Thanks to Hinata Hyuga, Naruto Uzumaki had won his ninja sparring match before he even made a move.
Of course, Naruto Uzumaki was a little unhappy. This did not fit his plan; he had originally thought he could amaze everyone.
Who knew his plan would fail before it even began?
He stole a glance at Sakura Haruno, only to find that the girl had eyes for no one but Sasuke Uchiha and had not noticed him at all.
Naruto Uzumaki could only return to the group dejectedly.
"Next pair..."
The ninja sparring continued...
Shihōin Naraku also saw Naruto Uzumaki's expression. At this point, Naruto had not noticed Hinata Hyuga's feelings for him at all. He was hopelessly dense.
Of course, that was mainly because Naruto Uzumaki's thoughts were all on Sakura Haruno.
Although his ninja sparring match with Hinata Hyuga had taken an unexpected turn, it was soon Naruto Uzumaki's turn again.
This time, the ninja sparring went smoothly. Under everyone's astonished gazes, Naruto Uzumaki defeated his classmate in the shortest time possible and claimed victory.
Seeing the shocked looks his classmates and friends directed at him, Naruto Uzumaki wanted to puff his chest all the way up to the sky. But when he looked at Sakura Haruno, he found that the girl's gaze was still fixed on Sasuke Uchiha.
"You smug jerk, Sasuke! I'm definitely going to beat you!"
Naruto Uzumaki shouted at Sasuke Uchiha with extraordinary arrogance, while Sasuke merely turned his head aside and snorted coldly, paying Naruto no mind at all.
"Argh..."
Naruto Uzumaki was so angry that he was about to charge over. Fortunately, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi stopped him.
"How lively!"
Shihōin Naraku watched the commotion on the training ground with interest, then turned his head and said, "Naruto's got a few clever tricks. You saw that just now, right?"
"Yes... all that tree-climbing practice lately wasn't wasted."
Kakashi Hatake nodded. Both of them had seen the key to Naruto Uzumaki's victory in his sparring match.
"Though he's still a little unpracticed, he gathered chakra under his feet right at the start. The burst of speed caught his opponent off guard and immediately put him at a disadvantage."
"But if he wants to beat Sasuke Uchiha with just that, he's still a little short."
Shihōin Naraku agreed with Kakashi Hatake. Naruto Uzumaki's foundations were weak, and he still needed a great deal of work if he wanted to beat Sasuke Uchiha with a sudden burst of speed.
Still, achieving such a large change after only a few days of practice meant Naruto Uzumaki's own ability was quite good.
"Last pair..."
"Sasuke Uchiha!"
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
Sasuke Uchiha stepped forward, still looking like a cool, handsome young boy, while Naruto Uzumaki stood opposite him, huffing angrily and glaring with wide eyes.
This time, Sasuke Uchiha no longer kept his hands in his pockets, but took them out.
He was still brimming with confidence, but Naruto Uzumaki's last few sparring matches had been nothing like the dead last's usual performance, so Sasuke finally took him somewhat seriously.
But only a little. After all, Sasuke Uchiha had never been focused on defeating his peers. He wanted revenge-to kill his older brother, Uchiha Itachi!
"Begin!"
At Iruka-sensei's command, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha instantly charged at each other.
Dirt sprayed up beneath Naruto Uzumaki's feet as his speed surged, and he swung his fist at Sasuke Uchiha.
Gathering chakra under his feet was no longer much of a problem for Naruto, but he still could not maintain it for long.
With his level of control, he could not keep releasing large amounts of chakra for long under the interference of the Nine-Tails Chakra.
"Hmph!"
With the fist right before him, Sasuke Uchiha leaned sideways and dodged it, then planted one hand on the ground and kicked his right leg at Naruto Uzumaki.
His fist missed, and Naruto Uzumaki could not pull back in time. He could only watch as Sasuke's kick struck him, nearly sending him tumbling. But at that instant, the chakra beneath his feet held him firmly to the ground. Enduring the pain in his body, he wrapped both arms around Sasuke's leg and hurled him away.
Sasuke Uchiha flipped over and landed on his feet. By then, Naruto had already lunged at him. Before he could steady his footing, Sasuke could only throw a punch to meet him, and their fists collided in an instant.
Already unsteady on his feet, Sasuke staggered backward involuntarily from the collision of their fists.
Seeing this, Naruto immediately saw hope of defeating Sasuke. As he pulled his fist back, he suddenly crouched and landed a sweeping kick on Sasuke.
But Sasuke used the opportunity to flip backward, planting both hands on the ground as his body curved like a bow. Both feet struck Naruto Uzumaki's shoulders in an instant, kicking him straight into the air.
Naruto rolled across the ground several times. Before he could get up, Sasuke was already there, kicking straight at him.
Unable to worry about how embarrassing he looked, Naruto rolled again, kipped up, and charged into Sasuke without hesitation. But just as his opponent was about to turn and dodge, he threw a punch.
Smack!
Sasuke Uchiha reached out with one hand and firmly caught Naruto Uzumaki's fist.
Smack!
Naruto Uzumaki's other hand likewise caught the fist Sasuke Uchiha swung at him.
The two were locked in a stalemate!
"Is this Naruto?"
Umino Iruka stared at the scene before him in disbelief.
"What's going on with Naruto?"
The laziness in Shikamaru Nara's eyes had vanished. He watched the fight with shock all over his face.
"Impossible! Naruto can't possibly be a match for Sasuke!"
Those were the astonished cries of the girls who had been cheering for Sasuke Uchiha all along.
Crunch!
With an expression that said Naruto was really amazing, Choji Akimichi grabbed another handful of potato chips and ate them.
He had already taken part in the ninja sparring, and of course, he had lost without question. Fighting had used up a lot of energy, so he needed to hurry and replenish it with food.
"Not bad. Whether it was what you told him, Kakashi, or the Third Hokage's guidance, Naruto remembered it all. This guy really does have a good head for combat."
Shihōin Naraku watched the battle on the training ground, offering his comments with interest.
He was not surprised by Naruto Uzumaki's improvement at all. Early on, Naruto's progress might not be apparent because of his foundations, but as long as he did not give up training, his improvement in strength would shock everyone who looked down on him.
The Nine-Tails and the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline were Naruto Uzumaki's reserves. When the time came, those reserves would become fuel for his journey forward, driving his strength to soar wildly.
Beside him, Kakashi Hatake was completely absorbed in watching Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha spar. In a daze, he seemed to see his younger self fighting a lively, cheerful Uchiha boy.
"Obito..."
Kakashi Hatake could not help touching the eye hidden beneath his forehead protector. There was a Sharingan there, given to him by a comrade.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort rang out.
Unnoticed by anyone, space suddenly twisted on the Ninja Academy's rooftop terrace, and a mysterious figure in a black robe appeared, wearing a mask.
The Mysterious Masked Man glanced at the ninja sparring on the training ground and snorted disdainfully. "Children's games..."
Then the Mysterious Masked Man turned his gaze toward Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake, who were concealed in the shadows. More precisely, he was looking at Kakashi Hatake.
"Hee hee hee..."
The rooftop rippled slowly like the surface of water, and a strange man resembling a pitcher plant emerged. His body was rather strange, half white and half black, as though two people had been forcibly joined together.
The white half said with a giggle, "Is that Itachi's little brother? He looks pretty good..."
"He's nowhere near Uchiha Itachi. Their talents aren't even in the same dimension."
The Mysterious Masked Man answered coldly, though his gaze remained on Kakashi Hatake.
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