"Sasuke, I'm not joking with you. Don't think it would be embarrassing to lose to Naruto. As for Naruto's identity, your parents, your brother, and I all know about it.
"Moreover, Naruto's parents have deep ties with our family. In terms of status alone, he isn't beneath you—he's even a little higher."
Uchiha Homura solemnly revealed a small portion of some rather confidential information to Sasuke.
Mainly because Uchiha Homura knew Sasuke's personality all too well.
He had the pride unique to the Uchiha Clan!
Ahem, to be fair, he had once been exactly the same!
But he had been beaten down by his companions and come to understand that there was always someone stronger.
Sasuke was different. He had not even stepped out of the Ninja Academy yet.
His past competitions with Naruto had only been private matches. Although they determined winners and losers, both understood the importance of holding something back.
But this time was different!
This was a relatively official battle between Naruto and Sasuke!
Leaving everything else aside, many people in the village were already discussing whether Naruto or Sasuke would become the Ninja Academy's top graduate.
Moreover, most villagers who did not know the full story believed Sasuke would win.
If Sasuke lost to Naruto then, that contrast was something Uchiha Homura feared Sasuke would not be able to bear.
After all, he knew Sasuke's pride too well.
Especially since there would be no shortage of spectators that day. Most believed Sasuke would win, and Sasuke's parents, brother, Uchiha Homura himself, and some members of the Uchiha Clan would all be there.
Even Sasuke himself had confidence at an unprecedented high.
Under such intense attention, if Sasuke lost to Naruto, whom he saw as nothing more than a war orphan, the blow to his heart