Chapter 28: Who Needs Hand Seals?  

Kakashi pondered the advanced forms of Chidori that Sasuke had developed and suddenly frowned, asking:

"How do you perform these ninjutsu without making hand seals?"

He realized that these advanced Chidori techniques were incredibly valuable, but Sasuke could execute them without hand seals, while he still had to rely on them. This troubled Kakashi greatly.

Sasuke was silent for a moment before responding nonchalantly, "Why don't you figure it out yourself, Kakashi-sensei?"

'Hand seals?' Sasuke thought. 'Who needs hand seals anymore?'

Kakashi rolled his eyes in exasperation. 'If only it were that simple!'

"Sensei," Sasuke said seriously, "I want to develop an even more powerful ninjutsu. Do you have any ideas?"

Kakashi, already feeling drained from Sasuke's continuous questions, sighed and rolled his eyes again. "That's a great question, Sasuke. But try not to ask it again," he muttered sarcastically to himself. Sasuke had been bombarding him with similar questions, and Kakashi felt like Sasuke was squeezing him dry.

"Yes, this technique combines offense and defense, making it difficult for the enemy to get close," Kakashi commented as Sasuke demonstrated another new technique. Over the next few days, Sasuke kept experimenting with different ideas, but none of them led to any major breakthroughs. However, Sasuke remained undeterred. After all, he had already mastered an impressive array of jutsu.

One day, Naruto came running over, brimming with excitement. "Hey, Sasuke! Check this out—my new Rasengan!" Naruto shouted.

With the help of a shadow clone, Naruto started forming a swirling ball of blue chakra in his hand. After a month of hard work, he had finally mastered the Rasengan and couldn't wait to show it off.

Sasuke observed Naruto's Rasengan carefully, his Sharingan activated, analyzing the chakra flow. He noticed how Naruto's chakra spiraled in various directions at high speed and compressed into a perfect sphere. 'So, this is the legendary Rasengan,' Sasuke mused. 'Impressive... But it's mine now.'

With a slight smirk, Sasuke stretched out his palm and, using his own understanding of the Rasengan, released chakra from different points in his hand. He controlled it precisely in multiple directions, then compressed it into a perfect sphere identical to Naruto's Rasengan.

As the low humming of the jutsu filled the air, an exact copy of Naruto's Rasengan appeared in Sasuke's hand. Naruto's mouth dropped open in shock, and the Rasengan in his hand fizzled out as his concentration broke.

"You... No way... You actually..." Naruto stammered, his emotions in turmoil—shock, disbelief, envy, and frustration all mixed together. He had worked hard for a month to master the Rasengan, and Sasuke had learned it just by watching!

'This isn't fair!' Naruto thought. 'Is there really no justice in the world?'

"It is indeed a powerful jutsu," Sasuke remarked coolly as he examined the Rasengan in his hand. "And it has great potential for further development."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, stunned and trembling with frustration. Sasuke, however, felt a mischievous idea pop into his head.

With a smile, he said, "Naruto, the best thing about this jutsu is that it doesn't require hand seals—it can be executed instantly. I suggest you try doing it without using the shadow clone. Also, the Rasengan's shape manipulation is impressive. If you could combine it with a change in chakra nature, its power could increase dramatically. It might even reach the level of an S-rank jutsu. You should research that in the future."

Naruto pointed a trembling finger at Sasuke, but he was too overwhelmed to speak. "Oh, and congratulations, Naruto," Sasuke added with a bright smile. "You did a great job mastering such a powerful jutsu."

"Ahhhh!!!" Naruto roared in frustration. The praise from Sasuke only made him feel worse. 'Why do I feel like I've been insulted even though he's congratulating me?'

Seeing Naruto's expression—like he'd eaten something foul—Sasuke's smirk widened. He couldn't help but enjoy this moment of satisfaction. 'This feeling of one-upping Naruto… It's really good!'

---

Time passed, and after about a month in the Land of Waves, Zabuza finally responded to Sasuke's request.

"This is the 35 million ryo we prepared. Please count it," Haku said respectfully as he handed over a heavy money box.

Sasuke glanced at Haku, then asked flatly, "Why are you here alone? Where's Zabuza?"

Haku smiled awkwardly. "Well, Lord Zabuza's injuries haven't fully healed yet, so..."

The truth was, Zabuza was too scared to come. After their last battle, he'd developed a deep fear of Sasuke and didn't want to risk being attacked again. So, he had sent Haku to deliver the money alone.

"Fine," Sasuke said coolly as he took the money box and the Executioner's Blade. "You still owe me 15 million ryo. Keep in mind, the sword will stay with you for now, but until the debt is paid, it remains mine."

"Understood," Haku replied honestly.

Now, Zabuza and Haku would have to work hard to raise the remaining money to buy back the Executioner's Blade. But... Haku had a thought. 'What if we can't pay him back?'

As if reading his mind, Sasuke smirked slightly and said, "You know, I actually hope you default on the debt."

Haku's heart skipped a beat. Could Sasuke have figured out his plan? He looked up at Sasuke, trying to gauge his intentions.

Sasuke continued, "That way, I could capture you and sell you on the black market without feeling bad about it. After all, if you can't pay me back, I might as well make some extra money off of you."

Sasuke let out a cold laugh. Haku grew even more anxious. He hadn't realized Sasuke could be so ruthless. 'If he really did sell me on the black market, that would be a disaster!'

But then Sasuke clapped Haku on the shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry. I wouldn't actually do that. I'm a man of principles. As long as you pay me back on time, I won't give you any trouble."

Haku breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Sasuke hadn't caught on to his thoughts. "Thank you for your understanding. We'll make sure to repay the debt as soon as possible!" Haku promised.

Sasuke waved them off. Haku and Zabuza took the Executioner's Blade and left. As they walked away, Haku glanced back at Sasuke, silently vowing to earn enough money to pay off the debt and reclaim the sword as soon as possible.