Aren't Your Eyes Dry?

Everyone had long since gotten used to Uzumaki Naruto acting this weird.

Uchiha Sasuke, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow...

Damn it!!!

Was this so-called fried chicken really more appealing than he was?!

Unforgivable!!!

How could all that passion be less appealing than some stupid fried chicken?!!

Just as the little figure Naruto had made with his fingers on the table was about to grab a drumstick, a hand suddenly flashed past, and one of the drumsticks vanished...

Naruto froze. Where was the drumstick?! Where had his drumstick gone?!

The strange song he'd been humming under his breath gradually died away...

"Just gonna explode... about to melt... melt... Where's my damn drumstick?!!!!"

Naruto instantly spotted the culprit who'd stolen his drumstick. Who else could it be but that damn show-off, Sasuke?!

"Damn you, show-off Sasuke!!! Why'd you steal my drumstick?!!!"

Sasuke stuck his nose in the air and took a big bite of the fried chicken. Chewing, he mumbled indistinctly, imitating Naruto's weird tone...

"Idiot Naruto!!! This chicken really is delicious! Baby!!!"

"AAAAAAH!!!! Sasuke!!!"

Sasuke's eyes lit up!

Had idiot Naruto finally said his name?! Hahahahaha!!!!

And so...

"Naruto!!!!"

"Sasuke!!!!"

"Naruto!!!!"

"Sasuke!!!!"

"..."

The others ate lunch amid this incredibly strange atmosphere...

When Iruka-sensei came back to the classroom, he couldn't help feeling that something was off.

And why were Naruto and Sasuke staring daggers at each other like that?

Had those two little troublemakers gotten into a fight?

What a headache...

"All right, class.

"This afternoon, we'll be doing some sparring practice. We've done this many times before, so you all know the rules.

"Now let's head to Training Ground No. 3..."

At the training ground, Iruka-sensei held a sheet listing the class matchups, while the students all looked eager to get started.

"Kato Taka versus Aoi Sora!"

The two students stepped out of the crowd as soon as they heard their names. After a match, Aoi Sora narrowly defeated Kato Taka.

"Second Battalion Cannon versus Yamamoto Sage!!!"

Uchiha Madara had been rather curious about the current generation's sparring exercises while in the Summoning Space.

But after watching for a moment, he lost interest. These brats were simply too weak...

Ito Hirofumi wasn't interested in these childish ninja sparring matches either, so he gathered chakra and appeared in the Summoning Space.

"Madara! Didn't you watch the Ninja Academy students' sparring matches?!"

Uchiha Madara was still reclining leisurely in his rocking chair.

"Child's play... You call that a fight? Ninjas these days are pathetically weak!

"Back when I was your age, I had the Uchiha Gunbai in my left hand and the Uchiha Kama in my right!

"I fought my way from the Uchiha Clan all the way to the Senju Clan, killing countless people! I didn't even blink!!!"

"Then weren't your eyes dry?"

"Damn it!!!! I said I didn't blink while killing people! And you're asking if my eyes were dry?!"

Ito Hirofumi nodded innocently.

"Yeah! I was just curious...

"The Uchiha and Senju Clans must've been pretty far apart back then, right? You had a long way to fight through. Didn't your eyes get dry?"

"Damn it!!! They're Sharingan! I could go a whole day without blinking and be fine!!!"

"I see... So the Sharingan has that function, too?! I've learned something new!"

For some reason, Uchiha Madara always felt like Ito Hirofumi could get under his skin with ease!

This annoying brat was even more irritating than that blockhead Senju Hashirama!

He'd clearly been talking about how powerful he was, but somehow Ito Hirofumi had turned it into a discussion about whether his eyes got dry?!

After chatting with Uchiha Madara for a bit, Ito Hirofumi left the Summoning Space. After all, he still had a match to fight.

Just as expected, after a series of matches, the final two competitors were Uchiha Sasuke and Ito Hirofumi.

No one was surprised by the result. The class's top two had always been those two...

Uchiha Sasuke watched Ito Hirofumi, brimming with fighting spirit.

For some reason, ever since the time Ito Hirofumi had disappeared from the classroom and then reappeared, Sasuke felt like he'd changed a lot!

He'd never felt this strange sensation before...

After forming the Seal of Confrontation, Uchiha Sasuke didn't dare underestimate his opponent. He charged straight at Ito Hirofumi.

As usual, Uchiha Sasuke leaped into the air and kicked at Ito Hirofumi!

Based on their past matches, Sasuke thought Ito Hirofumi would have a hard time defending against this move. But this time, to his surprise, Ito Hirofumi simply raised an arm and easily blocked his leg!

BAM!!!!!

The two quickly separated after the clash.

Damn!!! His strength and reaction speed had both improved!!!

"You really have gotten stronger, Ito Hirofumi!!!"

Ito Hirofumi was also surprised. He knew he'd gotten stronger, but he hadn't expected to have improved this much. He'd blocked Uchiha Sasuke's move so easily!

In their past sparring matches, he'd had a hard time defending against Sasuke's attacks...

"You're not bad yourself! You're a lot stronger than before, too!!!"

"Hmph! Again!!!"

"Let's go!!!"

The two traded punches and kicks, leaving the students watching nearby and Iruka-sensei gaping in shock!

Iruka, in particular, hadn't expected Ito Hirofumi to have improved so much.

"These two little guys must be Genin level by now, right?!

"Uchiha Sasuke's always been getting stronger, but I never expected Ito Hirofumi to improve so quickly, too. Those two are sure to become excellent ninjas someday!"

At that moment, Ito Hirofumi had only one thought: Sasuke was... inexperienced!!!

Uchiha Sasuke's combat experience was far too raw!