Explosive Rasengan, Naruto Went Limp

"Naruto, you seem to have gotten a little full of yourself...

I have that kind of power too. What makes you think you've surpassed me..."

Hearing Naruto's challenge and the System Prompt, Sasuke's eyes blazed with fighting spirit as he retorted without any courtesy.

But inwardly, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief...

It looked like Naruto's mind had not been affected much by the Cursed Seal!

At most, he had lost himself a little because of this sudden power. A beating would set him straight...

As he spoke, Cursed Seal markings emerged from Sasuke's neck and rapidly spread across half his body...

"Stop it...

Naruto, Sasuke..."

Seeing the two of them on the verge of fighting, Sakura's delicate body trembled as she immediately stepped between them and tried to stop them through tears.

"Sakura..."

Seeing Goddess Sakura standing in front of him, Naruto subconsciously murmured and stopped moving.

Then Naruto's expression abruptly changed as he looked at Sasuke again...

"You, how do you have this power too??"

Staring at Sasuke, who had also entered his Cursed Seal state, Naruto demanded an answer, unwilling to accept it.

He had only just broken free of that guy called Orochimaru's temptation and gained the power of the Cursed Seal. How did Sasuke have it too??

And he looked so calm about it...

It made Naruto feel like he was nothing but a ridiculous clown...

"If I could, I wouldn't want this power either!

But there's no helping it. This isn't an answer we get to choose.

Naruto, since you've awakened, you should have met him...

Between your companions and power, what did you choose?"

After glancing at Sakura, Sasuke shifted his gaze and asked. He wanted to test whether Naruto had changed.

After all, there was still a Nine-Tails inside that guy!

One careless mistake, and the most dependable companion could become the most dangerous person...

"Is that even a question? Of course I choose my companions!

That snake demon called Orochimaru, I'll definitely defeat him...

Damn it, he actually dared to bite me!!"

Naruto shouted without hesitation. He absolutely would not admit that Sakura's cries had woken him up.

That would be way too embarrassing...

But why was what Orochimaru said about the Night of the Nine-Tails different from what Mizuki had said?

Which one was true? Which one was false??

"No...

When did you wake up??"

Suddenly thinking of something, Naruto's pupils widened as he stared at Sasuke and asked in a trembling voice.

They had both been afflicted by the Cursed Seal, yet Sasuke had awakened before him!

Didn't that mean he was still inferior to Sasuke?!

Damn it, unforgivable...

"Sasuke-kun woke up yesterday...

Naruto, this isn't the time to be stubborn.

We already have the Scroll. We should hurry back to the tower and submit the mission..."

Sakura hurriedly cut in, a flicker of fear in her eyes as she looked at Cursed Seal Naruto and Sasuke.

Their conditions had to be reported to Teacher Kakashi as soon as possible...

Something about them felt wrong!

"No, I still have to prove my strength..."

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but his blazing gaze still fixed on Sasuke as he prepared to attack.

So what if Sasuke had awakened before him?

How would they know who was stronger without trying...

"Are you sure??"

A crimson glint flashed through Sasuke's eyes. The two Tomoe in his pupils spun rapidly as he looked at Naruto with a teasing smirk.

Naruto might be strong now, but Sasuke was no longer the Sasuke he had been before!!

"Of course I am..."

Having already made up his mind, Naruto saw Sasuke's disdain and instantly erupted with a shout.

Before Sakura could react, he turned into an afterimage, darted around her, and threw a punch straight at Sasuke's face...

[I saw it...]

Watching the meteor-fast attack, Sasuke's pupils contracted as he instantly raised a hand and grabbed it.

To Naruto's astonishment, he tightly caught Naruto's fist!

Almost at the same moment,

his other hand rapidly formed Hand Seals...

"Naruto, it's not too late to surrender..."

Seeing Naruto's startled expression, Sasuke tried to persuade him while forming Hand Seals.

"One-Handed Hand Seals!!

Hmph, I won't lose to you..."

Seeing the Lightning Style technique that was about to be completed, Naruto roared as the crimson Chakra around him transformed into whips and lashed toward Sasuke.

[What??]

Seeing an attack method resembling a Tailed Beast Cloak, Sasuke's expression shifted slightly as the Lightning Snake in his hand shot out in an instant.

The two attacks collided fiercely in midair. After a crackling burst, they dissipated together...

But at that moment, Sasuke formed Hand Seals again with one hand.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique..."

Before Naruto's astonished eyes, Sasuke completed the Hand Seals with one hand and shouted.

"Poof! Poof! Poof!..."

Three Shadow Clones appeared in rapid succession. Two surrounded Naruto and attacked him, while one stood beside Sasuke and helped him rapidly condense a Rasengan.

"You actually learned my Shadow Clone Technique??

What is that thing?

Damn it, he's got my left hand, so I can't form Hand Seals and use Shadow Clones at all."

As Naruto defended against the attacks of Sasuke's two clones, he stared furiously at the already-formed Rasengan!

"You've lost, Naruto..."

Once the Rasengan was complete, Sasuke waved the sphere in his hand and delivered his verdict.

He was not worried in the slightest about revealing the Rasengan's secret...

He would have to use it sooner or later anyway. He had trained it himself, not stolen or robbed it, so what was there to fear??

"No way...

Isn't that just a ball of Chakra?

What's so scary about it..."

Seeing the utterly ordinary-looking Rasengan, Naruto immediately scoffed, still trying to break free of Sasuke's grip with his right hand so he could form Hand Seals.

But Sasuke would never give him that chance...

With a curl of his lips, he directly dragged Naruto toward a massive tree nearby that would have taken several people to encircle.

"Eh?

What are you doing??"

Seeing that they were about to crash into the tree, Naruto's face fell as he shouted.

But Sasuke had his left hand firmly locked down, leaving him unable to break free...

The slow-to-react Sakura chased after them too, afraid that the two might cause some kind of accident...

"Watch carefully..."

Sasuke said no more. He directly slammed the Rasengan hard against the tree.

The next instant,

before Naruto and Sakura's incredulous eyes, the center of the massive tree was instantly shredded by the exploding Rasengan.

In less than a single breath, the solid tree trunk had been torn open by a spiraling hole that extended more than a meter in every direction...

In an instant, the tree, having lost its support, began creaking continuously...

Less than a second later, it crashed down with a thunderous boom, kicking up countless clouds of dust and sending birds scattering into the sky...

Fortunately, Sasuke used his Sharingan to observe the direction of the falling tree and promptly led the two away, preventing any accident.

"This, this has to be a joke..."

Naruto no longer had any of his previous confidence. Staring at the gaping hole in the fallen tree, he was still shaken to the core.

If that ball had hit him just now...

Hiss...

Just thinking about it made Naruto shudder, his limbs turning cold.

He would have been dead. Absolutely dead!

The kind that left no corpse behind...

At that moment, Naruto no longer cared about becoming the Top Student...

He only wanted to storm off and demand an explanation from Kakashi. Why had he secretly given Sasuke extra lessons again?!

He had to learn such a powerful ninjutsu!!

"This is way, way too strong..."

At the same time, Sakura came back to her senses. Her pretty face had turned pale as she felt both shock and delight.

She was happy for Sasuke's strength, yet she also clearly realized the chasm-like gap between herself and the two of them.

She couldn't catch up. There was simply no way to catch up...

[Mission complete. Reward obtained: 1 K Chakra...]