Naruto, What's the Point of Being Hokage Without You!

Hinata said, "I, I think... the meaning of liking someone is..."

"To let us become better versions of ourselves."

Ino couldn't help but be stunned once more.

"Become better versions of ourselves?"

"It means hoping that the person you like lives well, while also making yourself better in the process..."

Hinata nodded and whispered, "Yes, that is exactly what I think..."

Ino sighed and patted her little head.

"You really are so mature, Hinata, you..."

Hinata's face flushed red, but being able to share and confide these things with someone moved her deeply.

"Thank you, Ino..."

"Thank me? What is there to thank me for?"

"No, it's nothing..."

"You really are too reserved, otherwise..."

"A guy like Naruto, he's as dense as a brick; if you don't tell him, I'm afraid he will never understand your feelings."

Hinata shook her head with a blushing face: "No, the way things are now is enough for me..."

"What a silly girl..."

Ino sighed helplessly.

"But then again..."

"Perhaps we are both just as silly..."

The faces of Sasuke and Sakura appeared in her mind...

The two had almost never truly spoken before, yet on the walk home at dusk, this first conversation left them feeling like kindred spirits.

But neither of them noticed that behind the trunk of a large tree along the path they had walked, Sakura Haruno was peeking out, staring blankly at the scene...

Meanwhile.

Naruto was performing weighted frog jumps while attempting Dual-Tasking to continue his chakra refinement.

This kind of effort was by no means simple.

It was even more difficult than refining chakra while listening to a lecture.

After all, this was equivalent to training taijutsu and ninjutsu simultaneously.

It was likely that no one had ever done this before.

But Naruto felt his own progress, and instead, he became more eager than ever to try.

Along the way, he did not slack off in the slightest; without any system prompts or warnings, he persisted until the very end.

Although, the vast majority of the time, it ended in failure.

Yet, he did not feel discouraged at all.

Finally, just as he was about to reach home, Naruto completed his dual-core training for the first time.

While performing weighted frog jumps, he managed to maintain the Chakra Refinement Technique for a single instant.

It was only an instant.

But that was enough!

It proved that this path was viable!

For Naruto, what did he need most to reach the top ten in the class within a month?

It was time.

Or rather, efficiency.

With his level of effort, he firmly believed he could surpass everyone.

But the problem was, there was too little time...

If he could succeed at Dual-Tasking, it would be equivalent to having twice the time and energy as everyone else!

This was almost his only path to success!

Just as he was cheering for his momentary success.

Under the setting sun ahead, a long shadow cast itself over him.

"Hm?"

Naruto looked up and saw, silhouetted against the sunset, a very familiar figure approaching him.

Although he was backlit, leaving his face in shadow and impossible to see clearly, his features and expression remained obscured.

Naruto could guess what that scene looked like.

"Sasuke."

"What are you doing here?!"

Not far ahead of Naruto was his own front door; if it weren't intentional, Sasuke would never have come here.

The figure with hands in his pockets drew closer, his shadow swallowing Naruto's entire body.

"Hey, loser."

Naruto's temper flared the moment he heard that nickname.

"Damn you, Sasuke, what did you just—"

"Fight me."

Naruto's eyes widened instantly, his cursing cut short.

"Y-you, what did you say?"

Sasuke Uchiha looked down at Naruto, who was crouching on the ground, with an arrogant and cold expression.

"Don't make me say it twice."

A stormy sea surged in Naruto's heart.

For Naruto, this simple sentence was nothing short of earth-shattering.

Even he himself might not have realized that the recognition he wanted most actually came from Sasuke Uchiha...

He had worked so hard, risked so much—aside from becoming Hokage and gaining everyone's acknowledgment, a more direct goal was to surpass Sasuke and defeat him!

What he wanted was to stand squarely opposite Sasuke, fight him as an equal, and make him thoroughly acknowledge his strength!

But even Naruto hadn't expected it to come so soon.

He stood up, clenched his fists, and his eyes burned with a fierce flame.

"Hey, why go out of your way to find me for a fight?"

"Is it because of this morning?"

"You dodged it back then, didn't you?!"

Hearing this, Sasuke's expression changed instantly, as if he had been stung!

"Damn it..."

"Loser, what did you say?!"

Naruto crossed his arms, revealing a confident, knowing smile.

"Others might not have noticed, but I saw it..."

"Facing my attack, you instinctively took a step back, which is why Sakura ended up standing between us and got hit by my accidental punch!"

"So that means..."

"You were scared back then, weren't you?!"

Naruto's words were sharp as a needle, a precise critical hit!

It was precisely because Sasuke hated that momentary flinch and couldn't overcome this inner demon that he had been driven to wait for Naruto at his doorstep.

If he couldn't thoroughly defeat Naruto, he feared he would never be able to become stronger!

Rather than hating Naruto, it was more accurate to say he hated himself.

He...

Absolutely could not tolerate his own cowardice!

"Bastard, I'd be afraid of a loser like you?"

"Don't joke around!"

Sasuke roared hysterically.

Naruto, however, made a face, completely unbothered.

"No matter how tough you talk, your body is still being honest!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his handsome features slightly twisted.

"Naruto!"

"I'll show you the insurmountable chasm between a loser and a genius!"

"Come on!"

The dim, setting sun shone upon the two youths, casting a faint golden light as a breeze blew past, causing Naruto and Sasuke's hair to flutter gently.

Right at the entrance of Naruto's home, on the sparsely populated street...

The battle was on the verge of breaking out.

That was...

A fated confrontation, stretching across a millennium.

Dusk, a gentle evening breeze, a setting sun that had shed its sweltering heat, and streets sparsely populated with pedestrians.

Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha stood in a standoff, gazing at each other from a distance.

The occasional passerby looked at the two with curiosity, but were quickly tugged away by their companions.

"Is that the demon..."

"Hm? That child is from the Uchiha Clan..."

"Shh, let's go, don't look for trouble."

"Come on, let's go."

Whether they were ninjas of Konoha or ordinary villagers, even if they didn't know the full truth, it was common knowledge that the identities of both Naruto and Sasuke were sensitive and special.

Seeing the two in a standoff, the choice for most was to silently steer clear.

However, they were not entirely alone.

Because...

There were always Anbu ninjas watching this scene from the shadows.

"That, that is..."

"The orphan of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke Uchiha?"

"What is he trying to do?"

"The expressions on these two aren't right. Go notify the Hokage immediately."

"Understood!"