Uchiha Sasuke was nowhere near Uchiha Madara's level.
Sure, training with Madara meant getting pummeled one-sidedly, but it was rapidly sharpening Hirofumi's combat instincts! Now, facing off against Sasuke? It was like a walk in the park!
After a fierce clash, Sasuke was panting heavily, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Itou Hirofumi.
"You... you jerk! I can't believe you've gotten this strong!" Sasuke sputtered, struggling to accept it.
In past sparring sessions, Hirofumi was always his final opponent, but the guy could never last long against him. Every time, Sasuke came out on top. But now? He was being overwhelmed!
Hirofumi was handling him with ease. Was it time to reveal his trump card? After all, his eyes were the pride of the Uchiha clan!
"Not bad yourself, Sasuke!" Hirofumi grinned. "But this time, I'm not losing. You've been the top dog in our class for years—don't you think it's time to let me have a turn?"
"Damn it!" Sasuke snapped. "Don't get cocky! I haven't even gone all out yet!"
"Tch, like I have?" Hirofumi shot back.
Truth was, Hirofumi hadn't gone all out. After inheriting Indra's chakra, he'd felt a massive leap in his abilities over the past day and a half—especially after enduring Madara's brutal "training." Sasuke's immature fighting style? It was like child's play in comparison.
Of course, Hirofumi knew exactly what Sasuke's so-called "trump card" was: that single-tomoe Sharingan he'd awakened in a rage after the clan massacre. Oh, and that Fireball Jutsu he liked to show off. But with Sasuke's current chakra reserves, one Fireball would probably drain him dry. Meanwhile, Hirofumi could toss out a few without breaking a sweat.
"Heh, Hirofumi!" Sasuke declared. "I'll show you my trump card! You'll see what the true pride of the Uchiha clan is! Today, everyone's gonna witness what makes an Uchiha!"
Hirofumi's expression twitched as he watched Sasuke's over-the-top bravado. Is this guy seriously trying to act cool right now?
He vaguely recalled a certain Naruto universe rule: whenever Sasuke tried to show off, he was bound to get his butt kicked. Well then... let's start that tradition with me!
With a dramatic flourish, Sasuke's eyes transformed. A single red tomoe appeared in each pupil, spinning briefly before locking into place.
"Hirofumi! See these eyes?!" Sasuke shouted. "This is the Uchiha! This is our pride! The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan! You're privileged to witness it! I'll crush you with these eyes!"
Hirofumi sighed. This guy can't go three sentences without mentioning "Uchiha" or "pride." But Sasuke didn't attack right away, almost like he was adjusting to the Sharingan's enhanced dynamic vision—and maybe giving Hirofumi a moment to prepare.
Sasuke's eye transformation left the surrounding classmates and Iruka-sensei in complete shock.
"Hey! What's up with stuck-up Sasuke?!" Naruto yelled. "Did he catch pink eye or something?! And what's that tadpole thing in his eye?! Iruka-sensei, you gotta get that tadpole out of his eye!"
Naruto had no clue what the Sharingan was. All he saw was Sasuke's eyes turning red with some weird tadpole-like shape spinning in them. He was genuinely worried—Sasuke was kind of his friend, and if he went blind, Naruto would be crushed!
Ignoring Naruto's outburst, Iruka stared at Sasuke's eyes in awe. "Naruto, quiet down! That's not pink eye, and it's not a tadpole. That's... the Uchiha clan's Sharingan!"
Naruto blinked, still clueless. "Huh? What's a Sharingan? Never heard of it!"
Shikamaru, ever the calm one, patted Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, the Sharingan is the Uchiha clan's greatest power. Every true Uchiha has those eyes. I didn't realize Sasuke was already this strong..."
Naruto still didn't fully get it, but he caught the gist: those eyes were something all Uchihas were supposed to have, and they made Sasuke super strong.
"Oh, I get it... kinda," Naruto mumbled. "But man, it's weird. Now Sasuke's got red eyes, and that weird Hinata's got those white eyes... If those two had a kid, would their eyes be, like, half red, half white?!"
Naruto had no idea Hinata had a crush on him. To him, Hinata was just some odd girl who acted strange around him, sometimes even steaming from the head! He hadn't lowered his voice at all, so everyone in the training field—including Hirofumi—heard him loud and clear.
Hirofumi nearly choked. This guy's a riot! Imagining his best buddy and his future wife having a kid?! He couldn't help but wonder what Naruto's face would look like years from now, when he and Hinata got married, and he remembered this moment. That'd be a sight to see.
Unlike the shocked students, Iruka's expression was deadly serious. A Sasuke who awakened the Sharingan at this age was a true prodigy. Even a single-tomoe Sharingan meant an Uchiha had reached genin-level strength!