Two thick earthen walls rose up in front of Sasuke Uchiha, barely managing to block Naruto Uzumaki's attack at the last second.
hiss!
Upon seeing this, the onlookers gasped in astonishment.
Sasuke Uchiha, who was rescued, was completely dumbfounded.
He had absolutely no chance of blocking the power of that wind-style attack.
Fortunately, this ANBU member arrived in time; otherwise, Sasuke Uchiha would have been cut in half.
"Why is his Fūton technique so powerful?"
"That must be a high-ranking member of the ANBU, right? Even he could barely block Naruto Uzumaki's attack. Sasuke Uchiha is no match for him."
"I've heard that Naruto's Fūton was personally taught by Lord Danzō. No one in the entire Konoha knows Fūton better than Lord Danzō."
Some knowledgeable people were explaining to those around them why Naruto's Fūton was so powerful.
Uchiha Sasuke, however, kept his head down and remained silent.
He had fought Naruto Uzumaki before, and although he lost to him every time, he had been training hard during this period.
He still had many powerful ninjutsu he hadn't used; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have been defeated by Naruto in a single move.
Thinking of this, Uchiha Sasuke felt intense hatred for his own powerlessness, and in his emotional state, he even showed signs of activating his Sharingan.
"Sasuke, calm down. It's just a small setback. We'll get our revenge next time."
"If you can't even accept this defeat with equanimity, then what right do you have to be my son, Uchiha Fugaku?"
Black Fugaku's words were like a wake-up call for Uchiha Sasuke, instantly bringing him to his senses.
Father is right. If we wallow in self-pity just because we lost to Naruto Uzumaki, how can we be worthy of being descendants of the Uchiha clan?
How can I possibly revive the Uchiha clan?
Be magnanimous and show the demeanor of a disciple of a prominent family. Don't lose both the competition and your character.
"Naruto, you are indeed very strong," Sasuke Uchiha said after taking a deep breath. "I am not your match yet. I will continue to work hard, and one day I will catch up with you and surpass you."
As Sasuke Uchiha spoke, he walked towards Naruto Uzumaki and extended his hand to form a reconciliation seal with him.
Naruto Uzumaki: "???"
Looking at Uchiha Sasuke in front of him, he was full of questions. Was this guy really the Sasuke he remembered?
He shouldn't have gotten so angry at that moment that he jumped up and down, then said, "I will definitely defeat you."
"You will never be able to surpass me," Naruto thought to himself, but said it with great arrogance.
The minor incident had now come to an end.
After that, no one dared to mess with Sakura anymore, simply because Naruto Uzumaki kept a very close eye on her.
Sasuke Uchiha, on the other hand, would challenge Naruto Uzumaki every now and then.
Through repeated battles, the two developed a deep friendship and bond.
Although Sasuke Uchiha never won a single game, his strength steadily improved.
His mastery of Fire Release ninjutsu left even the Chunin instructors who taught him feeling inferior, saying that he could apply to graduate early at any time.
And just like that, five years passed in the blink of an eye.
Uchiha Sasuke and the others were facing their real graduation season.
In fact, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki could have graduated five years ago.
However, Naruto Uzumaki did not want to graduate early, and Sasuke Uchiha, seeing that Naruto was not applying to graduate, also chose to stay in the Ninja Academy.
Secondly, Hiruzen Sarutobi was unwilling to release Naruto Uzumaki too soon, fearing that Naruto would still be unable to control the power of the Nine-Tails.
Fortunately, in these five years, Kurama had never gone berserk.
Naruto Uzumaki could even sometimes actively draw upon some of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
This pleased Hiruzen Sarutobi immensely, and he sent a message to Jiraiya, who was traveling throughout the ninja world.
He should bring back the key to seal the Nine-Tails as soon as possible so that Naruto Uzumaki could try to master more of the Nine-Tails' power.
After the graduation exam, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha passed perfectly without any suspense.
On the contrary, Sakura Haruno, who was quite talented in the original work, almost failed the test.
The reason was that Naruto Uzumaki was always around her, making it impossible for her to concentrate on her studies and training.
In addition to the Hokage's orders and Naruto's domineering nature, she didn't even have the right to refuse.
Each time, she could only glance at Uchiha Sasuke with a resentful look.
"Naruto, we're going to be assigned to different classes soon. I really hope we can be in the same class," Sasuke Uchiha said to Naruto Uzumaki with a smile.
After five years of guidance from Black Fugaku, Uchiha Sasuke had long since let go of the hatred in his heart.
He didn't make revenge his primary goal; in fact, it elevated his state of mind.
He always had a smile on his face and was exceptionally popular.
When faced with problems, he no longer reacted with impotent rage, but instead became shrewd and thoughtful, considering things carefully before acting.
"Tch, I don't want to be in the same class as you, I only want to be in the same class as Sakura," Naruto Uzumaki said, pursing his lips. Sasuke Uchiha was indeed his good friend.
Compared to Sakura, she seemed less important.
"You bastard…" Sasuke Uchiha shook his head helplessly.
"Sasuke, do you have someone you like?" Black Fugaku suddenly said in Uchiha Sasuke's mind. "Naruto is so young and he already knows how to chase girls, you can't fall behind."
"If you find someone you like, remember to tell your father. Your mother and I will help you make an assessment. After all, the future of the Uchiha clan rests entirely on your shoulders."
Black Zetsu's words caused Sasuke Uchiha's lips to twitch slightly.
He had focused all his energy on improving his strength in the past few years. He was determined to defeat Naruto Uzumaki, so he had no time to think about these things.
"Father, I can't see anyone else but Naruto," Sasuke Uchiha said subconsciously, looking at Naruto Uzumaki's retreating figure.
"You like Naruto?" Black Fugaku asked, pausing for a moment.
"What I mean is, I don't have the mind to think about those things until I surpass him," Sasuke Uchiha said through gritted teeth, his face slightly flushed.
"That's good!" Black Fugaku nodded secretly.
It was clear that Uchiha Sasuke didn't really have anyone he liked.
This also aligned perfectly with Black Zetsu's plan, unlike Naruto's.
Strengthening Naruto's bond was to better control him after the truth was revealed.
Preventing Sasuke Uchiha from having too many bonds was to prevent him from awakening the Sharingan through those bonds.
As long as he had no ties, he wouldn't experience much emotional fluctuation. In addition, after five years of self-cultivation, he was basically ruined.
As for his only bond, Naruto Uzumaki, he was precisely the tool that Black Zetsu would use to manipulate him in the future.
Using Sakura Haruno to control Naruto Uzumaki, and then using Naruto Uzumaki to control Sasuke Uchiha, was simply perfect.
Just as Black Zetsu was secretly applauding his plan, the classroom door was slowly pushed open...
...
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