The Rivalry of the Third Wheel Naruto

"Lightning Style: Lightning Snake..."

Under the gaze of Sasuke's Sharingan, Kakashi slowly completed his Hand Seals and let out a low shout.

In an instant, a flash of blue lightning manifested in Kakashi's right hand...

Through his Sharingan, Sasuke clearly saw the reality beneath the lightning.

A coiled lightning snake had formed into a ball, with electric arcs flashing in the center of his palm...

"This is the first method of attack..."

Kakashi shook the ball of lightning to explain, then suddenly opened his palm.

With a crackle of interwoven electric light, the coiled lightning snake burst forth and lunged toward Sasuke...

Subconsciously, Sasuke erupted Chakra beneath his feet to retreat several meters, finally landing ten meters away.

The lightning snake extended eight meters before slamming into the ground, blasting out a long, charred line...

"That's basically it!

The intensity and length of the Lightning Snake will change according to the user's Chakra.

But the essence remains exactly the same...

Now it's your turn, Sasuke."

Kakashi's serious expression shifted instantly, returning to his usual lazy, unmotivated look.

He turned around, ready to leave...

"Damn it, Teacher Kakashi is actually giving Sasuke private training in secret.

That's too much..."

Just then, Naruto suddenly ran out and shouted angrily.

His pair of azure pupils even welled up with tears of grievance, nearly spilling over...

"I'm sorry, Teacher Kakashi.

I tried to stop Naruto from coming over, but I couldn't hold him back!"

Sakura stood to the side, waving her hands in apology, though her eyes were fixed on Sasuke, filled with stars.

As expected of the man she had her eyes on, he was already learning a new Ninjutsu!

Still, she felt a bit unwilling...

"Well, I've been found out..."

Kakashi scratched his head with a sheepish smile, showing no guilt, then shifted his gaze to Naruto and Sakura.

"You two don't need to think I'm favoring Sasuke.

Sakura, your Chakra is too low, so you aren't suited for practicing Ninjutsu right now.

Naruto, have you finished your Tree Climbing training?

Let's talk about learning Ninjutsu once you've finished that..."

Kakashi casually made up an excuse to brush them off, then vanished with a swoosh of a Body Flicker.

"Ah? He ran away again...

Damn it, I'm going to start training with everything I've got.

I'll learn Tree Climbing quickly and make Teacher Kakashi teach me new Ninjutsu...

I will definitely catch up to you, Sasuke!!"

Naruto scratched his head and shouted, shot a fierce look at Sasuke, and charged toward a nearby tree.

"Hot-blooded idiot..."

Sasuke shrugged, too exhausted to retort, and slowly began his Hand Seals to practice.

Naruto learning Ninjutsu??

What a joke; he was the type to rely on a single ball-shaped technique all the way to the end...

"So cool, Sasuke..."

As faint electric arcs flashed across Sasuke's palm, Sakura cupped her face in her hands, instantly smitten...

Time flew by until evening.

Whether it was Naruto or Sasuke, both were exhausted by this point...

The two had been training with all their might all day, and Sakura had been responsible for their lunch.

However, neither Tree Climbing nor the Lightning Style had been mastered...

"So this is where you guys are training!"

"Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto..."

Just as the three of them were preparing to head home to rest, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the woods.

Sasuke turned his head to look and saw Kiba Inuzuka running over quickly with Akamaru...

Behind him were Hinata and Shino, who also belonged to Team 8.

Following closely behind the three of them was the Ino-Shika-Cho trio of Team 10...

"Kiba, how did you end up here, you brat?"

Naruto, having also spotted the group, immediately perked up and demanded an answer.

"Didn't Sasuke tell you? He invited us to get together for a class reunion... Could it be that you weren't on the guest list, Naruto? Well, that's understandable. After all, you're just a useless Dead Last..."

Kiba spoke with an arrogant and smug expression, every word dripping with mockery.

He wasn't the least bit afraid of Naruto!

"Damn it, what are you spouting off about... Who's a useless Dead Last? Do you want to fight?"

Hearing this, Naruto instantly bristled, rolling up his sleeves and glaring fiercely at Kiba.

