The two white-haired masters left. They were off to the red-light district, and Naruto naturally wouldn't follow.
Only two fuzzy heads, one blonde and one black, remained in the hot spring.
Naruto stretched his arms comfortably, pulling out a small, 2-liter wooden bucket from seemingly nowhere. It was filled with Coke.
Swish!
A wisp of frost flashed from his fingertip, and in the blink of an eye, a bucket of iced Coke was ready.
Exactly 6°C! Not a degree more, not a degree less!
He popped out a normal can of Coke, quickly iced it, and tossed it to Sasuke.
"Here! For you, Sasuke!"
Sasuke instinctively raised his hand and caught the can, its icy coldness chilling his fingertips. He watched as Naruto grabbed the comically giant Coke bucket and chugged several big gulps as if it were water, a slight twitch appearing at the corner of his eye.
"Speaking of which," Naruto said, putting down the giant can, his tone tinged with nostalgia. "When I was a kid, I'd sell you a bottle of Coke every day. I was as punctual as a clock."
He smiled, tilting his head to look at Sasuke with a hint of curiosity. "Back then, what did you do with that huge bottle? You didn't drink the whole thing, did you?"
Given Sasuke's physique, he didn't look like someone who had been drinking 2 liters of Coke every day since childhood. Choji, on the other hand, looked like a perfect fit for that.
Recalling the memory, Sasuke tightened his grip on the cold Coke can, his knuckles turning slightly white. The thought of "that man" caused his breath to hitch for a fraction of a second, but he quickly regained his composure.
"That man liked to drink it. I would drink a little of what was left... and some were put in storage. Untouched."
That man?
Naruto knew who Sasuke was talking about: the man who had annihilated the Uchiha clan—Itachi Uchiha. Naruto had initially thought Itachi must be incredibly strong, as he was able to wipe out a clan with so many members who had Three-Tomoe Sharingan, not to mention the unknown number of Mangekyō users.
But after sparring in the arena, he discovered that Itachi was still a long way from catching up to Naruto Uzumaki. He was all hype and no substance! Was it possible that, just as Orochimaru had said, there was more to the Uchiha clan's massacre?
After a few more minutes of small talk, Naruto's smile faded, and his tone took on a rare solemnity.
"When Shukaku hit you earlier today, it looked like it hurt."
He recalled how Sakura had begged him to intervene, but Naruto had decided to wait, because Sasuke was the kind of person who wouldn't give up until the very last moment. Naruto paused, looking directly into Sasuke's stubborn profile. "You don't blame me for stepping in too quickly and not giving you a chance to get back at him, do you?"
Sasuke's head snapped up! His crimson Sharingan locked onto Naruto through the steam, his eyes filled with unwillingness, frustration, and a hint of a complex emotion that was hard to decipher.
He stared at Naruto's sincere blue eyes for a few seconds before, as if all his energy was drained, he slowly lowered his gaze.
"No, my skills were just inferior." His voice carried a weary sense of resignation, yet it was mixed with an unshakeable pride. He had indeed recognized the chasm-like gap between them, but after that brief moment of surrender, a hotter, more fervent fire burned deep in his eyes!
He, Sasuke, never truly gave up.
"Naruto..."
Sasuke took a deep breath, finally asking the question that had been weighing on his heart for so long—a question that, at this point, seemed almost hopeless.
"Tell me the truth... do I still have a chance... to catch up to you? Even... to just close the gap a little?"
Yes, my brother! You do!
If it were anyone else, Naruto would have told them to just give up.
But Sasuke was different.
He was an Uchiha, and he had the chance to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. And the Mangekyō Sharingan could create miracles and defy fate!
Seeing the once-proud boy so defeated, Naruto, as a good friend, told him the truth without holding anything back.
"Within your Uchiha bloodline, there lies a power that can truly defy fate!"
"As long as you awaken those eyes, everything will be completely rewritten!"
Sasuke's pupils contracted, and the tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly!
"Those eyes?" Could it be...?
His voice was trembling with suppressed emotion. "Is it the kind that Itachi Uchiha unlocked?"
The mention of Itachi brought back memories of the strange eyes he had seen as a child. Sasuke's breathing grew heavy, and his grip on the can made it creak loudly. "No wonder... No wonder he could do something like that..."
He suddenly turned to Naruto, his Sharingan fixed on the face so close to his. "Tell me! Naruto! How do I get it? How do I awaken those eyes?"
Naruto leaned back, resting his head on the smooth stone wall, his eyes slightly closed. He remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly weighing his words.
He knew exactly how to awaken the Mangekyō. It all boiled down to one thing: intense emotional shock.
His own "Numerical Overload" stats had been no match for that mechanic. It had taken a full two months of grinding experience points before he finally succeeded!
For Sasuke to awaken it, there were only a few keys: extreme love, deep-seated hatred, overwhelming grief, or... well, even ecstasy.
The most controllable and least harmful method was undoubtedly "gaining love" or "losing love."
"Hey, Sasuke!"
He nudged Sasuke's arm with his elbow. "Tell me honestly, are you and Sakura secretly 'dating'?"
"Tch, that man is still alive. I don't have time to play house with her. It's utterly boring!" Sasuke turned his head away impatiently, his voice so cold it could practically drip ice.
Tsk, I knew that wouldn't work!
Naruto sighed inwardly and quietly crossed out the "Love Adventure" script in his mental notebook.
The path of "gaining love" was completely blocked.
Only one key remained...
Naruto looked at his closest friend and asked a question that seemed unrelated but went straight to the core of the issue: "Sasuke, after everything you've been through here in Konoha, who is so important to you... that you absolutely cannot lose them?"
Sasuke was startled by the sudden question. Almost instinctively, a series of images flashed through his mind—rivalries, fleeting glimpses of a back, training, battles... and finally, all the fragments locked onto that one face that was always filled with a brilliant smile!
He turned abruptly, his Sharingan widening slightly in shock, locking onto Naruto's face, which was now just inches away!
Is it... me?
Naruto hadn't expected to hold such importance in Sasuke's heart.
And luckily, it was him!
In any case, the project could now begin.
Project name: "The Death of Naruto!"
He subtly glanced at his Revival Coin count: 233.
Just one death? He lived for this kind of thrill!
But before that, he had to ensure the preparations were flawless.
Things like textbooks for Advanced Calculus, Electromagnetism, Gravity, and The Four Fundamental Forces... He'd make sure Sasuke studied them first. If you want to awaken the Mangekyō, you have to memorize all of this first!
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi