Amidst the rubble, Sasuke and Naruto stood facing each other. Their expressions weren't exactly cold, but their eyes held complicated emotions.
Kurama crouched nearby, watching them with curiosity—and a bit of confusion.
Naruto took a deep breath. "I already have a pretty good guess about why we're fighting, but before we start, I still have to ask—Sasuke, why are you fighting me?"
"If you already know, do I really need to say it again?" Sasuke replied quietly.
Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, I think you do. According to Kurama, Talk no Jutsu is a counterattack skill. I have to wait for you to make a move, block it, and then I can use it against you."
Sasuke paused, then nodded in agreement. "Kurama has a point."
After all, Talk no Jutsu did work best as a counter move. He understood that much.
But there was still one problem.
"Are you sure I'm in a state where I'd actually listen to anything you say?"
Naruto blinked, then scratched the back of his head. "Now that you mention it… yeah, that might be a problem."
Sasuke looked calm, like nothing was wrong. But Naruto could tell he was suppressing a huge wave of negative emotions—maybe hatred, maybe anger.
It didn't really matter what it was. The only thing that mattered was if Sasuke didn't let those emotions out, he might end up becoming an enemy of Konohagakure.
Naruto didn't want to see that happen.
That meant this fight was unavoidable—for Sasuke, for the village, and for Itachi.
Kurama, watching Naruto's serious expression, couldn't hold back his thoughts anymore. "Are you sure this isn't just an excuse for a dramatic funeral?"
Naruto: "..."
Honestly, that was hard to deny.
His face turned red. "Be serious! We're about to fight!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't think I forgot what 'dramatic funeral' means. You and Kurama were literally talking about messing around at my funeral."
Wait a second—something about that sentence sounded really wrong.
Kurama gave Sasuke a strange look. "You… you're not seriously thinking about that too, are you?"
Sasuke: "…"
"Focus on the fight." There was no way Sasuke was going to admit that he actually thought what Kurama said earlier was pretty cool—so cool that he was planning to do the same thing for Naruto in the future.
He absolutely wouldn't—
—admit it.
Kurama scoffed. "You two really are best friends."
Thinking about each other's funerals like this? If that's not true brotherhood, what is?
Brotherhood in the most literal sense—right down to the heart.
"*Ahem.*" Sasuke ignored Kurama's words and turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I've been waiting for this fight for a long time."
Since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, they had never been on equal ground. At first, Sasuke awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and had the upper hand over Naruto. Then, Naruto gained the power of the Sage of Six Paths and the Tailed Beasts, turning the tables on Sasuke.
From that moment, they had both been looking forward to this day.
A battle at full strength. A fight with no regrets. No matter who won or lost, neither of them would complain.
"Yeah." Naruto's expression grew serious. "I won't hold back."
"That's what I was hoping for." Sasuke opened his eyes—one Eternal Mangekyou, one Rinnegan, both reflecting Naruto's figure.
The next second, Sasuke charged straight at Naruto. No Sage Mode, no power from the Six Paths—just a direct, straightforward attack.
Naruto took his stance and met him head-on with pure Taijutsu.
Their fists and kicks clashed, but their blows weren't overwhelmingly powerful. There were no flashy Ninjutsu, no massive chakra constructs—just two fighters exchanging blows like fresh Genin, using only the most basic hand-to-hand combat.
It was clear how much they had grown.
A few years ago, back in the Land of Snow, their Taijutsu wasn't even a match for the Snow Ninja. But now, their movements were sharp, controlled, and refined. Maybe they weren't as powerful as they would be in Boruto's time, but just in terms of Taijutsu, they had already surpassed most ninjas.
In pure Taijutsu, Naruto had the edge. His sharp reflexes and powerful body made his attacks stronger in this kind of fight, allowing him to briefly overpower Sasuke.
But strangely enough, Sasuke still had the advantage.
His Sharingan's enhanced vision let him keep up with Naruto's movements, neutralizing his raw power. He could also counter from unexpected angles, making it difficult for Naruto to land solid hits.
Dodging another strike, Naruto frowned. He knew that if they kept trading blows like this, he would eventually lose. Against a Taijutsu fighter, the Sharingan was an extremely troublesome ability to deal with.
If that's the case… then let's win with numbers.
After forcing Sasuke back with a kick, Naruto quickly formed a hand sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. His Eternal Mangekyou spun slightly as he locked onto Naruto's hand seals. Then, in an instant, he widened his eyes—
"Amaterasu!"
But he was too late.
Black flames engulfed Naruto, covering his entire body in an instant. But before the flames could do any real damage, there was a puff of smoke—
And the burning Naruto disappeared.
"A shadow clone combined with a substitution?" Sasuke's expression sharpened. He quickly dodged as two Narutos attacked from both sides, then leaped into the air.
As his body flipped midair, two more Narutos shot up from below, fists aimed at him.
But by then, Sasuke had already completed his own hand seals.
Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and unleashed—
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The flames engulfed the two Narutos instantly, but Sasuke didn't stop there. His expression remained calm as he followed up immediately—
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu!"
A massive fire dragon roared to life, surging toward Naruto with unstoppable force.
Naruto wasn't the least bit upset. He slammed his right hand onto the ground, and black markings spread across the earth. "Sealing Jutsu: Fire Sealing Method!"
A massive fire dragon roared toward the ground, but before it could land, black seals grabbed hold of it. The flames twisted and struggled in midair before vanishing in an instant.
Sasuke landed on the ground. Naruto stood up. The two of them stared at each other.
It felt like a long moment, but in reality, their rapid exchange of jutsu had lasted only a few seconds.
"Shadow clones, substitution jutsu, sealing techniques… Naruto, you're not the loser who had to rely on favors to pass the Genin exam anymore." A grin crept onto Sasuke's face—the kind of grin that came from excitement for a real fight.
Naruto had a similar expression, though he still looked a little annoyed. "For the last time, I passed that exam on my own. I didn't rely on anyone."
To be fair, back then, Naruto was the only one in their class who failed the exam. Yet the very next day at the Genin gathering, he showed up wearing a headband. And the night before, people had seen him eating ramen with Iruka-sensei.
If that wasn't pulling strings, then what was?
No one was going to believe some crazy story about him running into a spy, taking them down with an incredible move, and Iruka deciding his skills were good enough to pass.
No way. There had to be some shady deal behind the scenes.
That's what everyone in their class thought at the time.