The class erupted in confusion. No one touched Sasuke. And cast a genjutsu.
He just collapsed under his own fear. And Naruto only smiled quietly, eye half-lidded, watching Sasuke gasp. It was clear he enjoyed the result.
Naruto watched him quietly, eye half-lidded, a small smile forming like he was observing a predictable puzzle piece fall into place. He enjoyed the result.
Sakura sprinted forward, panic already in her voice. "Sasuke-kun!"
Across the benches, Ino shot up with a gasp of her own. "Sasuke-kuuunn!"
Kiba pointed accusingly. "HEY—HEY—WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?"
Tenten stepped forward. "Somebody get water!"
Choji stuffed away his snack. "He's turning pale—bring him food!"
Neji activated his Byakugan instantly. "His chakra flow is spiking dangerously."
Hinata covered her mouth, trembling. "N-Naruto-kun…"
Shino crouched beside Sasuke, calm as ever. "This looks like a shock response. Not poison."
Ino threw him a glare. "What do you mean, bug man?"
Shino adjusted his glasses. "I placed my micro-kikaichū in every McFlurry Naruto made. None detected poison."
Choji made a face. "I'm eating bugs now!? Ewww…"
Shikamaru exhaled, rubbing his forehead as everything clicked together. "Troublesome… that idiot. He's trying to force Sasuke into awakening the Sharingan. He's putting himself on hard mode on purpose."
Iruka dropped to one knee beside him. "Sasuke! Deep breaths—calm down, you're alright—!"
Sakura grabbed his shoulder, voice cracking. "Sasuke-kun, stay with me! If you die I'll be—I'll be completely alone!"
But Naruto wasn't far. He was already there. Sixty centimeters away. Crouched in front of Sasuke. Eye half-lidded, calm, almost bored.
Naruto extended his right hand. Blue flame wrapped around his palm—quiet, contained, waiting.
"Let's make our deal now," he said.
Sakura snapped instantly. "Cut the bullshit, Naruto! Where's Sasuke's antidote?!"
Naruto tilted his head. "The antidote is right here. All Sasuke needs to do… is shake my hand." He smiled slightly. "Hardly the worst deal in the world."
Sasuke's breath hitched. His vision blurred. His heartbeat thrashed against his ribs. I'm not dying like this.
His body disagreed, shaking against the weight of his own fear. His hand refused to move. Every instinct screamed that touching Naruto would drag him into something he couldn't escape.
Sakura gripped his shoulder. "Sasuke—don't you dare close your eyes!"
Sasuke held Naruto's collar tight, breathing rough but steady, the new heat behind his eyes pushing back the fear.
"You son of a bitch," he said, voice low. "You think I'd take that cheap deal? one-eyed idiot. I'm going to beat your ass. I hate this new version of you. You're arrogant. impossible to approach. You look like some villain out of a comic. I liked you better before."
Naruto slapped Sasuke's hand away and adjusted his cloak with a bored flick. "It was a bluff. And before you bark again—look at yourself. Your brother would be proud."
Sasuke blinked once, irritated and confused.
Sakura leaned in, eyes wide. "Sasuke—your eye. It's the Sharingan."
Sasuke stiffened, shock catching his breath. "What?"
Sakura immediately threw her arms around him. "SASUKE-KUN HAS AWAKENED THE SHARINGAN! NARUTO—YOU MONSTER!"
Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Told you it was a bluff. Naruto pushed him because he knew Sasuke would snap first."
Kiba jabbed a finger toward Naruto. "Sasuke's right, y'know. Naruto doesn't look at people the same way anymore. It's like he sees us as… objects . Not friends like he used to want."
Hinata lowered her gaze, hands tight on Naruto's cane. She didn't argue. She only whispered inside Naruto-kun is still Naruto-kun… he is…
Ino exhaled sharply. "That guy almost made all our hearts drop. Who does that?"
Neji glanced at Shino. "Your bugs are digestible, right? Because technically we all ate Naruto's McFlurry."
Shino adjusted his glasses. "Of course. I made sure nothing would damage your nervous systems."
Sasuke steadied his breath. His Sharingan spun faster, settling into two tomoe. The world sharpened around him—chakra signatures glowing like heat traces.
Except Naruto. Sasuke stared harder, eyes narrowing. What he saw wasn't human . It was a shape that didn't match anything he had ever trained to interpret—like the world itself was refusing to classify Naruto as part of it.
Sasuke lowered his voice, focused and uneasy. "What exactly happened yesterday, Naruto?"
Naruto tilted his head as if the question bored him. "About what?"
Sasuke kept his gaze locked. "I can see everyone's signature now. Except yours. It's like you aren't here at all ."
Naruto smiled lightly. "Bravo, Sasuke. Even Neji's Byakugan can't form a clean conclusion like you just did."
Sasuke didn't flinch. "That doesn't answer it."
Naruto leaned the cane against his shoulder. "But you're mistaken about one thing. I am here. I am Naruto."
Naruto's expression shifted—older, heavier, carrying something no child should ever wear. "I just have a lot of things I carried from before I came here. Understand?"
Sasuke opened his mouth to demand the fight again,
but Naruto raised a hand. "Before we start, you should stop being a peeping tom."
Every student blinked, confused.
Naruto tilted his head toward the distant ridge near the mountains. "Over there."
Two silhouettes stood on the rocky height. One in an ANBU mask pushed up onto his head, revealing dark hair and eyes that saw everything. Itachi Uchiha . Beside him, relaxed as if this were a casual stroll, stood Shisui.
