"Now?" asked Naruto.
"Yes, now," replied Sasuke, eyes fixed sharply on him.
Naruto glanced around. He could see that all their classmates were eager to watch their fight.
"Seems like they want to see it too. You got a problem with that?" Naruto asked again.
Sasuke gave a brief glance at them and nodded. "No problem. In fact, this is better..."
Without wasting time, the two of them walked toward the academy's training arena. The students behind followed, especially those who had finished the second test.
Some of them looked discouraged, while others were full of excitement. Still, they followed in an orderly fashion.
Upon arriving, students from other classes who had arrived earlier took notice, curious about what was going on.
The students stepped back, forming a circle and leaving Sasuke and Naruto in the center.
They stared at each other, keeping a measured distance.
"Are you ready?" Naruto asked flatly.
Sasuke met his gaze and gave a small nod. "Yeah."
Without warning, two seconds later—
Bushhh—
They dashed forward, clashing at high speed.
Naruto threw a punch toward Sasuke's chest, but Sasuke blocked it with his left hand, spun his body, and delivered a spinning kick.
Bughhh—
Naruto blocked it with his left arm, causing him to lose his balance slightly.
But he didn't waste the moment. Naruto countered with a light but precise kick to Sasuke's chest, sending him flying and skidding across the ground.
A cloud of dust rose. The students watched sharply, eyes glued to the arena.
"Is it over?" one student asked.
"No way. Sasuke's not that weak," another replied. And sure enough—
Sasuke stood back up, eyes burning with seriousness. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
It was shocking—but not enough.
Naruto spun around. He used his palm to block Sasuke's punch, which came from behind.
"Impossible," Sasuke muttered. He immediately leaped back, but Naruto didn't give him any space.
Dughh—
A kick landed clean on his chest, launching him back and slamming him into a tree.
Sasuke was silent. He stared deeply at Naruto's face.
"You... You're really interesting, Naruto!" he shouted, causing some students to cover their ears.
Sasuke... are you trying to fight or flirt? Naruto sighed internally.
He glanced at Sasuke. "You better give it everything you've got if you don't want to die."
Wushhh—
Naruto dashed forward again. Chakra gathered at his feet, dramatically increasing his speed.
Sasuke's eyes widened. He quickly formed a hand seal. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Bushhh—
A massive fireball shot from his mouth. Naruto, only two meters away, had to leap back quickly.
But as the fire faded—without warning—Sasuke appeared from the side and launched a surprise attack.
Naruto couldn't dodge. He could only block, his body pushed back several steps.
The punch was strong, making Naruto's arms tremble slightly.
Seeing him pushed back, Sasuke went for a straight punch to the head.
Naruto ducked, slipped underneath, and struck Sasuke's chin—but the body turned into a rock.
He had used Kawarimi and reappeared behind Naruto.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" he shouted again.
Naruto evaded with a Shunshin. A moment later, he reappeared and kicked Sasuke into the fading flames.
Sasuke's pale skin was slightly burned, and his body collapsed to the ground.
Dughh—
The kick wasn't powerful, but to Sasuke, it was humiliating. Naruto had used the opening created by his own jutsu.
He knew my move before I even made it, Sasuke thought with frustration.
Sasuke stood up again. He quickly made another hand seal.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"
Dozens of small fireballs flew rapidly like a flock of birds toward Naruto.
Naruto dodged with nimble movements. But at that moment, Sasuke appeared in front of him and delivered a powerful kick.
He was sure he had won—but—
Bwushh—
Naruto vanished into smoke, leaving Sasuke shocked.
He immediately turned around—but too late—
Bughh—
He was sent flying again, crashing into a tree that shook violently on impact.
Earlier, while Sasuke was unaware, Naruto had silently used Kage Bunshin and swapped positions using Shunshin. His movements were so subtle that not even the other students noticed—except one—Sakura.
Why is he playing around? the question appeared in Sakura's mind. When Naruto used Kage Bunshin, he was already here. She didn't understand—why bother?
But eventually, she began to see the reason.
Naruto... That bastard wants Sasuke to grow. He doesn't want him to break so easily. A small drop of sweat ran down her temple.
Crazy idiot... she muttered softly.
Back in the arena—
Sasuke tried to stand again, but his legs trembled violently. He could barely keep himself up.
"Naruto!" he shouted.
Up ahead, Naruto only stared at him expressionless, waiting for Sasuke to continue.
"Why...? Why are you this strong..." his voice trembled with anger. His gaze sharp, like he wanted to tear Naruto apart.
Naruto didn't respond.
Sasuke began to lower his head. He couldn't meet those eyes. His legs wobbled, his body shook, and he was barely holding on.
"Sasuke..." the voice came coldly.
Sasuke looked up—and was shocked to see Naruto standing right in front of him.
"You've done well, so now... just rest," Naruto said gently, placing his hand on Sasuke's chest and softly pushing him.
Brakk!!
Sasuke fell to the ground. His body wouldn't move. Slowly, his eyes grew heavy, and eventually closed.
Silence. Absolute silence.
"Sasuke... lost?"
"How is that even possible..." said another.
"Haha, Naruto won! Thank god, I didn't lose my money this time..."
"You idiot! We're talking about their fight!!!" a girl next to him shouted.
Noise returned. Naruto exhaled, then glanced at Sasuke and moved to carry him to the infirmary.
Sakura approached. With a sweet smile, she tried to help support Sasuke, but Naruto refused.
"Why not?" Sakura asked softly.
"No need. I can handle it," Naruto replied coldly.
Sakura walked beside him, studying his face carefully. Naruto's expression was flat—but she understood.
"You're the jealous type, huh?" she said suddenly.
Naruto didn't respond, but his silence was enough.
"If you're quiet, I'll take that as a yes..." Sakura said softly.
"Then stay quiet. You're annoying," Naruto replied without turning.
"Ehh, really? I thought you liked my voice..." Sakura teased, brushing her hand on his cheek.
Naruto gave her a blank stare. Sakura was undeniably beautiful—too bad it was fake.
"Your face is fake. I don't like it..."
Sakura fell silent. Her smile stayed the same. She reached out and held Naruto's hand tightly.
She said nothing. Just stood quietly. Naruto could only look at her.
"Weird girl..." Naruto muttered.
Sakura heard it and nodded slightly. "I know... Just think of this as a gift for helping me train all this time..."
Naruto tightened his grip. Without stopping, he turned slightly.
"Then in that case... I'll gladly accept it..."
A smile formed on his lips. Honest and pure. Sakura saw it clearly, but didn't react.
"Your smile is weird. Stop it," she said lightly.
"Ehh... really?" her smile widened. "But be careful... you might fall for it..."
"Don't get your hopes up," he replied firmly.
"No need to hope... You'll fall for it on your own later..." Naruto kept repeating himself, and Sakura beside him couldn't help but keep arguing back.
They kept talking as they walked to the infirmary, unaware—of the figure who had been watching them from a distance all this time.
"Naruto-kun?..."