"Hey, Sasuke, doing D-rank missions in the village all the time is getting kind of boring."
Sasuke and Naruto lay on the grass beneath the setting sun, its orange-yellow afterglow spilling over their faces. Naruto turned his head and spoke to Sasuke.
Sasuke thought about Naruto's words for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I think it's fine."
Unlike Naruto, whose strength had already outgrown the beginner village, Sasuke had yet to reach what he considered strong enough to leave the village.
Although Sasuke usually acted proud and confident, he still had some awareness of his actual strength.
After all, he couldn't even beat Kakashi yet. How could he have the nerve to go gallivanting around outside?!
He would at least wait until he had the Mangekyō Sharingan before going out on missions.
Besides, Teacher Tobirama had recently gone back to his older brother, leaving only Teacher Izuna inside Sasuke's belly. That meant Sasuke had fewer people in his belly than Naruto did.
That was right. Sasuke had learned from Izuna and Tobirama that Naruto had the God of Shinobi World, Hashirama Senju, inside his belly.
Naruto was also a jinchūriki, with a fox inside his belly too.
And both his father and mother had left a spiritual mark inside his belly.
When Sasuke learned this, his expression crumpled, his heart was shaken, and he had no hope for the future.
But how could an Uchiha's heart be defeated by something like that?
So Sasuke planned to work hard in secret, and Teacher Tobirama's recent arrival had given him hope again.
Because, judging by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's attitude toward Hashirama Senju, Tobirama had to be a little stronger, right?
That was what he had asked Tobirama at the time. Tobirama fell silent for a moment before saying,