Duel I

The time for his departure had been set. Three days later, Sasuke would embark on an unknown journey. Mainly because he was too familiar with the plot of Naruto, and that was detrimental to his own training and growth. When the curtain rose three years later, everything would be decided by strength. What use was knowing the plot so well? Against the owner of the Rinnegan, would he have the strength to fight? Rely on schemes again? He really had no good ideas for that. Strength was the foundation; the saying that one force could overcome ten techniques was not empty words.

Today was the day Sasuke and Naruto would face off. Watching were the Third Hokage, the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Sakura. The location was beneath the waterfall in the village. This great waterfall should be where Naruto would train in the future; Sasuke recognized it the moment he arrived. There was a reason they had chosen to fight on the water. This place was far from the center of the village, and people generally did not come here. Everyone felt it was best to keep Sasuke and Naruto's strength confidential. Though this place was more suitable for Sasuke to fight in, it would cause little damage to the surroundings. Who knew whether Naruto might summon Gamabunta? So they had ultimately chosen this place.

Sasuke wore the wide belt Sakura had given him around his waist and walked straight onto the lake's surface. Naruto did the same, and the two stood facing each other.

"Sasuke, you've always been the goal I wanted to surpass. Now I finally have a chance to prove myself," Naruto suddenly said. "To prove that even a dead last can defeat a genius."

"Heh, Naruto, when are you going to get a little smarter?" Sasuke laughed. "I've never thought of myself as some genius. Just like Rock Lee—didn't he shine in his own way? Who could say he isn't a genius? I've never considered myself a genius. I know I need to work hard, then work even harder. That is enough. Being a ninja is that kind of profession. If you don't work hard, others will surpass you. What use is the halo of genius? It's completely useless. Today, I'll show you that I've worked a hundred times harder than you. Come, let's fight." With that, Sasuke assumed the Three-Body Stance.

"Oh? The kid said that pretty well," Jiraiya remarked in surprise.

"That's right. Sasuke has always resisted being called a genius, and he has never stopped training. He works hard every moment of every day." Kakashi affirmed Sasuke's words, as well as his efforts.

"By the way, Kakashi, has Sasuke awakened the Sharingan?" Tsunade suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure about that either, but I think he probably has. He learns ninjutsu very quickly. During that month of special training, I taught him many ninjutsu, including the Rasengan. He learned all of them after seeing them once."

"What? You taught him the Rasengan too?" Jiraiya said in astonishment. Then he seemed to realize something and asked, "He learned the Rasengan just by seeing it once?"

"Yes. He places great importance on Taijutsu training, and his fist techniques are quite distinctive. You'll all see them in a moment. At the time, he wanted to learn a high-burst ninjutsu that required no hand seals, something useful in close combat, so I taught him the Rasengan. Although he doesn't have Wind Release Chakra, the Rasengan alone can still be extremely useful in actual combat." As they spoke, Sasuke and Naruto had already begun fighting.

Naruto charged straight in, and Sasuke met him head-on. Naruto's Taijutsu was truly not much to speak of; he still threw a straight punch at Sasuke. Sasuke tilted his head aside to evade it, then rammed his shoulder directly into Naruto's body. Naruto staggered backward from the impact. Sasuke followed with half a step and unleashed a set of Five Element Fist strikes. Naruto was driven back again and again. For Sasuke's final strike, he brought his hands together, palms flat, and shoved them directly into Naruto's abdomen. Naruto was sent tumbling nonstop across the water's surface.

Sasuke did not pursue him. After all, this was merely a sparring match; there was no need to defeat Naruto at once.

"Naruto, your Taijutsu is still as bad as ever," Sasuke said, standing still and watching Naruto fly away.

Naruto finally managed to stop, coughed several times, and struggled to his feet. "Hmph, I haven't even shown my real skills yet. Multiple Shadow Clone Technique." Shadow Clones began appearing one after another. There were truly quite a lot this time—hundreds of them surrounded Sasuke.

"Oh, you still have as much Chakra as ever. Then let me show you what Taijutsu really is." Sasuke shifted his stance, stepping his left leg half a pace forward and bending it slightly. His left arm extended halfway, his left palm held upright before him, while his right hand clenched into a fist at his waist. "Come. Let me see what you can do."

"Aaaaah!" A mass of Narutos roared as they charged forward. Sasuke remained calm, drawing a circle with his left hand and directly catching the first clone to rush in. He guided its fist off course, sending it into the clones behind it and colliding with another clone. Then he turned to face the next one. The entire scene looked bizarre. Sasuke did not use broad, powerful attacks against these clones. He merely borrowed a little of their force to change their direction, gave them a light shove to add some momentum, and they crashed into one another, dispelling the ninjutsu.

Naruto's clones surrounded Sasuke everywhere, frantically attacking the Sasuke at their center. Yet Sasuke's movements seemed very slow. Every time, he evaded them, then gave them a push.

"What a strange fist technique. It's somewhat like the Gentle Fist, but it seems even softer than the Gentle Fist?" Jiraiya tilted his head in thought.

"That's right. It does resemble the Gentle Fist, but it is completely different. He uses other people's strength to attack others—a very effortless method." Tsunade practiced fist techniques herself, so she saw through it clearly. However, her style was the Strong Fist.

"Indeed. Sasuke's fist techniques can be fierce at times and gentle at others. They're very difficult to figure out," Kakashi voiced his impression.

"If he has awakened the Sharingan, then pairing it with his fist techniques would indeed suit his fighting style very well. But when he fought Gaara, didn't he use ninjutsu?" Jiraiya asked.

"Sasuke's fighting style has always depended on his opponent. It was difficult to hurt Gaara in close combat unless one had Rock Lee's speed, so Sasuke devised a set of ninjutsu to drain Gaara's Chakra before finally closing in for a decisive blow. Even then, he extended the Lightning Cutter." Kakashi understood Sasuke better than anyone here.

"A very intelligent way of fighting. Naruto knows very little ninjutsu and mostly fights at close range, but he has far too much Chakra. As Naruto's teammate, Sasuke understands him very well, so he is taking a defensive stance now. No wonder he wants to go out and train. He already knows all the opponents around him too well, so he wants to find ninjas he does not know to fight." Tsunade nodded. He truly was a clever kid.

Sasuke himself would never claim to be clever. He merely knew more than others, that was all. Especially after gaining the ability to remember everything at a glance, he had spent all his class time reading. His store of knowledge was also the foundation for improving certain ninjutsu. Though several of his improved ninjutsu had already become entirely new techniques, they all rested on that foundation of knowledge.