Isshiki and Urashiki

Beneath the Hokage Office Building, in the Anbu base.

Inside a training ground located in the deeper levels of the base, the space was wide and open. The walls and floor were cast from reinforced special alloy, sturdy enough to withstand ordinary jutsu bombardment at jonin level.

At that moment, the training ground was unusually quiet. Only the low hum of the ventilation system echoed through the emptiness.

Sasuke, dressed in a black, tight-fitting short-sleeved top and shorts, sat silently on a cold metal chair at the edge of the field.

The black outfit outlined the lean, powerful build of a boy his age, but now his back was slightly hunched, his hands hanging between his knees, his fingers unconsciously curling and loosening again.

His lowered bangs covered his eyes, also concealing the expression on his face.

Yamato, who had already removed his animal mask, stood in front of Sasuke with his arms crossed, silently watching the quiet boy.

Both of them were waiting for something.

Time passed second by second in the silence.

Yamato did not urge him, nor did he question him. He simply watched the boy before him with a somewhat grave expression.

After all, Sasuke had trained under him and Senior Kakashi for the past six years. He could be considered half his disciple, so naturally Yamato did not want Sasuke to defect from Konoha.

Before long, footsteps came from the entrance to the training ground.

The footsteps sounded very casual, even carrying a hint of dragging laziness.

"Good grief... So vacations and the like really are just wishful thinking..." Along with the footsteps, a drawn-out voice drifted in slowly, sounding as if it would never fully wake up.

Kakashi had both hands in his pants pockets, walking with lazy steps as he swayed into the