"Boss, I finally get to taste the Ninja World's delicacies!" Otsutsuki Jingze smacked his lips, his pale curls bobbing with the motion, his eyes practically overflowing with hunger.
Qingwu glanced at him and shook his head helplessly. "Don't worry, you can eat your fill. But hold off on satisfying your cravings. We still have business to attend to."
He turned toward the Konoha 12, who had straightened their backs again. His voice was steady as rock, yet carried a force that struck deep into their hearts. "Jingze may have put it bluntly, but he wasn't wrong."
"Your progress deserves praise, but the Ninja World runs far deeper than you imagine—there are already people your age who have reached Kage Level."
That last sentence was like a thunderbolt,
exploding in everyone's ears.
Naruto opened his mouth, his hand freezing midway through scratching his head;
Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan nearly slipping out of control. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Even Neji, the most composed of them, showed a flicker of shock.
The others were even more shaken.
"I don't care about any Kage Level!" Naruto thrust his chin out, veins standing out on his clenched fists. "I'll never admit defeat! Someday, I'll make everyone acknowledge me, and I'll get strong enough to protect everyone around me!"
Sasuke snorted, but his eyes shone fiercely, as though flames burned within them. "Only someone that strong deserves to be my stepping stone."
He silently tightened his fingers, his knuckles whitening. Jingze's speed, so fast it seemed to tear through the air, replayed in his mind over and over—that was the wall he had to overcome.
Neji stepped forward and bowed solemnly to Qingwu and Jingze. "Thank you both for opening my eyes. I once believed I was