A cup of tea, steam curling upward.
They say that in life, the suffering one is meant to endure can never truly be avoided.
In Tsukuyomi Space, Kakashi was stabbed for another seventy-two hours.
Huh?
Why did I say "another"?—
The two customers in the Dango Shop were none other than Uchiha Itachi, the man Sasuke desperately wanted to kill, and Kisame Hoshigaki, his teammate from the organization he now belonged to, Akatsuki.
During Kakashi's battle alongside three other Jonin against the pair, they learned that the organization's target in Konoha this time was most likely the Nine-Tails' power within Naruto.
After receiving this information, Jiraiya kept Naruto close by at all times.
Come to think of it, ever since he had started spending every day with Naruto, he had not seen Second Pillar again.
The last time had probably been outside Ichiraku Ramen.
Before going in, he had clearly seen Sasuke approaching from the street corner, and Jiraiya had motioned for Sasuke to join him.
Yet after taking their seats, he realized Sasuke had not followed them inside, making Jiraiya wonder for a time whether he had imagined it.
"Hey! I haven't seen Sasuke lately. What have you kids been busy with?"
Under the shade of a tree, Naruto sat on the ground, panting heavily. Grass-stuffed dummies surrounded him, their targets struck by several shuriken and kunai, bearing witness to Naruto's diligent training.
When Jiraiya asked, Naruto merely stammered, unable to explain.
It seemed something had happened during that life-and-death battle.
Jiraiya thought to himself.
"Hey, Perverted Sage, if you're so amazing, why can't you use Chidori?"
Naruto quickly recovered from his gloom and began shouting at Jiraiya.
"Kakashi is so unfair! He actually taught Sasuke such an amazing Ninja Art!"
"Hahahaha! But I never taught Sasuke the Summoning