[First, from the perspective of potential; one is the current Asura, the other is Indra. As direct descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, in a world that places great importance on bloodlines, both unquestionably rank in the top tier! Therefore, in terms of potential, the two are evenly matched.]
[Moreover, looking at their growth in strength over time, there are clear differences between them in different periods, showing a pattern of chasing and overtaking each other. It's not like the previous generation, Hashirama and Madara, where the Indra reincarnate was thoroughly dominated by the Asura reincarnate from start to finish.]
[No matter how many Jutsu Madara developed, Hashirama always had the upper hand. It was as if Hashirama was merely playing with Madara, without any element of surprise.]
---
[Konoha, Year One. Hashirama's home]
This time, Madara and Hashirama decided not to stand on the cliffside. They chose to watch the Sky Screen at Hashirama's house.
Also present were Tobirama, Mito, young Hiruzen, and some others.
Hearing what the Sky Screen said, Hiruzen immediately lowered his gaze, focusing on his breathing, wishing he could shrink into a ball. He was terrified of provoking his teacher, who would clearly be in a bad mood.
As expected, Madara's face darkened, and he turned to look at Hashirama.
"Hashirama… what does the Sky Screen mean by that?"
"Were you just playing with me every time we fought?"
Hashirama waved his hands awkwardly, the smile on his face a bit stiff: "Madara… how could that be?"
"I gave it my all every single time! I couldn't even afford to be distracted when fighting you. Your strength is such that I barely managed to win by a hair's breadth each time."
But Madara's expression still remained unpleasant.
He thought of the scene of his future self being stabbed in the back by Hashirama. Then he considered what the Sky Screen had said—it wasn't wrong. His strength really was slightly inferior to Hashirama's.
'No… I must find a way to close this gap!'
He glanced at Hashirama beside him, quietly plotting.
Tobirama sat in the corner, drinking tea with an expressionless face. But the slight upward twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.
Mito looked at her husband, then at Madara, covering her mouth with a soft laugh.
Young Hiruzen sneaked a glance at Madara's expression, then quickly lowered his head again.
---
[Another Timeline. In an underground base in the Shinobi World]
The elderly Madara sat on a stone chair, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes.
"Hashirama…"
His aged voice carried an indescribable emotion.
Unfortunately, now that he had the Rinnegan, he was also old, and Hashirama had long since passed away.
It was a pity he could no longer battle with Hashirama.
Otherwise, he would definitely make Hashirama face reality.
"Hashirama… you were always too naive."
[Starting from the Ninja Academy period, Naruto was the dead last. His grades were poor, his Ninjutsu was lacking, and his Taijutsu was average. However, he had extraordinary physical stamina and half of the Nine-Tails inside him, though he couldn't use the Nine-Tails' chakra yet.]
[Sasuke, on the other hand, was the top student of the entire class. He had awakened his Sharingan though couldn't use it yet, and possessed the highest overall qualities among his peers.]
[If the two had sparring matches at the Academy, then undoubtedly, Sasuke would be stronger at that time.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Hearing the content of the Sky Screen, Sasuke let out a proud snort, his hands in his pockets and his chin slightly raised.
Naruto, sitting nearby, puffed up his cheeks in anger. "Stuck-up Sasuke! What's there to be so proud of?!"
"The screen is lying! If you've got the guts, let's fight right now and see who's stronger!"
Sasuke shot him a glance. "You think I'm afraid of you?"
The two rolled up their sleeves, ready to throw down.
But Kakashi grabbed each of them by the back of their collars, one in each hand.
"Quiet, just watch the screen."
Naruto struggled a few times but couldn't break free, so he sat back down with a pout.
Sasuke also dropped his fighting stance, but the smug look on his face refused to fade.
[After graduating from the Academy, their first real confrontation was likely the rooftop battle at the hospital after the Chūnin Exams.]
[By this time, Naruto had learned two of his signature Jutsus: the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan. He had also grasped the basics of chakra application, could even summon Gamabunta, and his ability to utilize the Nine-Tails' chakra had improved significantly.]
[Sasuke, meanwhile, had learned his signature Jutsu, the Chidori, and had greatly improved his Taijutsu and speed. Although the fight was ultimately stopped by Kakashi, and Naruto's Rasengan did more impressive damage to a water tank than Sasuke's Chidori, in an actual fight, Sasuke would still have been stronger.]
[After all, according to the official databook "Rin no Sho" for this period: Naruto's stats were: Ninjutsu 4, Taijutsu 3, Genjutsu 2, Intelligence 2, Strength 4, Speed 4, Stamina 8, Hand Seals 2 — totaling 29. Meanwhile, Sasuke's stats were: Ninjutsu 5, Taijutsu 5, Genjutsu 3, Intelligence 4, Strength 4, Speed 6, Stamina 4, Hand Seals 6 — totaling 37. In overall ability, Sasuke was still far ahead of Naruto.]
Images flashed across the Sky Screen.
On the hospital rooftop, as Sakura shouted, Sasuke's hand crackled with the Chidori, countless electrical currents screaming. While in Naruto's hand, the Rasengan spun with azure light.
One leaped from the ground, the other dove from above—both charging at each other.
And just as Sakura rushed toward them regardless of the danger—
Kakashi's figure suddenly intervened, catching both of them by their wrist, forcibly stopping them.
"That's enough."
The scene shifted. Both of their attacks hit the same type of water tanks.
Naruto's Rasengan blasted a hole in one tank, and a small stream of water gushed out.
Sasuke's Chidori blew an even larger hole in another tank, water gushing more violently.
Sasuke stood to the side, looking at the water tanks, as if judging who had won.
But when the camera panned to the back of the tanks—the tank Naruto had hit had a massive hole blown clean through its back.
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
The valley fell silent for a moment.
Naruto blinked—then suddenly jumped up.
"Did you see that?! Sasuke! I'm stronger than you!"
He pointed at the screen, so smug he looked like his he was about to shoot up to the sky.
"This Rasengan thing is stronger than the Chidori! I win!"
Sasuke's expression darkened.
He stared at the tank with the massive hole on the screen, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Kakashi chimed in lazily from the side: "Naruto, the Rasengan and Chidori are fundamentally different types of Ninjutsu to begin with."
Naruto planted his hands on his hips. "Whatever! I won!"
"Won what?" Sasuke said coldly. "The screen said in an actual fight, I'd still be stronger."
"That's just what the screen said! It's not real!"
"What the screen says is real."
"You—!"
And the two were about to start arguing again.
*****
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