Cheating
The battle raged on. Sasuke, realizing that his Great Fireball Technique hadn't worked, hurled two kunai and four shuriken at Naruto before charging straight at him.
Naruto, seemingly casual, pulled out a mithril ingot from his inventory — about the size of a kunai — and batted the weapons aside. He deflected three shuriken and one kunai, but another shuriken grazed his clothes, and a second kunai slipped past his guard, piercing his arm. It wasn't deep, but it stung.
Truthfully, nobody had ever taught Naruto how to counter these attacks. Blocking four and dodging one was purely a product of raw reflex and instinct.
He shoved the mithril back into storage, wincing as he yanked the kunai from his arm. Already, the wound began knitting together.
Sasuke noticed this and froze mid-charge.
His wound… it's healing on its own? Is this guy even human? Is that why he said he wasn't afraid of getting hurt?
Sasuke's mind was quick — even when Rock Lee had launched him into the sky during the Chūnin Exams in the manga, he'd managed to assess the situation instantly.
Naruto was all stamina and resilience — a pure tank. Sasuke had polished skills, years of training, and textbook ninja techniques.
Each knew the other's strengths and weaknesses.
Sasuke: formally trained in shurikenjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu since childhood.
Naruto: no teacher, zero formal combat lessons, but blessed with absurd physical stats — strength, speed, and reaction time.
With shuriken and kunai proving ineffective, and Sasuke's chakra too low for more fire-style ninjutsu, the fight devolved into mostly taijutsu.
Sasuke unleashed crisp combinations, and Naruto focused on defense. He took a few hits, but they barely slowed him down. Whenever Naruto counterattacked, Sasuke couldn't withstand even a single solid punch.
Their training philosophies couldn't be more different: Sasuke was a textbook Konoha shinobi, Naruto… was training like a Saiyan.
Once again, Naruto's fist smashed into Sasuke's guard, knocking him back.
"Is this all you've got?" he taunted, grinning.
Sasuke grit his teeth. "Tch… damn it!" He charged again.
What the hell have I been learning at the Academy all these years if I can't beat someone who never even shows up to class?
The truth was… the Academy was more theory than practical training. In the manga, Team 7 had graduated knowing only the Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique, and the utterly useless Academy Clone Technique. Tree-walking and water-walking weren't even taught until after graduation.
Naruto dodged a sweeping kick, caught Sasuke's arm, and sent him flying with a shoulder throw. Planting a foot lightly on Sasuke's neck, he mocked, "Is this really all the Uchiha name amounts to?"
The jab hit home. Sasuke's mind flashed back to the night of the Uchiha massacre — to Itachi's cold words: "I killed them to test my ability." His rage boiled over.
Naruto could see the anger taking effect. He stepped back, letting Sasuke scramble to his feet.
"You… are not allowed… to insult the Uchiha," Sasuke growled. His eyes snapped open — blood-red, two tomoe in the right eye, one tomoe in the left.
Naruto exhaled slowly. Of course… an Indra reincarnate. The Sharingan awakens the moment the drama quota is met.
Fueled by rage and enhanced by the Sharingan's predictive vision, Sasuke's speed spiked. For a brief moment, he even pressured Naruto. The dojutsu's insight let him read Naruto's movements better, landing sharper counters.
Naruto, annoyed, thought, You're using cheats now? Should I pop one tail? …No, that'd be too much. Today's goal's already met.
The burst didn't last. After barely three minutes, Sasuke collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. His eyes dimmed as exhaustion set in.
Naruto looked down at him, hesitated, then sighed. "Tch… fine." He knelt, pressing his arm toward Sasuke's mouth. "Bite."
Sasuke blinked in confusion. "??" His expression practically said: My last name isn't Hyūga, why—
"Just bite it. You'll recover chakra and heal. Memorize the spot with your Sharingan. But if you bite off a chunk, I'll kill you," Naruto said flatly. Just think of it as a dog bite… just a dog bite…
Sasuke reluctantly sank his teeth in — and felt his chakra refill almost instantly. His wounds sealed in seconds.
Naruto turned away, wincing like a kid getting a shot. He could feel his chakra draining — and maybe a bit of his life force along with it.
Sasuke sat up, flexing his hands. "What ability… was that?"
"Racial talent," Naruto shrugged. "Like your Sharingan — not every Uchiha awakens it, not every Uzumaki has mine."
"Oh…" Sasuke murmured.
Naruto scratched his head. "Sorry about earlier. The insults, the head-stomping… y'know."
Sasuke considered it. "It's fine. You helped me awaken the Sharingan. I'll let it go."
The two sat in silence for a moment before Naruto stood. "That's enough for today. Go rest, get used to your new eyes. We'll discuss barbecue tomorrow."
"Yeah."
Naruto sent a clone to escort Sasuke back through a portal. The clone grabbed Sasuke's arm gently. Internally, Naruto smirked. At least I didn't drag him by the neck like some anime thug.