Sasuke remained in a deep sleep for several days, while Makoto wasted no time and continued training ninjutsu with Naruto.
Meanwhile, the bridge construction progressed smoothly. With Gato out of the picture, thanks to Makoto, there was no one left to interfere.
Kakashi, however, was completely in the dark about Sasuke's sudden coma.
But what really caught his attention was Naruto's drastic improvement.
Whether it was tree-climbing, water-walking, or general chakra control, Naruto had completely leveled up in just a few days.
Before long, the bridge was finally completed, and the team prepared to return to Konoha.
But there was one major problem.
Sasuke still hadn't woken up. With no other choice, Kakashi slung Sasuke over his back, ready to carry him home. Suddenly, Naruto, the genius prankster, suddenly had an idea.
A truly evil idea.
His eyes gleamed as he remembered one of the most traumatic experiences of his life, Konoha's ultimate taijutsu technique, the legendary Thousand Years of Death.
A technique Kakashi himself had once used on him.
Naruto got into position, smirking. Then, with deadly precision, he struck. "THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Sasuke, who had been peacefully sleeping on Kakashi's back, screamed in absolute horror. His soul practically left his body as he shot into the air, clutching his violated rear.
He landed hard, gasping for breath. In his panic and distress, his Sharingan flared to life,except this time, it wasn't normal.
His Mangekyo Sharingan had awakened.
Kakashi just stood there, completely speechless.
His mind blanked out for a moment before a horrifying thought crossed it.
'Wait... Did Sasuke just awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan... from getting hit with the Thousand Years of Death?!"
Kakashi's eye twitched. 'Should I let Naruto hit me too...?'
After mulling it over, Kakashi ultimately decided to scrap the idea. Using a three-tomoe Sharingan already put enough strain on him.
'If I awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, won't that drain me even faster? And besides...' his gaze drifted to the little orange book in his pouch.
'I still need energy to read my beloved Icha Icha novels...Yeah, forget it!'
Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had just been violated awake, landed perfectly, his instincts kicking in despite the trauma.
Still shaken, he turned to Naruto, his voice full of disbelief.
"Y-You... you're not dead?!" his eyes darted around, scanning his surroundings.
Kakashi.
Sakura.
Makoto, who was dying of laughter behind his hands and then, standing behind Makoto, Zabuza and Haku, completely alive.
"....How the hell are you all still alive?!"
Seeing Sasuke's confusion, Makoto finally stopped laughing long enough to explain everything that had happened.
By the end of it, everyone, including Kakashi, was stunned. 'So that's how Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan huh?'
Sasuke, now fully caught up, said nothing to Makoto for the rest of the journey.
But as they walked back toward Konoha, he stared daggers at Makoto's back.
He wanted revenge.
He wanted to land one good hit on Makoto.
But every single time he moved in for an attack, Makoto dodged effortlessly, as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
It was infuriating.
On the other hand, Naruto was absolutely thrilled about Sasuke's awakening. He bounced around the entire way back, acting like an excited little idiot.
But when Sasuke glanced at Naruto, his expression turned complicated. Because he remembered everything that happened in the illusion.
Makoto's death had awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan.
Naruto's death had triggered his Mangekyō Sharingan.
'I never expected that the idiots at the bottom of the rank... would become so important to me without me realizing it.'
As Naruto and Makoto continued walking forward without a care in the world, Sasuke's lips curled up slightly. "...Idiots"
——
After traveling for a while, the group finally arrived back in Konoha. Without wasting time, they headed straight to the Hokage Building to report on their mission's success.
They explained everything, including Tazuna hiding the true nature of the mission, which resulted in the assignment being upgraded to B-rank.
Now, their ninja certificates officially recorded a completed B-rank mission.
Naruto was absolutely thrilled.
Staring at the words B-rank mission completed on his certificate, he jumped around excitedly.
"Yes! One step closer to becoming Hokage!"
Meanwhile, Makoto took the opportunity to explain Zabuza and Haku's situation to Hiruzen, mentioning that the two would be staying in Konoha from now on.
After thinking it over, Hiruzen agreed.
After all, they were now followers of his student, and their presence could be beneficial to both Makoto and Konoha.
That said, the old Hokage secretly decided to keep them under surveillance, just in case.
After stepping out of the Hokage Building, Kakashi clapped his hands and declared,
"Well, that mission was completed perfectly! Next time, barbecue's on me."
Everyone cheered, especially Naruto, who was already dreaming about meat.
Meanwhile, Makoto handed Zabuza and Haku some money, covering their expenses for a house and their daily needs.
With that settled, Zabuza and Haku went off to look for a place to live, while Team 7, including Makoto, headed straight for the barbecue restaurant.
Despite Makoto and Sasuke clearly being richer than him, Kakashi insisted on paying.
As their team leader and sensei, it only felt right.
After all, back in the day, Minato used to treat him, Obito, and Rin to barbecue all the time.
Thinking back, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh. 'We really were happy back then...'
Looking at his students, he saw a reflection of his past self. 'Obito, Rin... I'm the leader and teacher of a group of kids.'
'And just like us back then, they're all ridiculously talented and giving me a headache!'
By the time they arrived at the restaurant, they quickly realized they weren't the only ones with this idea.
Kurenai's team and Asuma's team were also here.
The young genin all gathered excitedly around a large table, while their three team leaders sat down at another, prepared to supervise and secretly enjoy some peace.
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