Shisui let out a soft whistle. "He looked at us. Directly. That kid—does he detect everyone in the village?"
Itachi didn't look away from Naruto. "What should we do, Shisui? Our order is to escort him to the Third."
A pebble cut through the air . Shisui tilted his head as it grazed his cheek. A tiny paper was wrapped around it.
He unrolled it. the next one will be a bomb if you keep playing games with me
Itachi caught the pebble before it fell. "Right. I'll go myself. You stay here in case this escalates."
Shisui nodded once, his eyes narrowing. I can't shake this feeling… this kid might be resistant to every genjutsu I have. Even Kotoamatsukami—though it should still have a direct effect if the target makes eye contact with me.
He watched Naruto in the far distance, cane resting on his shoulder like a king holding a scepter.
He's the Nine-Tails' container… but somehow, that's not the scary part.Naruto himself is more frightening than the Kyuubi.
Naruto flicked another pebble into his palm, counting how many he needed to throw next into the mountains.
Sakura shot him a dirty look. "You love stones now? Go ahead, eat one. You're insane."
Naruto ignored her and glanced at Sasuke. "Your brother is coming."
Sasuke frowned. "No way. My brother's on a long mission. He told me himself he won't—"
"He's here." Naruto tapped his cane on the ground. "Right about… now."
A sharp fwip of displaced air across the training field.
Itachi appeared in a blur, dropping from a body-flicker and removing his ANBU mask in one smooth motion.
Sasuke lit up instantly. "Nii-san! Look—I have red eyes like yours!"
Itachi nodded once. "It's the Sharingan, Sasuke."
Iruka and Mizuki stiffened, then bowed out of sheer reflex. Iruka spoke quickly. "A-Anbu-sama—we're honored by your presence."
From the bench, Ino squinted. "Why does he look old? And kinda like Naruto—tired of life."
Shikamaru didn't even lift his head. "It's just your imagination, Ino."
Itachi stepped forward, the ANBU mask in his hand, his eyes steady as they locked onto Naruto. "You've grown up, Naruto. Not the same boy I pulled away from bullies years ago."
Naruto's eye flickered—blue sclera flashing once, irritation surfacing before he buried it beneath a calm breath. "Ah… that boy. Well, that boy evolved. Smarter, sharper. Better each day. Better every second."
Sasuke stepped closer, eyes bright with new power. "Nii-san… does your Sharingan see the same thing I saw in Naruto?"
Itachi turned his gaze toward Naruto again, the tomoe spinning with quiet focus. He didn't react outwardly, but what he saw—or didn't see—made his eyes narrow.
Itachi said. "Similar to someone who's asleep…."
Sasuke stiffened. So it's only me. Only I saw something wrong with him.
Itachi studied Naruto in silence, replaying the flicker of blue sclera he'd seen. For a moment, Itachi had felt the gaze of a predator sizing prey.
Itachi turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun. You tried to challenge Naruto to a fight, didn't you?"
Sasuke crossed his arms, trying to look unfazed. "Of course I did. He helped me awaken my Sharingan, but I still need to kick his—"
Itachi leaned down and whispered, voice low. "Forget it, Sasuke. You're not on his level. In fact… even I'm not confident I can fight him."
Sasuke's breath caught. …Eh? Naruto is that dangerous?
Naruto didn't even blink. "Tell that Sarutobi old man this—until he pays the debt he owes me for life, he and I are in a very strained relationship."
Iruka frowned. "Naruto, that's where I draw the line. Sandaime has always supported you. It's not right to say—"
Blue blades erupted around Iruka in a ring, hanging in the air like silent threats.
Naruto's eye shifted—blue sclera, red iris, the mix sharp and hostile. "Can you… quiet down for now? I'm not trying to argue. But I'm not planning to listen either. So stay quiet, please."
Shikamaru watched Naruto's posture, saw the wrong tension in his shoulders, and felt a cold certainty settle. "Yeah… something is very, very wrong."
Itachi stepped forward, expression unreadable. "Then how about this. Instead of forcing the Hokage's summons, you go against me. If I win, you come with me to his office. Peacefully."
Naruto's eye sharpened, mood already frayed. "If you want that, you should've brought Shisui. To even the odds."
Itachi paused.
Naruto lifted his cane and pointed it toward the distant place Itachi and Shisui had been perched moments ago. "And before you try to say he's far away… he's right there. Watching."
On the hill, Shisui stiffened like someone punched his chest.
Naruto lowered the cane. "I'll accept your challenge. But this time… I'm in no mood for restraint."
Then he stopped. Something inside him snapped sideways—wrong, sharp, unfamiliar. The floating blue blades around Iruka weren't planned .
Naruto recognized it instantly. That was her—a fragment of her cruelty leaking through his soul.
Naruto lifted two fingers and made a small, irritated gesture, like dismissing a bad miracle.
The blades shimmered, rippled—then melted into harmless blue candy that rained onto the dirt. Iruka blinked, picked one up, and inspected it with complete confusion. Genjutsu? No… it's real candy?
Naruto ignored him. He scanned himself the way only something ancient could. The answer hit him like an insult. Damn you, Bernkastel. You implanted a failsafe miracle in my soul, didn't you?
A temper spike woven into his core so he would "reset odds" when cornered—just like her.
Naruto's eye faded back to normal as he exhaled once, slow and irritated. So that's the trade-off. I get emergency leverage… and in return I turn just as temperamental as Bernkastel.