Naruto, You're a Lot Like Him

Naruto immediately straightened his back, his face full of anticipation, as if he were saying, "Pick me! Pick me!"

Sasuke, meanwhile, slightly raised his chin, a flicker of eagerness shining in his eyes.

Both of them were waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity to prove themselves.

They longed to display their growth and contribute their strength to this battle.

Su Bai's gaze fell on Sasuke as his thoughts raced.

Ryujin Jakka's Shikai could indeed break through the sand sphere.

But the consecutive battles against Neji and Gaara had drained him considerably. Using his Shikai rashly now would not be wise.

He recalled that during the Chunin Exams in the original story, Kakashi had specifically guided Sasuke in training a powerful ninjutsu.

His gaze settled on Sasuke again, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"Chidori's sharpness will definitely pierce this defense."

"This is a good chance to let Sasuke try his new move."

Su Bai spoke. "Sasuke, can you help me get him out?"

At those words, a glint of excitement flashed through Sasuke's eyes.

The corner of his mouth lifted into a confident smile. "Leave it to me."

There was a hint of pride in his voice, as though he were saying, "Finally, it's my turn to show what I can do."

Sasuke took a deep breath and rapidly formed hand seals.

His movements flowed like water, clearly practiced countless times.

"Snake—Rabbit—Rooster—Dog—Dragon!"

As he completed the final seal, dazzling blue lightning suddenly burst from Sasuke's left palm.

Electric currents crackled around his hand, producing a piercing sound like a thousand birds crying in unison.

Sasuke stared intently at the sand sphere before him, flickering lightning reflected in his pupils.

"Chidori!"

With a furious shout, Sasuke shot toward the sand sphere like an arrow loosed from a bow.

He was astonishingly fast, leaving a blue trail of lightning across the ground.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke had arrived before the sand sphere.

Without hesitation, he drove his lightning-wreathed hand fiercely into the layer of sand.

At once, lightning and sand collided with a deafening explosion.

Blue currents raced wildly over the surface of the sand sphere, forming a stark contrast against the yellow sand.

Under the powerful impact, cracks finally appeared in the seemingly indestructible sand sphere.

The cracks swiftly spread until the entire sphere exploded apart, turning into sand and dust that filled the sky.

As the dust settled, everyone's eyes focused on where the sand sphere had once stood.

A battered figure stood there—Gaara.

His body was covered in small wounds, clearly inflicted by Sasuke's Chidori.

Gaara panted heavily, disbelief flickering in his eyes. He had clearly never expected his prized defense to be broken so easily.

Sasuke withdrew his still-trembling left hand and turned toward Su Bai and Naruto.

The gleam of victory shone in his eyes, and a smug smile rested on his lips. "Looks like you two won't need to step in. Leave this guy to me."

Su Bai silently nodded, a trace of approval flashing in his eyes.

He could take this time, while Sasuke fought for him, to rest and recover his strength.

Naruto, however, looked anxious. His brows were tightly furrowed, and unease filled his heart, but he ultimately chose to remain silent.

Both of them respected Sasuke's decision and did not interfere rashly.

[ Ding! Ninja battle detected nearby. Obtained 10,000 experience points. ]

[ Ding! Ninja battle detected nearby. Obtained 15,000 experience points. ]

The system continued to issue notifications about gaining experience.

"My synchronization rate is about to reach 12%."

This was a rare moment of happiness for Su Bai.

However, the battle was far from over.

As the dust settled, a chilling wave of chakra erupted from Gaara's body.

His injuries seemed to have triggered some hidden power, stimulating the tailed beast sealed within him.

Gaara's skin began to crack, exposing savage sandy-brown patterns beneath. His right eye gradually transformed into a terrifying golden beast eye.

Sasuke sensed the danger and immediately assumed a fighting stance.

He began forming hand seals again, and dazzling blue lightning reappeared in his palm.

A piercing cry like a thousand birds echoed through the forest, illuminating the surrounding trees.

"Chidori!"

Sasuke charged at the partially tailed-beast-transformed Gaara once more.

This time, Gaara reacted even faster. A massive amount of sand moved like living creatures, blocking Sasuke's path.

But Sasuke's Chidori was unstoppable, piercing through the barrier of sand and leaving a deep wound on Gaara's body.

Gaara howled in pain, but quickly gathered even more sand to counterattack.

Sasuke had no choice but to use Chidori once again to break through the defense.

The two powerful attacks had indeed forced Gaara back again and again, but Sasuke had paid a tremendous price as well.

After the second Chidori, Sasuke felt the world spin around him.

His chakra was nearly depleted, and his legs trembled uncontrollably.

Just then, a familiar burning sensation spread from his left shoulder.

"No... not now...!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and muttered, but it was already too late.

Orochimaru's Cursed Seal began to spread, black patterns crawling across his skin like flames.

The intense pain threw Sasuke off balance. He staggered a few steps before crashing heavily to the ground.

Sasuke struggled to get back up, but his body no longer obeyed him.

Seeing Sasuke fall, Naruto could no longer hold himself back.

He suddenly clenched his teeth and fists, then charged forward in a single stride.

"Damn it! It's my turn!"

He shouted, trying to encourage himself.

However, when Naruto truly faced Gaara in his partially tailed-beast-transformed state, his steps involuntarily slowed.

The cold killing intent radiating from Gaara's golden beast eyes made Naruto shudder.

Remembering Sasuke and Gaara's fierce clash just moments ago, Naruto's heart began to waver.

That terrifying power, that violent chakra—both filled Naruto with an inexplicable fear.

But what shocked Naruto even more was that he sensed an exceptionally familiar aura from Gaara.

It was profound loneliness, the pain of being feared and rejected by the world.

Naruto was all too familiar with that feeling.

"Is he... like me?"

Naruto murmured, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Just as Naruto fell into a brief daze, Gaara seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He grinned viciously and rapidly formed hand seals. "Sand Binding Sword!"

In an instant, vast amounts of sand gathered in the air, transforming into countless sharp shuriken.

With a wave of Gaara's hand, the sand shuriken rained down on Naruto like a storm.

"Watch out!"

Su Bai shouted from afar, but it was already too late.

Naruto finally snapped back to his senses and hastily dodged.

But there were too many sand shuriken, and they were too fast. He could only barely avoid the vital spots.

Small wounds opened across Naruto's body, and blood dyed his orange jacket red.

"Damn it!"

Naruto gritted his teeth through the pain and tried to fight back.

But every time he was about to form hand seals, another wave of sand shuriken forced him back.

Before long, Naruto had been driven into a corner.

He panted heavily, covered in wounds and utterly bedraggled.

Gaara advanced step by step, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger and stronger.

Naruto's heart was filled with frustration.

He unwillingly watched Gaara draw closer, struggling inwardly. Did he really have what it took to defeat such a terrifying opponent?

Su Bai stood not far away, calmly observing the development of the battle.

He keenly noticed the hesitation and fear in Naruto's eyes and realized that this usually hot-blooded, impulsive boy had fallen into deep self-doubt.

Su Bai knew that what Naruto needed now was not guidance in taijutsu, but encouragement for his spirit.

He softly sighed, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.

"Naruto!" Su Bai called out. His voice was calm yet resolute, piercing through the chaos of the battlefield and reaching Naruto's ears.

"You're a lot like him."

The words struck like thunder, making Naruto abruptly raise his head.