Husband and Wife Face Off! Naruto Makes a Stunning Debut! The Crowd Is Stunned! Please Vote!!!

Sasuke shook his head.

"I've been paying too much attention to that dead-last..."

"But..."

"He really isn't as weak as everyone thinks..."

"Damn it!"

Sasuke looked at the ninjutsu scrolls lying quietly on the ground beside him.

"No, I can't just stop moving forward."

He gritted his teeth and took out a new scroll.

"C-rank Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, and C-rank Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique?"

"Although they're both C-rank, just like the Great Fireball Technique, they're a lot harder..."

"They require not only greater skill, but also a lot more chakra..."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment.

Learning more powerful techniques was certainly the right thing to do.

But if he pushed beyond his limits, he might not improve at all. Instead, he could harm his body and hinder his training.

Just then,

a night breeze suddenly swept by, ruffling Sasuke's clothes and hair.

A sudden sense of foreboding came over Sasuke.

He looked up toward another part of Konoha.

That was where he'd gone yesterday...

Naruto's home.

"Naruto..."

"Why do I suddenly have such a bad feeling..."

A sense of alarm stirred in Sasuke's heart.

"That guy... seems to be getting stronger every day, every night, every moment!"

"Hmph."

Sasuke clenched his fists, then opened the scroll anyway.

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.

Though his chakra and stamina were completely depleted, Sasuke didn't stop for a second. He immediately gritted his teeth and continued training according to the instructions in the scroll.

"Naruto, I'll fight you again, and then..."

"I'll defeat you once and for all and make you admit I'm better!"

Soon, Sasuke's stubborn voice rang out across the training ground at the Uchiha Compound in the dead of night.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

"Damn it..."

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

The next day.

As luck would have it, today's lesson at the Ninja Academy was on sparring.

Naruto froze, then was overjoyed. He couldn't help throwing his arms up and cheering.

"Awesome! Hooray!"

Iruka-sensei frowned. "Naruto, what are you so excited about?"

Naruto looked straight at Sasuke, his fists clenched with confidence.

"Because..."

"Today, I'm going to defeat Sasuke fair and square!"

Everyone froze, then turned to look at Sasuke in unison.

Sasuke's expression remained as cold as ever.

He'd already guessed how Naruto would react.

And...

He, too, had already been fired up and was eager to fight!

"Hmph, dead-last. Don't get ahead of yourself!"

"What did you say, you jerk, Sasuke?!"

Iruka-sensei couldn't help sighing and rubbing his forehead.

"Can you two stay quiet for a minute?"

Naruto and Sasuke snorted and turned away at the same time.

Ino stood shoulder to shoulder with Hinata.

Since Sakura wouldn't talk to her, and apologizing hadn't fixed anything, Ino felt there was nothing more she could do.

"T-they really are in sync, those two..."

Hinata blushed. "Mm..."

Sakura thought of what Iruka-sensei had said yesterday. She'd wanted to change her opinion of Naruto, but seeing how arrogantly he acted toward Sasuke still made her furious.

Changing someone's nature was easier said than done.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat and said gravely, "Sparring at the Ninja Academy is, of course, meant to prepare you for actual combat. But it's also meant to help you learn from each other and improve together."

"It's not for settling personal grudges."

"Naruto, Sasuke, we'll draw lots to keep things fair. I'm not going to rig it so you two can fight each other!"

"...Okay."

"Hmph."

Iruka-sensei sighed. "All right, Naruto. You draw first."

With everyone watching curiously, Naruto stepped forward and rummaged around in the draw box, silently praying.

"Sasuke, Sasuke... I want Sasuke..."

At last, he picked a slip and raised it triumphantly.

"I choose him!"

Iruka-sensei took it and glanced at the name. His expression changed at once!

"Th-this is..."

Chapter 43: Husband and Wife Face Off! Naruto Makes a Stunning Debut! The Crowd Is Stunned! Please Vote!!!

Seeing Iruka-sensei's expression, Naruto couldn't help feeling excited.

"Could it be..."

"Is it really Sasuke?!"

Iruka-sensei turned Naruto's slip around and showed it to everyone.

The name on it was...

"Hinata Hyuga."

"Ah—"

Naruto and Hinata both gaped.

Sasuke Uchiha frowned.

Clearly, he'd been eager to fight Naruto, too.

Iruka-sensei could tell what they were thinking.

"Ahem. Sparring is training, not a chance to fight!"

"That's what the draw says, so you have to follow it."

"Now, Naruto, Hinata, get ready to begin!"

Naruto was disappointed, but could only nod. "Yes, Iruka-sensei."

Hinata's cheeks flushed as she lowered her head and softly answered.

Ino Yamanaka, standing among the crowd, couldn't help giggling.

Hinata glanced at her, realizing she was being teased, and blushed even more.

Shikamaru yawned.

Choji secretly munched on something as he asked, "Ino, what are you laughing at?"

Ino didn't really want to hang around with these two hopeless cases, but their families had such close ties. The Ino-Shika-Cho clans had long been three of Konoha's mainstays.

Because of their parents, Ino had known them both well since childhood.

Ino rolled her eyes at them. "You two wouldn't get it even if I told you!"

"One of you only knows how to eat, and the other only knows how to sleep."

Choji didn't mind. "Heh, don't say that. When Sakura tried to hit Naruto the other day, Hinata stepped in front of him. Everyone saw it."

"Hinata really likes Naruto, doesn't she?"

Ino was surprised.

"Oh? Who knew you had such a perceptive side?"

"You're much better than Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Choji's always been the kind of guy who looks rough but is thoughtful inside."

"As for me..."

"I don't understand women, and I don't want to. They're such a pain..."

Ino shook her head vigorously. "You deserve to be single for the rest of your life."

Shikamaru smiled. "Thanks, thanks. That sounds more like a blessing to me."

Ino: "..."

She couldn't help glancing at Sakura again. Sakura had her eyes wide open, too, watching the two of them without blinking. She was obviously interested in their conversation as well.

"Sakura..."

By then, Naruto and Hinata had walked to the middle of the training area and were facing each other.

Iruka-sensei called out, "Form the Seal of Confrontation, and after the spar, form the Seal of Reconciliation."

Naruto and Hinata both formed the Seal of Confrontation.

"N-Naruto-kun... please go easy on me..."

Naruto grinned. "Hinata, you've helped me a lot, but I'm not going to hold back!"

Hinata lowered her head, blushing, but nodded firmly.

"I-I won't hold back either..."

"Begin!"

At Iruka-sensei's command,

the much-anticipated battle erupted in an instant.