The next day, Natsuki and Tenten had a rare lie-in.
Quite a few things had happened recently, and they were both a bit mentally exhausted. Now they finally had some free time.
However, they still got up before noon. After a loving lunch together, they headed out. Tenten went to the hospital to visit Xiao Li, while Natsuki planned to find a place to lie down leisurely.
He wanted to clear his mind, let his spirit relax properly, and then dedicate himself to studying the Flying Thunder God Technique.
But before he could find a good spot, Kakashi showed up.
"Yo! Kakashi-senpai, taking it easy?" Natsuki greeted him.
"No, there's no taking it easy. I just finished with this exam and still have to prepare to welcome the Daimyo later. I'm swamped." Kakashi's dead fish eyes showed fatigue.
"Then Senpai came to find me about..."
"To ask you about Orochimaru's situation back then."
Kakashi explained his purpose, "Anko and I were in a hurry to pursue Orochimaru at the time and didn't have time to inquire about the situation in detail. I think you should know something. I specifically asked Pakkun, and it said you were very certain Orochimaru would appear and had been worried about Orochimaru attacking everyone since entering the Death Forest."
Natsuki was silent for a moment, finally choosing not to hide it: "Orochimaru, he seems to have some connection with Itachi Uchiha. His goal in coming to Konoha this time is Sasuke!"
Itachi Uchiha?!
Orochimaru's target is Sasuke?!
Kakashi's expression became extremely serious: "Tell me in detail."
Natsuki also said seriously: "My certainty that Orochimaru would appear in the Death Forest was just a feeling, or rather, a guess. He disguised himself as a female Grass Ninja before, wasn't it to enter the Death Forest? Before I exposed him, I had been secretly observing, and his gaze would occasionally fall on Sasuke. I suspected he was targeting Sasuke at the time, but I had no proof, so I didn't say anything afterward.
This time, as expected, he went after Team Seven!
Sasuke also said later that Orochimaru mentioned Itachi Uchiha and said he was very disappointed in Sasuke, seemingly testing Sasuke or something.
Tenten also told me that when Team Guy arrived to rescue them, Orochimaru was stretching his neck, preparing to bite Sasuke's neck, which seemed related to this so-called test."
Kakashi understood. It seemed Orochimaru really came for Sasuke.
Although it was unclear how it involved Itachi Uchiha, the current Sasuke was undoubtedly very dangerous. Orochimaru might be lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at Sasuke at any time.
Thus, Kakashi immediately took his leave: "I'm leaving now!"
"Kakashi-senpai!"
Natsuki suddenly spoke, "Protect Sasuke!"
Kakashi waved his hand without looking back and didn't say anything reassuring, probably because he lacked confidence. After all, Orochimaru was truly formidable and difficult to deal with.
Seeing this, Natsuki could only sigh.
He wasn't meddling, just showing compassion. After all, Sasuke was truly too miserable.
However, he didn't interfere too much. After all, he had long decided to respect the savior's fate. If he didn't consider Sasuke a friend, he wouldn't have said that extra sentence. He hoped Sasuke would be alright.
Natsuki found a patch of grass and lay down to bask in the sun. When the sun got too strong, he moved to the shade of a tree and continued lying there. In short, it was very comfortable.
His previously somewhat anxious heart was now unusually quiet. It would be nice if Tenten were beside him at this moment; she was soft and fragrant, good for cuddling to sleep.
However, without Tenten, there was Shikamaru.
"You're pretty good at finding places too, Natsuki." Shikamaru lay down not far away.
"Aren't you the same?" Natsuki didn't even look at him.
"I'm always like this. As long as I have a chance, I find a good spot to lie down, look at the clouds in the sky, and envy how freely they drift. But you're rarely like this, so it seems you're very tired and need to relieve your fatigue this way."
It was also rare for Shikamaru to speak at such length, wasn't it?
Perhaps, he was just expressing his ideals.
Natsuki didn't answer, also squinting his eyes at the drifting clouds in the sky, feeling somewhat envious of Shikamaru in his heart.
Being born into a prominent family is truly great. Carefree with fewer worries, and definitely no need to worry about food and clothing. You can lie down whenever you want, as if you could be a slacker for a lifetime.
If one could be leisurely for a lifetime, who would be willing to endure a life of hard work?
If this world weren't so dangerous, how could Natsuki possibly strive so hard to become stronger?
Although being an ordinary villager wasn't bad, if one's fate wasn't in their own hands, in this twisted and chaotic world, once disaster struck, there would only be helplessness and despair, just like during the Nine-Tails attack. How many villagers were crushed to death by the rubble the Nine-Tails casually flicked with its tail, dying without any value.
Natsuki didn't want that. So, he had to become stronger!
The Konoha Crush is about to begin, followed closely by the Akatsuki, this terrifying organization causing chaos everywhere. The curtain on a chaotic era is about to rise, and the days of leisure are quickly running out!
Perhaps today is the only time he dares to indulge himself. Afterward, he must hurry and become stronger!
Natsuki lay there for a long time. Seeing the sun setting, it was almost time to buy groceries. So he quickly got up, stretched hard, and indeed felt incredibly comfortable.
Seeing Shikamaru still lying there, he still said, "Shikamaru, although your wish to be a slacker is beautiful, this world isn't peaceful. I have a premonition that the world is about to become chaotic. Only by having sufficient strength can you protect what you want to protect. So, don't be too lazy when you have time, train hard."
After speaking, he turned and left.
Shikamaru sat up, squinting his eyes as he watched Natsuki leave.
For some reason, he felt that Natsuki's words were very serious, not like a joke.
"Tsk! How troublesome! Isn't peace great? Why does it have to be chaotic?"
He said that, but Shikamaru still stood up and also started heading home. He felt that perhaps he really should train a bit, otherwise, if he didn't coordinate well with Ino, he might get beaten.
Furthermore, in his intelligent mind, the Hidden Sand Village's behavior during this exam was unfriendly, making him feel vaguely uneasy.
After buying groceries, Natsuki went directly to the Ninjutsu Shop to cook. Just as he finished preparing the meal, Tenten returned, and the family of three naturally ate happily.
However, just after they finished eating, Natsuki suddenly spoke: "Tenten, in the month before the finals, I've decided to focus solely on studying the Flying Thunder God Technique. I'll probably only come back for dinner; I won't have time at other times."
Tenten also knew Natsuki was eager to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. In fact, she was also quite eager, so she wasn't surprised by this.
She even suggested: "Why don't you not come back for dinner either? I'll come over there and cook for you in the evening."
"Heh heh, no need for that."
Natsuki smiled and refused, "Although it requires single-minded cultivation, constantly thinking about cultivation is also very tiring. You need to occasionally divert your attention and let your brain rest. Besides, I really like the feeling of our family eating together; it makes me feel very happy."