Naruto clapped his hands together, announcing cheerfully, "Alright, listen up! Since we graduated on Friday and today's Saturday, here's the deal I'm just handing out the schedule. Once that's done… we're done for the day! Disbanded!"
Sasuke and Sakura blinked in unison. "Huh?"
Sasuke crossed his arms, irritation flickering in his dark eyes. "Naruto, don't you think this is pushing it?"
Naruto paused mid-step, turning back with a puzzled frown. "Pushing it? How?"
Sasuke's eye twitched.
This schedule was ridiculous.
One mission a week, only if they felt like it? And just one day of training.
Meanwhile, three whole days were reserved for group hangouts, plus two for "partnered cultivation."
Was this a ninja team or some kind of social club?!
"Sasuke!!!" Naruto began, slinging an arm over Sasuke's shoulder with a sage-like nod, "strength isn't built overnight. This schedule gives you plenty of time to train on your own!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He knew Naruto was feeding him nonsense… but he couldn't prove it.
Then Naruto glanced at Sakura, who was staring at him dreamily. A sly grin spread across his face.
"How about this?" he suggested. "We'll vote majority rules. Sound good, Sasuke?"
Sasuke's jaw tightened. With Sakura's obvious bias, he'd lose instantly.
"Fine," he conceded, stepping back. "I'll accept your schedule. But you have to let me observe your training."
Naruto scratched his head, considering. If he didn't compromise, Sasuke would never drop it.
"Alright," he finally said. "You can watch. And we'll take at least C-rank missions weekly for real combat experience. Plus..." He held up two fingers. "Every Tuesday and Thursday, you can challenge me. That way, you'll learn from your losses and improve. Deal?"
Sasuke's pride prickled at the word losses, but the offer was better than nothing.
"Tch. Fine."
Sakura, who'd been lost in her own world, snapped back to reality. "Huh? Agree to what? Oh! If Naruto said it, then yes!"
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged deadpan looks.
'She wasn't even listening.'
"Great! Disbanded!" Naruto declared, spinning on his heel.
But footsteps trailed behind him. He turned to see Sasuke and Sakura still following.
Sasuke crossed his arms. "You're training today. I'm observing."
Sakura giggled. "I've got nothing better to do~"
Naruto sighed. 'So much for my day off.'
Sasuke was convinced Naruto was secretly training, why else would he be so strong?
But Naruto?
He bought gifts, visited Iruka, and slurped down ramen at Ichiraku.
"Here you go~" Teuchi slid a steaming bowl toward Naruto, ruffling his hair. "Looking sharper every day, kiddo!"
After lunch, Naruto walked Iruka home, then returned to his apartment.
Sasuke's anticipation peaked. 'Now he'll train.'
Instead, Naruto flopped onto his bed and napped for two hours.
By afternoon, he was strolling with Hinata's team (busy on a D-rank cat-chasing mission), chatting and laughing like he hadn't a care in the world.
Sasuke's patience frayed.
'This can't be real.'
At dawn, Sasuke lurked outside Naruto's window, waiting.
Naruto slept in, and slept, and slept some more.
When he finally woke, he stretched, washed up, and stepped outside only to find a sleep-deprived, seething Sasuke.
"Whoa. Stalking me now?" Naruto teased.
"Are you seriously not training?!" Sasuke demanded.
Naruto shrugged. "Told you already. Believe it or not, that's on you."
He checked the time. "Anyway, Hinata and I are hitting the market, then catching a movie. You really wanna third-wheel?"
Sasuke's eye twitched again, but followed anyway.
All afternoon, he endured Naruto and Hinata's disgustingly sweet date, shared dango, whispered jokes, even a rom-com at the theater.
By sunset, as Naruto waved Hinata off at the Hyuga compound, Sasuke stood frozen, his worldview crumbling.
Naruto turned, shaking his head.
"See? This is why I said you're wasting time."
Sasuke's hands clenched into fists, the awful truth dawned on him.
'Naruto wasn't slacking, he was just that naturally strong. And that more than anything was utterly infuriating.'
...