Ninja Combat Practice

Ninja Academy, outdoor class.

Ninja Combat Practice.

"...Form the Reconciliation Seal. Good. Next pair, Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara, step forward." Iruka called out names from the roster.

"Um... sensei?" Choji hesitated, speaking to Iruka.

"What's wrong?" Iruka asked, puzzled.

"I don't want to fight my friends..." Choji said honestly. Shikamaru was his best buddy, and he really didn't want to go up against him.

Iruka was sweating bullets. "No, it's not as serious as you think... This is just traditional Ninja Combat Practice. Even the past Hokages used it to spar and train..."

Before he could finish sweating it out, the cool kid Shikamaru had already turned and walked away. With his hands in his pockets and eyes closed, Shikamaru said, "Sensei, I'm sitting this one out. Just count it as my loss... Call the next pair, please."

Iruka felt so drained.

In the crowd, Kiba, with a puppy on his head, snickered. "That guy's got zero drive. I bet he'll never become a Chunin in his whole life!" The masked kid Shino beside him muttered, "That's not certain. Life's a long road, maybe..." Kiba cut him off. "Enough from you!"

In the fangirl squad, Ino complained, "Honestly, Shikamaru's always calling things a hassle, but he's the biggest hassle himself. And Choji's the same as ever, no backbone!" Her fellow fangirl twin Sakura wondered, "Ino, are you close with them?" Ino grumbled, "Sort of, because of my dad..."

Iruka calmed himself and announced, "Alright, Shikamaru and Choji, form the Reconciliation Seal. Next pair, Naruto Uzumaki and... Sasuke Uchiha."

Shikamaru and Choji formed the seal.

"Sorry, Shikamaru..." Choji apologized.

Shikamaru smiled. "Don't worry. You didn't want to fight anyway, and I couldn't be bothered."

Choji smiled too.

As the two walked off, Shikamaru shot a deep glance at Naruto.

"Go for it, Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke-kun, crush him to pieces!"

The moment Sasuke stepped out, the fangirl squad exploded like a powder keg.

Naruto had a giant bead of sweat on his forehead. Come on, they were on the same team. Sakura, did you have to be so blatant about whose side you were on?

But right now, I'm not the same as before.

Naruto stood confidently, his face showing no pride, no eagerness—only calm.

To him, seventeen years of a rocky life, war blazing everywhere, the Shinobi World War with its partings of life and death—all of it felt like yesterday. A spar between peers his age could no longer stir even a ripple in him.

Sasuke was equally calm.

Naruto's calm was like the blue sky and vast ocean.

Sasuke's calm was like dead wood and stagnant water.

"Now, Naruto Uzumaki versus Sasuke Uchiha. First, form the Opposition Seal."

The Naruto of now had long shed the shallow need to beat Sasuke to prove himself. He wasn't so jumpy anymore. He raised his right hand into the Opposition Seal.

But Sasuke didn't move.

"Sasuke..." Iruka sighed in exasperation again and explained, "When doing Ninja Combat Practice, you have to form your one-handed seal before the match. It's basic manners. First, it prepares you for the two-handed seal later, and second, it signals to your opponent that you're ready."

"It might be a bit formal, but it's fundamental etiquette, so Sasuke..."

"...Hmph." Sasuke snapped out of it, gave a cold snort, and formed the seal.

Whatever. It was just a waste of time anyway.

Sasuke had never considered anyone his age worth his notice.

His eyes were only on that man now.

Iruka announced, "Begin!"

Sasuke charged at Naruto, smoothly unleashing a practiced set of taijutsu moves, but Naruto easily parried them.

Huh? Sasuke was surprised. He'd thought he could put the dead-last on the ground with one move.

"Don't zone out!" Naruto knocked aside Sasuke's fist and whipped a kick at him.

Sasuke dodged hastily, and the two exchanged blows back and forth.

The watching kids started murmuring.

"No way... Naruto's actually going toe-to-toe with Sasuke?"

"Liar. Is that still the dead-last?"

"I must still be dreaming..."

Shikamaru watched calmly as Naruto and Sasuke traded taijutsu moves. This isn't even footing, he thought. Sasuke's clearly using full force, but Naruto...

He glanced at Sasuke's fierce face and Naruto's ever-placid expression. Shikamaru was inwardly shocked. This guy... his improvement is way too scary...

"Naruto-kun..." In the crowd, Hinata was delighted by Naruto's performance.

Damn it... Sasuke found an opening, leaped back, and his hands moved swiftly through the seals: Snake! Ram! Monkey! Boar! Horse! Tiger!

Great Fireball Technique!

Flames roared toward him, but Naruto's expression didn't change. A Great Fireball of this level was nothing more than a slightly warm bubble compared to the ones he remembered from Itachi and Sasuke.

I win!

Though he'd used a lot of Chakra, Sasuke was confident that dead last couldn't possibly block this technique.

But then—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Four shuriken curved around the fireball and shot straight at Sasuke.

Damn it. Sasuke gritted his teeth, making a split-second judgment. Can't dodge! He hooked a kunai from the pouch on his leg and deflected them with precise clangs.

Bang, bang, bang, bang! The four shuriken transformed into four identical Narutos.

Crap! Sasuke realized instantly.

"Whirl!" One Naruto kicked Sasuke into the air, then vanished with a puff of smoke.

"Pool!" Another Naruto relay launched him higher with another kick. Puff.

"Nar—" Third kick. Puff.

"To!" Fourth kick. Puff.

Sasuke reached the apex, and from above came Naruto's voice: "Combo!" The real Naruto timed it perfectly, leaping to the highest point and driving a downward axe kick into Sasuke.

Bam! Sasuke crashed to the ground.

Dust flew.

The whole place went silent.

Thud. Naruto landed, Sasuke lying at his feet.

"No matter how you look at it, this is way too much..." Iruka finally snapped out of it.

The watching kids were even more stunned. What the hell was this? The dead last had beaten the Uchiha Clan's top student? Was this really the strength of a six-year-old academy student?

"Naruto..." Hinata was amazed, and so happy. The Naruto-kun who worked so hard had really gotten stronger...

"This is insane?" Shikamaru's jaw dropped. Choji was so startled he dropped his chips.

"...Ahem. Anyway, Naruto wins. Now, the Reconciliation Seal." Iruka announced awkwardly, feeling the words tasted wrong in his mouth.

Naruto reached out a hand to Sasuke. He hadn't gone all out, so Sasuke should be fine.

Sasuke looked up, his face dark and ugly. He slapped Naruto's hand away, got up, and walked out of the crowd without a word.

The crowd parted quickly—no one wanted to provoke Sasuke right now.

"What a lousy temper." Naruto clicked his tongue, then turned to Iruka. "Hey, Iruka-sensei, can I go now?"

"Ah, yeah..." Iruka nodded, still reeling.

Naruto headed out too, the kids scrambling to clear a path. He scratched his head, spotted Sasuke's back near the net wall ahead, and hurried after him.

"Hey!" Naruto called out.

Sasuke stopped but didn't turn around. "What?" His voice made it clear he was pissed.

"You saw it, right? You can't even beat me now, so stop obsessing over getting revenge on Itachi. Instead, use the time before graduation to train like crazy. That's the time he bought you with everything he had."

Naruto said it seriously.