"Don't, please don't... Everyone is a comrade, Kiba, Naruto-kun..."

Seeing this, Hinata hurriedly spoke up. Her shy yet brave, contradictory demeanor left Sasuke speechless on the spot.

Hinata really was too shy...

Could a personality like that ever be capable of proactively making a suggestion?

Maybe he should go find the genius Neji instead?

"You idiot Naruto, what are you doing... Everyone is here to eat together today, don't you dare start anything!"

Ino stepped forward, blocking the space between the two of them, before turning her head to look at Sasuke with her eyes curved into crescents.

"Sasuke-kun, didn't you say last night during our date that you wanted to hold a class reunion? I've already invited Hinata and the others, so where are we going to eat? Should we go to the Hot Pot Restaurant near my Flower Shop?"

[A get-together? A date!!]

Before Sasuke could answer, Sakura, standing to the side, clenched her fists tightly, a fierce glint in her eyes.

She had been careless, far too careless...

She had naively thought that becoming a team with Sasuke meant she could rest easy, and she had let her guard down.

That girl Ino had actually gone on a secret date with Sasuke-kun at night!

And the worst part was that Sasuke-kun had agreed to it!!

How could she possibly accept something like this...

"Ahaha... Ino, you don't need to worry about that! Sasuke-kun and I already discussed the class reunion, and it's going to be at the Yoshinoya Self-Service BBQ Restaurant..."

Her mind racing, Sakura immediately grabbed Sasuke's arm to assert her dominance.

She absolutely could not let Ino get the upper hand...

"Is that so, Sasuke-kun..."

A flicker of shock also passed through Ino's eyes, but she forced a smile as she asked.

Inside, however, alarm bells were ringing...

That girl Sakura really had made leaps and bounds in her relationship with Sasuke after becoming his teammate.

"Damn it... Sasuke, what exactly is the meaning of this? You discussed it with Sakura and didn't even tell me. Didn't you already acknowledge my existence... Why, why didn't you invite me!!"

Just as Sasuke was shocked by Sakura adding her own script to the situation, Naruto suddenly roared and shouted, his emotions running high.

This caused everyone present to cast their gazes toward Sasuke.

Sasuke had actually acknowledged the Dead Last, Naruto!

Yet, at this moment, it felt as if ten thousand Tailed Beasts were stampeding through Sasuke's mind.

Why did that guy Naruto have to stir up trouble, making it seem as if he had abandoned him!

Coupled with the open and secret rivalry between Sakura and Ino, Sasuke couldn't help but have the illusion of three women fighting over a husband.

Pah, pah, pah...

What three women fighting over a husband? I am very straight!!

Sasuke quickly cast aside that strange train of thought and cleared his throat to adjust his mindset.

"Idiot, you were buried in your training earlier, so how would you have had the time... I already said it was a class reunion, aren't you a classmate?"

Sasuke said with a look of disgust, causing Naruto's expression to instantly shift from overcast to sunny as he became incredibly excited!

"Let's go, everyone... The destination is the Yoshinoya Self-Service BBQ Restaurant..."

Sighing inwardly, Sasuke turned his head and took a deep look at the anxious Sakura.

Only then did he look up and call out.

"Okay, Sasuke-kun..."

Hearing these words, Sakura's heart, which had been hanging in the balance, finally settled as she hugged Sasuke's arm tightly and said sweetly.

Sasuke-kun was indeed still on her side after all...

Ino, you're going to lose!

"Don't hold onto Sasuke-kun so tightly, Sakura..."

Seeing this, Ino flew into a rage, stepping up to pull Sakura away from Sasuke.

Her pair of azure pupils erupted with infinite fighting spirit, and she refused to give an inch!

Naturally, Sakura was not to be outdone, confidently engaging in the contest to get closer to Sasuke...

"Sigh, I knew it would be like this! What a drag..."

Shikamaru watched the two of them, clutched his forehead, and sighed before stepping forward to stand on Sasuke's right side.

"Sasuke..."

Naruto rolled his eyes, immediately ran to Sasuke's left side, and became the final hope to block Sakura and Ino.

Looking at the right-hand and left-hand men by his side, Sasuke felt a sense of profound meaning for a moment...