Two Years Later

Two years later, March of the 59th year of Konoha, spring.

Konoha Ninja Training Ground!

On the surface of the calm, ripple-free lake, two figures of short stature stood facing each other from a distance; they were none other than Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke.

Compared to two years ago, Sasuke did not seem to have changed much, but over two years of a high-nutrition diet, a regular sleep schedule, and persistent physical training combined with Yoga stretching had made a difference.

It made him taller and sturdier than his peers; his height had now reached 149cm, nearly approaching his height two years later in the original story.

Unlike the bitter, resentful, and sharp-edged demeanor Sasuke displayed in the original work, his current mental aura was extremely stable, harmonious, and balanced. His eyes were clear, with the whites and pupils distinct, and his gaze was as transparent and flawless as crystal, exuding a sense of detached, ethereal transcendence.

This was naturally the result of Sasuke practicing Yoga and the Yoga Meditation Technique for two and a half years!

Compared to Sasuke, Naruto had changed significantly over the past two years. Although he was not yet as tall as Sasuke, judging by his taut muscles, it was clear that Naruto had spent more time and effort on taijutsu training than Sasuke!

Furthermore, Naruto had followed Sasuke's advice; in addition to persistent physical training, he also paid close attention to a balanced diet.

Many people held a misconception about Naruto, believing he could not afford good food and was forced to drink expired milk.

That was actually not the case.

In the original manga and anime, the scene of Naruto drinking expired milk demonstrated his careless personality. In truth, Naruto never paid attention to expiration dates, which could also be seen in his messy room and the ramen cups thrown everywhere in his daily life.

In reality, Naruto's living expenses were not meager. The Third Hokage would provide him with his living allowance on time every month, often telling him to be frugal and not spend it recklessly.

And those who talk about being frugal and not spending recklessly are usually wealthy; only those without money say they need more.

Because the amount was already decided at the time it was given!

Unlike the previous Naruto, who was always boisterous and rash, the current Naruto had a much steadier personality. His eyes would occasionally flash with determination and courage, faintly showing the shadow of the Uzumaki Naruto who began to grow after experiencing the mission in the Land of Waves two years later.

At this moment, he was standing steadily on the water surface by utilizing Chakra on the soles of his feet. Over these two years, besides his main body constantly undergoing physical training, he would almost always create ten Shadow Clones every day to perform other training. He had long since mastered the Chakra control techniques for tree climbing and water walking.

"Be careful, Sasuke!"

After the two stood opposite each other and performed the seal of confrontation, Naruto said seriously.

Sasuke nodded and said, "Come on!"

As soon as the words fell, Naruto could be seen running across the water, charging toward Sasuke with a simple straight punch. His speed was as fast as an afterimage, almost impossible to track; one could only see the ripples and splashes kicked up behind the blur.

As expected, taijutsu is very suitable for you.

Facing this aggressive straight punch, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and directly used a defensive maneuver to block Naruto's fist.

Seeing Sasuke block his strike, Naruto was not surprised in the slightest. He retracted his fist, pivoted his body, leaped into the air, and whipped his leg out, producing a crisp sound like a bullwhip striking the air!

"You've improved a lot, Naruto."

Sasuke parried his attack without haste and said calmly.

Currently, their physical fitness was about the same, but in terms of recovery and stamina, Naruto was even stronger than him.

Over these two years, Sasuke's main body had to practice ninjutsu, genjutsu, sculpture, and swordsmanship in addition to taijutsu.

Naruto was different; his main body only practiced taijutsu!

Although the food, ingredients, and nutrition Naruto consumed were far inferior to the various expensive, high-end nutritional supplements Sasuke ate.

But... I won't go into that; everyone understands.

Therefore, it was not an easy task for Sasuke to defeat Naruto using only taijutsu now.

"Hehe!"

Naruto chuckled, revealing his white teeth. He then began to attack faster and more fluidly, launching a continuous barrage like a storm against Sasuke. However, in the midst of his relentless attacks, he inadvertently abandoned his defense, exposing his openings.

An opening!

When Naruto threw another punch, Sasuke abandoned his evasion. Instead of retreating, he surged forward, bending his body to slam into Naruto's wide-open chest, striking him heavily.

Naruto felt a tightness in his chest and a surge of great force; his body involuntarily stumbled backward. But after only two steps, he was kicked in the chin by Sasuke's upward strike.

His vision went black instantly, and after spinning twice in the air, he fell heavily into the lake.

After defeating Naruto, Sasuke did not stop; instead, he quickly performed several hand seals. The current Naruto was not someone who would be defeated so easily.

Sure enough, within a few breaths of Naruto falling into the water, the calm surface began to churn.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The water exploded, sending massive splashes into the air. Emerging from the spray were eleven identical Narutos.

"Next up is the Uzumaki Naruto Ninja Scroll!"

"Naruto Uzumaki Combo, reporting for duty!"

At this time, Naruto's taijutsu techniques were still what he had learned at the Ninja Academy, but just like in the original story, he had combined them with the Shadow Clone technique to create the Naruto Uzumaki Combo!

As soon as the Shadow Clones rushed out, they surrounded Sasuke tightly from all sides, and Naruto wore an excited expression.

But Naruto's joy lasted only a moment before he noticed that Sasuke had already formed the Tiger seal, his chest puffing out like a bellows!

This is...

Naruto froze, and in a panic, he hurriedly began to form seals as well.

"Fire Release: Big Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball erupted from the mouth of Sasuke, surging forward to engulf the ten Shadow Clone manifestations of Naruto, instantly reducing them to puffs of white smoke.

"Wind Release: Air Bullet!"

In a narrow escape, just as the fireball was about to strike the real Naruto, he spat out a condensed, compressed sphere of air from his mouth. It collided with the incoming fireball, even pushing it back with greater speed toward the stationary Sasuke, striking him squarely.

"Did I win?"

Is Sasuke okay?

Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow, touching his eyebrows which had nearly been singed, and looked toward the white, misty haze with a hint of worry.

"No, you lost again."

A calm voice came from behind him. A flash of shock crossed Naruto's face, and just as he turned to counterattack, a bolt of electricity surged from the water beneath his feet. Naruto's body went numb in an instant, a shiver ran through him, and he collapsed without any power to resist.

Lightning Release: Earth Flash!

Sasuke looked at the lake and said indifferently, "You're not dead yet, are you?"

Pfft!

Naruto poked his head out of the water, spat out a mouthful, and grumbled, "I lost to you again this time."

"Heh..." Sasuke let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Have you ever won?"

"Hmph!"

Naruto snorted, but he didn't fly into a rage. After standing up, he shouted to encourage himself, "I've decided! I'm doubling my taijutsu training this month!"

What a madman!

Seeing Naruto get spurred into acting like Might Guy, Sasuke raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Do whatever you want. Either way, I only need to put in a little bit of effort to defeat you easily!"

Though he said that on the surface, Sasuke secretly decided to increase his own training once he returned as well.

Whether out of logic or emotion, Sasuke would not allow himself to lose to Naruto, nor would he let him gain even the slightest advantage in battle.

Absolutely not!

And perhaps it was because Naruto was the reincarnation of Asura.

The stronger Naruto became, the more Sasuke looked forward to it; crushing him only brought more satisfaction and pleasure.