Chapter 144: The Remaining Evil Seal

Jiraiya hesitated, glancing between his teammates and Kakashi.

"Just a look."

Sasuke tensed up instantly when he heard this, and Sakura broke another pair of chopsticks.

Naruto couldn't care less about them now, even with the Kyuubi laughing in his head.

"Boy, he's going to be surprised."

"I have one condition," Naruto said bluntly.

“Conditions…?” The old immortal looked confused.

Jiraiya smiled helplessly.

"Okay, kid. What do you want me to do?"

Naruto looked at Sakura, then at Sasuke, and finally looked the Sannin straight in the eyes.

"My father's signature jutsu, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. I want you to teach us."

Jiraiya's expression was as if he had been slapped.

He opened his mouth and couldn't speak for a long time.

"You are only 13 years old, how do you know that technique?"

Kakashi cleared his throat deliberately.

Jiraiya looked at Kakashi in panic, then turned to Naruto and said in a slow tone:

"That's an S-rank ninjutsu, kid. Even I can't guarantee that it will succeed every time - in fact, there are only two people in the world who can do it, and they are both Kage-rank ninjas."

"But you understand how it works, right?" Sakura countered. "You can teach us the basics."

Jiraiya shrank back.

"I mean, I can, but you'd need to have at least jonin-level knowledge of sealing techniques to understand the basics."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, "If knowledge of sealing techniques is the problem, we will find a way to solve it."

Jiraiya's face twisted and he looked at Kakashi.

Kakashi just shrugged and waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Don't look at me, this isn't the first time they've completed an S-rank mission."

Naruto grinned as he lay on the table.

"So," he asked, his tone gentle but pointed, "deal?"

******

On the eve of the exam, Ryouta-sensei was doing the final chakra check on Sasuke.

They sat on the wooden floor in the backyard, in front of them was a garden dotted with chakra lanterns, the colorful lights made the entire space soft and warm.

Kakashi and Iruka sat on the other side of the corridor, drinking hot tea while discussing the exams and the situation in the village.

Sasuke was sitting shirtless next to Naruto, while Ryouta-sensei and Sakura were talking in low voices.

Sakura was performing diagnostic ninjutsu on Sasuke's back, and traces of various seals appeared on his skin. The dark lines reflected the light and flashed with strange light.

Ryouta-sensei snorted seriously.

"Don't relax, kid, this is serious."

"How serious is it?" Naruto immediately asked, looking at Ryouta and Sakura at the same time. Sakura replied:

"The remaining curse seal in his body is still higher than the safe level for using ninjutsu." Her tone was full of worry and frustration. She stood up, walked to the other side of Sasuke and sat down, holding his wrist out of habit. "Twenty-eight percent."

"Damn it." Sasuke cursed under his breath.

Naruto moved closer and looked at the spot where Sasuke had left the curse seal two weeks ago.

The scar left after the curse seal was removed is still clearly visible. Although Sasuke's chakra has returned to normal, he chose to let the wound heal naturally.

If I had known earlier, he would have recovered.

He couldn't help but think, but Sasuke seemed to have sensed his thoughts, and Naruto was surprised to find that Sasuke seemed to really be able to read his mind.

"Don't think about it." Sasuke said suddenly.

Naruto frowned.

"I did not say anything!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to tell me, idiot. It's written all over your face."

"He's right." Sakura interrupted mercilessly, "You should have completely removed that thing. If it weren't for the filter seal, the situation would have been much worse."

Sasuke turned sideways and leaned easily on Naruto's shoulder. This posture made them feel familiar and reassuring. He closed his eyes and ignored the people around him.

"I'm fine, idiot," he whispered. "It's just a matter of time."

Naruto nodded with a helpless and doting smile, while Sakura smiled smugly.

"Ryouta? What was the result?"

Iruka-sensei and Kakashi came over, a teacup in his hand.

Ryouta sat back down and gathered his tools.

"In theory, if he avoids using ninjutsu, he could compete."

"What if I used it?" Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at Ryouta and asked, "I mean, hypothetically."

Ryouta raised an eyebrow. "Your symptoms will flare up again," he said sternly. "Your body is trying to clear out the remaining curse seals. If you overuse chakra, they'll eat into your meridians again and mess you up."

"Does he have to give up the game?" Iruka asked worriedly.

Kakashi replied:

"It's his decision." He looked at Sasuke gently but firmly. "You know the risks now, Sasuke. What do you want to do?"

Sasuke said with a firm look in his eyes:

"I want to fight."

Naruto was not surprised by this.

"Then ninjutsu is your last resort." Kakashi's tone left no room for doubt.

Sasuke nodded firmly.

"is teacher."

"Kakashi..." Iruka wanted to say something else, but Kakashi shook his head gently, stopping him.

"He can take responsibility for his decision. It was his choice."

Although Kakashi's tone was gentle, Naruto noticed that Sasuke's face still flashed a proud blush, and he blinked uncomfortably.

Iruka sighed in frustration and glared at Sasuke, but said nothing else.

"That being said," Ryouta looked at Sasuke and warned, "If I see any black veins or signs of blood clotting on your body, I will take you away immediately and end the match. Do you understand?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes but nodded in agreement.

Iruka-sensei and Ryouta-san left soon after, as they both had things to do the next morning.

Even though the final was just around the corner, neither of them went to sleep.

Teacher Kakashi turned off the chakra lantern and the kitchen light, and the four of them sat together on the boulder at the edge of the cliff, looking up at the starry sky in the soft night light.

Sakura sat next to Kakashi and identified the constellations with Naruto, noting the positions and shapes of the stars.

Sasuke was tired, and he leaned against Kakashi's other side, resting his head on his shoulder and crossing his arms across his chest.

Kakashi casually held him in his arms, making him feel relaxed and comfortable.

"What are you thinking about?" Sakura asked. They had been silent for a long time, just staring at the starry sky.

"I was thinking about Hinata's expression before the match," Naruto answered honestly.