An Eye for an Eye

From the moment the Sasuke disguised as Naruto made his move.

To the moment he was instantly subdued.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Witnessing this scene.

Sakura, not far away, was momentarily stunned.

It would be one thing if others didn't know Sasuke's strength.

But Team 7 was a single unit.

Let alone these two brats before them who could barely even graduate.

Even if she and Naruto were added to the mix, all four of them tied together probably wouldn't be enough for Sasuke to fight alone.

But now...

"This... this isn't scientific, is it?..."

One of them stared at his companion, dumbfounded.

"Hmph! It doesn't seem so unscientific now. I reckon Sasuke must have used some kind of technology during the graduation exam."

"That's not surprising, after all, he's the same age as us."

"Even if he is a genius, how could there be such a massive gap?..."

The other person snorted coldly, speaking with disdain.

As he spoke, he pressed down with a bit more force on the foot pinning Naruto.

"So that's it, we were all fooled by Sasuke. Turns out he's just a paper tiger?..."

"Hmph! And he wanted us to apologize to him?"

"Heh, Sasuke, if you don't apologize to us today, we won't let you off!..."

Without any fear or respect, the two became instantly unscrupulous.

They say the evil side of a person is influenced by their environment.

But in reality, it is something they are born with.

Naruto gritted his teeth, his face full of unwillingness.

He desperately wanted to get up, but due to his chakra being completely drained, he couldn't muster a shred of strength to resist.

"Damn it!..."

Just then.

A seductive voice suddenly echoed in Naruto's mind:

"Young man, you desire power, don't you?"

"Empty your mind and surrender your body to me. I will grant you inexhaustible power to help you escape the humiliation of being trampled underfoot."

The tone was alluring, every word carefully chosen.

This was not the first time he had heard this mysterious voice.

In the past, Naruto had almost always chosen to refuse immediately.

And then, this eerie voice would mysteriously vanish.

But this time, Naruto hesitated.

If he were being bullied like this in a deserted corner, it would be one thing.

He, Naruto, was a man who had sworn to become Hokage; he knew how to bend and stretch when necessary.

But now, he was in front of his goddess, Sakura.

Furthermore, he was currently wearing Sasuke's face, and he was a member of Team 7—how could he bring shame upon them?

The more he thought, the angrier he became. Gradually, the azure in Naruto's eyes shifted into threads of blood-red, and an aura of violence welled up, spreading across the entire scene.

The two who were still sneering had no idea that the Naruto they were trampling underfoot was undergoing a qualitative transformation.

But just as Naruto was on the verge of losing control.

Just as the situation was about to spiral into an uncontrollable frenzy.

A cold, sharp voice suddenly rang out across the field:

"Hey, you two down there, I'll give you two and a half seconds."

"If you haven't moved your dog legs by then, don't blame me for being ruthless..."

The tone was icy, but the voice clearly belonged to a young boy.

All four people on the scene froze in unison.

The two trampling Naruto thought to themselves, what kind of world is this?

Can't they see that the two of us have the number one student of the Ninja Academy pinned under our feet?

"Who dares to meddle in the business of us two brothers?"

Thinking this, the four of them turned their heads toward the sound almost in unison.

A boy, handsome to the point of extremity, stood with his arms crossed and his eyes cast downward. A gentle breeze swept past, causing two strands of hair on his forehead to flutter softly.

A confidence hidden deep within his bones spread unrestrainedly throughout his entire being.

"Sa... Sasuke?..."

"That's not right! How are there two Sasukes? If he is Sasuke, then who is the one under my foot?..."

The two were completely bewildered, unable to make heads or tails of the situation.

However, Sakura was the first to recognize that the one standing atop the tree branch was the man she had been longing for.

Although both Sasukes looked identical, the unique temperament radiating from that man was something the Sasuke on the ground could never imitate.

Just as the two were wondering whether they should release the Sasuke beneath their feet, a bang echoed out!

The blood-red hue in Naruto's eyes faded, his chakra completely exhausted. With a burst of white smoke, he reverted to his original form.

"Huh? Na... Naruto!..."

"It was Naruto! No wonder he was so weak!"

"If this is Naruto, then the one on the tree branch..."

At this thought, both of their hearts sank; they had truly provoked the real deal!

They hurriedly moved their feet off Naruto's back, stumbled backward a few steps, and stammered, "Sa... Sasuke, I know you're strong, but you have to remember that this is the Ninja Academy."

"We're here to attend classes, and school has already started."

Hearing his companion's words, the other instantly caught on and chimed in, "Ah, yes, exactly! If Iruka-sensei doesn't see us after roll call, he'll definitely come looking for us!..."

It seemed as if these words acted like a protective talisman.

After the two sang in harmony, their expressions shifted from fear to a sudden, hardened bravado.

Sasuke had originally intended to let these two brats apologize to Naruto and call it a day.

But upon hearing that they felt no remorse and were actually trying to use Iruka to suppress him, Sasuke was instantly enraged!

In fact, from the moment Naruto transformed into him to seduce Sakura, to the dispute between these two ill-mannered idiots and Naruto, Sasuke had been watching clearly from the treetops.

Naturally, with his cultivation, he hadn't missed a single word of the trash they had spoken about him behind his back.

Yet, that was not the reason for Sasuke's anger.

What truly infuriated him was Naruto.

Insulting him was one thing. He could treat it as the ignorance of children and, at worst, find a secluded spot later, put on a mask, and give these ill-mannered brats a sound beating.

But to drag Naruto into it was simply uncalled for.

Naruto's parents had sacrificed themselves for the sake of the entire village, buying the peace they enjoyed today.

If you aren't going to be grateful to Naruto's family, fine. But to incite others to isolate him?

Was an honest person really that easy to bully?

Not to mention, a large part of the reason Naruto had been bullied just now was because he wanted to stand up for him!

If your parents won't discipline you, then today, I will do it myself!

With that thought, Sasuke's gaze turned icy. "Are you trying to threaten me with Iruka-sensei?..."

His tone was frigid, his eyes chilling.

The two couldn't help but shiver instantly.

"No... no, even if Iruka-sensei doesn't come, the Ninja Academy doesn't allow bullying classmates!..."

One of them replied, feigning composure.

"Heh..."

Sasuke gave a cold laugh and did not answer them.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward Naruto and said in a deep voice:

"Naruto, go ahead. Each of you take a turn and stomp on them. Whatever they did to you, pay it back in full. Remember, don't go easy on them!..."

"What?..."

Hearing those words, Naruto froze instantly.

Was it really necessary for a Genin like him to bully two children who hadn't even graduated yet?

At that moment, Naruto felt somewhat bewildered, even forgetting that they, Team 7, were also just three half-grown children themselves.