Second Pillar, Don't Speak Too Soon

"Yo, morning, everyone." Kakashi strolled over at an unhurried pace.

The three kids were instantly stunned by his voice!

Had the sun risen in the west?

Kakashi-sensei had actually arrived at the meeting spot so early!

In truth, Kakashi had made an unprecedented early start because he was worried about Sasuke.

The moment he reached the training ground and saw Sasuke was there too, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Kakashi stepped forward and carefully examined Sasuke's expression.

Seeing that he was merely a little tired and otherwise fine, the worry in his heart finally eased.

"I'm fine." Sasuke turned his head away and answered dully.

Kakashi nodded at that, then said to the three of them, "All right, now that everyone's here, let's start carrying out our missions."

The entire morning, Team 7 ran all over the place.

They bought daily necessities for elderly people living alone and watched pets for wealthy merchants...

In short, they were all mind-numbingly boring chores.

Naruto had long been fed up with such dull D-rank missions, but today, he was unusually quiet. He did not yell and demand that Kakashi give them a more challenging mission as he usually did.

Because his mind was occupied with only one thing.

How to complete the final stage of Rasengan training as quickly as possible.

Sasuke was equally distracted.

He had forced himself to stay awake last night. Now, his mind was nearing its limit, and his body was exhausted.

Even so, he stubbornly held on without showing any sign of fatigue.

Around noon.

After completing several requests, Team 7 finally got to rest for a while.

Delighted, Kakashi brought the three students to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Yo, why are all four of you here together today?"

Behind the counter, Uncle Ichiraku greeted Kakashi and the others with a smile as they took their seats.

Yet Naruto did not cheer as he normally would.

He plopped down, crossed his arms, puffed out his cheeks, and sulked.

Kakashi and Sakura exchanged helpless smiles. They both knew he was sulking over his bet with Sasuke.

Sasuke, on the other hand, did not care. He sat down right beside Naruto without ceremony and expressionlessly ordered a bowl of soy sauce ramen.

"Boss, I'll have miso ramen with double pork!" Naruto immediately shouted, unwilling to be outdone.

The ramen was served before long.

The four quietly ate, each lost in their own thoughts.

After wolfing down ten bowls of ramen, Naruto only grew angrier the more he thought about it. Sasuke had been acting like he'd taken the wrong medicine today.

He had kept a sour face the entire time, and every word he said had been dripping with sarcasm.

Naruto said unhappily, "Sasuke, once I learn that ninjutsu, I'll definitely defeat you. Just wait."

Sasuke sneered. "Idiot. Obsessing over that kind of thing will never make you stronger than me."

Sakura covered her face helplessly. "Here they go again, these two."

Kakashi was equally speechless. "Since you're all full, let's get back to work."

Shigure emerged from the back kitchen and watched the group leave with a chuckle.

"Second Pillar, don't speak too soon."

After that, as usual, Team 7 continued doing miscellaneous chores.

They stayed busy until the sun set, finally completing all the missions assigned for the day.

"Whew—finally, it's over!"

Naruto stretched. After a whole day of hard labor, he could not wait to go home and sleep.

Kakashi looked at the three kids, drenched in sweat, and nodded in satisfaction. "Everyone worked hard. That's it for today. Dismissed!"

The instant he finished speaking, Naruto eagerly turned and ran off, waving as he went. "See you, Kakashi-sensei! Bye, Sakura! Sasuke, wait for me to beat you!"

Watching Naruto's hurried retreat, Sakura could not help but smile. "What's gotten into him? Why is he suddenly so motivated?"

"Hmph." Sasuke snorted and stared at the direction Naruto had disappeared in with a complicated look, saying nothing.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke. "Are you going back to the clan tonight?"

Sasuke nodded. "Of course."

"How about you skip training tonight and get some proper sleep..." Kakashi suggested cautiously.

He was truly worried that Sasuke's body would not be able to take it if he kept staying up.

"No need!" Sasuke refused without hesitation, his expression unusually resolute.

With that, he did not wait for Kakashi's response before turning and striding off in another direction.

Night fell.

Uchiha Clan Ruins.

The desolate, ruined streets were shrouded in darkness.

Between the crumbling walls, only starlight filtered through the broken tiles and rubble, casting faint specks of light.

Sasuke stood alone before the ruins of his family home, silent.

At his feet lay seven or eight empty cans. They had once been filled with high-concentration energy drinks he had specifically bought that afternoon.

Unfortunately, even after drinking them, waves of drowsiness still washed over him, and his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

"Damn it..."

Sasuke fiercely pinched his thigh to keep himself awake.

He raised his head and looked toward a towering rock wall in the middle of the courtyard.

The wall was covered in scorch marks and scratches from his early training. It had been the place where he practiced ninjutsu with that man during his childhood.

But now, everything had changed. He was the only one left here.

At the thought of that name that had brought him endless nightmares, intense hatred surged through Sasuke's chest.

He gritted his teeth and suddenly charged toward the rock wall. His feet planted against the rough stone surface as he began climbing rapidly upward, looking as though he wanted to train a Demon Back.

"Ha... ha..."

After who knew how long, Sasuke panted like a bull before his arms finally gave out, and he fell from the rock wall.

"Hiss—"

He landed on the ground in a miserable heap, cold sweat seeping from his forehead. He had clearly taken a hard fall.

His entire body ached as if it had fallen apart, and his limbs trembled slightly.

Sasuke braced himself and struggled to stand, but his vision suddenly went black. An overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed down on him like the sea.

"Damn it... no..."

He shook his head, trying to dispel the fog clouding his mind.

But his body had reached its limit and no longer obeyed him.

After forcing himself through an entire night and then working all day, Sasuke ultimately could not resist the assault of sleepiness, and his consciousness sank into slumber.

Elsewhere, in Naruto's home in Konoha Village, the scene was entirely different.

After taking a bath, Naruto lay on his bed feeling refreshed. He casually pulled the blanket over himself, his face full of barely concealed excitement.

He stared at the ceiling and silently encouraged himself.

Tonight, as long as I master the third stage of the Rasengan in my dream, I'll have completely mastered this technique! Then I'll make that bastard Sasuke see me in a whole new light!

Thinking of that triumphant moment, Naruto could not help laughing excitedly.

He turned over, hugged his pillow tightly, and urged himself to fall asleep faster.

Before long, drowsiness overtook him, and Naruto felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

He closed his eyes peacefully and let his consciousness gradually blur...

After an unknown amount of time, Naruto vaguely heard someone calling him.

"Naruto?"

Who was that?

Mom?

Naruto groggily opened his eyes and unconsciously muttered, "Mom?"

But what he saw was not the warm bedroom from his dream.

Instead, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place.

Everything around him was dim. The air was cold and silent, as if he were inside some enormous enclosed space.

Not far ahead stood what appeared to be a massive screen, completely blank.

Behind him seemed to be row upon row of seats stretching into the darkness.

Where... was this?!

Naruto immediately snapped awake and sprang up from the ground, warily scanning his surroundings.

His heart shot into his throat.

Why had the setting of tonight's dream suddenly changed?

Shouldn't I have appeared on my bed at home? How did I end up in this creepy theater?