The training field was utterly silent. Dozens of young students stood frozen in place, their eyes wide, mouths open, as they stared at the blond boy walking calmly back to his seat.
Uzumaki Naruto—the one everyone had whispered about, the one they called "the demon fox"—had just defeated Uchiha Sasuke in less than two minutes. Not with overwhelming strength, not with any flashy moves, but with clean, efficient, almost elegant precision.
The silence stretched on for several long seconds. Then came the whispers. "H-he actually beat Sasuke…" "No way! That's impossible! " "Wasn't he supposed to be the weakest one here? "
Even the instructor was having a hard time processing it. He had been prepared to step in the moment Naruto lost control, just in case the boy accidentally drew on the Nine-Tails' power. But instead of a rampage—he had witnessed a display of near-perfect taijutsu.
The scar-faced teacher rubbed the back of his neck. "…What a strange kid. "
Sasuke, meanwhile, was still standing in the middle of the field, his dark eyes fixed on Naruto's retreating back. The boy's movements replayed in his mind—that effortless dodge, the flawless timing, the calm, almost teacher-like critique.
It wasn't anger he felt. It was… disbelief. And curiosity. How could someone like him—a boy with no clan, no mentor, someone scorned by the whole village—move like that?
For the first time, Sasuke felt something strange. Not hatred. Not rivalry. But genuine interest. He wanted to know what Naruto was hiding.
On the edge of the training field, the group of girls who had been cheering for Sasuke moments ago now stood frozen in confusion. "W-wait, what just happened? " "Did Naruto really beat Sasuke-kun? " "No way… it must have been a fluke! "
But even as they said it, the image of Sasuke falling on his back replayed in their minds. A single, effortless sweep. They couldn't deny what they'd seen.
One of the braver girls murmured, "Maybe that's why he's called the demon fox…" The others shivered and went quiet.
At the same time, in a dark corner near the roof of the Academy building, two masked ANBU operatives were crouched in silence, watching everything unfold below.
"Did you see that? " one whispered. "The kid's taijutsu—how did he learn that? "
"Yeah…" the other replied softly. "His movements were too clean. That wasn't childish instinct. That was technique—refined technique. "
"Should we report this to Lord Hokage? " "Obviously. "
They both leapt away silently, vanishing into the treetops.
Back on the field, the instructor finally snapped out of his daze. "Alright! Enough standing around! " he barked. "Everyone else, continue sparring! "
The class hesitated, then obeyed, though most of them kept sneaking glances toward Naruto. As the other pairs resumed fighting, Naruto sat quietly under a tree at the edge of the field. He looked calm on the surface, but his mind was analyzing every second of the fight.
Sasuke's speed and precision were impressive for his age, and his reflexes were top-notch. But his technique was rigid, and his movement patterns too predictable. "Textbook Uchiha, " Naruto murmured.
He could already tell Sasuke had been trained to perfection—but perfection could be read, anticipated, and dismantled.
Naruto's Heaven-Defying Comprehension allowed him to learn from every fight instantly. Each move, each counter, each breath—his body remembered them all.
By the end of this session, he'd learned enough to imitate Sasuke's taijutsu flawlessly and improve it beyond the original form.
A shadow fell over him. Naruto looked up to see Sasuke standing there again.
"Let's fight again. "
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Didn't get enough the first time? "
Sasuke's expression didn't change. "I made mistakes. I won't lose again. "
Naruto smiled faintly. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. "
But then he shook his head. "Not today. "
Sasuke frowned. "Why not? "
"Because, " Naruto said quietly, "you wouldn't learn anything new. "
He stood up and brushed off the dust from his pants. "When you've trained enough to surprise me—then we'll fight again. "
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Sasuke standing alone, his fists tightening at his sides.
The dark-haired boy's jaw clenched. But instead of anger, a small spark lit in his eyes—the spark of challenge.
From that day on, Sasuke began training harder than ever. His rivalry with Naruto had quietly taken root.
But Naruto didn't care about competition. He wasn't interested in proving himself to children. He was already planning his next step—to master chakra applications beyond anything the Academy could teach.
And for that, he needed privacy. As the day ended, he packed his bag and slipped away from the crowd. The others were still gossiping about the match, but he ignored them.
His path was already set. He would become stronger—not for praise, not for acceptance, but for freedom. To live without chains.
And when the time came, everyone who once looked down on him would have no choice but to look up.