Sasuke Uchiha

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Receiving Naruto's apology, Sasuke felt a little embarrassed instead.

Because he really had peeked for a short while earlier.

After introducing himself, Sasuke stood there somewhat nervously, unsure of what to do or say.

Although he appeared quite cold, he was just a curious little boy.

He had grown up under the wings of his parents and brother, and his brother was a genius who had shown extraordinary talent from a young age.

In such an environment, Sasuke had started various ninja-related training since childhood.

It could be said that compared to his peers, he was far ahead from the starting line.

But even so, he couldn't withstand the Reiatsu leaking from Naruto.

He was very curious about Naruto, and even felt some unwillingness in his heart.

He had always believed himself to be the most outstanding boy of his age in Konoha.

But now he had been completely outshone.

"How can you be so strong?" After hesitating for a moment, he asked reluctantly, and a blush crept onto his face as he awkwardly turned his head away, not daring to look at Naruto anymore.

Naruto had heard Konoha villagers whispering about the Uchiha before, saying they were very arrogant, didn't bother with people, and that the Konoha Military Police Force they ran was ruthless, enforcing the law without any regard for human feelings.

It could be said that the Uchiha Clan's reputation in Konoha wasn't good—it could even be called bad.

But Sasuke didn't give Naruto the feeling of being hard to approach; he seemed more like a tsundere little boy.

This Uchiha seemed very interested in power.

"Interesting kid." A hint of amusement appeared in Naruto's eyes.

"Because I train every day, that's how I got stronger."

This familiar scene was a lot like when he first met Rock Lee.

If he could trick this Uchiha kid into training together, it would probably be beneficial for him.

He'd heard the Uchiha clan was wealthy and had many jutsu.

Although Naruto's chakra control wasn't great, he still had hopes for ninjutsu.

After all, in the future, the Nine-Tails might stop interfering with his chakra.

"Training? I've been training with my brother too." Sasuke frowned.

He didn't want to admit the possibility that his talent was inferior to Naruto's.

He asked unwillingly, "What was that earlier? Was it your chakra? Why did it have such a strong pressure? Was it killing intent? Have you killed people?"

Sasuke had heard his brother say that truly powerful ninjas had all undergone a baptism of blood; they excelled at killing techniques, and at the same time, because they killed, they condensed killing intent.

Invisible killing intent could make an ordinary person lose combat ability in an instant, or even break down.

Sasuke couldn't imagine the pressure Naruto had brought him earlier—he could barely even move.

And Naruto looked about the same age as him, yet he had already condensed killing intent.

No matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem real.

"No, that wasn't killing intent. You can think of it as a method of using chakra." Naruto smiled slightly and said.

"A method of using chakra?"

"That's right. You condense chakra around your body and combine it with your own aura to create a pressure similar to killing intent." Naruto explained patiently. "Since I practice Zanjutsu, my sword aura combined with chakra creates that pressure."

Fortunately, Reiatsu and chakra had similar properties, so he could use chakra as an excuse.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with envy, wanting to ask about the training method but too proud to speak up.

Most of the Uchiha clan were quite arrogant, and Sasuke was no exception.

No, rather than arrogant, it was more like tsundere.

Naruto noticed Sasuke's awkwardness and took the initiative to speak:

"I need to head back first. If you're interested, how about training together here tomorrow at noon?"

Hearing this, Sasuke felt a surge of joy in his heart and nodded calmly, though the smile at the corner of his mouth was already impossible to hide. "Alright, I'll show you the Uchiha clan's proud ninjutsu too."

With that, he lifted his little head proudly.

"Good, I'm looking forward to it." Naruto smiled and nodded, said goodbye to Sasuke, and left the training ground.

Watching Naruto's retreating back, Sasuke stared blankly.

Naruto was probably the first person his age he had ever really talked to.

All along, the Uchiha clan had just done their duty as the Konoha Military Police Force.

But for some reason, the villagers always held hostility toward them.

Add to that the Uchiha clan's own pride—they didn't want to explain, nor did they deign to.

Over time, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha grew more and more awkward.

Other villagers would even avoid the Uchiha like the plague, giving them a wide berth.

Even among the children of the Uchiha clan, few had close friends.

Sasuke had heard of Naruto Uzumaki—rumored to be seen as the Nine-Tails Fox Demon, suffering treatment even worse than the Uchiha.

In a way, they were fellow sufferers, equally lonely.

But at the same time, Naruto was the first non-Uchiha to show him such a warm, sincere smile.

Thinking of Naruto's sunny face, Sasuke suddenly felt a sense of healing.

"How does he manage to keep smiling even after being hurt?" he murmured to himself.

That night, in the Uchiha residence.

Sasuke's family sat around the large table, his mother Mikoto Uchiha setting out exquisite dishes.

The family was harmonious and happy.

"Itachi, how have things been lately?" Fugaku Uchiha asked.

"Same as usual, just a bit busy—no time to spend with Sasuke." Itachi affectionately ruffled Sasuke's spiky hair.

"And you, Sasuke?"

"I met someone at the training ground today, a very—" Sasuke tilted his head, searching for the right word, then added, "a very talented person. A genius."

"A genius?" Itachi Uchiha's interest was piqued. This was the first time he'd heard such high praise from his younger brother about someone else.

"Yeah, his name is Naruto Uzumaki. He's about my age." Sasuke nodded.

"Naruto Uzumaki? Could he be Kushina's..." Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged a glance.

The couple had been close friends with Kushina and her family before their deaths, with frequent interactions between them.

But after the Fourth died, Naruto was taken under the Third's control. Coupled with the Uchiha clan being targeted, they had no time—and dared not—interfere in Naruto's affairs.

As for everything Naruto had endured, their hearts were naturally filled with anger.

The Fourth had sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto with his life, hoping Naruto would grow up as the hero's son.

But instead, Naruto had been living in misery all along.

Fugaku couldn't intervene, but he wouldn't deliberately stop Sasuke from getting close to Naruto either.

On the contrary, a sense of guilt made him hope Sasuke and Naruto would become close friends.

"Someone Sasuke calls a genius—I'm quite curious," Itachi Uchiha said with a smile.

Sasuke recounted everything he had seen that day, ending with, "Tomorrow, I'm going to train with him. I want to see just how special his training methods are."

"Able to directly affect Sasuke's aura?" Fugaku Uchiha's eyes showed surprise.

It seemed Naruto had inherited Minato's talent—he would become a very strong ninja.