First Battle

"Those two brats seem to get along pretty well. Should I put them in the same team when they're assigned? And Nanfeng seems to have a good relationship with Naruto too!"

Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe after listening to the report from Anbu, refilled it with tobacco, lit it, took a deep puff, and said.

The Anbu kneeling on one knee said nothing, still waiting for the Hokage's orders.

"Dismissed. Keep watching them, and... protect them. They are the future of Konoha." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and spoke to the Anbu before him.

"Yes!" The Anbu vanished instantly, faithfully carrying out his mission.

The entire day, Nanfeng spent staring at Uchiha Sasuke, eyeball to eyeball. It was, to say the least, more interesting than at the Ninja Academy.

"Damn, I forgot I was supposed to go eat ramen with Naruto today. You want to come?" In the evening, Nanfeng remembered something and spoke to Sasuke beside him.

"Go eat that stuff yourself. I'm waiting to teach you a good lesson tonight!" Sasuke said fiercely, but the next second, a growl from his stomach turned his face red again.

"Alright, alright, whatever you say. But you can't fight on an empty stomach. Consider it me begging you to come eat with us, okay?"

Nanfeng said with exasperation. He had to say, the Uchiha Clan died from being tsundere.

Itachi Uchiha's twisted love for his little brother, Sasuke's hatred for Itachi mixed with brotherly affection, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha as rivals and enemies...

Love?

No, no, no, better not think about that. If that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi found out, he'd probably drag them into a lecture on the Will of Fire.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke noticed Nanfeng's expression seemed off and asked with some confusion.

"Nothing. My aunt's having a baby. I was just thinking about that happy news. Let's go. If we're late, we'll have to wait in line." Nanfeng didn't wait for Sasuke to ask more and led him out of the hospital.

Everyone at the hospital was familiar with Nanfeng. Taking Sasuke along was just a casual move.

Watching Nanfeng laugh and chat with everyone along the way, Sasuke couldn't help but think back. He'd never really had this kind of experience. Although the people of Konoha used to look at him with a bit of... admiration? It wasn't as gentle as the way they looked at Nanfeng.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Naruto. Let's go eat. I've got another friend with us today. After we eat, we're going to do some training. Want to join us?" Nanfeng pointed at Uchiha Sasuke behind him and said to Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto had no idea why the aloof Sasuke was with Nanfeng, but with Ichiraku Ramen and the chance to train with friends after eating, wasn't this exactly the life he dreamed of?

"What an easily satisfied guy." Watching Naruto's contented smile after the ramen arrived, Sasuke couldn't help but mutter.

"Sorry about what happened at your place today. But what you said to Naruto... you should apologize to him too." Nanfeng ate his ramen and spoke softly to Sasuke.

"He's not like you. You at least got to enjoy those things... He's never known what care is since he was little. Did you see how the villagers looked at you earlier? Fear mixed with a bit of disgust. Naruto lived under those stares for six years..."

Nanfeng's words made Sasuke pause for a moment, and then his gaze toward Naruto softened considerably.

After the meal, Nanfeng insisted on treating. He wasn't short on cash anyway—his internship at Konoha Ninja Hospital came with decent pay.

"We can start now. Our spar from today—let me see just how strong the genius Uchiha Sasuke really is." In a small forest south of Konoha, Nanfeng faced Sasuke and formed hand seals for combat training.

"As you wish!" Sasuke's eyes instantly turned crimson. Knowing Nanfeng had Medical Ninjutsu, he decided to hold nothing back. He would go all out and crush this damn bastard under his feet.

"Naruto, mind being our referee?" Nanfeng turned to Naruto. Naruto nodded and quickly announced the start of the training match.

Though it was called training, the two of them looked like they wanted to kill each other. The crimson Sharingan locked onto Nanfeng's movements almost instantly, and with its observational power, Sasuke quickly tracked Nanfeng's actions.

"As expected of the Sharingan with its unparalleled observation ability. But even if your eyes react, can your body keep up?" Nanfeng's voice sounded in Sasuke's ear. The sudden change startled Sasuke, but his body couldn't react in time.

A powerful whip kick slammed into Sasuke's lower back with immense force. But Nanfeng didn't let his guard down—the impact felt like hitting a log.

"Substitution Technique? As expected of a genius, mastering even a basic jutsu to this level." Nanfeng lowered his raised leg and quickly locked onto a nearby bush.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Blazing flames erupted from Sasuke's mouth, rapidly engulfing Nanfeng's body.

"Even if this is all I've got, it should be enough to handle you." Feeling his Chakra plummet, Sasuke caught his breath. Unlike Naruto, he didn't have that much Chakra—one Great Fireball Technique had drained him completely.

But the next second, Sasuke's pupils contracted. When the flames died down, only a charred log remained in the center.

"If you can use it, why can't I?" A cold kunai pressed against Sasuke's skin. A breeze blew, and cold sweat made Sasuke's body tremble involuntarily.

"You can call the fight over. If I'd wanted to kill you just now, you wouldn't have had a chance." Nanfeng put away his kunai and spoke to Naruto, who was still in shock.

"Training match over... Winner, Akiya Nanfeng!" Naruto stammered. He never expected Nanfeng to be this strong.

"So, since this fight was satisfying enough, I'll tell you a few things later." Nanfeng said softly as he brushed past Sasuke, then his body turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished.

"Shadow Clone? When did he..." Sasuke muttered to himself.