Can the village use your rabbits?

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Sasuke closed his book, grabbed his backpack, and stood up.

Naruto immediately darted out from the back row, blocking the aisle with a kunai gripped tightly in his hand.

"Sasuke! Let's go to the training ground this afternoon. I'm definitely going to settle this with you!"

Sakura walked over from the side and shoved Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto, stop causing trouble! Sasuke, I've already reserved Training Ground 7. Ino is coming too, let's practice together."

Sasuke ignored Naruto's shouting and walked straight past him toward the classroom door.

"As long as you don't bother me, I was going there anyway."

Training Ground 7 was located near the back of the village, surrounded by tall trees. The ground was packed Kitsuchi, and a few stone stools were scattered along the edges for resting.

Sasuke walked to the furthest stone stool, tossed his backpack on the ground, and sat cross-legged on top of it.

Naruto stood in the center of the field, hands on his hips, and shouted at Sasuke on the stool.

"Hey! Why are you sitting so far away? Get down here and fight me!"

Sakura and Ino stood not far from Naruto, kunai in hand, practicing their stances against a wooden post in the distance.

Hearing Naruto's shout, Sakura turned her head and frowned.

"Naruto, shut up! If you want to get stronger, practice your basics instead of always thinking about duels!"

Ino rubbed her wrist, which Sakura had pinched, and muttered, "Big Forehead, you must have taken the wrong medicine today. Why did you have to drag me here to suffer?"

"It's not like we're that close, right?"

Sasuke was focused on condensing his cursed energy and didn't open his eyes to look at them.

The conversion of cursed energy was now much smoother than when he had first summoned the Jade Dog.

"Black, White. Go play with them, just don't break any bones."

The two dogs crouching beneath the stone stool stood up simultaneously.

White Dog shook his fur, stepped forward, and stopped right in front of Naruto.

He sized Naruto up with his golden eyes, baring his sharp canines in a grin.

"Shorty, your stance is trash. Your knees are locked, and your weight is all on your heels. Are you planning to run away at any second?"

"Stupid dog! Who are you calling a runner!" Naruto's fur stood on end at the remark, and he charged forward with clenched fists.

White Dog pushed off the sandy ground, his body turning into a white blur as he lunged at Naruto.

Before Naruto could even throw a punch, White Dog ducked beneath his arm, his front paw slamming hard into Naruto's shin.

"Bang!"

Naruto lost his balance, pitched forward, and face-planted into the sand, getting a mouthful of dirt.

"Too slow!" White Dog stopped beside Naruto, placing a front paw on his back.

On the other side, Black Dog walked toward Sakura and Ino without a sound.

A low growl rumbled in his throat as he closed in step by step.

Ino backed away in fear, while Sakura gritted her teeth, pulled a kunai from the pouch on her thigh, and held it with both hands in front of her chest.

Black Dog suddenly accelerated. Just as Sakura prepared to brace for the impact, he slid to the left, slipping out of her line of sight and closing in on her blind spot.

Sakura turned in a panic, slashing her kunai wildly through the air.

Black Dog tracked the trajectory of the blade and leaped.

He clamped his jaws onto the metal guard of the kunai and jerked his neck back.

A massive pulling force traveled from the hilt to Sakura's wrist.

The skin on Sakura's fingers was instantly grazed, and the kunai flew from her hand, clattering onto the ground in the distance.

"Your grip on the kunai is too stiff," Sasuke said, still sitting on the stool with his eyes closed.

"If you face a strong pull, your wrist will dislocate."

Ino seized the chance to kick out at Black Dog's flank.

Black Dog released the kunai, pushed off his hind legs, and vaulted into the air, clearing Ino's leg entirely.

The moment he landed, he spun around and opened his jaws, his canines stopping just inches from Ino's calf. He didn't bite, but a low, warning growl vibrated in his throat.

Ino froze in place.

Naruto spat out the sand and pushed himself up with his hands.

The two dogs increased the frequency of their attacks.

