Ding, ding, ding—
It was time for school to end again.
Sasuke saw Naruto leave the classroom with Shikamaru and Choji. He hurriedly got up from his seat and followed after them, only to stop with a frown shortly after stepping out of the classroom.
After Naruto said goodbye to Shikamaru and Choji separately, Sasuke saw him join Hinata Hyuga. Before Sasuke could decide whether to keep following them, Naruto and Hinata had already left the school.
"What's with that guy?"
His mind was full of questions, and he desperately wanted Naruto to clear them up.
Of the three scrolls Naruto had given him yesterday, only the storage scroll remained. He had burned the other two as Naruto instructed. Though Sasuke had yet to fully master the ninjutsu on the scrolls, he had memorized them thoroughly.
Sasuke could not quite understand it. From their interactions over the past two days, Naruto did not seem like the type to hang around little girls.
Silently speechless, Sasuke walked out through the school gates. After glancing at Naruto's receding back, he turned and headed for the small woods.
In the small woods, Naruto's original body sat motionlessly atop a stone platform. Yet dozens of Shadow Clones stood around it, each holding something in their hands as though sensing it.
"Heh, Father, look how capable our Third Hokage is. Not only did he provide a reasonable explanation for the Uchiha Clan Downfall, he even found Genma as the culprit behind the massive explosion. He also took the three advisors and secretly rushed out of the village overnight to the capital of the Land of Fire."
"Look how badly he frightened the Daimyo. Last time, he failed to get construction funds for the village. This time, after only a few words, he got the