What the Hell!? Why Isn't the Illusion Working!?

That evening, Naruto untied the ropes around himself, ending Teacher Kurama's weight training.

Unfortunately, the little grove was still a complete mess.

Dragging six or seven hundred pounds behind him, Naruto had only managed to take a single step all afternoon.

There was no way he could clean up while carrying all that weight.

Looking at the chaotic surroundings, Naruto figured he would have to spend some time tidying up that night.

Too bad he had not learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique yet. Otherwise, cleaning this place up would have taken minutes.

After resting for a few minutes, Naruto threw out a Space Gate and returned to the classroom.

At this point, Hinata was the only one left in the class. She became a little excited when she saw Naruto arrive.

"Naruto-kun..."

Before Hinata could finish greeting him, Naruto took her little hand and pulled her into the Space Gate.

Then her vision blurred, and the classroom before her became an outdoor scene.

Seeing the broken trees, shattered stones, and all kinds of trash on the ground, Hinata looked at Naruto with admiration.

Everything here spoke of Naruto's usual grueling training.

"Naruto, you work so hard."

"I... I'll work hard at training too!"

Hinata finally gathered her courage and spoke an entire sentence.

She wanted to keep up with Naruto and grow stronger alongside him!

But then she suddenly realized he was still holding her hand, and she instantly turned into a Steam Maiden again.

Fortunately, her resistance had gotten better now. In the past, she probably would have fainted on the spot.

Seeing the little girl's shy appearance, Naruto hurriedly let go of her hand.

Hearing her praise him, he gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Hahaha... It's not that much... really."

His training was indeed grueling, but he had nearly torn the whole village apart.

Just as Naruto was about to say something, he noticed a familiar figure walking toward him.

Just from that signature Spiky Hair of the Uchiha Clan, Naruto knew Sasuke had arrived.

He held a paper bag in his arms, and his expression no longer looked as foolish as before.

Hinata glanced at Sasuke, then at Naruto beside her, and for some reason felt a little disappointed.

I thought it would just be Naruto and me...

Sasuke slowly walked up to Naruto, looking deeply conflicted.

Without caring whether Naruto agreed or not, he stuffed the paper bag into Naruto's arms.

"For you."

Lowering his head to look inside the bag, Naruto found apples.

Was this kid returning the favor?

"I couldn't find any golden apples in the village."

After giving them to him, Sasuke added that, seemingly afraid Naruto would dislike the apples he had brought.

When he had eaten that Golden Apple, he had clearly felt his mental state and injuries recover considerably.

Naturally, he knew the item Naruto had given him was precious.

Hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto grinned. He casually wiped an apple clean and handed it to Hinata, then tossed one to Sasuke.

Only then did he pick up an apple and start eating it himself.

Sasuke was not fussy about it either. He picked up the apple and began taking bites.

Honestly, this was the first time Naruto had received a gift. Although these were just ordinary apples and could not compare to the things in his system, he still felt happy.

But as he ate, Naruto noticed Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something but could not bring himself to. This kid simply could not hide anything on his face.

"You came to see me... for something?"

Since he was eating an apple Sasuke had given him, Naruto's tone was not as hostile as it had been when he first met Sasuke.

Besides, he had beaten Sasuke up before... and now they were sitting together. Naruto felt a little awkward.

"Uzumaki Naruto, let's fight again."

"Huh?"

Naruto froze, completely unable to understand why Sasuke would say that.

Even if you awakened your eyes, you might not be able to beat me.

So you came looking to get beaten up?

Even Hinata looked at Naruto curiously.

From Sasuke's words, she could tell they had fought before.

Hinata was also very curious about just how strong Naruto was.

"You're serious?"

Naruto saw Sasuke looking at him with complete sincerity. The pride he had shown when they first met was nowhere to be seen.

Had the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre changed him?

Naruto felt the kid was pretty pitiful, but as someone who had experienced peace in his previous life, he truly could not understand just how much Sasuke suffered.

Even after coming to this world, Naruto had not even gotten a clear look at his parents' faces before they passed away.

To say he had any deep feelings for them would be a bit of a stretch...

"Yes!"

"I want to see the gap between us."

"Fine."

Naruto quickly finished his apple, brushed the dirt off his butt, and stood up.

Their exchange was brief and direct. In the time it took to say a few words, they had already walked to an open area and stood facing each other.

Since the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Sasuke had adjusted his mindset. He calmly accepted the fact that he was weak, because only then could he find his shortcomings and make up for them.

Among those his age, Sasuke believed Naruto was the strongest.

Besides, the only person he really knew was Uzumaki Naruto...

The two exchanged a glance and formed the Confrontation Seal at the same time.

The moment he raised his eyes, Sasuke had already activated his Sharingan.

Looking at the One Tomoe in Sasuke's left eye and the Two Tomoe in his right, Naruto did not know how to respond.

This kid only awakened a One Tomoe during the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre? And it was only in his right eye...?

Wait!!

I can't look into his eyes!

Realizing he could not meet the Sharingan's gaze, Naruto turned his head aside. Feeling that was not safe enough, he even pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his system and put them on.