How Could Sasuke Steal the Ball-Rolling Technique Dad Taught Me?

By the bridge railing, Sakura was clinging to Sasuke with a lovestruck look on her face, chattering nonstop as if asking whether he had slept well last night or what he wanted to eat today.

Sasuke still wore that icy, indifferent expression. With both hands in his pockets, he stared into the distance without even sparing Sakura a glance.

Naruto: "..."

Damn it!

Again?!

Why was Sakura always hanging around that annoying Sasuke?!

I was obviously... I was obviously stronger than him!

And... I was about to learn an insanely powerful ninja technique!

A sour wave of jealousy surged through Naruto.

He curled his lip and snorted unhappily. Too lazy even to say hello, he went straight to the other end of the bridge, pulled a rubber ball from his clothes, took a deep breath, and began practicing the ball-rolling technique.

Naruto placed the ball on his left palm and pressed his right hand against it, trying hard to recall the teachings of his "father" from the dream.

He focused, held his breath, and drew upon the chakra within his body, attempting to make it spin rapidly in his palm.

"Hah!!"

Naruto bared his teeth and gave it everything he had.

Yet gathering and rotating chakra was far more difficult than he had imagined.

The chakra in his palm would sometimes gather a little, only to collapse apart in an instant. He could not form any effective rotational force at all.

The rubber ball in his hand was merely warped slightly by the chaotic chakra currents and wobbled twice. Forget bursting it—it was still nowhere close to the goal.

"Damn it! What's going on?! It didn't feel this hard in the dream!"

Naruto was sweating profusely from anxiety, but he did not dare relax in the slightest.

He did not give up. Gritting his teeth, he tried again and again without tiring.

Naturally, his strange behavior caught the attention of the other two.

Sakura had originally been pestering Sasuke, but Naruto's comical appearance—his face twisted as he battled wits with the air—quickly drew her attention.

Sasuke also turned his head slightly, glancing at the rubber ball constantly changing shape in Naruto's hand, as well as the faint yet undeniable chakra fluctuations in his palm. Deep in his dark eyes, a trace of barely perceptible interest flashed.

This guy... is actually practicing that technique from the dream? Sasuke thought.

Yesterday's dream had been absurd, but the blue ball the Fourth Hokage demonstrated at the end had been quite powerful. It had easily snapped a tree trunk that thick...

Recalling the final scene of the dream, Sasuke could not help growing curious about the technique Naruto was attempting.

If... this dead last really can learn that technique from a dream... then doesn't that mean...

A thought rose in Sasuke's heart.

To defeat that person, to take revenge, he had to become stronger at any cost!

He would not let any opportunity to increase his strength slip away.

With that thought, Sasuke stopped hesitating.

Without drawing attention to himself, he moved closer to Naruto, who was absorbed in messing with the ball. Pretending to glance carelessly at the ball in Naruto's hand, he asked in a tone as flat as possible, though it could not hide its stiffness:

"Hey, dead last, what are you... doing?"

Sasuke tried his hardest to look unconcerned, but his burning eyes had already exposed the curiosity and desire in his heart.

Naruto, who was putting all his effort into rolling the ball, was startled by Sasuke suddenly speaking to him. The chakra in his hand scattered completely at once.

He whipped his head around and found Sasuke staring strangely at the ball in his hand. Alarm bells immediately rang in his head.

What's gotten into Sasuke today? Why is he standing so close?! And why is he staring so hard at my ball? Could he... be trying to steal the technique?

The moment he considered that possibility, Naruto panicked.

This was the ultimate technique that "Dad" had personally taught him in the dream!

It was his secret weapon for defeating Sasuke, winning Sakura, and becoming Hokage someday.

How could he let that hateful Sasuke steal it?!

"Hmph!"

Naruto abruptly twisted around, immediately hiding his left hand holding the ball behind his back. At the same time, he turned his entire body away from Sasuke, striking a guarded pose that clearly said, "You don't get to look."

You want to steal the ultimate technique my dad taught me? No way! Not even through a crack in the window! Once I master it, I'll beat you flat on your face in front of Sakura! Then you'll know who's truly the strongest in Team 7!

Fuming, Naruto practiced even harder.

His face flushed red as he gathered chakra again and fiercely rolled the ball in his hand.

Sasuke: "..."

Watching Naruto act as though he were guarding against a thief, the veins at Sasuke's temple twitched several times.

Just then, Sakura came over as well.

She curiously looked at the thoroughly battered ball in Naruto's hand and asked with concern, "Oh, Naruto, are you practicing some new ninja technique? It looks like it takes a lot of effort."

The moment he heard Sakura's voice, the wariness on Naruto's face vanished, replaced by a smug grin.

He immediately turned around and held the ball up before Sakura like a treasure. Puffing out his chest, he proudly announced:

"Hehe! That's right! This is a super—duper—powerful ninja technique! Once I master it, you'll definitely see me in a whole new light!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes so hard in irritation that he nearly could not resist firing a Fireball Jutsu at each of the two idiots.

Still, Sakura's curiosity had indeed been piqued by Naruto.

She stared at the utterly ordinary rubber ball in his hand, blinked, and asked curiously, "Oh? Really? Then... what is this technique called? It sounds pretty amazing."

"The, the name?" Naruto froze at the question. Scratching his even messier blond hair, he tried hard to remember the name his "father" had seemingly mentioned in the dream yesterday... What was it again? It seemed... kind of long and hard to say...

After struggling for a long while, he finally... seemed to... grasp a vague impression.

Uncertainly, he answered, "Uh... I think... I think it was called... something like... Popsicle Something Two White-Haired Balls?"

Sakura: "..."

Sasuke: "..."

The two of them simultaneously looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Sakura held her forehead speechlessly and complained, "Naruto, you big idiot, what kind of ninja technique would have such a long and weird name? You really were just daydreaming, weren't you?"

Sasuke was also covered in black lines, completely giving up on the idea of getting any useful information out of this idiot.

I actually believed him just now... thought this dead last might have learned some powerful ninja technique from a dream... I really am an idiot, Sasuke grumbled inwardly.

"It really exists!"

Naruto felt incredibly wronged and stomped his feet anxiously.

"In yesterday's dream, my dad—ah, no, the person teaching me the ninja technique, that's what he called it. Although... uh, I might not remember it very clearly..."

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a glance. Both were too lazy to pay him any more attention, and instead began complaining in unison about why Kakashi had not arrived yet.

"Kakashi-sensei, honestly! He's late again!"

"Hmph. He's like this every time."