"My name is Uchiha Sasuke." Receiving Naruto's apology, Sasuke, on the contrary, felt a bit embarrassed. He had indeed been spying for a little while earlier. After introducing himself, Sasuke stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say next. Though he appeared rather aloof, he was just a little boy brimming with curiosity.
He had grown up under the wings of his parents and older brother. His brother was a genius, displaying extraordinary talent from a young age. In such an environment, Sasuke had begun various ninja-related training since he was small. It could be said that, compared to his peers, he had a significant head start. Yet, even so, he couldn't withstand the Reiatsu leaking from Naruto. He was very curious about Naruto, and even felt a little unwilling to accept defeat. He had always believed himself to be the most outstanding boy of his age in Konoha, but now he had been completely outshone.
"How did you get so strong?" After a moment's hesitation, he finally asked, his voice uncertain. As soon as the words were out, a blush crept onto his face, and he awkwardly turned his head away, not daring to look at Naruto again.
Naruto had heard Konoha villagers secretly discussing the Uchiha. They all said the Uchiha were exceedingly proud, usually ignoring others, and their Konoha Military Police Force was even more unyielding, enforcing the law strictly with no room for sentimentality. It could be said that the Uchiha clan's reputation in Konoha wasn't good; it could even be called poor. However, Sasuke didn't give Naruto the impression of being unapproachable. Instead, he seemed more like a proud, somewhat tsundere little boy. This Uchiha seemed very interested in power.
'An interesting kid,' Naruto thought, a smile flickering in his eyes. "Because I train every day. That's how I can become stronger." This familiar scene strongly resembled his first encounter with Lee. If I can trick this Uchiha kid into training with me, it should be beneficial. He had heard the Uchiha clan was wealthy and possessed many ninjutsu. Although Naruto's chakra control wasn't great, he still held out hope for ninjutsu, especially since the Nine-Tails might stop interfering with his chakra in the future.
"Training? I've always trained with my older brother too!" Sasuke frowned deeply. He didn't want to concede that his talent might be inferior to Naruto's. Unresigned, he asked, "What was that before? Was that your chakra? Why did it have such immense pressure? Could it be killing intent? Have you… killed someone?"
Sasuke had heard his older brother say that truly powerful ninja had all been baptized in blood. They excelled at killing techniques and, because of killing, they condensed killing intent. Formless killing intent could instantly rob ordinary people of their will to fight, even causing them to break down. Sasuke found it hard to imagine the pressure Naruto had exuded earlier; he had barely been able to move. And Naruto looked to be the same age as him, yet he had condensed killing intent. It just didn't seem realistic.
"No, that wasn't killing intent. You can think of it as an application of chakra," Naruto said with a slight smile.
"An application of chakra?"
"That's right. By condensing chakra around your body and combining it with your own aura, you can form a pressure similar to killing intent," Naruto patiently explained. "Because I practice Zanjutsu, my inherent sword presence, combined with chakra, can create that sense of pressure." Fortunately, the nature of Reiatsu and chakra were similar enough that he could pass it off as a chakra technique.
Sasuke looked at Naruto with envy, eager to ask about his training methods but too proud to speak up. Most Uchiha were quite arrogant, and Sasuke was naturally no exception. No, perhaps 'tsundere' was a more fitting description than arrogant.
Naruto saw Sasuke's predicament and took the initiative. "I need to head back now. If you're interested, how about we train here together tomorrow at noon?"
Hearing this, Sasuke's heart leaped with joy, but he merely nodded nonchalantly, though the smile at the corners of his lips was already betraying him. "Fine. I'll let you see the proud ninjutsu of our Uchiha clan too." With that, he proudly tilted his small head up.
"Alright. I look forward to it." Naruto smiled and nodded. After bidding Sasuke farewell, he left the training ground.
Watching Naruto's retreating figure, Sasuke stood there, lost in thought. Naruto was probably the first non-Uchiha peer he had truly communicated with. For the longest time, their Uchiha clan had dutifully carried out their responsibilities with the Konoha Military Police Force. Yet, for some unknown reason, the villagers always treated them with hostility. Coupled with the Uchiha clan's inherent pride – their unwillingness and disdain to explain themselves – the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha had grown increasingly awkward over time. Other villagers would steer clear of the Uchiha as if they were avoiding a plague. Even their Uchiha children rarely had friends.
Sasuke had heard of Uzumaki Naruto. He was supposedly regarded as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and suffered treatment even worse than the Uchiha. In a way, they were kindred spirits in their suffering, equally lonely. But at the same time, Naruto was the first non-Uchiha to show him such a gentle and sincere smile. Thinking of Naruto's sunny face, Sasuke suddenly felt a sense of being healed.
"How does he manage to keep smiling even after being hurt so much?" he murmured to himself.
That evening, in the Uchiha family residence, Sasuke's family was gathered around a large table as his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, served an exquisite meal. The family atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
"Itachi, how have things been lately?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.
"Everything is as usual. Just a bit busy, so I haven't had much time to spend with Sasuke," Itachi said, affectionately ruffling Sasuke's spiky hair.
"And Sasuke?"
"Today at the training ground, I met someone very…" Sasuke tilted his head, searching for the right adjective, then added, "very impressive. A genius."
"A genius?" Uchiha Itachi's interest was immediately piqued. This was the first time he had heard his younger brother praise someone else so highly.
"Yes. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, and he's about the same age as me," Sasuke confirmed with a nod.
"Uzumaki Naruto? Could he be Kushina's…" Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged a knowing glance. Fugaku and his wife had been close friends with Minato and Kushina when they were alive, and their families had interacted frequently. However, after the Fourth Hokage's death, Naruto had been taken under the Third Hokage's control. Compounded by the Uchiha clan being targeted themselves, they had no spare capacity, nor did they dare, to interfere in Naruto's affairs. They were naturally furious about everything Naruto had endured. The Fourth Hokage had sacrificed his life to seal the Nine-Tails within Naruto, hoping his son could grow up as a hero's child. Instead, Naruto had been living in dire straits.
Fugaku couldn't intervene, but he wouldn't deliberately stop Sasuke from getting closer to Naruto. On the contrary, a sense of guilt made him hope that Sasuke and Naruto would become close friends.
"For Sasuke to call him a genius, I'm quite curious myself," Uchiha Itachi said with a smile.
Sasuke recounted everything he had seen that day, concluding with, "I'm going to train with him tomorrow. I want to see just how special his training methods are."
"His aura could directly affect Sasuke?" Uchiha Fugaku's eyes widened in surprise. It seems Naruto has inherited Minato's talent. He will become a very strong ninja.