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"Sasuke-kun, you can do it!"
"You must defeat Naruto!"
During the sparring class, Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were once again paired together, and Sasuke's fangirls cheered him on wildly.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
Sasuke looked at Naruto with full motivation and said confidently, "This time, I will definitely defeat you!"
After the last time… no, after countless defeats, Sasuke had been training even harder during this period. He had also received guidance from his brother, a genius ninja of the Uchiha Clan. He felt that his strength had improved greatly, and this time he would definitely defeat Naruto, his fated opponent!
"…"
Naruto listened to Sasuke's confident declaration, his heart completely unmoved. Unlike Sasuke, he no longer considered a child like Sasuke an opponent.
Of course, Naruto's mindset wasn't directed at Sasuke alone, but at all of his peers… none of them could fight.
"Damn it, what kind of expression is that?!"
When Sasuke saw Naruto's indifferent expression, anger surged in his chest. He pointed at Naruto and shouted, "Are you looking down on me?!"
"No, you're overthinking it."
Naruto waved his hand expressionlessly, then looked at Iruka Umino, the teacher overseeing the practice, and said, "Teacher, let's start quickly."
Iruka Umino frowned slightly, glanced at Naruto, then stepped between the two and said, "This is a ninjutsu sparring session. You may only use ninjutsu and taijutsu. Shuriken and kunai are prohibited. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" ×2
Naruto and Sasuke nodded at the same time.
"Very good. Get ready."
Iruka Umino nodded, raised his hand, and swung it down sharply. "Sparring—start!"
"Fire Release: Grand—"
As soon as Sasuke heard "start," he began forming hand signs, preparing to unleash a powerful technique. But before he could finish, Naruto's figure suddenly vanished from his sight.
The next instant, Sasuke felt a numb sensation at the back of his neck, and his consciousness went dark.
"Uh…"
Naruto looked at the unconscious Sasuke with slight embarrassment, then glanced at Iruka Umino, scratched his head, and said, "Sorry, I think I used too much force."
Iruka Umino immediately stepped forward to check Sasuke's condition. After confirming that he was merely unconscious, he looked at Naruto with a complex expression. Even he had barely been able to see Naruto's movements just now—let alone Sasuke.
"Naruto wins this sparring match," Iruka Umino announced.
Naruto turned around and left. He had no interest in watching the remaining matches.
Next up were Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno, but no one seemed to be in the mood to watch.
"Hey, Shikamaru, Choji—did you see Naruto's movements just now?" Inuzuka Kiba asked Nara Shikamaru in a low voice.
"No…"
Akimichi Choji shook his head, staring at Naruto's departing figure with a complicated expression. "Naruto… seems to have become even stronger."
"You don't need to tell me, it's obvious!" Kiba said through clenched teeth, also watching Naruto leave. "Damn it. Why do I feel like Naruto isn't even on the same level as us anymore? I didn't feel this way yesterday."
Although Naruto had already been very strong yesterday, Kiba hadn't felt this overwhelming sense of distance—this feeling of being unable to catch up.
Even the elders in his clan had never made him feel like this.
"Perhaps…" Shikamaru spoke quietly, his tone heavy. "Kiba, your feeling is correct."
"Huh?"
…
After school, in the afternoon—
As Naruto walked out of the academy gates, he sharply sensed someone observing him. He turned his head and saw a tall, white-haired man standing at a nearby corner, watching him.
It was Jiraiya—one of the Leaf's Sannin—whom Hiruzen Sarutobi had asked to teach Naruto.
Jiraiya was momentarily surprised when Naruto noticed him so quickly. He then smiled and waved, gesturing for Naruto to come over.
Naruto hesitated briefly, then walked up to him and asked curiously, "Mister, who are you?"
From this man, Naruto sensed no malice or hostility. Instead, he felt a strange warmth, making him instinctively believe the man wasn't dangerous.
"Who am I? Good question, hahahaha!"
Jiraiya burst into laughter, then clapped his hands together. A giant toad appeared beneath him in a puff of white smoke.
Striking a peculiar pose, he declared, "I am the great sage among sages—Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku!"
"Mount Myōboku? Toad Sage?"
Naruto's eyes lit up as he stared at the giant toad. "Mister, what kind of ninjutsu is that? Can you teach me?"
Naruto had only been at the academy for a few days, and aside from the basic three techniques, he hadn't encountered any advanced ninjutsu. Seeing a summoning technique for the first time made him extremely excited.
"Hoh hoh hoh!"
Seeing Naruto's sparkling eyes, Jiraiya immediately adopted the demeanor of an enlightened master. "Becoming this great sage's disciple is no simple matter."
Jiraiya had returned to the village at Hiruzen Sarutobi's request, with the hope that he would teach Naruto and help him adapt to Jinchūriki training as soon as possible.
However, Jiraiya hadn't agreed outright. He had planned to observe Naruto first.
After secretly watching Naruto at the academy, Jiraiya realized that Naruto's talent might even surpass his father's. His decision was already made.
Still, as the dignified Toad Sage, even if Naruto was his beloved disciple's son, he couldn't accept him so casually. A test was necessary.
"Uh… is that so?"
Naruto lowered his head in disappointment and turned to leave.
"Hey—wait!"
Jiraiya immediately panicked when Naruto didn't follow the expected script. He hurriedly called out, "Kid, wait! I'm not finished talking!"
Naruto stopped, turned back, and said impatiently, "Then hurry up."
"…"
Jiraiya was briefly speechless, then said, "Kid, it's not impossible for you to become my disciple—but first, you have to pass my test."
"A test?" Naruto asked curiously. "What kind of test?"
"Naturally, it's…"
Jiraiya leaned in with a wicked grin, jumped down from the toad, and whispered something into Naruto's ear.
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up. He clenched his fist and said excitedly, "No problem! I accept this test!"
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