"No!"
"I choose the first option!"
After looking crestfallen for a moment, Naruto immediately chose the first option.
Sasuke frowned and said unhappily, "The quota won't change... So you mean we still have to complete the same number of these boring missions, even if we drag them out?"
"Correct, but there's no prize." Cangwu rubbed Sasuke's little head.
Naruto immediately wailed, "I don't wanna do this kind of thing!"
"This is a rule set by that old Third Hokage, isn't it?"
"I hate it!"
Suddenly, Naruto noticed Sakura was gone and asked in confusion:
"Teacher Cangwu... where's Sakura?"
"Did she already leave?"
Cangwu shook his head. "She completed her training first, so as a reward, I don't plan to make her do these pointless missions."
"By comparison, you two need to do them more."
"Why?!" they both demanded at once.
Cangwu tapped each of them on the forehead.
He smiled. "These missions may seem dull and tedious, but they're a kind of training for you two."
"How about this? We'll skip the choices."
"From now on, you'll train while doing missions."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, then looked at Cangwu, waiting for him to continue.
"I plan to have Team 7 take on all the low-ranking missions for the next few days."
"As for the money you earn... I won't give it to you."
"Ahhh! Nooo!" Naruto let out a strange cry.
Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't seem to care.
The Uchiha clan had left him plenty of money.
"If you want it, fine. We'll split it according to the usual arrangement between a Jonin Instructor and a small team... But after that, you'll have to pay for your meals, and don't expect any extra portions."
"Take it all, take it all! If it's not enough, I've got more here!" Naruto's expression changed in an instant, and he pulled out his bulging little frog wallet.
Even Sasuke instinctively reached for his pocket.
Cangwu shook his head with a smile. These two little ones were pretty cute.
"No need to rush."
"Let me tell you about your training plan for today."
"Mm-hmm!" Naruto quickly sat cross-legged on the ground, looking serious.
The Second Pillar kept his hands in his pockets, maintaining his cool image.
"Here's an example. Say your first mission is to find a cat. Whoever finds it first can spend the time afterward practicing walking on water."
"Whoever doesn't find it will have to complete the second mission alone."
"Hahaha, is that how it works? Then Sasuke's going to be doing missions forever!" Naruto laughed.
Sasuke gave him a sidelong look. "Idiot. You're the one who'll be doing missions forever."
"How could this happen?!" Naruto cried in shock, then protested, "Sasuke, you're not allowed to ask the ninja cats for help!"
Sasuke himself was a little surprised. He'd almost forgotten about that.
Granny Cat... It had been a while since he'd gone to see her.
"Hmph."
Sasuke merely snorted, ignoring Naruto.
"Damn it... Does that mean I'll keep losing?!"
Tap—
Cangwu tapped Naruto on the forehead.
"Don't be so impatient."
"You've got plenty of shadow clones to use."
Then he turned to Sasuke. "And you're too restless, too."
"If you two work together on this mission, you'll finish it much more easily and quickly."
"You can also practice walking on water while doing the mission."
"Your goal right now is to get your chakra under control."
The two little ones exchanged a glance, then reluctantly nodded.
"All right, no need to look so glum."
"Just treat this mission as training to cultivate your state of mind."
Cangwu smiled and rubbed both their heads.
"Sasuke, gaining power isn't something that happens overnight. You need to calm down. Seeing Sakura and Naruto improve these past two days has put a lot of pressure on you, hasn't it?"
Sasuke turned his head away. He neither admitted nor denied it.
Naruto listened quietly. He really enjoyed having Cangwu pat his head.
No one else treated him the way an elder would.
"Naruto, you're too impatient as well."
"Mm-hmm... I understand."
"All right, take a break here. I'll go get your missions."
After Cangwu left,
Sasuke and Naruto glared at each other, both annoyed.
"Teacher Cangwu just scolded you, you smug Sasuke."
"Don't hold me back on the missions later!"
Sasuke sneered. "A dead-last is a dead-last. Without shadow clones, you probably couldn't do half as well as me!"
"Aren't you an Uchiha? You can use shadow clones too!" Naruto's eyes darted about, and he immediately shot back.
That left Sasuke speechless.
He took a deep breath, folded his arms, and leaned against the tree trunk, no longer paying attention to Naruto's constant taunts.
Teacher Cangwu was right... I'm still too impatient.
At least this idiot is here... I can use him to train my state of mind.
I might as well get the missions done while I'm at it.
Naruto kept chattering away.
Sasuke glanced at him, then said coldly:
"Hey, dead-last."
"What do you want, you smug jerk?" Naruto shot him a glare.
"I'll be the first to master the new jutsu."
"I can handle the mission by myself."
Sasuke lifted his chin. "After all... work with you?"
"That'd just slow me down. I can finish it easily on my own."
"You can spend the time before I finish the mission practicing walking on water."
"A dead-last like you... hmph, you'll probably need quite a while, right?"
"Bullshit!!!" Naruto immediately got worked up.
"I should be the one doing the mission alone while you take the chance to train!"
"Deal." Sasuke gave him a sidelong glance.
Naruto: "..."
Why does my nose feel a little red?
"You... you..."
Naruto's shoulders shook with anger.
He pointed at Sasuke, wanting to tell him off, but couldn't think of anything to say.
When Cangwu returned with the missions, he saw Naruto angrily drawing circles on the ground, cursing Sasuke.
Sasuke, meanwhile, was sitting off to the side, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
"Come take a look. There are thirteen low-ranking missions in all."
"How about I give you a week?"
As soon as Cangwu finished speaking, Sasuke said coldly, "Just leave them all to me. I'll finish every one of them within three days!"
"I'll do it in two!" Naruto shouted without thinking.
As soon as he'd said it, he hurriedly covered his mouth and eyed Sasuke warily.
Looking at their expressions, Cangwu could more or less guess what had happened.
He smiled and left the mission list with them.
"You two can work it out yourselves."
With that, he walked over to Sakura, who had changed her clothes.
Sasuke and Naruto glared at each other.
In the end, Sasuke sneered and casually took a mission to find a cat.
Seeing that, Naruto was so angry his face twisted.
"Damn it!"
"Multi Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof, poof, poof—
The next moment,
clouds of white smoke appeared out of nowhere.
Naruto created over a hundred shadow clones.
"I won't lose to you!"
Cangwu glanced back.
"Looks like they won't need two days."
"Once they've finished their water-walking training too... what kind of reward will I get?"
Before you continue