(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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"Hey, Naruto, well done! Keep up the good work!"
Colt waved to Naruto while standing beside Kakashi.
His tone was obviously sarcastic.
Kakashi glanced at him a few times, his tone lazy.
"They're different from you. I won't take them on a mission if they don't understand the importance of teamwork."
"I think you just want to be lazy," Colt complained without hesitation.
"The Third Hokage already told me there's a task for Team 7 tomorrow."
"Anyway, we should all go back and prepare to leave the village."
Kakashi couldn't argue with Colt's remarks.
After that, they didn't say much more before Sasuke's team completed their task.
"Colt! I'm going to challenge you! I've become a lot stronger!" Naruto shouted as he ran up to Colt.
"I've already beaten Sasuke. That jerk is no match for me at all!"
"Oh? What happened?" Colt's interest was piqued.
At this stage, Naruto had some experience with physical skills, but he was still inferior to Sasuke in most areas.
'How can he beat Sasuke?'
"Shut up, you idiot! It was a sneak attack!" Sasuke's eyebrows twitched wildly.
Naruto had ambushed him, tied him up, and thrown him into the sea. He couldn't believe Naruto was shameless enough to brag about it to Colt.
Colt, understanding the situation, looked at Sasuke teasingly.
"Sasuke, your vigilance still needs some work."
"Tsk, who would have thought that idiot Naruto would attack me," Sasuke grumbled, irritated.
This was a dark moment in his life he could never erase.
It could only be said that Naruto deserved his title as the number one unpredictable ninja.
Anything unreasonable became reasonable with him.
However, Colt declined Naruto's invitation to fight.
"Naruto, we're going on a mission outside the village tomorrow, so let's skip it for today."
After half a month of constant missions, Colt was a bit tired – not physically, but mentally.
After all, anyone who had been on assassination missions for half a month straight needed a break.
As for the reward from healing Naruto after he beat him, he had received many tasks from the [Healer's Benevolence System] recently, so the points weren't worth it.
Sure enough, Naruto's attention immediately shifted to tomorrow's mission.
Noting the early hour, Colt suggested, "Hinata and Ino don't have assignments today. Why don't we all have a meal together?"
Naruto hadn't attended their graduation party last time, so this would make up for it. Even Sasuke didn't object to the idea.
But the location became an issue. Naruto proposed Ichiraku Ramen, but it was too small. They had also been to the BBQ place too often recently, so it didn't feel interesting.
While Colt was pondering, Sasuke spoke up.
"Just come to my place. It's big enough, and we can buy whatever food we want."
After speaking, he turned his face away, a little embarrassed.
This surprised Colt. Was Sasuke actually taking the initiative to invite people to his house?
However, the Uchiha compound was indeed spacious and quiet enough for a gathering.
"Alright, let's go to Sasuke-san's place then."
"Just Sasuke is fine…"
...
Sakura went to the Hokage building to report on their mission, while Naruto volunteered to find the other genins.
Colt created two Shadow Clones to fetch Hinata and Ino.
As for Kakashi...
"Sensei, this is a party for us students. You'd feel out of place, right?" Colt looked at Kakashi with a smile, politely asking him to leave.
"Kids these days are so heartless," Kakashi shook his head and left with his beloved book.
After everyone departed, Colt looked at Sasuke.
"Is there something you want to ask me?"
Since his arrival, Sasuke had been hesitant to speak, obviously wanting to ask something.
"Naruto said you have a Sharingan like Kakashi. Is that true?"
The last time he stole the Scroll of Sealing, Naruto had noticed the change in Colt's eyes.
During a conversation, he had mentioned it offhandedly, and Sasuke had overheard.
'Sigh'
"Well, it is true." Colt didn't mean to hide it and freely revealed his [Three Tomoe Sharingan].
Sasuke's eyes widened. It really was the Sharingan and a fully matured one at that.
"Are you also from the Uchiha clan?"
Sasuke was a little excited. He had thought the Uchiha had been wiped out by Itachi, but Colt actually possessed the Sharingan.
"I'm not a member of the Uchiha clan. My eyes awakened inexplicably."
Colt was certain he didn't have the Uchiha bloodline.
The [Healer's Benevolence System] had sent him a Senju bloodline awakening potion, indicating he had part of the Senju lineage but not one for the Uchiha.
Hearing this, Sasuke lowered his head in disappointment.
Ever since the night of the massacre, Sasuke's heart ached whenever he returned to the Uchiha compound at night.
The once-lively Uchiha district was now desolate. And Colt had just shattered the only remaining hope in his heart.
However, he still felt somewhat closer to Colt as he knew he had the same eyes as him…
"Hey, I know about your troubles" Colt patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "But for now, you should focus on getting stronger. You're definitely not that person's match right now. But you have the potential for it"
Sasuke remained silent, turned around, and walked towards the compound.
An hour later, everyone arrived at the Uchiha district.
Hinata and Ino hadn't seen Colt for half a month and naturally missed him. The three stuck close together, while the others looked on helplessly.
The lazy Shikamaru reluctantly took on the task of organizing everything.
In the end, everyone decided on a barbecue to save time and effort. Fortunately, Sasuke's house had enough ingredients, so they didn't need to buy anything.
Kiba and Shino were in charge of carrying the barbecue equipment, while Hinata, Ino, and Sakura handled the ingredients.
Colt and Sasuke were in charge of the actual grilling.
No one dared let the clumsy Naruto help.
As for Choji... they let him eat some snacks to tide him over, otherwise, the others would have more work later.
After a while, everything was finally ready.
Surprisingly, Sasuke's cooking skills were quite good.
But thinking about it, living alone since early, he would have starved to death without some life skills.
The ten of them chatted while eating, with most topics focusing on the missions they'd done in the past month.
Everyone complained about the tedium of D-rank missions, and Colt once again became the center of attention. He was the only one who had performed higher-level tasks.
Colt didn't hide anything but chose to talk about some of the less bloody missions he'd undertaken.
It was good to broaden their perspectives.