"You idiot! What are you doing! Let go of me!"
Sasuke Uchiha roar exploded on the riverbank, shattering the previously tense atmosphere like a stone breaking through.
He tried to shake off the hand gripping his wrist—that small hand belonging to Naruto Uzumaki, now covered in sand and sweat, yet unusually strong.
Just seconds ago, this green-skinned, seemingly stupid loser, after being "frozen" by his gaze, not only didn't know better than to get away, but instead rushed over and grabbed his wrist before he could even fully react!
Sasuke's first reaction was to break free. With his Uchiha Clan skills (although there were only two Uchiha Clan left), getting rid of a loser's grip should have been a piece of cake.
He flicked his wrist, using a clever technique, while simultaneously pulling his body back—a breakout skill he had practiced countless times.
However, the expected situation of the other party releasing their grip out of pain did not occur.
The hand gripping his wrist remained motionless, like an iron clamp.
No, it wasn't just that he didn't move; the force emanating from the other's palm, heavy and warm from training, actually pulled him forward a step!
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat, and shock instantly overwhelmed his anger.
He suddenly looked up at Naruto, who was standing right in front of him.
The blond boy's face was still covered in sand, and his blue eyes, devoid of their usual mischievous cunning, held only a blank, excited intensity... his gaze was practically blazing with fire.
What the heck? This guy's strength... when did he get so big?!
Sasuke refused to believe it, lowered his center of gravity, used even more strength, and even mobilized his Chakra to struggle fiercely once again!
They still couldn't break free.
Naruto's hand seemed welded to Sasuke's wrist, and because of his resistance, it gripped even tighter, making Sasuke feel a slight pain in his bones.
Naruto himself didn't seem to realize how much force he used; he just didn't want this guy, who always had a gloomy face and now looked even worse, to continue sitting there like a discarded stone.
Teacher Kai said, "Youth is meant to be shared! Sweat is meant to be shared!" Hmm, although Sasuke doesn't seem to be sweating at all, and he's wearing black clothes, which looks kind of stuffy.
"You... you let go!"
Sasuke's voice trembled slightly with shock, anger, and a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment.
The mighty Sasuke Uchiha was actually caught by the loser Naruto with one hand and couldn't break free? This is simply...
"Come with me!" Naruto completely ignored his struggles and growls, single-mindedly thinking, "Just bring him over to watch Guy train with me."
With a powerful thrust of his waist and abdomen, he let out a muffled groan and actually managed to drag Sasuke, who was struggling with all his might, staggering towards the three green figures on the riverbank!
Sasuke was both shocked and furious, his feet carving two shallow tracks in the sand. He simply couldn't believe that he had been suppressed in a pure contest of strength by this stupid idiot he had always looked down upon.
Although the opponent had both hands and had the advantage of being attacked suddenly, this brute force... was definitely not something the Naruto used to possess!
In this absurd tug-of-war, Naruto Sasuke drag Sasuke to the middle of the riverbank, and then to the other three "green shadows".
"Teacher Kai! Shira! Li! Look! I've pulled him over here!"
Naruto released his grip, panting heavily, a smug smile on his face as if he had "completed a difficult task," even though he was exhausted.
Sasuke finally regained his freedom, a clear red mark remaining on his wrist. He staggered before regaining his balance, and instead of rubbing his wrist, he abruptly raised his head, glaring at the culprits who had caused his predicament with offended anger and icy killing intent.
Then, his expression froze completely.
The impact of a distant glimpse is completely different from facing the "four green monsters" up close and without any obstruction.
Directly in front of me stood Might Guy, excessively tall and dressed entirely in green that seemed to penetrate to the very core of his being.
He crossed his arms, and beneath his thick, dark eyebrows, his eyes, which were always full of smiles, were now looking at him with undisguised, keen interest, his white teeth seemingly gleaming in the setting sun.
He simply stood there, radiating a presence like a blazing campfire—intense, surging, even a little blinding.
On the left was a very composed-looking guy. He stood firmly with a calm gaze, lacking both the outward heat of Guy and the foolish recklessness of Naruto. He simply looked at himself quietly, his eyes seemingly holding a hint of observation.
Sasuke vaguely sensed a melancholy quality in him, similar to his own, stemming from some past experiences, but this was neutralized by his ridiculous green clothes and composed demeanor, creating a somewhat contradictory impression.
To his right was another dark-haired boy, about the same age as himself, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who was looking at him with surprisingly bright eyes full of curiosity.
He was also dressed in green, his sweat-soaked clothes clinging to his body, outlining his remarkably muscular physique.
And then there's that blond loser next to him, still panting and looking like he's done something amazing...
Four green people. Four.
Different shades of green, but all green with a sense of righteousness and unbridled vigor.
They stood there, radiating the heat and smell of sweat from just finishing intense training, and an indescribable, vibrant, almost silly energy.
The scene was so impactful that Sasuke's anger and murderous intent were momentarily overshadowed by a stronger sense of absurdity and a feeling of powerlessness—"Why am I facing all this?"—leaving him with only a stiff expression and a slightly twitching mouth.
He wanted to say something, to call Naruto an idiot, to call these people weird, and to tell them to get lost. But the words stuck in his throat, and under the scorching gazes of the four (mainly Kaina) figures, he found himself unable to utter a sound.
This feeling of being forcibly dragged into another "dimensional" made him very uncomfortable.
Just then, Might Guy moved.
He lowered his arms, stepped forward, and stood directly in front of Sasuke, so close that Sasuke could clearly see the dark stains of sweat on his green bodysuit and smell the scent of sunshine and dust emanating from him.
Kai still had a smile on his face, but there was something more to that smile.
Then, Sasuke felt the surrounding air seem to "hum" and undergo a subtle change.
It wasn't a burst of Chakra, nor was it a precursor to any Ninjutsu.
Rather, it's something more direct and domineering—aura.
The tall man in green before Sasuke's eyes hadn't changed his posture or released Ninjutsu, but in that instant, Sasuke seemed to see a human-shaped, blazing blue flame!
The flames weren't real, yet they possessed a scorching heat and an unparalleled sensation, violently assaulting his senses!
That was the aura of a top-tier Taijutsu master, naturally emanating from countless life-or-death trials, honing their physical body to its limits, and tempering their will into steel—a powerful, confident, fiery, and surging life force!
Unlike the chilling and eerie oppression brought by the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, it declares directly, passionately, and without any concealment: I am strong! Every muscle in my body, every breath I take, is burning! This is the proof of my existence!
Sasuke's breath hitched.
What was he seeking? Power. Power enough to exact revenge on that man. He practiced Shuriken and Taijutsu combat day and night, studying the scrolls left behind by his family—wasn't it all for the sake of becoming stronger?
The aura emanating from the man before him was undeniably powerful! It was a kind of oppressive force, purely forged from "body" and "will," that he had never felt from anyone else before!
There are no fancy attribute changes, no bizarre Dōjutsu; it's just the most primal and direct display of power!
My God... this man in the ridiculous green clothes, behaving so strangely... is actually this strong?!
Sasuke's frozen expression lay a turbulent shock within. His dark eyes, always brimming with gloom and hatred, now contracted slightly, fixed intently on Might Guy.
Besides the lingering astonishment and absurdity, for the first time, another emotion clearly entered his mind—a sense of shock, and a burning heat he himself was unaware of, drawn by the immense power itself.
He had always believed that the symbol of power should be like that man: mysterious, strong, elegant, and ruthless.
Or perhaps like his father, seemingly carefree yet unfathomable. He had never imagined that power could exist in such a fiery, outward, and even somewhat "noisy" form.
But undeniably, this aura, this pure and powerful feeling, is exactly what he craves deep down!
Seeing the shock and the flicker of fire in the eyes of the black-clad youth before him, Might Guy's smile widened, and his White Fang seemed to flash again with a "ding".
He could certainly sense the heavy gloom and hatred emanating from Sasuke, but at this moment, he was more pleased with the other's keen perception of "power" itself.
"Oh? Can you feel the flames of youth burning within you Uchiha Clan?"
Kai's voice was loud and clear, tinged with laughter, yet it seemed to possess a power that struck straight to the heart, "It seems you're also pursuing the path to becoming stronger! However, training alone isn't as enjoyable as sweating it out with everyone! How about it, why don't you try it out, put on this 'battle robe of youth,' and feel the surge of sweat and power?"
As he spoke, he patted his green chest, making a dull "thump" sound.
Sasuke back to his senses, his face instantly returning to its icy state, even colder than before, as if trying to freeze all the passion in Guy's words.
He pursed his lips, avoiding Kaina's overly piercing gaze, as well as Naruto's curious eyes, Shira's calm stare, and Rock Lee's sparkling gaze.
"Boring." He spat out the two cold, hard words through gritted teeth, then turned and walked away without looking at anyone.
Their steps were faster than when they arrived, their black silhouette casting long shadows in the setting sun before quickly disappearing behind the bushes on the riverbank, as if they were trying to escape that overly "scorching" and "green" area completely.
But his hands, which were in his pockets, clenched unconsciously, and the red marks on his wrists still throbbed, reminding him of the force that had been so difficult to break free from.
But in his mind, those eyes burning with blue flames and that powerful aura remained like a brand, impossible to erase.
On the riverbank, four green figures watched the direction where Sasuke had disappeared.
"Sigh, still so eager to act cool, huh?" Naruto scratched his head, a little disappointed, but quickly cheered up again.
"But it's okay! We'll bring him over next time! Teacher Kai is so amazing, he'll definitely be tempted!"
Rock Lee nodded vigorously. "That's right! The invitation of youth, if it doesn't work once, try twice! If it doesn't work twice, try a hundred times! Until he accepts!"
Shira remained silent, lost in thought. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock; he saw it. The seeds of hatred were deeply sown, but the instinct to become stronger was equally intense.
Kai's appearance was like a spark thrown into a deep pool. Although it was instantly swallowed by the cold water, perhaps it left some warmth and light at the bottom of the pool?
Kai stood with his hands on his hips, looking in the direction Sasuke had left. The smile on his face faded slightly, and he became somewhat deep-seated.
" That Uchiha Clan kid... he's got a lot of inner trauma. But,"
He changed the subject, his bright smile returning, and clapped his hands. "It's okay! The door to youth is always open to those who strive! He felt it today; this is the first step! Alright, break time is over!"
"Next up, let's have a 'Sunset Handstand Relay Race'! Let our youth continue to burn until night falls! Oh--!"
"Oh--!!" Rock Lee and Naruto responded enthusiastically immediately.
Shira took a deep breath, suppressed her thoughts, and refocused her attention on the training in front of her.
The road ahead is long, and everyone's path is different.
But at least for now, on this riverbank dyed red by the setting sun, sweat is still flowing, and footsteps are still moving forward.
Meanwhile, a black-clad youth who had hurriedly left found himself leaning against a cold tree trunk in a secluded corner, looking down at his trembling wrist, which had just been tightly gripped.
He raised his head again, gazing in the direction he had just left. Deep within his dark eyes, the flame seemed not to have been completely extinguished...
We need to speed up the main storyline; let's head back to the village after chapter 130.
Back home, the protagonist will tinker with his secret techniques, preparing to research external techniques like those used by Morning Peacock.