Going to Middle School

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A rapid, thunderous knocking shattered the morning tranquility.

"Naruto, get up already! Starting today, you're a middle school student. You don't want to be late on your first day, do you?!"

"I'm coming... I'm coming... I'll be right there! Wait for me..."

Second Pillar stood outside the door with an impatient look, pounding hard on the tightly shut door.

If his mother had not repeatedly reminded him before he left to make sure he went to school with Naruto, he would have probably left by himself long ago.

After all, for Sasuke, whose personality had grown increasingly aloof with age, waiting for others was hardly a pleasant thing.

Even though he and Uzumaki Naruto were both His Majesty's children.

For some reason, however, whenever the two were together, a faint yet indescribable sense of discord always lingered in his heart.

On one hand, deep down, Sasuke genuinely wanted to build a good relationship with Naruto.

But on the other hand, whenever he saw Naruto demonstrate abilities or achievements that surpassed his own, he could not help feeling awkward and unwilling to accept it.

This complex and subtle emotion was like an invisible thread, binding the two tightly together while also driving them to compete in secret.

Every day, every moment they spent at the ninja academy, that hidden competitive streak followed them like a shadow.

Like an unseen hand, it pushed them both onward along the path of improving their strength, never allowing them to stop.

Perhaps Naruto would gain a slight edge over Sasuke in taijutsu today.

Then the next day, Sasuke would bottle up his frustration, train diligently in ninjutsu, and find an opportunity to give Naruto a taste of his own medicine.

Sometimes, even something like choosing a master became a