Not long after, the group had finished butchering the wild boar. The rich, fatty meat was skewered and roasted over the fire, with grease crackling as it dripped into the flames.
Naruto stared at the roasting meat, drooling hungrily. But the meat had only just been set over the fire—it was going to take a while before it was ready.
To break the silence, Hyuga Gakuya started a conversation.
"So—do any of you have dreams or goals? Who knows, maybe I can help make them come true."
Naruto answered immediately. "My dream used to be becoming Hokage. But now, I don't just want to follow in my dad's footsteps—I want to be the greatest ninja in the world and bring my parents back to life!"
Gakuya handed Naruto a skewer of meat that was already cooked. "That's a pretty incredible dream."
"Of course! There's no shortcut to becoming Hokage!"
Gakuya turned to Sasuke. "What about you, Sasuke?"
"I want to kill that man."
"You mean Uchiha Itachi?"
"Yeah."
"Sakura? What about your dream?"
"I want to marry—" Sakura blushed and quickly glanced at Sasuke.
But Gakuya already understood what she meant.
"A simple and honest dream. That's probably one I can't help much with."
He turned his gaze back to Naruto and Sasuke. "But your dreams both require power. That, at least, I can help with."
He pulled out a scroll.
"Naruto, this is a secret jutsu passed down through the Uzumaki clan—Adamantine Sealing Chains. It's both offensive and defensive. It was one of your mother, Uzumaki Kushina's, signature techniques."
The moment Naruto heard it was one of his mom's specialties, he lit up and eagerly accepted the scroll.
"I'll make sure to learn it properly!"
Seeing Sasuke looking intrigued as well, Gakuya smiled.
"Sasuke, have you ever heard of Sage Arts?"
"Sage Arts?"
"Sage Arts are jutsu performed by blending natural energy with your chakra. The result strengthens the body in all aspects."
"I've developed a cursed seal I call the Sage Art Cursed Seal. It causes the target's body to start producing a simpler form of sage chakra. Don't worry—it's already been tested on humans. It's completely safe."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Why are you being so generous with us? What's your angle?"
Naruto was the first to react, clearly upset.
"Hey! Don't talk like that about Mokushū—he helped me out a ton!"
But Sasuke's gaze remained sharp.
"I'm not being paranoid. There's no such thing as kindness without a reason. You're doing too much for us."
Gakuya chuckled. "As expected of the Uchiha heir. Always cautious. That's good. To be honest, yes—I do have my reasons. Think of it as an investment."
Naruto blinked. "Investment?"
"Exactly. I believe you both have limitless potential. If I help you now, maybe one day you'll return the favor."
It was a fair point—after all, Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, and Sasuke was the last Uchiha. Definitely worth investing in.
Naruto puffed up his chest.
"Hahaha! In that case, Mokushū, you've got my word. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I'll handle it!"
Sasuke relaxed slightly. "Sorry. I was overthinking it."
"It's fine. That kind of caution is part of what I value. You and Naruto complement each other well—Naruto's straightforward and honest, while you're careful and meticulous."
Sasuke gave Naruto a side glance, huffed, and muttered, "Who says I'm complementing him…"
"Hahaha. Anyway, do you want to give the Sage Art Cursed Seal a try?"
Sasuke thought for a moment, then nodded decisively. "Please. I'll repay you one day."
"No need."
Gakuya said, "Take off your shirt so I can perform the jutsu."
Sasuke complied without hesitation.
Unlike Orochimaru, Gakuya didn't plan on biting anyone himself.
He warned Sasuke, "It's going to hurt. A lot. Be ready."
"I'm ready."
Gakuya began drawing in the natural energy around them. In an instant, he entered Sage Mode. Blue markings appeared around his eyes, and wisps of blue sage chakra shaped like snakes danced across his body.
"Whoa, that's awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.
One of the chakra snakes bit down hard on Sasuke's shoulder.
"AHHH!" Sasuke cried out as natural energy surged through him, tearing through his body like wildfire.
After a moment, the chakra snake released him. A three-tomoe-shaped cursed seal had appeared on Sasuke's shoulder.
Gakuya quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palm onto the seal.
"Sage Art: Serpent Lock Seal!"
Two black serpents appeared around the cursed seal, looping around it in an endless circle, binding the mark in place.
Gakuya released Sage Mode, the markings on his body fading. "It's done."
Sasuke was panting heavily. For a moment, he'd genuinely thought he was going to die.
"You can try activating your Sharingan—use it to guide the flow of energy."
Sasuke's eyes lit up as he activated his two-tomoe Sharingan. Focusing his ocular power on the seal, he gently triggered it. Natural energy surged into his body, mixing with his chakra.
He gasped as black markings began to spread from the seal, coursing across his skin.
Gakuya asked, "How does it feel?"
"…It feels incredible."
Of course it did—this seal was tailor-made for him.
"Then test it out. Come at me!"
Sasuke smirked. "If you insist!"
He shot forward in a blur, landing a punch right in front of Gakuya.
BAM! Gakuya caught the punch with his palm.
"Your strength and speed are both up about thirty percent—not bad."
"I'm not done yet." Though one arm was restrained, Sasuke planted his free hand on the ground and launched a vicious kick toward Gakuya's face.
...
Gakuya raised his left arm and easily blocked the blow.
He grabbed Sasuke's arm and threw him effortlessly—Sasuke flew through the air like a kite with its string cut.
Midair, Sasuke twisted and flipped, landing gracefully like a swallow in flight.
"Go Sasuke!" Sakura cheered, practically glowing with excitement.
Naruto, seeing the object of his affections fawning over Sasuke, shouted,
"Tch—go, Mokushū! Beat Sasuke to a pulp!"
Ignoring the shouting, Gakuya formed hand seals. "Let's test your jutsu next."
Sasuke quickly followed suit. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
He exhaled a massive fireball nearly seven meters wide.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A torrent of water gushed from Gakuya's mouth, forming a protective wall in front of him.
Fire clashed with water in a hissing, steaming explosion.
Thick mist billowed out, blanketing the forest in fog.
From within the haze came Gakuya's voice.
"Let's test your reflexes next."
Kunai and shuriken flew through the mist.
Sasuke pulled out a kunai of his own, deflecting all the incoming weapons.
As the mist slowly cleared, Gakuya stepped out and asked,
"How do you feel now?"
"Insanely strong! Is this really me?"
Sasuke looked down at his hands in awe.
"It's not just my strength or speed—even my reflexes and Sharingan feel sharper."
Gakuya patted his shoulder.
"Try suppressing the cursed seal's power. You shouldn't stay in this state for long—it's a heavy burden on the body."
"Also, don't go around telling people about it. When inactive, the seal conceals itself automatically. That'll save you a lot of trouble."
"Got it." Sasuke pushed the power back into the seal. As soon as he did, soreness crept into his body, and his stomach growled loudly.
"Hahaha! Looks like it burns a lot of energy, too." Gakuya laughed. Seeing Sasuke looking so worn out was a rare treat.
"Let's go eat. The meat should be ready."
The two walked back to the fire. Naruto rushed over and handed Gakuya a skewer of roasted meat with a big grin.
"Mokushū, do you think I'd be a good fit for that cursed seal too?"
Gakuya answered bluntly. "Nope."
"Why not?!"
"You've got the Uzumaki clan's sage body. Your physique is strong enough to learn true Sage Mode—like mine."
"Seriously?! Then will you teach me sometime?"
"If the chance comes."
"Alright…"
Gakuya had given them all something useful today—but he planned to collect on those gifts one day.
Every favor already had a price tag hidden in the fine print.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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