Konoha: The Honored One

A Few Days Later, the Training Ground

"Huha... huha..."

Uchiha Sasuke knelt on the ground, gasping for air. His clothes were in tatters, wounds crisscrossed his body, and he clutched his bleeding right eye. Exhaustion radiated off him, his legs trembling beneath him.

"Seriously, Sasuke? This is your idea of lasting longer?" Gojo stood a few feet away, hands shoved lazily into his pockets, a lollipop protruding from his mouth. He leaned forward slightly, his trademark blindfold catching the light, and gave Sasuke a look of utter disdain. "You're trying to revive the Uchiha clan, right? Hate to break it to you, but with this stamina, even the ladies are gonna be unimpressed."

Sasuke's eye twitched, but he was too winded to muster a proper comeback.

It had been a few days since the chaos involving Naruto's... unique training approach.

Naruto was off practicing Sage Mode on Mount Myoboku, while Sakura had started her Earth Style training with weighted rocks. Their progress was undeniable—Squad 7 had reached the threshold of Kage-level strength. Sure, their combat skills still had gaps compared to seasoned Elite Jōnin, but their raw power was nothing to scoff at.

"Get up, Sasuke. I'm giving you free pointers here. At least try to look like you're learning something." Gojo twirled the lollipop in his fingers before popping it back in his mouth, his tone dripping with mockery.

With great effort, Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, his Sharingan gleaming as he glared at his teacher. "I can keep going, Gojo-sensei." His voice was sharp, determined, but the wobble in his legs betrayed him.

Gojo raised an eyebrow beneath his blindfold. "Oh? You can barely stand, emo boy. What are you gonna do, glare at me until I drop dead?" He tapped Sasuke's forehead with his finger, sending the younger Uchiha sprawling back onto the dirt with a soft thud.

Sasuke groaned, covering his forehead with his hand. "Tch. I'm fine!" he muttered, cheeks flushing slightly.

Gojo chuckled, his grin wide and infuriating. "Sure you are, tough guy. Your legs are shaking harder than a leaf in a hurricane." He jabbed the trembling limbs with his lollipop stick for emphasis.

Nearby, Sakura paused her training to watch the interaction. She muttered under her breath, "What a weird teacher-student dynamic…"

Sasuke's expression darkened. "Gojo-sensei, be honest. With my current strength... can I defeat him?"

Gojo's smirk faltered for a moment. "Him," of course, referred to Itachi.

He sighed, straightening up as he rubbed the back of his head. "Honestly? Not even close. If Itachi gets serious, you'll be flatter than a frog under a boulder."

The bluntness of the statement hit Sasuke like a kunai to the chest. His fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms.

"Listen, kid. You've got potential, but you're not there yet. Right now, you're Kage-level adjacent, and Itachi? He's leagues ahead. Triple Kage-level, easily." Gojo crouched to meet Sasuke's gaze, voice unusually soft. "His Sharingan? Way more versatile. His experience? Way deeper. And don't even get me started on Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu. Those aren't parlor tricks—they're nightmares. You'd be toast before you even realized the fight started."

Sasuke's frustration boiled over. "Damn it…" he muttered, gritting his teeth.

"Don't beat yourself up too much," Gojo said, ruffling Sasuke's hair like an older brother messing with his sibling. "For now, focus on mastering Chakra Nature Transformation. Once you've got that down, we'll talk Sage Mode. Baby steps, kid."

Sasuke blinked, momentarily stunned. For all of Gojo's teasing and sarcasm, the man could be unexpectedly kind.

"Thank you, Gojo-sensei," Sasuke muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Gojo puffed out his chest and grinned. "Ah, compliments! Finally. Keep 'em coming!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, turning his head away. "Don't push it."

Gojo laughed. "Work harder, emo kid. I've got big plans for you all, and I'm not about to let my students slack off."

Unseen by his students, Gojo allowed himself a rare moment of sentimentality. Watching Squad 7 grow stronger filled him with pride. He'd taken this ragtag bunch of brats and turned them into something resembling competent shinobi.

But deep down, he couldn't help but think, Soon, I'll be free of babysitting duty and back to the good stuff: traveling the world with Tsunade. Jackpot.

Before he could dwell too long on his fantasies of freedom, Sakura approached him.

"Gojo-sensei?" she asked, jogging over with a puzzled look.

Gojo gave her a wide grin. "Hey there, kiddo. Need something, or did you just miss me?"

Sakura frowned. "Why'd you call me over, only to tell me to stay away earlier? Are you trying to mess with me?"

Gojo was about to quip back when his expression shifted. Through his Six Eyes, he sensed the distinct presence of chakra signatures at the village's borders.

He clicked his tongue. "Oh, great. Just what I needed today."

"Gojo-sensei?" Sakura asked again, concern creeping into her voice.

Without responding, Gojo used his telepathic ability to warn the entire village. "Akatsuki's here," his voice echoed in the minds of every ninja.

Moments later, explosions shook the village as summoning beasts materialized across the area.

Gojo turned to see two figures emerge from a swirling portal: Uchiha Obito and Pain.

"Yo, Cyclops. Long time no see," Gojo greeted with his signature cocky grin.

Pain remained stone-faced, his Rinnegan glowing ominously. "Where is the Nine-Tails?"

Gojo popped the lollipop back into his mouth and smirked. "Guess."

Behind him, Sasuke and Sakura readied themselves for battle, kunai in hand. The tension in the air was palpable.

Pain's voice rumbled like distant thunder. "Feel pain. Understand pain. After losing someone important, can you still speak so lightly?"

"Blah, blah, blah." Gojo waved a hand dismissively. "Listen, I get it. You've got a whole edgy monologue prepared. But, uh, spoiler alert—it's not gonna work on me."

As Pain summoned the Gedo Statue and Obito began weaving seals for a limited Tsukuyomi, Gojo's grin widened. "Alright, kiddos," he said to Sasuke and Sakura, cracking his knuckles. "Let's show these guys why messing with our squad was the worst decision they've ever made."