"Getting cocky, are we?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, casually rolling up his sleeves.
Sasuke's face turned serious, like he was heading into battle.
> "Let's settle this with strength," Sasuke said.
"I scored a perfect 10 with my shuriken. If you're so great, you do it."
Naruto tilted his head, staring at him like he'd discovered a rare animal.
> "Oh? A provocation tactic?"
"Uchiha's getting smarter. What a surprise."
Sasuke's face turned red in an instant.
He really wanted to punch this guy—
If he could win.
But he couldn't.
Couldn't out-punch him, couldn't out-talk him.
> Damn it, so frustrating!
> "Fine, let's give the Uchiha golden boy a little eye-opener," Naruto said, reaching for a shuriken from his pouch.
> "A real ninja is an assassin—like a viper waiting in the shadows for a lethal strike."
He flicked his wrist.
The shuriken whistled through the air like a fired cannon shell, slicing through the bullseye…
And kept going.
THUD—CRACK—CRASH
It tore through the target, then through several trees, and only stopped when it embedded itself in a rock wall.
> "If your first strike fails," Naruto said, dusting his hands off,
"Run a thousand miles."
He casually pulled out another shuriken. Then another. And another…
> "The point is to kill in one hit."
One by one, Naruto's throws obliterated every target.
When the tenth shuriken hit?
BOOM. The final wooden target exploded into a shower of splinters.
---
"This is the Correct Way to Throw a Shuriken."
That was no shuriken throw—it was a miniature artillery barrage.
The Konoha Academy teacher recording scores stood frozen, sweat dripping down his face as he watched the shattered remains of the target rain down.
> 'If that hit a person… they'd be dead. Like, really dead.'
'Do normal jutsu even hit that hard?'
Naruto, dead serious, said:
> "This is how a shuriken is meant to be used."
> "All that girly fluttery wrist-action crap of yours can't even kill an enemy. At best, it'll give them a papercut."
Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto took Hinata by the hand and walked off without another word.
---
The Crowd: Absolutely Stunned
Naruto's power-throw technique stunned the entire crowd of baby ninjas. No one had ever seen shuriken used like this before.
Even Sasuke stood there, doubting his entire throwing method.
It wasn't until he was nearly home that it hit him:
> 'Wait a minute. Shuriken… aren't meant to kill people anyway, right?'
> 'I mean, seriously—when have you ever heard of a top-tier ninja dying from a shuriken or kunai?'
Fair point.
---
The Uchiha Residence – That Evening
The sun set over the Uchiha compound as Sasuke trudged home, sulking hard.
> "I'm home…"
Pushing the door open, Sasuke was surprised to hear laughter from inside the house.
Wait—was that… Dad laughing?
His father, Uchiha Fugaku, was a famously stone-faced man who barely ever smiled. Sasuke could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen him laugh. Lately, not even once.
> 'Could it be… big bro Itachi's back?!'
Excited, Sasuke raced to the living room and flung the door open—only to freeze in shock.
He stood dumbfounded for several seconds.
When his brain finally rebooted, he pointed at the guest on the couch and shouted:
> "Why is he in our house?!"
It was none other than Naruto.
Before Naruto could reply, Fugaku scowled and barked:
> "Sasuke! That's not how you speak to a guest. Where are your manners?"
> "But he's—!"
> "Hnn?"
Fugaku's voice dropped an octave.
Sasuke instantly shriveled up.
He glanced toward his mother for backup.
Surely Mikoto, his mom, would take his side?
Nope.
> "Sasuke," Mikoto said gently but firmly,
"Naruto is your classmate. You can't speak to him that way."
Sasuke's jaw dropped.
Even his mom was siding with this jerk!?
With no options left and feeling utterly betrayed, little Sasuke pouted hard and sulked:
> "S-sorry, Naruto-kun. I was… out of line."
Naruto waved it off with a grin.
> "No worries! Knowing your faults and correcting them—that's what makes a good kid."
He said it with the smug air of a condescending uncle.
> 'This guy…'
Sasuke's forehead twitched.
井 ← (a metaphor for his inner frustration hitting critical mass)
Just as Sasuke looked ready to explode again, a single look from his father shut him down instantly.
Defeated and miserable, Sasuke fled to his room—tears welling up in his eyes.
---
> "Apologies for the scene," Fugaku said, looking embarrassed.
> "It's fine, Grumpy Uncle," Naruto replied with a chuckle.
"Sasuke's got potential. He's got talent, a decent heart… clearly takes after you and Mikoto-san."
Naruto knew what he was doing. When in doubt? Flatter the parents.
And honestly? In the canon timeline, Sasuke did go far.
---
Why Naruto Was Even There in the First Place?
Let's rewind to three months ago.
Sasuke, in a moment of pure headstrong pride, challenged Naruto…
…and was promptly decked into tears.
Later that same day, Naruto ran into Fugaku and Mikoto on the street.
He immediately recognized them.
Three years ago, when Naruto had been dangerously close to snapping after an ugly confrontation with villagers, it was Fugaku and Mikoto who stepped in and helped him.
Back then, Naruto had just started training in the Turtle School arts. He wasn't nearly as powerful as he is now.
If it hadn't been for the Uchiha couple stepping in?
Things might've gotten very dark.
He might've even become the first five-year-old rogue ninja in history.
That one act of kindness—their pure, genuine protection without prejudice—left a deep mark in Naruto's heart.
> "A drop of kindness must be repaid like a flood."
That was Naruto's code.
So later, he "accidentally" helped the Konoha Military Police with a tricky issue. Then did it again. And again.
One thing led to another—and Naruto became a frequent visitor of the Uchiha household.
PS: Access advance chapters at
https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL