By the railings of the bridge, Sakura was clinging to Sasuke with hearts practically in her eyes, chattering nonstop. She seemed to be asking him how he slept, what he wanted to eat today, and all sorts of other nonsense.
As always, Sasuke wore that cold, aloof expression, hands stuffed in his pockets, staring off into the distance without sparing Sakura even a single glance.
Naruto: "…"
Damn it!
Not again!
Why was Sakura always orbiting around that smug jerk Sasuke?!
I mean, come on—I'm way better than him!
And besides... I'm about to learn an ultra-awesome jutsu!
A bitter wave of jealousy surged in Naruto's chest.
He clicked his tongue and let out a disgruntled huff, not even bothering to say hi. Instead, he walked straight to the other end of the bridge, pulled out the rubber ball tucked inside his jacket, took a deep breath—and began training his meatball technique.
He placed the ball on his left palm, pressed his right hand over it, and focused hard, trying to recall every detail from that dream—the one where "Dad" had taught him.
Holding his breath, Naruto began channeling chakra into his palm, attempting to make it spin at high speed.
"Hup!!"
He bared his teeth, throwing everything he had into it.
But spinning and compressing chakra was way harder than he'd expected.
The chakra would start to gather—just barely—and then scatter again before he could stabilize it. He couldn't generate any meaningful rotation. The rubber ball in his hand just twitched slightly from the chaotic bursts of chakra, but it was nowhere near exploding. Honestly, it wasn't even close.
"Ugh! What the hell?! It felt so easy in the dream!"
Frustrated and sweating, Naruto refused to give up.
He gritted his teeth and tried again—and again—and again.
Naturally, his weird behavior drew the attention of the other two.
Sakura, who had been busy bugging Sasuke, was soon distracted by the ridiculous sight of Naruto wrestling with thin air, his face twisted in concentration.
Even Sasuke turned his head slightly, casting a glance at Naruto's squishy rubber ball and the faint, but real, fluctuations of chakra emanating from it. In his obsidian eyes, a subtle flicker of interest sparked.
"He's really trying to practice that jutsu from the dream?" Sasuke thought.
Last night's dream had been absurd, sure—but the final move shown by the Fourth Hokage had real impact. That glowing blue orb had blown apart a massive tree with ridiculous ease...
Sasuke recalled the last moment of that dream. No matter how surreal the rest of it had been, that technique's power was something he couldn't ignore.
If… if that dead last can actually learn that move from a dream… then doesn't that mean—
A dangerous thought rose in Sasuke's mind.
If he wanted to defeat that man… if he wanted revenge… then he had to grow stronger, no matter what it took.
He couldn't afford to miss any opportunity for power.
With that in mind, Sasuke quietly stepped closer to Naruto, acting casual.
He snuck a peek at the rubber ball and tried his best to sound indifferent, though his tone was a little stiff:
"Hey. Dead last. What… are you doing over there?"
Sasuke did his best to act nonchalant, but his intense gaze gave away the curiosity burning inside him.
Naruto, in the middle of his intense chakra work, was so startled by the sudden voice that he immediately lost control. His chakra scattered completely.
He whipped around to find Sasuke staring intently at the ball in his hands, and alarm bells went off in his head.
What the hell is Sasuke doing? Why is he standing so close?! And why is he staring at my ball like that?! Don't tell me—he's trying to steal it?!
The moment that idea struck, Naruto panicked.
This was his secret technique—personally taught by his "dad" in the dream!
It was his future trump card—his ultimate move to defeat Sasuke, win over Sakura, and become Hokage!
No way could he let Sasuke steal it!
"Hmph!"
Naruto spun around abruptly and tucked the ball behind his back, placing himself between Sasuke and his precious jutsu like a human wall.
"Trying to steal my dad's secret technique? No way, bastard! Not even a sliver through a window crack! Once I master this, I'll wipe the floor with you in front of Sakura—then you'll see who's really the strongest in Team 7!"
Fueled by rage, Naruto doubled down.
His face flushed red as he forced his chakra back into his palm, determined to make that ball spin, no matter what.
Sasuke: "…"
Watching Naruto guard the rubber ball like a national treasure, Sasuke's temple twitched in irritation.
Just then, Sakura wandered over too.
She peeked at the mangled, half-deformed ball in Naruto's hands and asked curiously, "Hey, Naruto, are you practicing a new jutsu or something? It looks like you're really struggling."
The moment he heard her voice, Naruto's guard dropped like a stone. He immediately perked up, face beaming.
He spun around, proudly held up the ball like it was made of gold, puffed out his chest, and declared:
"Heh heh! That's right! This is a suuuuper awesome jutsu! Once I master it, you're gonna be totally amazed!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes so hard they nearly got stuck. Honestly, he was seconds away from roasting both of them with a Fireball Jutsu just to shut them up.
Still, Sakura's question made her genuinely curious.
She stared at the ordinary-looking rubber ball and tilted her head. "Really? What's it called? Sounds pretty powerful."
"I-It's name?" Naruto froze, scratching his messy blond hair while trying to remember what his dream "dad" had called it… Something long and hard to pronounce…
After a few painful seconds, a vague memory surfaced.
He fumbled out, "Uhh… I think it was… something like… 'White-haired Double Ice Pop Ball'…?"
Sakura: "…"
Sasuke: "…"
Both of them gave him the same deadpan stare—like they were looking at a lunatic.
Sakura smacked her forehead. "Naruto, you idiot. What kind of jutsu has a name that ridiculous? You've definitely been daydreaming too much."
Sasuke sighed, a vein bulging in his forehead. Whatever slim hope he had of learning something from this idiot vanished instantly.
"I can't believe I actually thought… this dead last might've learned a powerful jutsu from a dream. God, I'm an idiot too." Sasuke scowled internally.
"It's real, I swear!" Naruto shouted, practically stomping his feet in frustration.
"In my dream, my dad—uh, the guy who taught me the jutsu—he really said that! Though… okay, maybe I forgot the exact name…"
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a look and, without another word, gave up on him.
Instead, they both turned and, in perfect sync, began complaining:
"Ugh, where is Kakashi-sensei?! He's late again!"
"Hmph. Just like always."