The moment she activated her Byakugan, Hinata saw an almost blinding light.
"That is..."
Hinata froze, her soft lips parting slightly as she stared at Naruto in shock.
That was Naruto's Chakra?
How could there be so much of it?!
In Hinata's eyes,
Naruto possessed more Chakra than anyone she had ever seen.
And far, far more at that!
At the center of the field,
Naruto raised a hand toward the charging Sasuke.
Sasuke threw a punch at Naruto's face.
However...
Naruto tapped the back of Sasuke's hand with two fingers.
Sasuke's attack veered off course, and he lost his balance, pitching forward.
But Sasuke was no pushover.
He had no idea why Naruto had managed to deflect his attack and assumed Naruto had simply gotten lucky.
Sasuke pushed off the ground and launched himself into the air, bringing one foot down at Naruto from above.
Naruto could have blocked it, but he had no intention of taking it head-on. He simply shifted slightly to the side and dodged.
The two then began exchanging close-range taijutsu.
The only way ninja academy students fought was through taijutsu.
Naruto remained rooted in place from beginning to end, dealing with Sasuke using just one hand.
Meanwhile, Sasuke kept exerting himself, attacking with everything he had.
Yet after only a few exchanges, Sasuke was somehow restrained by Naruto.
Naruto gripped one of Sasuke's arms with one hand and pinned his other arm with his elbow.
With Sasuke's back to him, Naruto lifted him off the ground with one hand.
"Wh... what is going on?"
Sasuke's eyes flew wide open, utterly incredulous.
The cheers for Sasuke below gradually died down as well.
They had thought this would just be a one-sided beatdown.
It really was a one-sided beatdown.
Except the fisherman and the fish had switched places.
Sasuke struggled desperately, trying to break free from Naruto's restraint.
But Naruto's arm seemed to possess the strength of a thousand pounds.
No matter how hard Sasuke tried, he could not make Naruto let go.
Sasuke even tried to go for a bear hug and throw, but Naruto held him firmly in place.
Naruto wondered, So you've been practicing that bear hug throw since you were little, huh?
"You lost," Naruto reminded Sasuke.
Sasuke knew he had lost, but he could not accept the outcome.
He could lose!
But Sasuke would not allow himself to lose so easily.
Especially against someone his own age.
Naruto had even used only one hand!
Naruto released Sasuke.
Sasuke's feet touched the ground, and only then did he feel steadier.
Then, he could not help but feel shocked.
He...
Was actually afraid of continuing to fight Naruto?
"How did you train?" Sasuke looked at Naruto longingly.
Naruto's image in Sasuke's eyes had changed completely.
He had gone from an unnoticed nobody to someone suddenly shrouded in mystery.
Especially since Naruto had the nickname "monster."
Could he really be...?
Sasuke could not help but let his imagination run wild.
Naturally, Naruto would not tell the truth. He brushed him off instead. "Well... I'm not really sure myself."
Sasuke: "..."
He did not want to tell him?
Then again, that made sense.
In a world where strength mattered so much,
Anyone who discovered a way to rapidly increase their strength would hide it as much as possible.
Even if Naruto would not tell him now, Sasuke did not intend to give up.
Outside the field,
Hinata was not all that surprised that Naruto had defeated Sasuke.
Because she had seen Naruto's Chakra...
But everyone else was different.
Ino rubbed her eyes and asked Sakura Haruno, "Sakura, am I seeing things?"
"You probably aren't," Sakura Haruno said, looking timidly at Naruto. "Because I saw Sasuke lose too, and he lost completely."
Thinking back to how she and Ino had teased Naruto, Sakura Haruno felt a lingering fear.
What if Naruto had not held himself back then...?
Iruka came to his senses and announced, "For the final practical combat exercise, Naruto Uzumaki wins!"
[ Ding~ System mission completed, Simulation Opportunity +1 ]
A notification from the system sounded in Naruto's mind.
After completing this mission,
The next mission was not issued immediately.
Naruto was not in a hurry. Things would work themselves out when the time came.
Iruka had not expected Naruto to be this strong.
After school, Iruka specifically sought Naruto out and asked him a few questions.
Naturally, Naruto made up some harmless lies.
Because Naruto did not want anyone to know about the system.
Not even Iruka.
Although Iruka sensed that something was off, he could not figure it out.
So Iruka did not grow suspicious. Instead, he invited Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen.
Naturally, Naruto agreed.
But when the two reached the entrance, they ran into Sasuke, who had been waiting there the whole time.
When Sasuke saw Naruto appear, he walked over with a cold expression.
Sasuke was not unwilling to accept his loss to Naruto.
After all, it was not as if he had only narrowly failed to defeat Naruto. The gap between them was enormous.
"Naruto Uzumaki, I want to buy your training method," Sasuke said bluntly, since he was not good at flattering people.
It was not that Naruto did not want to sell it; he genuinely had no training method.
So Naruto told Sasuke, "I haven't trained. I'm just getting by on talent."
Talent?
Sasuke scoffed at that explanation.
Naruto used to be very skinny.
Although no one paid attention to Naruto, Sasuke knew that Naruto's physical condition had improved far too much compared to before.
Sasuke did not believe him, so he followed Naruto.
Naruto ignored him.
The three made their way to Ichiraku Ramen.
After they finished eating,
Iruka had some matters to take care of, so he left.
Yet Sasuke still refused to leave.
"What exactly do you want?" Naruto rubbed his forehead and said helplessly, "I really haven't trained."
With both hands in his pockets and an unchanged expression, Sasuke said, "Or name your conditions. What do I have to do before you are willing to share your training method?"
Sasuke believed he was not lazy.
He trained every day until midnight.
And he alone possessed the Uchiha Clan's wealth, so he certainly did not lack training resources.
Meanwhile, Naruto...
Not only was he poor, he did not even train.
Could he defeat Sasuke so easily just by relying on talent?
Impossible!
Therefore, Sasuke was certain that Naruto had a unique training method.
Naruto had not expected Sasuke to be such a persistent nuisance.
He knew that unless he offered Sasuke some benefit—or perhaps gave him a scare—Sasuke would not let him go easily.
So Naruto said to Sasuke, "You said it yourself. You'll agree to any condition?"
"Of course!" Sasuke nodded without hesitation, his face full of seriousness and excitement. "Say it!"
As long as it could improve his strength, Sasuke was willing to give up anything.
Looking at Sasuke's earnest little face, Naruto suddenly had an evil thought.
Sasuke really was good-looking at this age. His little face was exceptionally delicate.
And he was rather proud, too.
If Naruto made him wear women's clothes...
Naruto revealed a faint smile.
Sasuke immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
This Naruto... did he have some kind of unusual hobby?
Sure enough!
The moment that doubt arose in Sasuke's mind,
Naruto spoke. "I want you to wear women's clothes and pose for a photo shoot."
Upon hearing that,
Sasuke's previously calm face froze.
His lips pressed tightly together as he glared fiercely at Naruto.
Before you continue