Defeating Sasuke

Not only Sasuke and Kiba, but even the expressions of others were filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Sakura scratched her head, her small face full of confusion. "Naruto... when did he get so strong?"

Speaking of which, that annoying guy hadn't bothered her today yet?

This was even stranger!

The record sheet in Iruka's hand almost slipped from his grasp in surprise.

He looked at the five targets in the distance, at the five shuriken still firmly embedded in their centers, then at Naruto, who looked as if he had just casually thrown away some trash, his mind completely blank.

This wasn't a prank at all...

No, Naruto had improved.

Or rather, it was like he was a completely different person.

Hinata's fair face was also full of surprise, but more than that, there was a subtle sense of realization.

She looked at Naruto's still azure eyes, which now seemed to have lost their usual lively and energetic gaze, and her heart trembled slightly.

"Naruto-kun... has become stronger."

Hinata crossed her slender hands in front of her chest, thinking to herself that something must have happened to cause Naruto to change from the inside out.

She hadn't been secretly watching his progress these past few days.

To have missed such an important moment...

However, no matter how different Naruto's expression was, how perplexing, or even if his eyes held a maturity that Hinata couldn't understand.

He was still Naruto!

Hinata Hyuga lowered her head, feeling her cheeks flush again.

The clumsy and persistent affection in her heart hadn't diminished in the slightest; instead, it rippled with the discovery of something unusual about Naruto.

Naruto ignored all the surprised and uncertain gazes, walked back to the end of the line, leaned against a wooden post again, and shrugged. "What are you all looking at me for?

Is there something written on my face?

Look at Iruka-sensei!"

On the other side.

Iruka looked again at the impact marks on the bullseyes of the row of dummies and at Naruto, who had already returned to the end of the line with a calm expression.

His confusion grew.

But he didn't say anything more, just cleared his throat and signaled the start of the next training session.

"Next is one-on-one combat practice. We'll be grouped according to the list."

In the past, Naruto would always be the first to jump out at this time, loudly proclaiming he wanted to challenge Sasuke, who was in first place.

But today, he remained quietly leaning against the wooden post, seemingly indifferent to everything around him.

Iruka recalled the strange occurrences with Naruto today.

Finally, after assigning all the groups, Iruka listed Naruto and Sasuke's names together separately.

"Last match, Naruto Uzumaki versus Uchiha Sasuke."

A few low murmurs came from the crowd.

Sakura and Ino exchanged glances, clearly not believing Naruto had any chance of winning.

Although the shuriken and Transformation Jutsu earlier had indeed surprised them, Sasuke was still in first place.

"Was that luck?" Ino asked, arms crossed, with a hint of surprise.

Sakura nodded. "It must have been luck. How could Sasuke-kun possibly lose?"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, hands behind his head, and lazily interjected, "That might be hard to say."

Hinata, in a corner of the crowd, remained silent, quietly clenching her sleeve, her gaze fixed on Naruto.

Sasuke was already standing in the center of the field, looking at Naruto with a cold, arrogant expression.

He didn't take Naruto seriously.

Even if the other boy was acting strangely today.

Naruto slowly walked to the center of the training ground and stopped under everyone's watchful eyes.

He didn't assume any particular stance, just stood normally, looking calmly at Sasuke.

Naruto knew very well that although he hadn't deliberately shown off and was simply performing normally with the amazing strength gained from countless reincarnations.

It was still shocking to everyone.

So, Iruka-sensei's mind had already made some strange assumptions: either he was hiding his strength, or he had undergone some kind of inhuman training and intended to test his limits.

Naruto naturally hadn't interfered beforehand because, based on his experience and future events.

He intended to change the image he had in Sasuke's mind.

"Begin!"

Iruka gave the order.

Sasuke struck first, his speed like a gust of wind, a punch aimed directly at Naruto's chest.

This was his usual move.

Clean and swift; in the past, Naruto wouldn't have been able to react at all.

But this time, Naruto merely shifted his body slightly and easily dodged.

Sasuke followed up with a sweeping kick. Naruto seemed to have predicted it, stepping back half a pace in advance, once again evading the attack.

Seeing this, Sasuke frowned slightly, then quickened his assault.

Fists, kicks, even Shuriken were used, each move with all his might, yet each was blocked or dodged by Naruto with perfect timing just before landing.

Naruto's movements weren't particularly flashy, but they always carried a sense of effortless control.

The surroundings gradually fell silent.

The girls who had been cheering for Sasuke forgot to shout, simply staring blankly.

After dozens of exchanges, the two fighters pulled apart, gazing at each other.

Sasuke's breathing grew ragged, sweat beading on his forehead.

Throughout the fight, his attacks had become faster and heavier, yet Naruto remained unfazed, as if merely practicing basic evasive maneuvers.

Though he didn't know why, he had no choice but to press on.

Just then, Naruto suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching Sasuke's ears, "You're too anxious. This only exposes more openings."

Sasuke flinched slightly at the words, his expression darkening further.

His heart filled with anger, he charged forward, throwing a straight punch with all his might, only to miss again.

Naruto had, at some point, moved to Sasuke's side and gently pushed his back with his right hand.

Sasuke immediately lost his balance, stumbling forward.

Before he could steady himself, Naruto closed the distance and kicked Sasuke to the ground.

Then, he pinned Sasuke from behind, holding a kunai to his neck with his left hand.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Sasuke lay on the ground, pinned by Naruto, gasping for breath.

His face was filled with disbelief.

I lost?

Lost so completely?

Naruto saw that Sasuke had completely lost the ability to resist, or rather, in the countless Reincarnations before this, Sasuke would have been unable to resist by this point.

So, Naruto withdrew his kunai, slowly stood up, and took a step back.

"You lost."

The training ground was silent.

Sakura and Ino's mouths hung open, unable to utter a word.

Sasuke, the top student, had lost to Naruto, the dead last?

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and muttered, "As expected..."

"What? You want to eat potato chips?"

Choji, unconcerned with the outcome of the match, offered Shikamaru a bag of chips.

Shikamaru: "?"

Iruka walked forward, his expression grave.

He looked at Sasuke, who had just gotten up from the ground, still dazed.

Then he looked at Naruto, who stood calmly to the side.

"Naruto, you..."

Iruka trailed off.

He had thought Naruto had only made slight progress, but this match was beyond mere "progress."

To the surrounding students, it looked like a back-and-forth battle between Naruto and Sasuke.

But to Iruka, a teacher with years of experience, it was clear.

During the fight, Sasuke had lost his usual offensive rhythm, his face covered in sweat.

In contrast, Naruto looked relaxed.

This alone was enough to tell Iruka that Naruto had undergone a complete transformation.

Naruto didn't explain. He just scratched his head and calmly asked, "Can I rejoin the team now, Iruka-sensei?"

Naruto knew deep down that if he continued at this pace, it wouldn't even take them until the Land of Waves.

By the time Team 7 was formed, Sasuke's perception of him would change drastically.

Iruka gave Naruto a deep look, unsure what to say, and could only nod.

With permission granted, Naruto turned and walked back to the group, his expression still blank.

Sasuke, meanwhile, remained standing where he was, head bowed, his hands clenched tightly into fists.

No one knew how Naruto had managed to defeat Sasuke, the top student in their year.

Only Naruto himself understood it all.

The gap in their strength was too great.

So, a slight effort was all that was needed