Seeing Naruto stay silent while his right middle finger kept twitching up and down, even Sasuke would have to be an idiot not to realize why Naruto did this so often.
"Are you doing that to train your hand seal speed in advance?"
"Not exactly." Naruto turned to him with a smile. "I'm practicing my finger dexterity in advance, laying the groundwork for learning ninjutsu."
"Oh, how long have you been practicing?"
Since Sasuke insisted on getting to the bottom of it, Naruto answered, "Ten years or so. Uh... no, three years."
[Ding! Received 100 Shock Points from Sasuke.]
"Three years... You've already spent three years preparing to learn ninjutsu?" Sasuke looked at Naruto in shock.
"Yep."
Having nearly let the truth slip, Naruto inwardly wiped away a bead of sweat. In his previous life, he had worked on assembly lines over several summer breaks.
His station required all ten of his fingers to keep moving at high speed for long stretches of time. After years of that, his hand speed had become terrifying.
"Can you perform the hand signs for the Great Fireball Technique?"
Naruto's words thoroughly piqued Sasuke's curiosity.
After all, Naruto had watched Naruto twice. He might not know the hand signs for other techniques, but he really did know the ones for the Great Fireball Technique.
"Yeah, I know the basics."
He couldn't help it. Naruto wasn't trying to show off; Sasuke was simply too tempting.
Ordinary Konoha villagers could only give him 1 negative emotion point at a time, while each ordinary classmate only gave him 10 shock points.
But Sasuke?
He was never stingy. Every time, he started at triple digits. Who could resist that?
"I want to compete with you in hand seal speed." Sasuke's fighting spirit immediately flared.
"Huh?" Naruto looked utterly uninterested, playing hard to get. "I'm not interested in a contest with nothing to gain."
"Hmph, what do you want to gain?" Sasuke pouted.
Seeing Sasuke make that adorable expression again, Naruto felt playful and teased him. "How about this? If I win, you have to kiss me."
Hearing the wager, Sasuke's little face immediately flushed as he glared at Naruto. "You really are just like them. Hmph."
Naruto shrugged. "Tch, like I care. Forget I said anything."
Sasuke had thought Naruto was just like Ino, Sakura, and the other boys. Who would have expected him to lose interest the instant Sasuke refused?
"You..."
Seeing Naruto continue walking without paying him any attention, showing no intention of pestering him, Sasuke couldn't help wondering whether Naruto lacked confidence in facing his advantage.
In just two short days together, Sasuke had lost to Naruto repeatedly, and that had seriously roused his competitive spirit.
"Hmph, I agree. Come on, let's compete."
Sasuke stopped and looked at Naruto with determination.
"Heh, are you sure? No regrets?" Naruto stopped and turned around.
"The Uchiha Clan never regrets its decisions."
Seeing how stubborn Sasuke was, Naruto grew serious. "All right!"
The two stood facing each other, their eyes locked.
Then Naruto took a Silver Tael Coin from his pocket and tossed it into the air. Both of them focused all their attention on the coin.
Clink!
The coin hit the ground with a crisp sound.
Almost at the exact instant it landed, both of them began rapidly forming hand seals.
The Great Fireball Technique was only a basic Fire Release technique. Its hand seals were simple, requiring just six: Snake-Goat-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger.
Sasuke's hands moved like phantoms, whipping through one seal after another. He completed all six in roughly two seconds.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball..."
Having finished the six seals, Sasuke was just about to call out the Great Fireball Technique.
But before he could finish, another boy's voice had already reached his ears. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sasuke stared blankly at Naruto, who had already completed his seals and mimed unleashing the Fire Release ninjutsu.
"It takes me about two seconds to form the seals. Gathering chakra in my mouth and breathing out a fireball to damage the target takes at least three seconds altogether, but he can compress all of that into two seconds?"
Sasuke murmured under his breath, momentarily dazed.
"Mm... I just barely beat you, Sasuke."
Actually, Naruto could have gone even faster, but there was no need. As long as he could beat Sasuke, that was enough.
With his hand speed, he should have been able to finish the six seals, gather chakra, and unleash the ninjutsu within 1.5 seconds.
But that would have required his full strength. This wasn't a fight to the death, just a wager with Sasuke, so why not hold something back?
Seeing Sasuke look downcast, Naruto smiled. "I'm only a tiny bit faster than you. You're not going to let that crush you for good, are you?"
Naruto seemed not to think anything of it. After speaking, he turned and continued walking with his Canvas Bag on his back.
Sasuke watched Naruto. Not only had he refrained from using the wager to pressure him after winning, but he had even said something Sasuke couldn't accept.
He's only a little faster than me. I still have a chance. I still have a chance...
Watching Naruto's retreating back, Sasuke bit his red lip and hurried after him. Facing his own defeat also made his little face turn bright red.
According to their wager, since he had lost...
Sasuke caught up to Naruto in a few strides and grabbed his hand.
To Naruto, the wager had only been a gimmick. He truly hadn't intended to take advantage of Sasuke; otherwise, he would certainly have demanded his prize after winning.
When Sasuke suddenly grabbed his arm, Naruto turned and immediately saw his flushed face.
"You don't have to. I was only joking. There's no need to do this."
But boys and girls thought in fundamentally different ways.
The more Naruto said things like that, the more Sasuke felt he was insinuating that Sasuke couldn't accept losing. That was something he couldn't tolerate.
"Hmph, the Uchiha Clan can take a loss."
The words burst from Sasuke's mouth. He immediately wrapped both arms around Naruto's neck and pressed his thin pink lips straight against Naruto's cheek.
The cool, soft lips brushed his cheek like a light touch on water. Naruto's cheeks warmed involuntarily, and he took a step back.
"Uh... I meant a kiss on the lips. Why did you cut corners and only kiss my cheek?"
Sasuke had already been so embarrassed that he had nowhere to hide. Who could have imagined Naruto would be so crafty?
"Hmph, I don't care. It's your fault for not saying that sooner!" Sasuke wasn't stupid either. He had already fulfilled the wager, and he pouted as he glared at Naruto.
"That does sound reasonable." Seeing that Sasuke wasn't some airheaded young boy, Naruto smiled. "How about another round right now? This time, the loser gives a kiss on the lips."
But when Naruto's teasing words reached Sasuke's ears, they made his little face flush with anger.
"Hmph, I'll challenge you again in a few days."
With that, Sasuke walked ahead, seemingly unwilling to let Naruto see his cheeks reddened with embarrassment.
Naruto knew when to stop and strolled after him.
About ten minutes later.
Sasuke arrived at Naruto's home.
Seeing how much Naruto's quiet, empty room resembled his own, he felt a little more kinship with Naruto.
While Naruto showered, Sasuke stood alone on the second-floor balcony, looking out over Konoha. His gaze drifted to Hokage Rock at the far edge of his view, and he occasionally became lost in thought.
Although he was young and unfamiliar with the past Hokage, he understood that as long as he reached their level of strength, he could avenge his parents and clansmen by killing that heartless woman.
Just as Sasuke gazed absently at the past Hokage carved into the rock, mentally rehearsing killing Itachi for the 1,030th time.
Suddenly.
A startled cry from downstairs interrupted Sasuke's imagined simulation.
"Sasuke... You, what are you doing at Naruto's house?"
Before you continue