The two Anbu Ninja swiftly departed, while the remaining people watched the situation warily.
Naruto looked at Sasuke. Along with his fighting spirit, pride and confidence welled up inside him, growing stronger with every passing moment.
At that moment, Sasuke, consumed by fury, sprang into action. He stomped hard against the ground and shot forward at incredible speed!
He swung a vicious kick at Naruto!
Naruto took a deep breath, suppressing his boiling emotions as he focused completely on the fight itself.
This battle with Sasuke was just as important to him!
It was a battle of proof for them both!
Sasuke's kick was impeccable in its strength, speed, angle, and direction—flawless in every way.
At the Ninja Academy, everyone would have been amazed and impressed.
But this wasn't the first time Naruto had seen that kick.
In his dreams, he had already fought Sasuke dozens of times!
In an instant...
Before Naruto even realized it, his body reacted on instinct.
Thud—
He didn't dodge or even defend. He went straight on the counterattack!
A head-on clash!
He swung out a powerful kick of his own!
Their strength collided. Sasuke's expression changed in an instant!
"So fast!"
"And how is he this strong?"
"Is this really that dead-last Naruto?!"
Naruto didn't hesitate for a moment. Having gained the upper hand with that kick, he twisted his waist, leaped into the air, and unleashed another kick with his other leg!
Sasuke was taken by surprise. He crossed his arms to block, but Naruto's kick still sent him stumbling back.
His feet gouged two deep furrows into the ground!
"Damn it, when did his Taijutsu get this strong?!"
Before Sasuke's eyes, he saw Naruto training himself to the point of collapse on the practice field...
Deep down, he understood that this was the result of Naruto's desperate hard work.
But he still couldn't accept it!
Naruto had actually suppressed Sasuke with his Taijutsu and gained the upper hand!
Under normal circumstances, Naruto would have been leaping for joy and gloating by now.
But after dozens of life-and-death battles in his dreams, he had gained more than just experience and hard-earned lessons. More importantly, he had learned to steel his mind and will for battle!
His expression remained calm, and he immediately pursued Sasuke!
Sasuke's anger surged. He crossed his arms, bent forward, and swung them up!
Thud, thud, thud—
Seven or eight Shuriken shot out in an instant!
He had trained with Itachi Uchiha since childhood, and his Shurikenjutsu was masterful!
Naruto didn't dare take it lightly. He leaped high, dodging most of the Shuriken. Then, while still in the air, he drew his Kunai and deflected the rest with quick parries to the left and right.
The brief reprieve gave Sasuke time to regain his stance.
A Kunai appeared in Sasuke's hand as well. Facing Naruto as he descended from above and pressed the attack, he slashed upward into the wind. His blade carved a streak of light across the sky, its cold edge gleaming!
Their Kunai clashed with a violent impact, sparks bursting everywhere!
"Damn it..."
"Why did this dead last suddenly get so strong?!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, but his Kunai showed no mercy as he unleashed the results of his own relentless training.
In terms of technique, he was still far above Naruto.
Slice—
With a soft sound, Naruto's sleeve was cut open again.
But he paid it no mind. With a shout, he thrust out his Shuriken.
Their Kunai clashed once more with a sharp ring, and both weapons flew away.
Before either Kunai could hit the ground...
Naruto had already launched his killer move without hesitation!
In his dreams, over the course of 37 fights, he had won only three times—and every one of those rare victories had come thanks to this move!
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Naruto leaped into the air, his legs spinning rapidly in a flurry of kicks. They moved so fast that it was impossible to tell where his attacks would land. Sasuke was caught off guard as the powerful kicks burst forth!
Sasuke was startled.
But he had seen Naruto use this move before.
He had prepared thoroughly for this fight and come ready!
"Hmph—"
Another Kunai appeared in his hand. He had seen through Naruto's attack and placed it in the way of the landing point in advance!
If Naruto didn't want his right leg pierced through, he had no choice but to stop!
And yet...
"Don't underestimate me..."
"Sasuke!"
Naruto didn't hesitate. Even with the cold, sharp edge of the Kunai before him, he still kicked forward with all his might!
Boom—
With a thunderous crash, Sasuke cried out as the kick sent his whole body flying!
Thud!
He slammed into a roadside tree. The trunk shook, and leaves fluttered down all around him!
He groaned, feeling as if he were about to cough up blood!
At the same time...
Sasuke's Kunai had pierced straight through Naruto's right leg, and blood poured from the wound like a spring!
Naruto grimaced, enduring the bone-deep pain, but a trace of satisfaction curled at the corner of his mouth.
"How was that, Sasuke..."
"That kick didn't feel so good, did it?!"
Sasuke was stunned.
It was one thing for this dead-last Naruto to have made such a sudden leap in strength, but how had his mindset and will in battle become so terrifying, too?!
Was Naruto really willing to cripple his own leg just to beat him?!
Of course, Sasuke had no idea.
In his dreams, Naruto had risked his life just to defeat him.
What was one leg compared to that?!
Looking at Naruto, who seemed almost crazed, Sasuke felt that fear and urge to retreat rising up in him again.
The deep-seated...
Demon and nightmare Itachi Uchiha had left behind!
"Damn it!"
With a roar, Sasuke slammed his fist into the tree trunk, shattering its bark and sending wood chips flying. His own fist was bloodied from the impact, too!
"I won't lose to anyone before I kill that man!"
"And I definitely won't lose to you, you dead last..."
"Naruto!"
He quickly formed Hand Seals and unleashed his ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
In an instant, blazing flames formed a fireball and surged toward Naruto!
At the Ninja Academy level, this kind of ninjutsu was a genuine ace in the hole!
The Naruto of before would have had no way to stop it.
But Naruto had seen it too many times already...
He shifted sharply to the side and dodged the attack.
The Great Fireball Technique swallowed up the tree behind him in an instant...
In the twilight after the sun had set, with the blazing tree behind them casting its light...
Naruto and Sasuke were both fighting like men possessed. Neither could stop as they charged at each other!
At this life-or-death moment...
Blood-red light suddenly flared in Sasuke's pupils. His ordinary eyes transformed in an instant, the tomoe spinning into place. They were...
The Sharingan!
And at the instant Naruto's killing intent erupted, his eyes became vertical slits. The six whisker-like marks on his cheeks seemed to split open, and his expression twisted into something ferocious. He had been affected by the Nine-Tailed Fox's Tailed Beast Chakra...
Berserk Mode!
Every Anbu watched in horror, drenched in sweat!
"Th-that's..."
"This is bad!"
Naruto and Sasuke.
At that moment, they were both fighting like men possessed.
Sasuke carried a blood feud, which he had kept buried deep inside for so long. Now, provoked by Naruto, he let it erupt in full force. He had even awakened his Sharingan and was determined to defeat Naruto, even if it cost him his life!
Naruto was no different.
All the slander, coldness, disdain, and hatred he had suffered poured out of him. His fierce desire to defeat Sasuke and earn his recognition, along with the conviction that he would never win unless he gave his all and fought to kill—just as he had in his dreams—drove his body in that instant. His murderous fury poured out!
Even though the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama, no longer interfered with Naruto's training under normal circumstances...
This moment was different...
Sensing the violence in Naruto's heart, Kurama immediately felt the urge to assimilate with him.
This had been his long-term plan all along!
Through repeated episodes of going berserk, he would completely seize Naruto's will, take over his body, and be reborn in a blaze of flames!
Kurama naturally wasn't about to pass up this opportunity.
Although Naruto's so-called berserk state only released a tiny amount of Nine-Tails Chakra and murderous fury...
That was enough.
Before you continue