The students noisily changed seats according to Iruka-sensei's instructions.
Class was over.
"Class, head home and be careful on your way."
"Got it, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto had been assigned to clean the classroom, so he sat at his desk and waited for all the students to leave.
"Haha, getting punished by the teacher on the first day of school. What an idiot."
Some kids he didn't know went to the classroom door and quietly made fun of Naruto.
"Let's go. He's probably really mean. If he hears us, he'll beat us up."
Hinata stood beside Naruto. "Naruto, I'll help you."
Naruto stood up and lightly hopped in front of Sasuke. "Sasuke, your big brother's in trouble. Can you really leave before him?"
"I'm supposed to learn Shurikenjutsu from my brother this afternoon. I don't have time to help you clean, and this is your punishment for being late. I'm not helping you." Sasuke tried to dodge Naruto, but he wasn't fast enough.
Naruto grinned. "Sasuke, then I'll tell Uncle Fugaku about this."
"Fine, Naruto," Sasuke said with a sullen look. "I'll clean the area at the front of the classroom."
Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "That's more like it. Now we're acting like brothers."
"Hinata, we'll be done in a little while. Then I'll go find Lee and Neji with you," Naruto told her.
Hinata picked up a rag and helped Naruto wipe down the desks.
The only one who hadn't left was a pink-haired girl sitting behind Sasuke. Her red ribbon held back her hair, leaving her forehead exposed and showing off her cutest side.
"Sasuke-kun, my name's Sakura Haruno, but you can call me Sakura. I'll help you." Sakura eagerly picked up a broom and awkwardly swept around Sasuke.
Sasuke grew impatient and snatched the broom from Sakura's hands. "I'll do it myself. You're so clumsy."
Naruto and Sasuke cleaned the classroom incredibly fast, secretly competing with each other.
"Sasuke, do you want to spar with Neji, the Hyuga Clan's genius, later? I can take you to meet him," Naruto said casually.
Sasuke perked up at that. I'm the greatest genius.
"Sure, let's go. I'm not afraid of him."
Five minutes later, the four of them had finished cleaning the classroom.
Sakura shamelessly followed Sasuke. She didn't want to go home and see her parents arguing again. She'd rather make more friends at school. Besides, Sasuke-kun was really handsome.
Sasuke just kept his eyes on Naruto. Hmph. If my brother knew what you were really like, he'd never think you were better than me.
The training ground in the woods.
After school, Lee and Neji always sparred here, testing their Taijutsu.
Later, Naruto brought Hinata along to join them. The four took turns sparring, and so far, Naruto and Neji had tied for the most wins. Lee had won twice fewer, and Hinata had beaten Naruto once.
"Ha! Neji, take this—Leaf Whirlwind!"
"Lee, you're too slow. Your spin covers a wide area, but you can't hit me. It's all for nothing." Neji called out, "Byakugan: Eight Trigrams Palms!"
Neji easily struck Rock Lee.
Lee collapsed to the ground, exhausted. He'd been completely defeated.
"I have to keep working hard! One thousand fingertip push-ups!" Lee quickly regained his composure and went right back to training like a madman.
Naruto waved and called out, "Lee, I'm here!"
Seeing Lee would tell him how Might Guy was doing.
"Yo, Naruto! Take this—Leaf Whirlwind!" Lee suddenly charged forward and swept out with his right leg.
Naruto countered, punching Lee's right leg.
Chakra erupted.
The two immediately sprang apart.
Naruto rubbed his hand. "Lee, did you add more weight again?"
Lee answered frankly, "Naruto, I just learned this Taijutsu from Guy-sensei. What do you think? Guy-sensei said I was making slow progress, so I added another weight."
Lee's hard work wasn't something people could spot at a glance.
"Yeah, your new move looks really cool," Naruto said. "You're just not fast enough. Lee, I need to find Guy-sensei. Do you know where he is?"
Lee continued doing push-ups. "Guy-sensei went to buy Neji a Green Spandex Suit. He'll be back soon."
"Neji, what did you do to make you willing to wear something Guy-sensei picked out?" Naruto exclaimed.
Neji's cheeks flushed slightly. "I want to learn from Guy-sensei too."
Sasuke suddenly cut in. "You're Neji Hyuga, the Hyuga Clan's genius? I, Uchiha Sasuke, challenge you!"
Neji looked at the little Sasuke in confusion. "Naruto, did you set this up?"
Naruto stepped between them. "Neji, Sasuke's also called a little genius of the Uchiha Clan. Don't you want to spar with him?"
Neji answered seriously, "Genius is just what other people call me. I know exactly how strong I am. Uchiha Sasuke, I accept your challenge."
Everyone moved to the side to watch.
Uchiha against Hyuga.
Sharingan against Byakugan.
Too bad Sasuke hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet.
Neji and Sasuke formed the Seal of Confrontation, and the spar officially began.
Sasuke made the first move, running at an angle and throwing three Shuriken as he went.
Neji easily dodged them. "Byakugan, activate!"
The Byakugan granted a 360-degree field of vision and let its user see the flow of chakra in the surrounding area.
Sasuke's movements held no secrets from the Byakugan's gaze.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms!" Neji moved quickly, accurately cutting off Sasuke's path before striking out with his palm.
Sasuke couldn't react in time and was hit in the right shoulder. "Damn, he's fast. I need to put some distance between us."
Lee shook his head. "Naruto, Sasuke's Taijutsu is too weak. He can't beat Neji."
Naruto smiled. "Don't jump to conclusions. Sasuke hasn't used his Ninjutsu yet."
Sasuke backed away from Neji and planted his feet. He formed Hand Seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Go, Sasuke!"
A huge fireball appeared. The only one excited by the sight was Sakura Haruno.
The fireball exploded, scorching the stones on the ground red.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Consecutive Palms!" Neji appeared behind Sasuke, completely unharmed. He struck twice in quick succession, securing his victory.
Sasuke was knocked to the ground in a sorry heap, the sleeve of his shirt torn from the impact. "I refuse to accept this!"
He wanted another match with Neji.
Naruto hurriedly helped Sasuke up. "Come on, another match could get you hurt. Learning from a loss is more important than winning."
Sasuke huffed and formed the Seal of Reconciliation with Neji. "Next time, I'll definitely win."
Sasuke angrily ran off by himself.
"Sasuke-kun, wait for me!" Sakura thought her chance had come. This was the perfect time to comfort Sasuke, so she hurried after him.
"That's the spirit of youth!" Might Guy did a handspring and appeared in front of them. "Forever rivals, forever friends."
"Guy-sensei."
"Naruto, what did you want to talk to me about?" Might Guy felt a little guilty toward Naruto because he hadn't taught him his signature Taijutsu. After all, Naruto was his first student.
Naruto's eyes blazed. "Guy-sensei, I'll get straight to the point."
Before you continue