The Colorless Sky

Naruto merely stood there in silence, yet the dust around him seemed to lose all gravity as it slowly drifted upward.

A terrifying wave of Chakra surged from Naruto's body, continuously spreading outward and sweeping up great clouds of dust that danced around him.

"This Chakra..." Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, and his body involuntarily took a step back.

When he looked at Naruto again, all he could see was an oppressive presence that sent chills down his spine.

This was an application that combined Reiatsu and Chakra. Together, they formed an oppressive force even more terrifying than killing intent.

Within its range, it could completely suppress and lock onto the opponent's aura, while slowing their movements to a certain extent.

This was only Naruto's initial application of Reiatsu and Chakra, and Sasuke happened to be the perfect whetstone.

He gave Sasuke a gentle smile that nevertheless made one's blood run cold. "Are you ready to dance with the dust, Sasuke?"

"As expected of you." Sasuke gave a cold smile and lifted his shirt, revealing the heavy weights underneath.

Bang. Amid cries of shock, he removed the weights, which slammed into the ground and left a small crater.

As his body lightened, the oppressive force seemed to lessen considerably as well.

"Has he been wearing weights to school this whole time?" The students drew sharp breaths.

Even Iruka could not help glancing over in astonishment.

"Is this the Uchiha Clan's genius?"

"Genius?" Sasuke merely snorted.

"I worked myself to the bone for this. Don't use the word 'genius' to erase my efforts!"

Shadow Clone Jutsu! Four Sasukes instantly appeared in the field, attacking Naruto from the front, back, left, and right.

Sasuke moved so quickly that, to the students, he was little more than a blur.

One of the clones threw several Shuriken at Naruto.

Another unleashed a Great Fireball.

This Great Fireball was several times more powerful than the one from a year ago.

Though the students were watching from a distance, they could still seemingly feel the blistering heat of the Great Fireball, hot enough to scorch and distort the air.

The Uchiha Clan excelled at both Fire Style and Shuriken throwing.

"With such speed, combined with Shuriken and Fire Style, he truly is a genius of the Uchiha Clan." Iruka was stunned inwardly.

He was actually the teacher of such a monstrously talented student!

A figure surfaced in Iruka's mind.

Itachi Uchiha, Konoha's renowned genius.

He had graduated from the Ninja Academy at eight, joined Konoha's Anbu, and his current strength was unfathomable.

At that moment, Sasuke and Itachi became equated in Iruka's mind.

Perhaps Sasuke's talent was no less than Itachi's.

Iruka could not help sighing.

The Uchiha Clan was truly overflowing with talent.

Then how would Naruto respond?

Boom. Naruto's aura suddenly surged, sending the surrounding dust flying as he instantly vanished before everyone's eyes.

Shunpo—through high-speed footwork and control of Reiatsu, it created the illusion that one had teleported.

After grueling training, Naruto had acquired the foundational requirements to learn Shunpo and had successfully mastered it.

He flashed behind one Shadow Clone and drove out a punch, instantly blowing the clone apart.

A one-hit kill!

The remaining three Sasukes did not pause in the slightest. They reacted at incredible speed and once again formed an encirclement.

At times, they threw Shuriken; at times, they closed in for hand-to-hand combat; and occasionally, they used Great Fireballs from afar to harass him. Their coordination was flawless.

Yet Naruto strolled through the dazzling battle as if taking a leisurely walk through a garden.

He effortlessly sidestepped, flickered away, and counterattacked with Shunpo.

He perfectly evaded every attack—precisely, with no unnecessary movements and no wasted space.

Naruto was dodging every attack with the least possible expenditure of stamina.

He did not seem to be fighting. At first glance, he looked more like a graceful dancer.

"So elegant."

"Naruto-kun's Taijutsu far surpasses Sasuke's."

One student swallowed and murmured.

Before long, all of Sasuke's Shadow Clones had been dealt with, leaving only the original.

Iruka stared, dumbfounded.

Trying to put himself in their shoes, he realized that he might have a very hard time winning—or might even lose?

Damn, my two students are way too terrifying!

Sasuke was breathing slightly heavily as he stared fixedly at Naruto.

Sure enough, Naruto's strength was even more unfathomable than I'd imagined.

He hadn't even taken off his weights, let alone used Shikai.

"So it still won't work? In that case..." Sasuke raised his head. His eyes suddenly turned blood-red, a single black tomoe slowly revolving within them. "Then I'll defeat you with these eyes."

The Sharingan.

"When did you awaken it?" Naruto froze for a moment, happy for Sasuke.

The Uchiha Clan's eyes could only be awakened after trials of life and death, or during moments of intense emotion.

Those who first awakened them generally had a single tomoe. Through later effort, the number of tomoe could increase, and the Sharingan's abilities would grow stronger as well.

But what abilities did a single tomoe possess?

Naruto was very curious.

"I can see it. I can see it clearly. Before these eyes of mine, you have nowhere to hide." After awakening his eyes, Sasuke's lips curled into a wild, wicked smile.

"Your movements have slowed down, Naruto! No—it's my eyes that can see everything!"

"I've already seen through you."

Sasuke and Naruto clashed once more.

The Taijutsu Sasuke had comprehended over time flowed smoothly from him. In turn, Naruto's Hakuda blocked every strike completely, though not as effortlessly as before.

Naruto understood that this was probably the limit of himself while wearing the weights.

"Now I'm qualified to make you use Shikai, aren't I?" Excitement appeared on Sasuke's face.

"As you wish." Naruto went along with it, retreating from the battlefield. The Shadow Clone that had been training nearby promptly handed Naruto his Zanpakuto.

Naruto gently stroked Kyoka Suigetsu, his expression solemn.

"Since you want to see it that badly, then... be careful."

Dark green Reiatsu surged forth from Kyoka Suigetsu, swirling around Naruto's body.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

Kyoka Suigetsu fell from his hand and embedded itself in the ground. Then, like a mirror, it shattered and melted into the air.

Everyone's vision blurred for an instant. They rubbed their eyes, only to find that everything was as before—except the dark green blade in Naruto's hand had vanished.

"What's going on?" Everyone was completely baffled.

"This is Shikai?" Sasuke asked, unable to make sense of it.

"That's right." Naruto smiled.

"It doesn't look like anything special. The sword is gone, too."

Sasuke muttered doubtfully to himself, but his gaze quickly sharpened. He closed in on Naruto and raised his Kunai to stab him.

"If that's all there is to it, then I've won this battle."

Squelch.

The next moment, amid startled cries, the Kunai plunged straight into Naruto's chest.

Yet there was no blood, nor was there even the slightest expression of pain on Naruto's face.

"I hit him? No, that's not right!"

Sasuke's pupils suddenly contracted as immense pain shot through his body.

A dark green blade had pierced straight through his abdomen.

Sasuke's eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked up at Naruto.

The other boy wore a gentle smile, his gaze calm.

"What is this? My eyes..." Sasuke murmured deliriously, dizziness flooding his mind.

"The sky is actually colorless. It never deceived you. Only your own eyes deceived you." Before losing consciousness, Sasuke heard Naruto's gentle voice.