Naka Shrine.
Under the huge red torii gate, there is a stone staircase that stretches for hundreds of meters. At this moment, heavy snow is falling, and the stone steps are covered with thick snow.
"Itachi, is it really okay?"
At the bottom of the stone steps, a girl wearing a purple coat and a forehead protector is clearing the snow from the steps with a broom.
The girl looks to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, with long black hair, a clear face, bright eyes, and a beauty mark below her right eye, adding a touch of charm.
Beside the girl, Itachi is also sweeping with a broom, and hearing her question, he answered with an expressionless face: "Our team will be on a break for today and tomorrow."
"I mean your little brother."
The girl looked to Itachi with bright eyes, pretending to be innocent as she asks, "Don't you need to accompany him?"
"He went out with his classmates." Itachi replied calmly.
"Oh." The girl blinks a couple of times and asks with a teasing tone, "Then, if your younger brother didn't go out with his classmates, you wouldn't have time to accompany me?"
Itachi pauses for a moment, and the black pupils of his eyes become even deeper, as if he has encountered an unbeatable enemy, and he was quickly thinking a strategy to overcome it.
"Don't think too much. I already know the answer now, hmph." The girl snorted annoyedly, and continues sweeping the snow with her mouth pouted.
"Izumi, you… I…" Itachi wanted to say something but hesitated.
Seeing Itachi like this, Izumi feels annoyed again and quickly climbs two steps of the stone staircase, distancing herself from him.
Itachi smiles wryly and shakes his head slightly, then follows her.
…
Next to the certain river.
Sasuke clenches his fists tightly, staring at Naruto.
Although Naruto is the son of Yondaime Hokage, in the past few years at the Academy, Naruto has always appeared in the image of an idiot. Coupled with his poor academic performance, frequent criticism from their teacher, Iruka, his infatuation with Sakura, and various ridiculous antics, Naruto has always been perceived as the lowest ranking.
Not only Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Karin and the others, even Kanpū will unconsciously regard Naruto as the lowest ranking when he sees his idiotic appearance. Therefore, being defeated by someone who he always considered a loser, the prideful Sasuke couldn't bear this humiliation!
What's even more unbearable for Sasuke is that he was just pretending to be cool, saying things like 'Naruto, you are far from being my opponent', 'Naruto, you are inviting humiliation to oneself when you fight with me', 'Naruto, you are injured, it's meaningless even if I win.'
And the result?
He couldn't even defeat the injured Naruto!
Embarrassment, discomfort, frustration, anger, suffocation, unwillingness, all kinds of negative emotions brewed and surged in his mind, making him feel utterly ashamed!
At this moment, Naruto arrogantly said: "When you were pestering Sakura, I have always diligently trained. Sasuke, you are no longer my opponent. Just accept this cruel fact!"
'Am I pestering Sakura?'
'It's clearly Sakura the one pestering me!'
'How dare you misunderstand me!!'
At this moment, Sasuke's mind was once again in turmoil.
Until now, Sasuke had been annoyed by Sakura, Ino and Karin's pestering, but the continuous praise and worship had naturally led Sasuke to believe that he was the perfect Prince Charming in their hearts.
But at this moment, their perfect Prince Charming is easily defeated by the lowest ranking in front of them…
And the perfect Prince Charming's image has been shattered.
From now on, how could Uchiha Sasuke maintain his pride in front of them, in Academy, in the classroom?
Then, he heard Sakura say: "Naruto, how can you say such rude things to Sasuke-kun? Apologize quickly!"
Feeling ashamed and humiliated, Sasuke not only didn't feel Sakura's care and love for him from her words, but also felt that his pride and dignity were being trampled upon by her harshly!
'Have I actually fallen so low that I need your pity?'
'What a joke!!'
At this moment, the various negative emotions in his mind are completely out of control and went berserk like a raging flood!
"So, I have never pestered that woman!"
Sasuke stood up coldly from the ground. In a daze, he suddenly felt something rushing into his eyes, followed by a sharp pain, and then the world he saw became clear.
"Sasuke-kun, your eyes…" Sakura looked Sasuke's eyes that suddenly changed in astonishment.
"Is that… Uchiha Clan's Sharingan?" Ino exclaimed in shock.
Karin pretended to push up the glasses on her nose bridge calmly, her eyes shining brightly: 'Sasuke-kun with Sharingan activated looks even cooler~~'
"Sharingan?"
Only the lowest ranking, Naruto, looked puzzled, "What is that? But Sasuke, even if your eyes turning red, you're still not my match!"
"Is that so? Hmph…"
At first, Sasuke was also confused, but he quickly deduced from the unusual vision in his eyes and the reactions of Sakura and the others that he had activated the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha Clan: Sharingan!
'Was it a blessing in disguise?'
Sasuke chuckled, and then said, "Naruto, you know nothing about the power of the Uchiha Clan!"
That's right, with the Sharingan activated, Sasuke felt the familiar pride and dignity coming back to him!
'I am still the same youth as before!'
'I haven't changed at all!'
With a flicker, Sasuke turned into an arrow from the string and rushed towards Naruto. He couldn't wait to redeem his pride and dignity!
Naruto, however, was not backing down and also charged at him with fists swinging.
As the two approached each other at high speed, Sasuke became more and more excited: 'I can see it, I can see every move of Naruto!'
'No!'
'Not just could I see, the Sharingan can also predict his next move!'
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Sasuke pretended to throw a punch towards Naruto's nose. Naruto, who had rich actual combat experience, immediately avoided Sasuke's fist with a side step, and then punched him on the abdomen.
If Sasuke before activating the Sharingan stood on the first level and Naruto on the second, then at this moment, with the Sharingan, Sasuke had already reached the third level!
Sasuke perfectly predicted Naruto's movements, smirked, flipped over, and then made a semicircle with his right foot in the air and kicked Naruto's shoulder heavily!
Bang!
Naruto was kicked directly into the snow!
"Naruto!" Hinata looked at Naruto nervously.
"The lowest ranking should act like the lowest ranking!"
Sasuke stood proudly in front of Naruto, who was trapped in the snow. Looking down at him condescendingly, he said with full of pride, "Naruto, I was just going easy on you earlier. Did you really think you could beat me?"
'Damn it!'
Naruto, who has rich experience in being beaten up, quickly got up from the snow: "I was just going easy on you too! Come again!"
Naruto kicked Sasuke who was close by.
Sasuke lightly leaped, and at the same time, his left foot drew a half-circle, fiercely side-kicking Naruto's cheek.
Plak!
Naruto turned into a paper kite and flew away horizontally.
"My eyes have already predicted all your movements." Sasuke had just finished speaking when he felt a sharp pain in his eyes.
'No good, the consumption of Sharingan is greater than I imagined!'
Sasuke quickly put his hands in his pockets and said coolly, "That's it for today. I'm leaving."
With that, Sasuke turned around, leaving everyone with the lonely figure of an expert, gradually disappearing into the wind and snow.