Putting aside his memories of Mizuki, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, paused slightly with the pipe in his hand. His expression turned grave as he gave his order:
"Continue closely monitoring Mizuki and Naruto. Do not take action for now. If Naruto truly goes to steal the Scroll of Seals… pretend you saw nothing."
Though puzzled, the ANBU operative did not question him. He simply responded in a low voice, "Understood."
His figure flickered—and vanished.
After the ANBU left, Hiruzen turned his gaze back to the crystal ball.
Within it, Mizuki continued moving about the Academy, working as usual, that overly friendly and falsely gentle smile fixed upon his face.
Hiruzen frowned faintly, but said nothing.
For now, Mizuki was clearly waiting for Naruto to act. The real focus… was still on Naruto.
---
Meanwhile, relying on his experience, Naruto found Sasuke at the training ground.
The young "cool genius" was repeatedly practicing shuriken throws at a wooden post. Every release carried a trace of resentment and frustration.
Naruto approached at an unhurried pace.
"Yo, Sasuke."
Sasuke paused and turned.
A flash of complexity crossed his eyes—but it was quickly swallowed by intense desire.
"You finally came."
He pocketed his shuriken, his tone feigning calmness—but unable to conceal his urgency.
"Yeah. I'm here to keep my word," Naruto replied casually. "I'll tell you how to improve your taijutsu and shuriken skills. As for how I 'figured things out'… even if I told you, you couldn't replicate it. But I can make you stronger in a short time. Want to learn?"
With what Naruto now possessed—his techniques, his combat experience, he could arguably stand unrivaled across the entire shinobi world.
Teaching Sasuke? Effortless.
Across countless loops, Itachi had been Naruto's enemy, his opponent.
Even though Itachi once declared arrogantly that "every jutsu has a weakness," Naruto had still defeated him. And as the cycles repeated, the weaknesses in Itachi's techniques gradually revealed themselves.
If Naruto passed that knowledge to Sasuke, he could spare him many unnecessary detours.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
Yesterday's defeat felt vivid, like it had just happened. Yet this morning, Naruto had failed the Clone Technique and didn't graduate.
Someone who couldn't even master the basic Clone Jutsu… was going to guide him?
Absurd.
And yet, that unnatural steadiness radiating from Naruto didn't feel fake.
In the end, the desire to grow stronger crushed everything else.
"…Fine," Sasuke said, lifting his gaze, eyes resolute. "But I have one condition."
"Let's hear it."
"We fight again. This time, we both go all out. I want to see clearly just how big the gap between us is."
His voice lowered.
The Academy match had only been a drill. He had underestimated Naruto at the beginning, lost control of the pace, and never even used his specialty—Fire Release.
This time, Sasuke vowed he would hold nothing back.
A subtle expression crossed Naruto's face.
All out?
That would probably shatter what little pride you have left.
But Naruto simply nodded.
"Alright."
They separated, facing each other from a distance.
The air thickened with silent tension.
"Begin!"
Sasuke moved first.
Several kunai sliced through the air at tricky angles.
Clang! Clang!
Naruto didn't even shift his feet. With nothing more than a slight flick of his wrist, he effortlessly knocked them all aside using his own kunai.
Sasuke wasn't surprised. He closed the distance immediately, launching into a flurry of punches and kicks.
He had replayed every exchange from yesterday's match in his mind the night before. This time, he would seize the initiative.
Unfortunately, every "variation" Sasuke believed clever appeared painfully slow and immature in Naruto's eyes.
The gap between them was like a chasm.
Not wanting to crush him outright, Naruto deliberately took a few hits, feigning slight disadvantage as he stepped back.
Seeing this, Sasuke's eyes flashed.
It's working.
His hands formed seals at high speed.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A blazing fireball surged toward Naruto, its heat illuminating his face crimson.
Naruto simply watched calmly. Only when the fireball nearly engulfed him did his figure shift—slipping aside by mere centimeters.
The flames roared past.
Sasuke's lips had just begun to curl upward—when, from the corner of his eye, Naruto burst from the side like lightning, fist driving toward his chest.
Sasuke raised his arms in a hurried block—
A feint!
Naruto's real attack came low—a sweeping kick that cleanly knocked Sasuke to the ground.
This time, Naruto didn't give him a chance to recover.
Sasuke leapt up to counterattack—only to be completely suppressed by strikes that were faster and more precise.
Every attack was read. Every defense was broken by overwhelming force.
Within just a few exchanges, Sasuke hit the ground again, bruises blooming across his body. His breathing turned ragged. He struggled to rise.
Naruto stood still, gazing down at him without emotion.
He had seen this scene too many times. It stirred nothing within him anymore.
Calmly, Naruto spoke:
"Your hand seals are too slow. Your attacks lack speed. Your footwork is sloppy. Your reactions are dull. Not a single move is refined. With your current level—what exactly are you using to pursue the strength you claim to desire?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, trying to force himself up—but the pain made him grunt, unable to move.
Naruto sighed. He crouched down, his palm glowing with soft green light.
He placed it gently over Sasuke's injury.
The green radiance of the Mystical Palm Technique flowed into Sasuke's body. The bruises faded at a visible rate.
Sasuke felt his body recovering. Shock filled his eyes as he stared at Naruto—like he was seeing him for the first time.
"That's enough for today," Naruto said, withdrawing the Mystical Palm Technique. He glanced at the sky. "We'll have plenty of time together."
"Plenty?" Sasuke frowned as he stood. "I've already graduated. And you…"
He didn't finish the sentence—but the meaning was obvious.
You didn't even pass. How is there 'plenty of time'?
Naruto smiled.
The certainty in that smile was something Sasuke couldn't comprehend.
"Don't worry. Not only will I graduate—I'll be assigned to the same team as you. So there'll be no shortage of time for me to 'guide' you."
With that, Naruto waved and walked off, leaving Sasuke standing there, stunned, replaying those unbelievable words.
Naruto had failed the graduation exam. How could he possibly graduate?
This spar had not gone unwatched.
"The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki's strength has increased this quickly—he's surpassed Uchiha Sasuke. And he can even use the Mystical Palm Technique… This must be reported to Lord Danzō immediately."
A Root operative murmured before vanishing.
Yet the one most shaken was the ANBU directly under the Third Hokage—who had monitored Naruto since childhood.
He had seen prodigies before.
But someone who simply became this strong…
That was unprecedented.
Still, the most stunned of all was the Third Hokage, who had watched the entire duel through the crystal ball.
"…Is that really Naruto?!"