In an instant...
Sasuke with his Sharingan and Naruto in his Nine-Tails rampage state roared in unison and charged at each other, intent on killing!
This strike...
You die.
I live.
There was no other way.
The Anbu were about to intervene, but realized they might already be too late—
As cold sweat rolled down their faces—
A figure suddenly appeared between Naruto and Sasuke.
He merely stretched out an arm and effortlessly stopped them both, then flung them away!
Thud—
Thud!
The two of them crashed to the ground, collapsing heavily.
Naruto and Sasuke were both gripped by the fear of having narrowly escaped death!
"Just now... what was I doing..."
"This isn't a dream. It's real..."
"Did I really want to kill Sasuke?!"
Naruto was overcome with dread, panting heavily as if he no longer recognized himself.
But Sasuke felt the same way.
"What am I doing..."
"Was I really going to kill Naruto just because I was feeling so agitated and anxious?"
"How could I..."
"Have I fallen so low that I've become a monster like Itachi Uchiha?!"
The Anbu all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Thank goodness..."
Naruto and Sasuke struggled to their feet at the same time. Only then did they see the familiar yet unfamiliar, aged face.
It was none other than Konoha's...
Third.
Sarutobi Hiruzen!
His expression was every bit as grim as theirs.
His brows were tightly furrowed, and the wrinkles on his face seemed much deeper than usual.
"Naruto, Sasuke, what were you two thinking?!"
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance from across the clearing, then bowed their heads, panting.
Regret and fear washed over them, leaving them feeling utterly drained...
"As comrades in the same village, you attacked each other so viciously, and even..."
"Were you going to kill each other?!"
Naruto's face went pale as he lowered his head and stared at his trembling hands.
"Third, I..."
"I don't know what came over me..."
Sasuke remained silent as well.
His Sharingan vanished, returning to its usual state.
Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"I can understand how you feel."
"But always remember: whether you want to become stronger or fulfill your dreams, your power must never be used against your comrades!"
"If you two want to find out who's stronger, then fight openly and fairly during your ninja sparring sessions!"
"Don't fight like this, trying to kill each other in secret!"
Naruto hung his head, his eyes vacant, and nodded dejectedly.
"I-I understand..."
Sasuke, too, was filled with regret and fear, but he wasn't as forthright as Naruto.
"Hmph—"
He merely snorted and turned to leave. Only when he was out of sight of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Naruto did he reveal the pained, remorseful look on his face...
His body still throbbed from Naruto's Leaf Whirlwind kick.
But he was even more terrified by what he had just done.
He wanted to turn around and say something to Naruto.
Instead, he clenched his teeth and fists, walking farther and farther away despite himself.
Watching Sasuke's retreating figure, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and sighed.
He lit his pipe, took a deep drag, and slowly breathed out.
Just then, several Anbu appeared and quickly began cleaning up the mess.
A Water Style Ninjutsu extinguished the trees Sasuke's Great Fireball had set ablaze.
As night gradually fell, the only light came from the glow of Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe, flickering now and then.
"Let's go home, Naruto."
"...All right."
Sarutobi Hiruzen followed Naruto home as he limped along.
He pulled the Kunai from Naruto's right leg, then used the Hemostasis Technique to stop the bleeding and bandaged the wound.
But the terrible injury from the Kunai piercing his leg was already healing rapidly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts stirred.
"Is it the Nine-Tailed Fox's power?"
"Or..."
"Is it Naruto's own constitution?"
Though Naruto grimaced in pain, he had already regained his energy.
Soon, he stood up and tested his leg. It still hurt, but he could walk just fine.
"Ah, that's great..."
"I was worried the injury would interfere with my studies and training!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly dropped his pipe.
Was this really something Naruto would say...?
Naruto had already perked up again.
"Thank you, Third!"
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll make you dinner!"
It wasn't often that he had a guest, especially the Hokage of Konoha, so Naruto soon busied himself preparing a meal.
His cooking was, of course, still terrible.
But the fact that he could cook for himself at all was enough to astonish Sarutobi Hiruzen.
This Naruto was a world apart from the one he remembered...
Still, while cooking, Naruto would occasionally pause, as though someone had pressed a button.
Smoking his pipe, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help asking with a frown, "Naruto, what are you doing?"
Naruto paused, then smiled. "Oh, I'm practicing multitasking. I'm making dinner and practicing the Chakra Refinement Technique at the same time!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned.
"You can do that?"
Naruto scratched his head sheepishly and gave a couple of awkward laughs.
"Ha ha, I haven't got the hang of it yet. I can only do it for a little while before I have to stop and start training again..."
"I'm sure I can't compare to you, Third..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly choked on his smoke.
In truth, he couldn't do anything like that...
And it wasn't just him. He'd never heard of any ninja, no matter how talented, being able to do it...
But admitting that to Naruto would be a little embarrassing.
Could Naruto be the real genius?!
"Naruto, why have you suddenly started training so hard?"
Naruto replied, "Because I want to become stronger and earn everyone's recognition!"
"Is that so?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen blew out a smoke ring.
"Especially Sasuke's?"
Naruto brought the dinner over and served Sarutobi Hiruzen a portion. At the mention of Sasuke, his arm trembled slightly despite himself.
"Yeah..."
"Sasuke is the person I most want to defeat! Maybe he really is also the person whose recognition I want most..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a bite of the ramen Naruto had made. His brows knitted slightly.
"So that's why you wanted to kill him just now?"
Naruto's face fell.
"I didn't want to kill him!"
"It's just..."
"I feel like... I couldn't control myself..."
"Third, I... what should I do?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took another bite of Naruto's homemade ramen and shook his head.
"Naruto, that's what you call an obsession..."
"Your obsession is to become Hokage and earn everyone's recognition."
"Sasuke's obsession is revenge—to defeat that man..."
"Neither of you will ever back down, and you both see the other as a rival."
"In a sense, obsessions and rivals aren't necessarily bad things. They can even drive us to become stronger, but..."
Before you continue