"Who said you have to catch up to me to get your revenge?"Fujimoto Tōma's voice carried a hint of irritation. "I don't think I'm weaker than the guy you're talking about."
Sasuke didn't answer. He simply didn't believe it. That man was… different.
"Alright, fine. Maybe not right now," Tōma continued with a small smile. "But I'll surpass him soon. You believe that or not?"
"I don't," Sasuke replied flatly.
"Suit yourself." Tōma shrugged. "You're not at the rapid growth stage yet anyway. Stop overthinking things and focus on building your basics at the Academy."
"…Then you've reached it?"Sasuke froze mid-sentence, suddenly noticing that Tōma stood more than half a head taller than him. After a long silence, he muttered, "You freak who matured early."
"That's called talent."Tōma grinned and casually ruffled Sasuke's black hair. Might as well do it while he still could. Next time they met, Sasuke would probably be graduating too, and then the timing would be gone.
Sasuke didn't resist. He'd grown used to it. For some reason, Tōma always treated him and the others like juniors.
Tōma finally stood up, stepping off Sasuke's back. Honestly, the Uchiha Sasuke cushion wasn't bad. Surprisingly comfortable.
Sasuke got up as well. This time, he didn't attack again. He could see it clearly now. Their gap wasn't shrinking. Tōma's body had already moved into the next phase of development. Until he reached that stage himself, catching up was unrealistic.
"If you want revenge," Tōma said calmly, "then after I graduate, you'll need to replace me as top of the class. And I don't just mean overall scores."
Sasuke went silent, then his face twisted with despair."Who the hell can beat that monster's stamina?!"
Tōma chuckled. Sasuke was talking about Naruto. Ever since Naruto had unconsciously learned to tap into the Nine-Tails' passive chakra, his endurance had become absurd. Without the training supplements from Mount Myōboku, even Tōma wasn't sure he could outlast him.
"Which is why you still need to work hard," Tōma said lightly. "Naruto's ninjutsu will catch up sooner or later. Don't let him pass you."
"I'll never lose to that guy!"Sasuke's eyes flared. Losing to Tōma was one thing. Losing to Naruto? Absolutely unacceptable.
"Good. Do your best."With that, Tōma turned and left.
Sasuke watched his back, confusion swirling in his eyes. Could he really surpass that man…?He shook his head hard. Even if Tōma did, it wouldn't matter. He wanted revenge with his own hands.
His fists clenched tighter. He needed to work harder. Much harder.
Then he thought of Naruto and Sakura.
"…I'll take first place in everything," Sasuke muttered.He would replace Tōma as the Academy's greatest anomaly.
"Tōma! Tōma! What's the trick you mentioned?"
At Naruto's apartment, Naruto bounced around excitedly, barely able to stay still.
"Take your shirt off. Lie on the bed. Keep drawing out chakra," Tōma said calmly.He glanced at the window, noticed the angle, and quietly pulled the curtains closed.
"Oh."Naruto didn't really understand, but he trusted Tōma. He'd stayed out of last place for years thanks to Tōma's advice, especially when it came to physical training.
Naruto quickly did as instructed, lying down and steadily extracting chakra.
"More," Tōma said, frowning. "Increase the output."
Naruto didn't reply, but he pushed harder.
After a while, the seal on Naruto's abdomen began to surface faintly.
Tōma's eyes lit up.
Perfect.Two Four Symbols Seals layered together, wrapped inside a Eight Trigrams Seal. Elegant. Precise. This was the level of sealing mastery that made mistakes impossible.
Thanks to this structure, the Nine-Tails' chakra could be released safely, unlike the crude seal in Sunagakure that had shattered Gaara's mind. Compared to that, Naruto was incredibly lucky. His father had been meticulous.
Tōma studied it with fascination. The Fourth Hokage's sealing skill was incredible. And Uzumaki Kushina's had been even higher. Monsters, both of them.
"Tōma… how much longer?" Naruto groaned. "I'm about to hit my limit."
"Just a bit more."Tōma reluctantly pulled his attention away.
Naruto's problem wasn't chakra control. It was interference. The Nine-Tails' chakra leaked constantly, disrupting Naruto's own flow. That was likely intentional. The Fourth Hokage had wanted Naruto to eventually use that power.
But he probably hadn't expected the sheer volume. Naruto's body, still undeveloped, instinctively resisted it. That resistance caused the instability.
Tōma's solution was simple. Narrow the opening slightly. Reduce the leakage to a level Naruto's body could handle.
He couldn't recreate the Eight Trigrams Seal himself, but reinforcing it? That was within reach.
Carefully, Tōma traced new sealing lines over the existing structure. At the final step, he hesitated… then left the opening just a bit wider than necessary.
Naruto would still struggle. But he'd function. And in the long run, this would help him learn to balance his own chakra with the Nine-Tails'.
"All done," Tōma said, tapping Naruto's stomach lightly.
"…That's it?" Naruto sat up, scratching his head. "I don't feel any different."
"Try the Three Techniques and see."
"Alright!"Naruto leapt off the bed, threw his shirt back on, and grinned with anticipation.