The Other Two's Side 3

To say that I was beaten to a pulp is an understatement. I have been thoroughly destroyed by Sasuke. She punished my body and wrung out all of my energy.

I can't move my legs to stand up anymore. Even breathing and blinking seems to be so painful now.

"Fuu! That was some good practice," she muttered while wiping the sweat on her forehead.

"You got to be kidding me..."

She's calling that practice when she pushed me to this point? She's can't be serious.

With that said, I really can't believe how much she has gotten stronger since I last saw her fight. She improved her Taijutsu, and it seems like she has already gotten used on using her Sharingan. She also improved on her battle tactics, most notably, she's using clones and other helpful Jutsus to her advantage to set up her attacks.

Her Shadow Clone technique is much weaker than mine, but with her prowess, you can argue that doesn't matter. The two clones she can summon can equal in value to a dozen of mine.

That's frustrating to think about...

"Sasuke, are you actually aiming to become the Hokage?"

I can't think of any other reason why she would try to strengthen herself so much.

"Huh? What made you say that? No, I'm not aiming to become the Hokage," she flatly denied.

"But why not? Ya' know that being the Hokage's the greatest job out there, right?"

More importantly, being the Hokage is the coolest thing, after all, ya' got to be the strongest Shinobi to get that title. Everyone will like and respect you with that amount of pedigree.

"It sounds troublesome," and so she says.

...

I felt so betrayed by her answer that I just couldn't say anything back.

"Naruto?" she called after seeing how silent I was.

"Eh-hem! So you're really not planning on becoming Hokage?" I cleared my throat and asked.

"That's right," she confidently nodded.

"Then, what are you planning to do in the future?"

"I haven't really thought about it yet..." uncharacteristically, she hesitantly answered.

"I see..."

I hate to admit it, but Sasuke really is talented. It would really be a waste if she won't use that talent for the village.

"If that's the case, you should just come with me and work for me in the future! You can be my right-hand man, or woman, in your case."

It's not that I expect her to say yes. Someone as prideful as her would simply take my words as an insult.

"That sounds good."

"Eh...?"

Did I hear her right?

"Are you for real, Sasuke?" I asked, unconvinced.

"Coming with you doesn't sound bad. Just remember, don't give me any front office work, I won't slave away in front of a desk. You can just send me off overseas for undercover missions or something, that way, I'll also get to travel the world."

What's with her? She's talking as if the future was already set to stone...

I didn't expect her to have so much trust in me. Does she really believe I'll become Hokage one day?

"I'll help you achieve your goal, but you need to pay me back big time," she offered me a hand and smiled.

That was the first time I ever saw her genuinely smile. She certainly didn't look bad...

What is going on...? I can feel my cheeks heating up and my chest beating fast...

"What are you staring blankly for?"

Ah... I totally forgot to take her hand.