"Milord, the shinobi world has already undergone major changes. Will Orochimaru still carry out the Konoha Crush plan?"
"He will. Even if he doesn't come willingly, I'll make sure he does."
The mutated oceans triggered drastic climate shifts, leading to severe resource shortages. Human society had become like a powder keg—just waiting for a spark...
And Orochimaru was the perfect candidate to light that fuse. Of course, if he refused to get involved, there was always Ōnoki.
Ōnoki, having obtained the Box of Ultimate Bliss, had seen his ambitions swell to unimaginable heights. He believed he had complete control over the box, and now dreamed of unifying the world under his rule.
The demon watching over all of this decided—it was almost time to harvest this world...
...
One year later, at the Ninja Academy.
"Everyone, we'll now begin the graduation exam. This time, the test will be the Clone Technique."
Upon hearing the teacher's announcement, Uzumaki Naruto clasped his face in his hands, frowning slightly, deep in thought.
Watching the familiar scene unfold, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
The gears of fate are starting to turn.
Standing out in the hallway, Neji had taken special leave to be here. He looked up at the crow flying past the window and smiled mockingly to himself.
"So this is fate, huh, Father? If my destiny was decided long ago... then what am I right now? A bird that's broken free from its cage—or just a fool stepping into an even bigger one?"
As for Sasuke, the Clone Technique posed no challenge at all. He quickly passed, claiming his forehead protector and officially graduating.
Neji smiled and offered his congratulations.
"Thanks. What are you doing here anyway?"
"A certain brat did the same thing last year, remember?"
"You're so annoying."
"Come on, let's celebrate at your place. I'll cook. You're in for a treat."
"Save your pity for yourself," Sasuke scoffed, but he still followed right after Neji without hesitation.
The two of them tacitly avoided talking about anything that had happened at the academy. Without even realizing it, they also deliberately ignored Uzumaki Naruto's presence—better to keep their distance from the protagonist and avoid getting dragged into his nonsense.
Either way, by the time the team assignments were announced, Naruto was already sitting proudly in the classroom, forehead protector gleaming.
Sasuke intentionally arrived late—after all, there was a "certain scene" he preferred to miss.
"Relax," the shadow beside him said quietly, "Naruto won't be able to kiss you this time..."
"Shut up! Don't even say his name," Sasuke snapped, cutting them off sharply.
It was rare to see Sasuke lose his composure like that. Clearly, he was still traumatized by the memory of that Hyūga kid with the perverted grin he ran into at the school gates earlier.
The manga storyline had way too many cursed moments. And of course, people just happened to bring them up all the time. Sasuke truly regretted some of his life choices.
At the front of the room, Iruka began calling out the team assignments. As expected, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio was grouped together—an unwritten tradition. Their jonin leader would be Sarutobi Asuma.
Meanwhile, Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino were placed in another team, with Asuma's fiancée, Yūhi Kurenai, as their instructor.
The major ninja clans' heirs had all been carefully arranged.
"Team 7: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke."
The moment Iruka finished speaking, Sakura visibly lit up with excitement. Meanwhile, both Naruto and Sasuke frowned at the same time.
Naruto slammed his hand on the desk and pointed at Sasuke.
"Why do I have to be on the same team as this guy!?"
"Because Sasuke graduated at the top of the class, and you, Naruto, were at the bottom," Iruka began explaining patiently. "Pairing you two is meant to—"
Before he could finish, Sasuke interrupted coldly,
"Sensei, since Naruto clearly has a problem with me, and honestly, I don't really want to be on the same team as him either, please consider rearranging the assignments."
Sasuke had never wanted to have anything to do with Naruto. And now that Naruto had handed him the perfect excuse, of course he wasn't going to let it slip by.
Iruka froze. He was just a teacher—he didn't actually have the authority to change team placements, which had already been decided by higher-ups.
Naruto, who was usually just plain dumb, could still tell that Sasuke was outright rejecting him. Even though some part of him instinctively disliked Sasuke, hearing it said so bluntly made him immediately explode.
"You're such a jerk!" Naruto shouted, not caring at all about the setting.
Sasuke, completely uninterested in arguing with Naruto, said,
"You're the one who said you didn't want to team up with me. So what's wrong with me agreeing?"
Then, ignoring Naruto altogether, Sasuke turned back to Iruka.
"Sasuke..." Iruka muttered, frowning. He hadn't expected his usually well-behaved, model student to cause trouble.
From Iruka's perspective, Naruto's outburst was just another one of his desperate attempts to seek attention—just like his old pranks. Iruka himself had once done the same as a student: acting like a clown to be noticed. That's why he could empathize with Naruto so deeply. He'd assumed Sasuke, as a smart and calm kid, would tolerate Naruto.
Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't share Iruka's worldview at all.
Sure, from Iruka's angle, Naruto was a poor, lonely kid acting out for love.
But Sasuke thought—so what?
Wasn't he also a lonely child?
Naruto's tragic childhood was the result of Namikaze Minato and Konoha's high command. He tried to earn attention by disrupting the order of things. But why should Sasuke be the one forced to tolerate him?
Because Naruto was pitiful?
Because he was an orphan?
Sasuke knew he was being a little extreme right now. But when it came to Naruto, being extreme was exactly what he needed—to avoid getting "softened" by sympathy without even realizing it.
Iruka promised to report Sasuke's request for reassignment to the Hokage, but for now, everything stayed as it was.
...
After leaving the school, Sasuke ran into Neji again.
"Are you always this laid-back after graduation?"
Neji chuckled. "Economic downturn. Mission requests have plummeted. A lot of ninja are half-unemployed these days. Plus... I wanted to see the so-called 'kiss of the century.' What a shame..."
Sasuke kept his mouth shut, refusing to engage.
...
When the jonin instructors arrived to pick up their teams, it was no surprise: Team 7 remained Team 7.
The atmosphere in the room was tense and awkward. Sasuke sat expressionlessly at his desk. Sakura, strangely, didn't act like her usual fake-sweet self. Instead of sitting near Sasuke or Naruto, she quietly found a spot next to Yamanaka Ino.
"Hey, Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino whispered.
Sakura said nothing.
"You and Naruto fought?" Ino pressed.
"No!"
...
Naruto, restless and uneasy, kept glancing over at Sakura. But Sakura didn't spare him a single look. It was obvious she was thoroughly fed up with him.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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