How Strange

So big!

So hot!

Those were Sasuke Uchiha's first reactions when he saw the fireball rushing toward him. Immediately afterward, intense fear began to consume his mind.

He had a feeling that if the fireball hit him, he would die!

He wanted to run, but the fireball had come far too quickly. Sasuke Uchiha could see no possibility of escape, and for some reason, his legs had already gone weak.

They were trembling wildly.

Am I really going to die?

I'm so unwilling to accept this!

As the enormous fireball continued to close in, Sasuke Uchiha sadly shut his eyes and waited to be burned.

Just then, an angry roar reached his ears.

"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"

A sharp pain shot through Sasuke Uchiha's shoulder, and then he felt the world spin. When he instinctively opened his eyes because of the pain, there was no fireball anywhere in sight.

Standing before him was Naruto Uzumaki, his face filled with fury.

"Why didn't you dodge?"

Realizing that Naruto had saved him, Sasuke lowered his head in shame, his entire face written with unwillingness and anger.

Damn it!

He had worked so hard for so long, only to end up being saved by his own opponent.

He immediately said stubbornly, "Because I wasn't afraid!"

Naruto frowned. Your legs were shaking like they had electric motors installed, and you say you weren't afraid?

"If you weren't afraid, then let's do it again. This time, I won't save you. I'll make you admit defeat wholeheartedly."

"Fine!"

Just as Sasuke Uchiha clenched his fists and tried to stand up for another round, a figure suddenly appeared and stepped between him and Naruto.

"Enough, Sasuke. You lost this match. If you lose, you have to admit it!"

"I understand, Brother." Sasuke Uchiha took Itachi Uchiha's outstretched hand and stood up, sniffing as he fought back the tears that were about to fall.

He could ignore anyone else's words, but he could not ignore his brother's.

After getting up, he shouted at Naruto Uzumaki, "Naruto Uzumaki, I lost today, but next time, I'll definitely win!"

Itachi Uchiha nodded and gave Naruto a grateful look.

When Sasuke had used his ninjutsu first, all of Itachi's attention had been on Naruto. But Naruto's ninjutsu had come too fast and was too powerful. If Naruto had not reacted first, Itachi would likely have had to watch Sasuke get hurt.

"Thank you, Naruto."

After saying that, Itachi Uchiha directly vanished with Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hey, Sasuke Uchiha, you still haven't fulfilled your promise!" Naruto hurriedly shouted after them.

Damn it. A monk may run away, but the temple remains. I refuse to believe the Uchiha Clan will move away.

At that moment, the watching students had yet to fully process what had just happened. That instant had already surpassed their imagination.

They had thought Naruto Uzumaki was about to lose, but the situation had reversed far too quickly.

Not only had Naruto Uzumaki unleashed a terrifying ninjutsu, he had also swiftly saved Sasuke Uchiha.

"Just how much strength has Naruto been hiding all this time?" Kiba Inuzuka's brow twitched, his eyes full of wariness.

Even Sasuke, who had defeated him, had ended up in such a miserable state. If he had been the one challenging Naruto today...

He would probably have done even worse than Sasuke Uchiha.

"Naruto, well done! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!" Ino Yamanaka had already been running toward Naruto, and now she jumped straight onto his back, happily wrapping her arms around his neck.

She was truly happy. She had been terrified for Naruto's safety, but then such a shocking reversal had occurred, leaving her incredibly excited.

She immediately threw a smug look at Sakura Haruno, who had just been cheering for Sasuke Uchiha.

Sakura Haruno could not stand it anymore. She stomped her foot angrily, and an inexplicable anger rose in her heart toward Sasuke.

"Why does he keep losing to Naruto? Sasuke is really disappointing."

When she looked at Naruto again, Sakura Haruno felt a strange, indescribable feeling toward the boy who used to eagerly trail after her but was now so harsh toward her.

Clearly, Naruto had kicked her hard not long ago, yet strangely, she did not feel particularly upset.

Sakura Haruno thought that perhaps once you hated someone to a certain extent, you would no longer feel too sad because of him.

Who knew what she was thinking? It was as if her mind had suddenly short-circuited, and Sakura Haruno took a deep breath before quickly walking up to face Naruto.

Ino Yamanaka, who was hanging onto Naruto's back and refusing to get down, asked in confusion, "What are you doing?!"

Naruto looked equally bewildered upon seeing her.

Then Sakura Haruno sneered, "Don't get cocky, Naruto. You only won this time because you got lucky. Next time, Sasuke will definitely beat you, you idiot, until you're black and blue!"

"???"

What an explosive thing to say.

No, miss!

Did you not have eyes? I just used such a huge ninjutsu that Sasuke Uchiha's legs went weak from fear!

How did you still dare to mock me? Were you really not afraid of dying?

Her Will of Domination was too powerful!

To be fair, Naruto felt that Sakura Haruno's Will of Domination had already surpassed that of ordinary people. Maybe Sakura Haruno was better suited to live in Sunagakure. This tiny temple of Konoha truly could not contain such a great Buddha.

So...

To help Sakura Haruno successfully reach Sunagakure, Naruto politely gave her a kick and helped her travel several meters farther.

"Hey, hey, Naruto, aren't you too brutal?!" Ino Yamanaka jumped down from Naruto's back and hurried to help Sakura Haruno, who had been kicked flying.

In her heart, although Sakura Haruno had fallen out with her, they were still good sisters.

She instinctively defended Sakura Haruno. "Sakura is a girl. How can you be so harsh with a girl?"

"Other than my mom, I treat every member of the opposite sex equally."

Naruto snorted. "Forget girls. Even if she were an animal, it wouldn't make a difference!"

After his words fell, the wind gently swept across the ground.

Hidden in the shadows, Uzuki Yugao's lips curled slightly beneath her mask. She lightly sheathed her blade and continued hiding in the darkness, protecting Naruto.

Hinata Hyuga, the unnoticed girl who had been following Naruto, lowered her head shyly and poked at her fingers. When Ino Yamanaka had jumped onto Naruto's back, she had been a little unhappy.

Now, that tiny bit of emotion had completely vanished.

Ino Yamanaka puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. Naruto was obviously an orphan, yet he was talking about treating everyone equally except his mother.

He was clearly saying that Sakura and I were the same. I'm so mad!

Watching Naruto turn and leave without the slightest hesitation, Ino Yamanaka told Sakura Haruno, "Don't provoke Naruto again in the future," then let go of Sakura and quickly chased after Naruto.

Today, she had to get a clear answer about what he meant by treating everyone equally.

She had cheered and shouted for Naruto for so long, only to get the same treatment as Sakura?

Absolutely not!

What Ino Yamanaka did not know was that after she left, Sakura Haruno, whom she had helped up, did not look upset in the slightest.

The pain was real, but she was not sad.

So strange!