This Naruto is too easily persuaded.

"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!"

Sasuke felt increasingly humiliated. Using the recoil from the collision, he leaped back and broke free, his hands instantly becoming afterimages.

shhhhh--

Numerous shuriken surrounded Naruto at tricky angles, sealing off all possible escape routes.

"it's over."

Sasuke gave a cold laugh.

Hinata, who was watching from the sidelines, exclaimed in surprise.

However, facing this fatal blow, Naruto simply raised his hands slightly and drew a kunai from his waist with each hand.

With the full support of the breathing technique, the trajectories of those swords in hand were clearly visible.

With the help of his talent "Skillful Hands," his hands became afterimages.

At the critical moment, he used a kunai to knock away all the dozen or so shuriken that were flying towards him.

Ding!Ding!Ding! ...

A series of teeth-grinding, ear-piercing metallic clanging sounds rang out.

All the shuriken aimed at Naruto were easily caught.

Whether the trajectory was deflected or blocked, none of them could achieve the desired effect.

Naruto, on the other hand, didn't even move an inch!

He simply stood still and, with his hands blessed by the "God of Wanderers," performed a jaw-dropping defensive maneuver.

"impossible……"

Sasuke stood there, frozen in place.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes were bloodshot, and his Sharingan seemed about to be stimulated.

His theoretical knowledge, physical skills, and now even shurikenjutsu... have all been defeated one by one by Naruto.

Naruto gently straightened the wrinkles in his clothes and pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, which remained firmly on his head even during vigorous exercise.

Sunlight shone on his glasses, reflecting a white light that made it impossible to see through his thoughts.

"Sasuke, is this your limit?"

"If that's all there is to it, then I'm extremely disappointed."

"After all, I've always used you as my motivation."

This sentence became the final straw that broke Sasuke's back.

Zuo Jizhi suddenly lost contact.

He no longer heeded Iruka's advice to stop short of a fight and quickly formed hand seals.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

Iruka was shocked and tried to rush forward to stop Sasuke from releasing his ninjutsu.

This is a C-rank ninjutsu, which is nothing short of a dimensional attack for a group of ninja academy students who can't even understand E-rank ninjutsu.

But by the time he realized it, it was too late.

After all, no teacher would have imagined that a seemingly ordinary ninja sparring session would result in someone using a deadly ninjutsu.

Before he could even make a move, Sasuke had already completed the hand seals and exhaled the chakra gathered in his mouth.

When Sasuke unleashed his ninjutsu, he also regained some of his rationality.

And for a moment he felt remorse.

However, the ninjutsu could not be taken back, so the only option was to change its direction as much as possible and release the Great Fireball in an empty space.

Naruto smiled slightly as he watched Sasuke quickly recover from his loss of composure.

My understanding of Sasuke has deepened even further.

He was deliberately provoking Sasuke to make him lose his temper and use his last trump card.

Then crush him mercilessly!

Is this Fire Release technique Sasuke's ultimate move?

Not bad.

Naruto thought to himself, and his hands completed the hand seals almost instantly, much faster than Sasuke's.

Then he took a deep breath—Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

The Wind Release ninjutsu, transformed into a high-pressure air cannon, was expelled from Naruto's mouth.

They ran head-on into Sasuke's Fire Release.

When the difference in strength is not significant, according to the attributes, Wind Release can not only help with fire.

Even a simple Wind Release technique can be completely countered by Fire Release.

But now the gap between the two is simply too great.

Naruto surpasses Sasuke by more than one level in terms of ninjutsu proficiency, chakra quantity, and chakra control.

Then something happened that shocked everyone.

Sasuke's Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique was easily dispersed by Naruto's Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

Even after the fireball was dispersed, the aftershocks continued.

If Naruto hadn't targeted attacks that weren't directed at humans from the very beginning, Sasuke's fate would still be uncertain.

Even so.

The aftershocks of the wind release alone were enough to turn Sasuke and the onlookers into rolling gourds on the ground.

Sasuke was slammed hard against the wall.

As the aftershocks subsided, apart from the teacher, only Naruto remained standing.

The dust has settled.

The training ground was a mess, with traces of the wind churning the ground.

The students scrambled to their feet, slapping the dust off themselves and looking around.

Before I could even complain, I was so stunned by the sight before me that I was speechless.

Sasuke slumped in the corner, his body covered in tiny cuts from the wind blades, his clothes tattered.

But he seemed oblivious to the pain in his body, his eyes gazing blankly ahead.

"We lost... Wind Release counters Fire Release... How is this possible..."

His worldview seemed to have collapsed.

Now even the Uchiha clan's proud Fire Release technique has been defeated head-on without any suspense?

All his pride and all his efforts seemed laughable in the face of such an absolute disparity in strength.

"Is this... the gap between me and a genius?"

Sasuke felt utterly hopeless in an instant.

Even someone who was once a bottom-of-the-class student could defeat him with a little effort.

How can he take revenge? And what will he use to defeat another, even more powerful genius?

Just then, a sound of footsteps stopped in front of him.

Sasuke subconsciously raised his head.

Against the sunlight, he couldn't make out the person's face.

But his golden hair was particularly dazzling.

Naruto didn't laugh at him; he just looked at him with a calm, even slightly pitying gaze.

How does it feel to be defeated by a bottom-ranked team?

Sasuke did not reply.

He was prepared to endure Naruto's sarcastic remarks.

"Is this what you call the magnanimity of the Uchiha clan?"

Sasuke shuddered, filled with shame and indignation, and gritted his teeth, trying to stand up.

But due to exhaustion, he collapsed to the ground.

"anger?"

Naruto's voice remained calm, yet every word pierced the heart:

"Stop your impotent rage, don't let yourself be consumed by vain glory and hatred of the past, preventing you from recognizing yourself."

"You think you can get revenge by putting on a deadpan face?"

Naruto shook his head. "You're too naive. At your current rate of growth, even I can easily leave you behind."

Sasuke's pupils dilated violently.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, Naruto was telling the truth.

"Am I... never going to...?"

Sasuke lowered his head heavily, his voice trembling, and knelt on the ground, his fingernails digging deep into the soil.

He was already somewhat desperate.

Yes, given his growth rate, can he catch up with that man?

"Then... what should I do...?"

Like a drowning man, Sasuke used his last strength to flail his arms wildly, trying to grab anything that could save his life.

He craved power so much.

Even if there's only a sliver of hope, even if it means bowing down to the person before him, he still wants an answer.

Seeing that the time was right, Naruto slowly squatted down and looked down at the desperate boy in front of him.

For a moment, he thought of his past self.

"Do you want to change this powerless situation? Do you want to truly live? Do you want... the power of revenge?"

He extended his right hand.

"If you truly want to become stronger, and want to sever that hatred with your own hands..."

"Then shift your gaze from the past, look at me, look at me with all your might."

Naruto's voice seems to possess a peculiar magic.

Hold my hand and follow in my footsteps.

"I will give you the power you desire..."

Sasuke stared blankly at the hand in front of him.

There was a time when he wished someone could lend him a hand.

He looked at Naruto, the confusion in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex but resolute light.

Even if it's exploitation, even if it's humiliation.

As long as I can become stronger!

Snapped.

Sasuke raised his dusty hand and gripped Naruto's hand tightly.

With Naruto's help, he stood up again.

Although his body was still swaying precariously, there was a light in his eyes.

"Naruto Uzumaki... I'll be watching you."