Beneath the deep night sky, a figure wreathed in dazzling arcs of lightning darted and weaved across the training ground beside the Uchiha Compound, producing bursts of sharp whistling through the air.
There was no doubt that the one still training diligently in the silent night was none other than Sasuke, who had lost to Naruto earlier that day.
Swish, swish, swish...
At that moment, Sasuke, spinning through the air, unleashed a volley of Shuriken. Then, with a fierce tug of both hands, he used Steel Wire to alter the trajectories of the flying Shuriken, hitting several targets hidden behind wooden posts and rocks with perfect accuracy.
After landing, Sasuke panted heavily, with not the slightest trace of joy on his face despite hitting the targets.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, he clutched his eyes in pain.
Ever since the battle against the Akatsuki a week ago, whenever he used his Sharingan, he felt a faint stabbing pain in his eyes. After today's fight with Naruto, he discovered that the pain was growing increasingly severe.
Moreover, he found that his eyesight, which had improved slightly, was beginning to worsen again, becoming blurry and producing double images.
The further decline in his vision left Sasuke both irritated and terrified. He could not help recalling his spar with Naruto earlier that day. Thinking of how he had once again been defeated before everyone's eyes, he was overcome with shame and fury.
Bang...
Sasuke slammed a fist heavily into a nearby tree, his expression twisted. "Damn it! Even after using the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, I still lost to Naruto!"
Just then, steady footsteps sounded from not far away. Sasuke's expression tightened, and he turned to look. The one walking toward the training ground was none other than his older brother, Itachi. He hurriedly suppressed