First Actual Combat
Two months later, after the second class in the afternoon, Sasuke walked up to Naruto's desk.
He knew Naruto was about to leave. The whole class knew, in fact. This peculiar boy—who barely spoke to anyone—never stayed for more than four classes in a day.
Over these two months, Sasuke had clearly felt his own improvement. He'd found that the mysterious barbecue Naruto shared with him was effective. But… he still hadn't awakened his Sharingan, and he had no idea what to try next.
"Let's go." Naruto gave Sasuke the invitation like he was royalty, then headed toward the rooftop.
The two left the classroom one after another while the rest of the class whispered.
Why Naruto didn't invite Hinata
There were three reasons:
1. He wasn't sure if Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan.
2. If Sasuke could see that, he wouldn't need Hinata's help—so bringing her would just waste a free labor source.
3. The Hyūga clan's traditions were too strict. If Hinata skipped class, she'd be scolded (or worse).
Hinata wasn't like him or Sasuke—free to make all their own decisions. She also wasn't like Chōji, Shikamaru, or Kiba, whose easygoing families didn't mind the occasional class cut.
---
They reached a grove. Sasuke glanced back at the fading purple portal Naruto had opened. Is this… space–time ninjutsu? It felt unreal.
Facing each other, Naruto realized he was actually a little taller than Sasuke.
In the original timeline, Naruto had been malnourished for most of his life, except during infancy when he drank milk. If not for Kurama's chakra keeping him alive, he might have "visited" his mother already—he couldn't exactly meet his father, who was sealed inside the Shinigami's stomach.
Now, though? Naruto could confidently say that—aside from the unidentified species living in his gut that looked like a fox-pig hybrid—he was the best eater in Konoha.
---
Kurama's Gourmet Life
Kurama, by the way, had gotten noticeably… plumper over the last year. Especially after Naruto added two more food pools in his inventory space:
Egg Pool – Always stocked with perfectly fried eggs.
Fish Pool – Grilled fish on demand.
Because, honestly, barbecue every day gets boring—even for foxes.
After Kurama had complained about the "monotony" of his diet, Naruto added these pools. The only other foods he could summon were vegetarian pies, buns, and bread—which Kurama rejected outright.
> "I've lived for over a thousand years. I'm not a vegetarian," Kurama had declared.
The fox adored grilled fish and fried eggs, which Naruto found perfectly reasonable—he'd heard plenty of stories about foxes stealing both in his past life.
---
Back to the present…
---
"Have you opened your eyes yet?" Naruto asked.
"No." Sasuke's tone was clipped. He was frustrated—Itachi had awakened his Sharingan at eight, but Sasuke was already nine and still hadn't. Two months of eating that strange meat hadn't helped.
"Then we change the plan. First, I'll help you open your eyes."
Sasuke frowned. "Help me… open my Sharingan?" He had never heard of a non-Uchiha doing such a thing.
"I don't know exactly what a Sharingan is," Naruto lied smoothly. "I just think it's a special power only Uchiha have."
Sasuke nodded—that much was true.
"And from what I've seen," Naruto continued, "people often awaken hidden power in extreme situations—anger, fear… or near-death experiences. If even death can't trigger it…"
> Then you don't deserve the power, Sasuke thought grimly.
"How?" he asked aloud.
"I heard from Hinata you're top of the class," Naruto grinned. "So let's fight."
---
The Fight Begins
"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked.
"Positive. Don't hold back. If you can beat me into the hospital, I'll thank you. More hospital time means more days off school."
Naruto took what he thought was a boxer's stance—hands up, one in front, one behind. Whether it was technically correct didn't matter. He'd only seen it on TV.
After a short pause, Sasuke mirrored him, eager to test himself.
The match began without a signal. Sasuke darted in, throwing a punch at Naruto's face—a probe.
Naruto caught his wrist, yanked him forward, hooked a foot behind his ankle, and swept his leg.
Sasuke stumbled but planted his hands before hitting the ground, twisting midair to recover his balance, then lashed out with a right-leg kick.
Naruto blocked with his forearms and stepped back.
---
First Exchange Ends
Both paused. Naruto thought, Aren't you supposed to be the cool, stoic Uchiha prodigy? Since when did you learn the Thomas Turn? Do the Uchiha secretly have dance classes?
Sasuke, on the other hand, had already assessed that Naruto was physically stronger. No surprise—if Naruto had been eating that barbecue daily, his body would have strengthened considerably.
The second round began. Sasuke pressed forward, launching combinations. Naruto focused on defending—training against trees didn't prepare him for an opponent that actually moved.
But when an opening appeared, Naruto struck—his fist sank into Sasuke's chest, sending him flying.
---
Midair, Sasuke's mind went blank for a split second before he twisted his fingers into seals, inhaled deeply, and exhaled:
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The flames roared toward Naruto—smaller than an adult's but still dangerous.
---
Naruto didn't form seals. Instead, he pulled a compact sphere of earth from his inventory space, poured mana into it, and shaped it into a blocky Earth Wall. He crouched behind it just as the fireball struck.
The wall took the brunt of the blast, but the edges of the fire curled around, licking at the air beside him. Naruto felt the heat.
So this is what ninjutsu feels like in a real fight, he thought, a bit thrilled.
As for why he didn't use Shadow Clone… he simply forgot. Like a rookie gamer forgetting to use their invincibility item in a boss fight—sometimes from nerves, sometimes from excitement.
After all, silver-ranked noobs are fearless.