science is the path I should take."
Seeing the two expressionless faces in front of him with red eyes, Orochimaru quickly adjusted his stance. If he were to betray them, Orochimaru certainly had the thought, but as Lin Yu said, with the strength of the Eternal Organization and Akatsuki, the ninja world was vast, but there was no place for him, Orochimaru.
Besides, here, Orochimaru could research whatever he wanted. The resources were abundant. As for betrayal, he could wait a few hundred years until they were all dead!
Despite Lin Yu's assurances, Kakashi still didn't let his guard down against Orochimaru. It couldn't be helped; with Orochimaru's sinister and cold nature, anyone would be wary.
Jiraiya: *I won't be wary, and I'll even open the gates wide to welcome him!*
"Lin Yu-sensei, what did you mean by what you just said?" Kakashi asked.
Lin Yu explained, "Kakashi, your Chidori jutsu requires precise vision to unleash its full potential. Therefore, the Sharingan is the most suitable eye for you. Choose one."
Kakashi scratched his head and said, "So I've already passed down Chidori to Sasuke and eliminated it. Also, I've already invented another lightning jutsu that suits me, which I've named: Purple Lightning!"
"Uh..."
Lin Yu instinctively wanted to say, *Isn't this Boruto's plot? Have I not managed to kill it even after doing this much?*
Kakashi continued, "And I don't like replacing other people's eyes. My own pair is just fine."
"What about Obito's?"
"Uh..." Kakashi fell silent.
"I also don't agree with Kakashi getting a Sharingan," Orochimaru said, picking up a nutrient solution bottle containing a Sharingan. "For ninjas without Uchiha blood, if they implant a Sharingan, their chakra will be constantly consumed, putting a huge burden on them. Moreover, it takes a long time to adapt to the Sharingan through rigorous training, and success is not guaranteed."
"In terms of talent, I believe in Kakashi. As for chakra consumption, don't we have that?"
"Hashirama cells? That could solve the chakra consumption problem, but..."
Orochimaru continued, "The maximum we can achieve currently is cloning a three-tomoe Sharingan. Mangekyo seems to have a kind of barrier, and with our current technology, we have consistently failed. Therefore, I don't think implanting a three-tomoe Sharingan into Kakashi is worth it."
Lin Yu fell silent. This was something he hadn't anticipated. As for cloning a three-tomoe Sharingan to evolve into a Mangekyo, that was simply a pipe dream.
Listening to their conversation, Itachi seemed to be contemplating something. He gazed at a pair of Sharingan in a culture dish, lost in thought. They were clones of his Sharingan. If he gave them to Sasuke...
"Hey, Itachi, even your protection of your brother has its limits!" Lin Yu said speechlessly as he saw Itachi spacing out.
His thoughts exposed, Itachi's face flushed for the first time. He tugged at Shisui beside him and said, "Shisui said he wants to return to Konoha."
Shisui looked at Itachi, bewildered. *When did I say that!*
Lin Yu rolled his eyes. "You two go back yourselves!"