Upon hearing Shinji's proposal, Sasuke's eyes immediately lit up.
If it was truly as Shinji said, as long as he defeated Naruto, he could go home. Then his father and older brother wouldn't be able to force him to take a master.
Sasuke immediately nodded and said, "No problem, Shinji-sensei."
Seeing Sasuke agree, Shinji's lips curved upward. During the time Naruto had been with him, his training had progressed to the point where he could now take on Shikamaru and Choji's combined efforts.
Hearing that he had a legitimate chance to beat up Sasuke, Naruto immediately spoke loudly, "Hmph, arrogant Sasuke, I'm going to beat you black and blue."
"Tch, loser." Sasuke, hands in pockets, dismissed Naruto's big talk with a sneer.
"Very good, then let's start on the open ground over there." Shinji said, pointing towards the empty space on the training ground.
He then turned to Naruto with a slight smile and said, "Naruto, if you are defeated by Sasuke, all of Shikamaru and the others' assignments for today will be done by you."
"If the battle drags on for more than five minutes, then all assignments for the next five days will be yours."
Upon hearing this, Naruto's face changed. Remembering the mountain of assignments, he couldn't help but shiver.
Choji, beside him, tugged on Naruto's sleeve, and asked, "Naruto, how about you try to drag it out for ten minutes?"
Good heavens!
Shikamaru, who was nearby, couldn't help but look at Choji in surprise. This was practically asking Naruto to die.
"No! I'm going to finish off Sasuke in one minute!"
Naruto, thinking of the mountain of assignments, rejected the seemingly honest but secretly dark Choji.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was a little puzzled. Shinji wanted Naruto to defeat him within five minutes.
What a joke, this loser isn't strong enough.
Sasuke left Shinji and the others, walking to the empty space to start stretching and warming up. To get his brother to teach him, he was going to be serious.
Naruto also came onto the field. Seeing Sasuke, he said, "Sasuke, I'm going to show you the results of my training these past few months."
Sasuke wouldn't indulge Naruto's arrogant attitude. He slowly said, "Is that so? All I know is that in the final exam before the holidays, I was first."
Naruto said with an unconvinced expression, "That's because I'm not good at assignments. Otherwise, first place would have been mine."
Assignments were his weak point. He didn't know that the first final exam would only test assignments.
Shinji, standing beside them, rubbed his forehead helplessly. Were these two sworn enemies?
"If you drag this out any longer, Naruto, you'll have to complete a set of assignments for me first."
As soon as this was said, Naruto, who had been about to argue, immediately shut his mouth and turned to look at Sasuke seriously.
"Watch closely!"
Naruto took a step, and his entire body rushed towards Sasuke.
So fast!
Sasuke, who had originally been dismissive, narrowed his pupils and retreated, pulling away from Naruto. Naruto pursued closely. Now, he just wanted to catch Sasuke and beat him black and blue.
On the field, after Sasuke dodged Naruto's charge once again, Naruto could no longer hold back and shouted loudly, "Arrogant Sasuke! Are you just going to keep dodging?"
"If I can dodge, why should I take the hit?" Sasuke deliberately said, though the expression on his face was extremely serious.
Although he had been constantly dodging Naruto's attacks, the speed and strength Naruto displayed definitely far exceeded his own.
What was going on? Why had this loser become so strong?
Thinking of this, Sasuke looked at Shinji standing outside the field, and he couldn't help but have some suspicions.
"Got you!"
Taking advantage of Sasuke's momentary distraction, Naruto seized the opportunity and closed in.
Damn it!
Sasuke, who had come back to his senses, immediately pulled out several shuriken from the ninja tool pouch behind him and shot them towards Naruto, attempting to change Naruto's attack route.
Naruto, having seized the opportunity, would not let Sasuke have his way. He used his weighted arm to block and sent the shuriken flying. He came before Sasuke and kicked the unsuspecting Sasuke away. Sasuke rolled in mid-air, using the momentum to land, and immediately formed hand signs.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
A fireball, slightly larger than Naruto, emitted a scorching aura and shot directly towards Naruto.
Boom!
As if hitting an object, the fireball instantly exploded, and smoke spread in all directions.
"Tch, loser."
Sasuke, feeling that Naruto had probably been hit, straightened up and put his hands in his pockets.
"Move again, and your neck will break, Sasuke." A calm voice sounded from behind Sasuke.
Naruto was holding a kunai in a reverse grip, pressing it against Sasuke's neck, while his other hand was pressed against Sasuke's cheek.
Sasuke felt the cold sensation of the kunai pressing against his neck.
"How could this be!" Sasuke, full of disbelief, cried out.
Naruto behind him lifted the kunai slightly, cutting off a few strands of Sasuke's bangs.
Naruto cleanly put away the kunai, clasped his hands behind his head, and said with a hint of exasperation, "You made a conclusion without confirming whether the enemy had lost the ability to fight you. You'll die a very miserable death like that, Sasuke."
"You lost."
After speaking, Naruto slowly walked over to Shinji.
Shinji chuckled and shook his head, reaching out to pat Naruto's head.
"Well done, Naruto."
"Thank you, Shinji-sensei." Naruto wiped his nose with his index finger, responding very happily.
"Oh, right, how long did I take?" Naruto, remembering the important matter, quickly asked.
Shikamaru, who was beside him, put down his stopwatch and lazily said, "Two minutes."
Sasuke, who had been stunned in place, suddenly snapped back to reality when he heard Shikamaru announce the time.
He actually lost? And he lost so quickly, so decisively?
He knew that he had been avoiding Naruto the entire time from the beginning, and the actual engagement was only for a moment.
Shinji stood still. Although the reward for Sasuke becoming his disciple would probably not be small, a forced sale was not worth much. He was not like before. If Sasuke couldn't accept this temporary failure, then it made no difference if he didn't take him as a disciple.
Moreover...
He glanced at the dense forest next to the training ground. Someone else was watching there.
After a long time, Sasuke finally walked up to Shinji. He looked up at Shinji and, after a while, asked, "Shinji-sensei, if I train with you, can I defeat Naruto?"
Naruto, who had been about to retort, was pulled back by Ino.
Seeing the plea in Ino's eyes, Naruto could only turn his face away in displeasure.
Arrogant Sasuke, you still have a long way to go to catch up to me.
Shinji chuckled. "Sasuke, Naruto's current level is not only due to my guidance but also his own efforts."
"So, what have you decided? If you don't want to, I can take you home and tell your father that you won't be taking this master."