"Perfect. I wanted to see what kind of strength the Uchiha Clan's genius possessed." Naruto smiled gently.
He did not refuse Sasuke's challenge.
Logically speaking, Sasuke had the Uchiha Clan's resources, had begun cultivating Chakra early on, and even had ninja instructors. His starting point would not have been lower than Naruto's; it might even have been higher.
An opponent like this would allow Naruto to make a relatively accurate assessment of his own talent and strength.
This was his first time fighting someone from a major clan, so Naruto was extremely cautious.
"I'm coming!" The moment Sasuke finished speaking, he closed in on Naruto at incredible speed.
He threw a punch!
"As expected of the Uchiha Clan. You have such speed at this age." A slight ripple appeared in Naruto's calm eyes. He opened his right hand and, under Sasuke's shocked gaze, easily caught the incoming fist. "Unfortunately, you're still a little lacking before these eyes of mine."
"Now it's my turn to attack." Naruto swung hard, and Sasuke's body immediately flew backward out of control. In the next instant, Sasuke's vision blurred, and Naruto had already appeared in front of him.
He threw a punch as well.
Compared to Sasuke's, Naruto's punch looked almost weightless.
Sasuke instinctively raised both arms to block it.
However, the instant the punch landed on his arms, Sasuke's expression changed drastically.
Bang. Sasuke's body was sent flying backward even faster, as if he had been struck by a train at full speed.
Disbelief filled Sasuke's face as he flew through the air.
How was that possible?
Naruto was clearly the same age as him. How could he possess such terrifying strength?
How had he trained?
Sasuke flew backward for some distance before finally crashing into a large tree and coming to a stop.
Amid the swirling dust, Sasuke forced himself to his feet through the pain. His legs were trembling from it.
He had sparred with his older brother, Itachi, before, but Itachi always held back because he doted on his younger brother. Most of his attacks had been more like indulgent taps.
How could that compare to Naruto sending someone flying with a single punch?
The contrast was too great. Sasuke was completely stunned.
"Sasuke, are you okay?" Naruto withdrew his fist, inwardly thinking that he had used a little too much force as he called out to Sasuke.
"I can still fight." Sasuke brushed the dust off himself. The pain in his body had eased somewhat, so he launched another attack at Naruto.
This time, Naruto suppressed most of his strength and traded blows with Sasuke.
Yet Sasuke felt no joy. Instead, he felt even more frustrated.
Against his seemingly fierce attacks, Naruto only needed to shift slightly to evade every one of them.
Meanwhile, his own stamina was draining rapidly.
After a few minutes, Sasuke was already panting heavily, while Naruto remained calm and composed.
The gap between them was obvious.
"Even in Taijutsu alone, the difference is enormous." Sasuke felt bitter inside.
He unwillingly took a step back, his face solemn. "Naruto, please use your full strength next. I'm going to use Ninjutsu. I still can't control it perfectly, so be careful. You might get hurt."
Besides the Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan was most famous for its Fire Style.
Naturally, Sasuke had mastered beginner-level Fire Style, though he was not proficient with it yet.
"Ninjutsu?" Both Naruto and Aizen within him were intrigued.
Other than the Three Body Technique, they had not seen any other Ninjutsu.
"That's right. Be careful." Sasuke looked grave as his hands rapidly formed seals.
His seal-forming speed was far faster than Naruto's.
As expected of a genius from a major clan.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique." In the next moment, he expelled a scorching fireball from his mouth. It arced through the air and hurtled toward Naruto.
"The power is too low. It has no reference value." Aizen looked disappointed and fell silent.
"It looks pretty impressive. Then I'll show a little of my strength too." Naruto raised Kyoka Suigetsu and slashed with it.
Under Sasuke's astonished gaze, the fireball was cut apart, and scattered sparks fell all over the ground.
"You really are strong, Sasuke. This is the most powerful Ninjutsu I've ever seen." Naruto spoke with a sincere expression.
Sasuke stared at the scattered sparks, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
For some reason, Naruto's praise felt like nothing more than empty politeness.
Sasuke still felt somewhat unwilling to accept it. He was a genius born into the Uchiha Clan, yet he had lost to the commoner Naruto Uzumaki.
A proud Uchiha could not accept such a miserable defeat.
After resting for a while, Sasuke challenged Naruto again.
Because he lacked Chakra, he could only use Taijutsu.
Sasuke's Taijutsu was not even comparable to Rock Lee's, much less enough to fight Naruto.
He was sent flying again and again, then charged back in again and again.
As he endured the beatings, his Taijutsu continued to improve. He even began imitating Naruto's methods of attack.
All of this pleased Naruto greatly.
At the very least, it proved that Sasuke was fighting with his brain.
Finally, Sasuke collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. He was gasping wildly, but his eyes brimmed with joy. He could feel that his Taijutsu had improved by leaps and bounds.
He looked at Naruto, only to discover in shock that the latter was merely breathing a little harder and had not even broken a sweat.
"The gap is just too big." Sasuke smiled helplessly.
How could he not know that Naruto had been suppressing his strength and using pressure to help him improve?
Sasuke did not say it aloud, but he remembered this favor in his heart.
To be able to use such Ninjutsu at this age, Sasuke Uchiha's talent was indeed exceptional.
Naruto's gaze deepened.
After the battle, their relationship seemed to have grown closer. They sat beneath a tree and chatted.
Sure enough, just as Naruto had expected, Sasuke was the younger son of the Uchiha Clan head. His older brother was even hailed as the Uchiha Clan's greatest genius in years. Though still young, he had already joined the Anbu and possessed unimaginable strength.
Sasuke was also a genius, but he still fell short compared to Itachi.
"Naruto." At that moment, Rock Lee, whom they had not seen for a long time, entered the forest with a dejected expression.
If Rock Lee had once been a youth overflowing with passion, then now he was undoubtedly like a walking corpse, having lost all fighting spirit.
This was Naruto's first time seeing Rock Lee like this, and his brows immediately furrowed.
He did not want someone he valued to wear such a dispirited expression.
"Long time no see, Rock Lee." Naruto smiled gently and introduced Rock Lee to Sasuke. "Sasuke, he's my good friend, Rock Lee."
"Rock Lee, this is Sasuke Uchiha, a friend I met yesterday."
"Uchiha..." Rock Lee forced out a reluctant smile and greeted Sasuke. "Hello, my name is Rock Lee."
Yet he sighed inwardly, feeling inexplicably melancholy.
Sure enough, a brilliant genius like Naruto only befriended members of powerful clans. Compared to them, I'm far too lacking.
Thinking this, Rock Lee became even more despondent.
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