Against a blood-red backdrop, a lone Tomoe spun wildly. A hint of surprise flashed in Naruto's azure eyes. He seemed thoughtful, his tone one of astonishment.
" The Sharingan? The Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai, you've successfully awakened it too. Is this the treasure obtained by sacrificing the entire Uchiha Clan?"
With nowhere to vent his resentment, Sasuke's face turned unusually cold, and madness was reflected in his Sharingan.
"Shut up! You have no friends, no clan, no parents, what do you understand! You've had nothing from the start, so stop spouting nonsense!"
With a powerful stomp, spiderweb-like cracks became clearly visible. Relying solely on his physical strength, Sasuke's speed and power far surpassed those of an average Genin.
A fist flashed before his eyes. Naruto lowered his eyelids, assumed a fighting stance, and steadily caught the powerful Taijutsu.
"After awakening their Uchiha's physical abilities, reflexes, and perception all experience a significant increase. Truly worthy of..."
By slightly deflecting Sasuke's attack, Naruto bent down and swept his leg, then rolled back a few steps and left the cramped mansion.
"Don't even think about escaping, Naruto!"
"Who wants to run away? Let's fight somewhere else. There's a lake near the Uchiha Clan's territory, do you know where it is?"
After a brief explanation, Naruto's figure vanished in a flash, and Sasuke, in a fit of rage, quickly followed, not forgetting to grab his ninja tool bag from home.
A moment later, on the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan.
The lake, as smooth as a mirror, rippled gently under the light rain. When Uchiha Sasuke arrived, Naruto stood on the lake, clearly having been waiting for some time.
"Now that you're here, your mood will be better after the battle. So, let's go."
"Stop spouting nonsense like a victor. How could Uchiha with the Sharingan lose to a ninja without Kekkei Genkai, Naruto!"
With a sharp shout, his hands moved swiftly, his Sharingan predicting the enemy's next move, and dense chakra gathered in his throat.
" Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
There was clearly a lake beneath their feet, and a light drizzle was falling from the sky, yet an astonishing Fire Release Ninjutsu unleashed a towering heatwave, sending a fireball four or five meters high hurtling toward them.
'Sure enough, as my battle with him progressed, some kind of chakra within me was constantly boiling. What's going on?'
The doubts in my mind rose and burst like Utakata, but my hands did not stop moving in the slightest.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm ".
The ninjutsu, which had been honed countless times in his Inner world, was used in an instant. A storm, accompanied by a drizzle, extinguished the massive fireball in front of him.
Thick fog piled up layer upon layer, and before Naruto could speak, a dozen whooshing sounds came from the air.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that more than a dozen shuriken were coming from the same direction, but they all landed at different points, none of them aimed at him.
Just as Naruto was wondering what was going on, another Kunai a dark corner, aimed straight at his ankle.
"This simple Shurikenjutsu is ineffective against me. I advise you to... um?!"
Naruto easily dodged the attack with a leap, but then heard a series of clanging metal sounds as the shuriken, which had originally landed at different points, suddenly wrapped around him after being spun around by the Kunai.
"I can't make the same mistake twice. Sharingan Technique - Third Sword!"
Under the cover of mist, the shadow of the steel wire was perfectly hidden. Several steel wires flew in and wrapped around Sasuke at high speed. Naruto's lips curled up, amazed by the speed of Sasuke's progress.
"As expected of a genius from the Uchiha..."
In an instant, the steel wire tightened, and with a bang, accompanied by a cloud of White Mist, Naruto's figure disappeared from the spot.
" Shadow Clone... no wonder the Sharingan didn't detect anything amiss, that stamina monster..."
Full of vigilance, Sasuke looked around and pondered silently.
'I almost forgot, Naruto is a monster who can easily create thousands of Shadow Clone. A normal Jonin would struggle to create even a few dozen. Does he have no stamina limit?'
Sasuke's eyes darted around frantically, and a chill suddenly ran through him as he felt a hand grip his ankle.
"Could it be?!"
Looking down, he saw dozens of Naruto lurking underwater, giving him bright smiles.
"Wind Release: Rasengan, Water Release: Torrential Current Break, Combined Ninjutsu, Hurricane Vortex Technique!"
The lake, which had been rippling slightly, suddenly churned up a terrifying whirlpool, as if the piston in a bathtub had been pulled out.
Bang!
The vortex, suppressed to its limit, suddenly erupted towards the sky, instantly unleashing towering columns of water.
The drizzle quickly turned into a torrential downpour. Sasuke, who was swept into the air by the water, looked up at the sky and saw rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds and falling on him.
'I lost, Father, Mother. I failed to protect the name of the Uchiha. I was defeated by an outsider. I really am as Itachi said, powerless...'
With a splash, Sasuke fell into the lake and sank to the bottom, feeling only the coldness and cruelty of reality.
After a long while, when Sasuke surfaced, the familiar Black Cloak was standing right in front of him.
"Why did you come looking for me, Naruto?"
"It's just a feeling that someone is experiencing something very similar to what I've been through, and that's loneliness."
At this point, a hint of composure and helplessness flashed in Naruto's eyes. The taste of loneliness is not something everyone can silently endure.
"What can you understand if you have no friends, no clansmen, and no parents?"
Pain and helplessness flashed in his clear black and white eyes. His beloved older brother and happy family were destroyed on the same day.
How can anyone understand his feelings without family around?!
"Indeed, I have no friends, no family, no parents, but loneliness is loneliness. No matter what I had before or what I lost in the end, loneliness remains unchanged."
A warm, strong hand reached forward, Naruto said softly.
"Because I have experienced loneliness, I can understand how painful it is to lose something important. If you want the power to protect what is important, come with me."
"Whether it's the power to protect or the ambition to seek revenge, as long as you believe in him, he can give you everything. This is my promise to you."
The brief confusion vanished, replaced by anger towards the murderer who destroyed everything.
Sasuke's eyes no longer hesitated as he grasped Naruto's hand.
"Let me make this clear beforehand: I'm only after power, not because I consider you a friend, Naruto."
"We are just a group of people licking our wounds in solitude. To be precise, we have been friends ever since we tasted loneliness. Come with me."
Naruto smiled faintly and walked towards the edge of the Uchiha Clan compound.
"Whom should we seek? Who can grant me power?"
"You know this person very well. If I had to say who in Konoha is most qualified to give you power, I can't think of anyone else besides him."