Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master

Page 146

"Hmph." Sasuke snorted coldly, muttering under his breath, "Does this kind of cruel guy even deserve sympathy?"

His voice was very soft, but it did not escape Naruto's ears.

Naruto turned his head, his azure eyes not showing anger, but rather a hint of solemnity and seriousness: "Sasuke, you don't know this. Gaara became like that largely because of Shukaku's influence."

At this point, he lowered his voice and explained to Sasuke, "Shukaku tries to take control of Gaara's body whenever he falls asleep. So, in order to avoid being corrupted by the One-Tailed Beast, Gaara has never dared to sleep since he was a child. The long-term sleep deprivation has caused him great mental torment, which is why he is irritable and cruel."

"What?" Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this, revealing a look of shock.

[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +400!]

His gaze returned to the red-haired boy not far away, his feelings a complex mix of emotions.

Who would have thought that such a heartbreaking past was hidden beneath that cold-blooded and cruel exterior!

He originally thought Gaara was naturally bloodthirsty, but little did he know that the other party was also a victim suffering from a curse.

Thinking of this, Sasuke felt a mix of emotions, a mixture of surprise and pity.

As a fellow ninja, he suddenly felt that he understood Gaara somewhat.

……

in the audience.

Naruto stared at Gaara on the screen, his eyes filled with both surprise and heartache.

He muttered to himself, "So he was really that miserable... He was too afraid to sleep?"

In his memory, Gaara always had a violent and murderous look on his face, but he never expected that behind it all was the pain of being tormented by the One-Tailed Beast day and night.

But then came a hint of doubt.

Why was I hardly affected by the Nine-Tails when I was a child?

Jiraiya noticed the confusion on Naruto's face and chuckled, patting his disciple on the back of the head. "Kid, don't be surprised. Advanced sealing techniques are rare in the ninja world. Your mother, Kushina, came from the Uzumaki clan, whose family has studied sealing techniques for generations and possesses the most advanced sealing secrets. That's why Kurama usually stays quietly inside your body and doesn't cause trouble so easily."

He paused, then said solemnly, "The Jinchuriki of other villages are not so lucky. Like Gaara—the seal is crude, barely able to suppress the Tailed Beast. If the Tailed Beast becomes agitated even slightly, their bodies and minds will immediately suffer, and they are very prone to going berserk and causing damage! Therefore, Jinchuriki are treated badly in each village, and are treated as dangerous goods and living weapons."

Naruto suddenly realized, lost in thought, "Damn it, so that's how it is..."

……

Chapter 144 The Fourth Hokage's Plans and Grand Vision

While Sasuke was lost in thought, the atmosphere in the living room gradually relaxed.

Soon, the guests from Sunagakure bid farewell and left.

Kushina escorted them all the way to the gate of the courtyard, with Shisui following closely beside her, guarding and protecting them.

Before leaving, Temari repeatedly thanked Kushina: "Thank you so much, Kushina-senpai! If it weren't for your help, we..."

Kushina laughed and waved her hand to interrupt her: "Alright, no need to be so polite! It's just a small favor, after all, we're all allies!"

They watched as the Sand Village group gradually disappeared into the distance.

Kushina returned inside and asked Mikoto with a smile, "What brings you here today?"

Mikoto took out a beautifully packaged gift box from the paper bag she was carrying and handed it to Kushina: "Kushina, this is plum wine that our family makes ourselves. I heard you like this flavor, so I brought some for you."

"The main reason I'm here is to thank you for saving our Itachi last night."

Itachi bowed deeply to Kushina: "Thank you for saving me, Kushina-senpai."

Kushina quickly helped him up, raising her eyebrows as if feigning anger: "What kind of relationship do our two families have? Is there any need to be so formal? And there's even less need to bring gifts to express our gratitude!"

Mikoto and Itachi exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile wryly.

Seeing this, Mikoto simply placed the gift box directly on the coffee table, took Kushina's hand, and smiled, "Alright, alright, don't be so polite. Actually, I mainly came here today to chat with you!"

"That's more like it!" Kushina smiled and immediately warmly shook Mikoto's hand in return.

Mikoto smiled and nodded, then turned and waved to Sasuke and Itachi standing to the side: "You two brothers go back first. Kushina and I have a lot to talk about, so we won't keep you company any longer."

Sasuke was stunned upon hearing this.

Huh? They're being kicked out like that?

[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Uchiha Sasuke have been detected! Emotional value +200!]

Sasuke glanced at Nii-san.

They found Itachi completely calm and already preparing to leave, clearly used to this kind of scene.

Sasuke felt a little embarrassed, not expecting his mother and Aunt Kushina to have such a close relationship.

Seeing that Sasuke was standing still, Itachi called out, "Sasuke, let's go!"

"Okay... okay."

Sasuke then realized what was happening and quickly stepped forward respectfully, saying, "Then, Mother, we'll head back now."

Seeing this, Naruto quickly waved goodbye to Sasuke and Itachi, saying, "Goodbye, Itachi-nii, Sasuke! Say hello to Uncle Fugaku for me!"

Sasuke paused for a moment, then nodded: "Um... thank you."

Itachi gave Naruto a polite smile and said goodbye softly, "Then we'll go back, Naruto."

Sasuke followed Itachi as they turned and walked out of Naruto's house. The door clicked shut behind them.

They had barely stepped off the wooden steps when they discovered that Shisui had not left with the Sand Village group. He was standing under the shade of a tree on one side of the porch, seemingly waiting for something.