White Dog darted around Naruto, using his speed to strike at his knees and elbows. Whenever Naruto hesitated, the dog would ruthlessly grab his clothes and flip him over.

Black Dog pressed forward relentlessly, using his body weight and paw strikes to crush the defenses of Sakura and Ino, forcing them to retreat and dodge constantly.

The training ground was filled only with the dull thuds of bodies hitting the dirt and the occasional pained cries from Naruto, Sakura, and Ino.

Escaping Rabbit vaulted over the stone wall, leaping through the shadows until it reached the stone pedestal where Sasuke sat.

It stood on its hind legs, resting its front paws on Sasuke's knees.

Sasuke placed one hand over the rabbit's head.

Fragmented sounds and images flooded into his mind, carried by the connection of his cursed energy.

"...The Anbu shift change in Sector B has been moved up by half an hour..."

"...Since the Uchiha district is sitting empty, I heard the village plans to..."

"...Lord Danzo flew into a rage at the underground base..."

"...Third Hokage said, let them be..."

The intelligence-gathering capability of Escaping Rabbit was far from perfect.

The clones were too fragile, and the audio they transmitted was highly disjointed.

Yet, these fragments were enough for him to piece together a complete logical web.

Hiruzen Sarutobi or Danzo would definitely come.

The sun gradually dipped below the horizon, casting a crimson glow over the sandy training ground.

"Bang!"

Naruto was tackled to the ground by White Dog for the umpteenth time.

Naruto lay sprawled in the sand, his chest heaving violently.

Sakura and Ino sat slumped against the stone wall, back-to-back, their hair soaked with sweat as they gasped for air.

White Dog walked over to Naruto's head and nudged his hair with a paw.

"Can't get up already? I've only just finished warming up."

Sasuke opened his eyes, ceased his refinement of cursed energy, and hopped down from the pedestal.

"Black, White. Stop."

The two dogs immediately ceased their movements, shook out their fur, and trotted back to Sasuke's side.

The sound of rustling footsteps echoed from the entrance of the training ground.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing his Hokage Cloak and holding a pipe, walked slowly into the training ground.

He first glanced at Naruto, then looked at Sakura and Ino leaning against the wall, and finally fixed his gaze on Sasuke and the black and white ninja hounds at his feet.

Naruto struggled to roll his eyes, catching sight of Hiruzen.

"Ho... Hokage-gramps..."

Hiruzen nodded at Naruto before stepping toward Sasuke.

Sasuke turned, meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze without a hint of surprise on his face.

"For the Hokage to make the trip himself, it seems you've reached an agreement with Danzo." Sasuke's voice rang out clearly across the empty training ground.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the pipe from his mouth and exhaled a plume of white smoke. The smoke drifted slowly through the dark orange light.

He looked at Sasuke, his eyes filled with appraisal.

"You child, you always speak with such an old soul."

"If I had the Anbu clear out those rabbits running everywhere, you wouldn't be hearing these fragmented words anyway."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took two steps forward.

"You are free to tinker with the ninjutsu you've developed, and the assets of the Uchiha clan have been handed over in full."

"Besides, I haven't used force to coerce you."

"This is the village's sincerity, Sasuke, and mine as well."

Sasuke looked at him and nodded.

"If you had used force, I couldn't guarantee whether Konoha would survive."

Hiruzen's brow furrowed for a fleeting moment.

"However, I can feel your sincerity, Hokage. Most of the time, the rabbits are just enjoying the scenery."

Hiruzen's brow relaxed, and he exhaled a slow puff of smoke.

"The scenery of Konoha is quite beautiful, Sasuke. You can take your time to look. As long as you remain in this village, this place is your home."

"Information only has value when it can circulate." Sasuke stared directly into Hiruzen's eyes.

"You let them be, if only to let me know that you've blocked the trouble coming from Danzo."

Hiruzen put the pipe back into his mouth, biting down on the stem.

"You are even more perceptive than I imagined. Since you understand my meaning, the conversation that follows will be much simpler."

"I'll get straight to the point: can the village make use of your rabbits?"