Sasuke, Let's Be Friends

After school, Naruto was dragged into the office by Iruka and given a harsh scolding.

Iruka felt frustrated that Naruto refused to study hard.

He paced back and forth in the office before finally deciding to speak to the Third Hokage about Naruto's problems. Iruka knew that the Third Hokage cared deeply about Naruto, just as he had once cared about him.

Naruto left Iruka's office and headed out through the school gates.

Just then, Naruto saw that the Uchiha boy had also walked out of the school, his face as expressionless as ever.

Thinking of how Sasuke had received praise from Iruka-sensei during the Transformation Jutsu quiz, Naruto realized that Sasuke had now become the top student in the class—No. 1.

There was nothing wrong with becoming friends with the best student first, right?

"System, with how far I've cultivated the Indestructible Body, am I qualified to be Sasuke's friend?" During this period, Naruto had practiced the first stage of the Indestructible Body up to the fifty-sixth form before the entry level.

He only needed to practice another eighty-one minus fifty-six forms to reach the entry level. By then, a blade would leave only a pale mark, a spear only a white dot; swords and blades would not be able to harm him, and even a ninja's kunai, shuriken, and darts would be useless against Naruto.

Still, with Naruto's current physical condition, beating up a seven-year-old kid would not be a problem.

Thus, the system answered, "Yes. You are fully qualified to be Sasuke's friend."

Hearing the system's definite answer, Naruto was overjoyed. Two years—two whole years. For the past two years, he had trained tirelessly, all for this day.

Today would be the day he officially made a friend.

Naruto could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart. He dashed forward and rushed in front of Sasuke, saying with a serious expression, "Sasuke, let's be friends."

"No!"

Sasuke coldly spat out the word. He had no interest in Naruto at all.

After refusing him, Sasuke turned to leave.

Rejected?

Naruto had expected this outcome long ago, but he was not worried at all. After all, the friendship-making process was not over yet. Once he finished the process, maybe Sasuke would agree to be his friend.

"I want to spar with you." Naruto blocked Sasuke again. Afraid Sasuke would not understand, he put it another way. "Sasuke, I challenge you."

"No!"

Sasuke's face remained entirely unchanged. After calmly uttering those words, he walked past Naruto.

"Hehe..."

Naruto flashed a brilliant smile, then shouted,

"Thousand Jin Embrace."

He suddenly turned, spread his arms, and lunged at Sasuke in a hug.

"Hmph..."

Sasuke snorted. A sneak attack? From you, Naruto Uzumaki, you super idiot? You think you can sneak up on me? With that thought, Sasuke calmly leaped to the side.

The instant his feet left the ground, he felt a pair of large hands fiercely clamp around his waist with tremendous force.

In an instant, Sasuke felt his chest and lungs being squeezed. He could not draw breath, his blood flow was obstructed, and his face turned bright red.

Suffocation.

Having successfully caught Sasuke, Naruto wore a smug grin. This guy still wanted to run? Did he not know how many goats Naruto had hugged on the Back Mountain, how many times he had been kicked by goat hooves, and how many Spicy Lamb Trotters he had eaten?

Naruto's reaction speed had long since been trained up.

"Let go!"

Sasuke's face was flushed red, veins bulging in his neck. He grabbed at the large hands locked around his waist and hurriedly used the Escape Technique, trying to break free. But against arms as hard as steel bars, Sasuke could not escape for the moment.

In truth, Sasuke had misunderstood. Naruto had not even used twenty percent of his strength. If he had used his full strength, with his terrifying ability to snap trees in half with a hug, Sasuke would have been broken already.

That was why Naruto did not dare use too much force. He was afraid of hurting Sasuke.

Feeling Sasuke resist beneath his hands, Naruto grinned. With a twist of his body, both of them tumbled to the ground. Naruto straddled Sasuke, then brought down a fist as large as a casserole dish toward Sasuke's face.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Before long, Sasuke was lying on the ground with a swollen, bruised face.

Naruto stood up, flexed his somewhat tired wrist, and said, "Sasuke, can we be friends now?"

"No!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto's smug face, fury rising within him. He had never imagined that he would be beaten by a dead-last student. Sooner or later, he would return the favor and beat Naruto until he was black and blue too.

Seeing that Sasuke still refused to be friends with him even after this, Naruto suddenly felt a surge of admiration. Someone as resolute as Sasuke would surely be unwavering in friendship in the future as well.

Thinking that, Naruto was no longer so discouraged by this failure.

A bright smile appeared on his face as he said earnestly to Sasuke, "Sasuke, one day, we'll be friends. See you tomorrow."

With that, Naruto turned and went home.

Watching Naruto's retreating figure, Sasuke climbed to his feet. If I hadn't been sneak-attacked, I still had plenty of ultimate moves I hadn't used yet.

Those were the ultimate moves his brother had taught him.

Thinking of his brother, he took a mirror from his pocket and looked at his face, swollen like a pig's head. If my brother sees me like this, it'll be so embarrassing, won't it?

And if he finds out I was beaten this badly by someone who can't even use the Transformation Jutsu...

That'll be even more embarrassing.

Sigh, I hope Brother isn't home today.

With that thought, Sasuke patted the dust off himself and headed toward the Uchiha clan compound.

The sun had sunk into the west, setting the clouds at its edge ablaze with crimson. With his back to the sun, Sasuke's small shadow stretched long and thin.

When he was almost home, Sasuke suddenly stopped and looked at his shadow on the ground.

Beside it was the shadow of a streetlamp, except...

"Brother, why are you standing on the streetlamp again?" Sasuke felt helpless about his brother Itachi's peculiar hobby.

He looked up and saw Itachi standing on the streetlamp with his arms folded, gazing into the distance.

Hearing his younger brother's voice, Itachi came back to his senses. He lowered his head and saw Sasuke's face. Itachi was so startled that he nearly fell off the streetlamp.

"Sasuke, what happened to you?" Itachi jumped down from the streetlamp and asked.

"I got beaten up by a classmate." Though he really did not want to say it, Sasuke would never refuse to answer Itachi, nor would he lie to his brother.

"Beaten up by a classmate?" Itachi looked utterly incredulous when he heard that. He knew Sasuke's talent. Who in his class could possibly beat him? It would be good enough if Sasuke did not beat up everyone else.

And with Itachi occasionally giving Sasuke extra training, he should have been even stronger.

"Mm." Sasuke's face turned red as he answered awkwardly.

Itachi was quite interested in the fact that Sasuke had been beaten up by someone his own age in class. He asked, "Tell me exactly what happened."

"Well... on my way home, a classmate stopped me and said he wanted to be friends with me..."

"Then you definitely rejected him, right?" Itachi knew his younger brother's personality. Ever since he was little, aside from Itachi and their family, Sasuke had found it difficult to show closeness toward anyone else.

"So when you refused, he beat you up."

"Mm!"

Thanks to Yimeng Qiannian 55412 for the 100 Qidian Coin reward, and thanks to that friend on QQ Reading for the 100-coin reward. Your name is too complicated for me to type. Finally, please send some recommendation votes and rewards. The story has more or less been set up.