"Shisui-kun?" Sasuke was slightly surprised and quickened his pace to meet him. "Where are Gaara and the others? Didn't you go with them?"

Shisui nodded and said, "They have already set off to return to Sunagakure."

Zhi Shui rubbed his temples, his expression somewhat solemn. His usually gentle face was now tense, and he looked a little tired.

Upon hearing this, Itachi's smile faded, and a look of worry appeared between his brows. He asked in a low voice, "How is the situation now?"

Shisui sensed the tension in Itachi's tone, and his expression grew even more serious.

He paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "The situation... is not very optimistic."

Sasuke stood to the side, having overheard their conversation, and couldn't help but feel suspicious.

His gaze shifted from Shisui's somber face to Itachi, noticing that his brother's expression was equally grave, a stark contrast to his composure at his friend's house.

There seemed to be some ominous unspoken understanding between the two, which made Sasuke's heart skip a beat.

He couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Didn't you already defeat the enemy and resolve the crisis? Why are you all so serious? Is it... because the village suffered heavy losses this time?"

Hearing his younger brother's worried question, Itachi and Shisui exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat complicated.

Shisui sighed softly and shook his head, explaining, "No, Sasuke. Although the attack was sudden, the damage to the village was actually very small. The Fourth Hokage had anticipated this and made ample preparations in advance. So in the end, only some buildings were damaged, and there were no major casualties."

"I see..." Sasuke breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Although the attackers were repelled," Shisui said with a wry smile, a deep worry in his eyes, "the S-rank rogue ninjas sent by Akatsuki were all rescued by that masked mystery man. This means... Akatsuki has not suffered a fatal blow. The possibility of them making a comeback is still very high."

"What?!" Sasuke's eyes widened.

These dangerous enemies were all rescued later?

Thinking of this, he felt a chill run down his spine: "If that's the case, wouldn't they come back for revenge at any time?!"

“That’s right.” Shisui nodded, his expression growing increasingly serious. “However—” he paused, his brows furrowing, “the bigger hidden danger is not actually in Akatsuki, but in several other major powers.”

"Other major powers?" Sasuke's doubts deepened.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be... the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning?"

Sasuke remembered that in his last dream, the Tsuchikage and Raikage attacked the Fourth Hokage at the same time.

“That’s right,” Shisui said solemnly. “Just last night, the Tsuchikage and Raikage hurriedly left Konoha with their respective ninjas. As soon as they returned to their countries, the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning redeployed a large number of troops to their borders.”

Itachi's expression darkened upon hearing this: "Has the situation become this tense?"

Shisui snorted coldly, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes: "Hmph, that old bastard Onoki, he actually dared to accuse the Fourth Hokage of having ulterior motives to his face before he left! He's simply judging a gentleman by his own petty standards."

Mentioning this matter, he said indignantly, "With his limited capacity and vision, how could he possibly understand the Fourth Hokage's lofty ideals?"

Shisui shook his head, his face full of regret: "The Fourth Hokage has worked so hard for so many years, but I never expected that all of it would be lost because of this incident..."

Sasuke was completely bewildered.

This was the first time he had ever seen Shisui and Itachi with such worried expressions.

In his memory, his two older brothers had always been calm and composed, but now they were clearly worried and regretful about the future of Konoha.

A terrifying thought suddenly flashed through Sasuke's mind—could this attack ultimately trigger a war between the five great nations?!

His heart clenched, and his face turned deathly pale: "Wait, wait a minute... is there really going to be a war?!"

Sasuke felt his breath catch in his throat and blurted out, "Then isn't Konoha...isn't it very dangerous?!"

Seeing his younger brother's panicked expression, Itachi reached out and patted his shoulder, reassuring him in a calm voice, "Don't worry, Sasuke. Even if a great battle is inevitable, Konoha will never fear war!"

Shisui nodded, his gaze fixed firmly on the distance: "That's right! Konoha is not afraid of any war. It's just that the Fourth Hokage hopes to achieve his goals through more peaceful means, which is why he has always avoided conflict."

"The Fourth Hokage's goal..."

Sasuke paused for a moment, then subconsciously repeated those words.

The image of Minato Namikaze's gentle and handsome face flashed into his mind.

In the dream, Konoha Village is powerful, has many allies, and enjoys peace and prosperity. Isn't this the ideal situation that the Fourth Hokage hoped for?

But why did Itachi and Shisui speak so solemnly about his "goal," even with a hint of caution and awe?

Seeing Sasuke's puzzled expression, Shisui smiled and suddenly reached out to pat Sasuke's head: "Actually, it's about time you learned some of the truth, Sasuke."

Itachi paused for a moment, then frowned: "Isn't it too early to tell Sasuke all this now? He's only just turned twelve."

“How could that be?” Shisui withdrew his hand and shook his head. “The Uchiha clan was the Fourth Hokage’s most steadfast ally. As the son of the clan head, Sasuke should have known these inside stories much earlier.”

Itachi remained silent for a moment after hearing this, but finally sighed and acquiesced to Shisui's suggestion.

After all, Sasuke had personally experienced the great battle last night and witnessed just the tip of the iceberg of the turmoil in various countries. Rather than keeping it from him any longer, it would be better to let him prepare himself mentally in advance.

Sasuke watched his two older brothers exchange glances, and his curiosity grew even stronger.

He held his breath and waited quietly for the answer.

Shisui's expression became more solemn than ever before. He slowly turned around and stood on either side of Itachi in front of Sasuke.