You've gotta hand it to the Uchiha clan—their bloodline is something else. Once you awaken the Sharingan and let it evolve step by step, your strength skyrockets…
Iruka was practically buzzing with excitement. Hirofumi Ito had just shown off his jaw-dropping progress, and now Sasuke Uchiha had awakened his Sharingan! To think that his class had two geniuses like this!
If I, Iruka, weren't here, the Ninja Academy would be stuck in eternal darkness! he thought dramatically. No way was he keeping this quiet—he had to report this to the Third Hokage! He needed the Hokage to know that his class was producing prodigies!
"Hirofumi Ito… you ready? Here I come! Prepare to face the pride of the Uchiha clan!" Sasuke declared, striking a fighting pose.
Hirofumi got serious too. The Uchiha's Sharingan was no joke, especially the dynamic vision it granted. Sure, he'd been able to overpower Sasuke earlier, but now with the single-tomoe Sharingan in play, a tie should still be within reach…
"Bring it, Sasuke! Show me the pride of the Uchiha clan!" Hirofumi shot back.
The moment the words left his mouth, Sasuke and Hirofumi charged at each other in the center of the training field.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hirofumi relied on the battle experience he'd gained from getting pummeled by Uchiha Madara, while Sasuke leaned on the enhanced vision from his Sharingan. For a moment, the two were evenly matched!
Sasuke couldn't believe it. He'd awakened his Sharingan, and he still couldn't beat Hirofumi?!
Hirofumi, meanwhile, was just as shocked. He knew the Sharingan was powerful, but he hadn't expected a single-tomoe to make this much of a difference! No wonder people called Naruto the Legend of the Eyes. The Uchiha clan really had every right to be proud.
Still, with Indra's chakra in his arsenal, Hirofumi figured he might have a shot at awakening his own Sharingan someday. No need to be too jealous of Sasuke.
Their fight dragged on, neither daring to lose focus for even a second. A single slip-up could mean defeat.
The classmates watching from the sidelines were practically numb to the spectacle by now.
"These two are insane…"
"No way, they're that strong already?!"
"Hirofumi's progress is just scary!"
"They've gotta be strong enough to be genin by now, right?"
Naruto Uzumaki, on the other hand, was hyped beyond belief, practically wiggling his butt in excitement. His two best buddies were this strong! He couldn't fall behind—not when he was destined to become Hokage!
"Go, Hirofumi! Wipe the floor with that smug Sasuke!" Naruto cheered. "Hey, Sasuke! Didn't you say you were gonna show Hirofumi the pride of the Uchiha? What's this? All you've got is red eyes and a little tadpole?!"
Naruto, still wiggling, shouted in a weird, mocking tone, "You up for this, skinny dog?!"
That phrase? He'd picked it up from Hirofumi, who used to tease him as a "skinny dog" all the time.
Sasuke's face turned red—whether from the fight or Naruto's taunting, who could say? But when Naruto called him a "skinny dog," Sasuke snapped.
"You idiot! Shut up! Call me a skinny dog one more time, and I'll show you just how skinny I am!" Sasuke roared.
Naruto's face twisted in mock horror as he clutched his butt and stumbled back. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Smug Sasuke, you're not trying to stab me, are you?! I'm telling you, your great lord Naruto doesn't swing that way! I don't care how skinny you are!"
That was the final straw for Sasuke. In that moment of distraction, Hirofumi seized his chance and sent Sasuke flying with a swift kick.
BOOM!
Sasuke skidded back several meters but didn't counterattack right away. Instead, he glared at Naruto, who was still clutching his butt in exaggerated panic.
"You moron, Naruto! Shut it! One more word, and I'll kill you!" Sasuke shouted.
"Tch, Uchiha skinny dog!" Naruto fired back.
"Argh! I'm gonna kill you, you idiot!"
"Tch, skinny dog!"
And just like that, the two started bickering in front of everyone, trading "skinny dog" and "idiot" back and forth.
Hirofumi, happy for a breather, stood back and watched the show.
Iruka slapped his forehead in frustration. "Both of you, shut up! Naruto, if you keep interrupting the spar, you're going back to the classroom! And you, Sasuke—if you don't want to keep fighting, I'll declare Hirofumi the winner!"
"No way!" they both shouted in perfect sync.
Naruto sulkily shut his mouth, and Sasuke refocused on Hirofumi.
Sensing his chakra, Sasuke's expression grew heavy. After using the Sharingan and fighting for so long, his chakra was nearly drained. Hirofumi, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed at all. That could only mean one thing—Hirofumi had more chakra than him.
There was only one move left.
But using that move might hurt Hirofumi… Still, with Iruka-sensei, a chunin, watching, it should be fine, right? Besides, as the one carrying the Uchiha clan's honor, Sasuke couldn't lose!
"Hirofumi!" Sasuke called out. "This is my final move! Watch closely—I'm not holding back! I carry the last of the Uchiha clan's pride, and failure isn't an option! I'm warning you, surrender now, or you might get hurt!"