By evening, Naruto untied the ropes around himself, marking the end of his weighted training under Kurama's supervision.
However, the small forest still looked like a complete disaster.
Dragging a six or seven-hundred-pound load behind him, Naruto had only managed to take a single step the entire afternoon, let alone clean up the area as Kurama had tasked him to.
Looking at the chaotic scene around him, Naruto sighed. He knew he'd have to spend some extra time tidying things up later that night.
"If only I'd mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu already... this would only take minutes," Naruto muttered to himself.
After taking a few minutes to rest, Naruto opened a portal and stepped back into the classroom.
At this hour, the only person left was Hinata. When she saw him return, she couldn't hide her excitement.
"Naruto-kun…"
Before she could finish her greeting, Naruto gently grabbed her hand and pulled her through the portal.
Hinata blinked as her surroundings suddenly shifted, the classroom vanishing to reveal the outdoors. She found herself standing amidst fallen trees, scattered debris, and rocks.
The chaos around them spoke volumes of Naruto's rigorous training.
"Naruto-kun works so hard…" Hinata whispered, her eyes filled with admiration. "I'll work hard too! I'll train even more!"
Summoning her courage, Hinata managed to get her words out without stammering for once. She wanted to keep up with Naruto, to grow stronger alongside him.
But then, she realized Naruto was still holding her hand. Her face turned beet red, and she felt like she might faint again.
It was only thanks to her growing tolerance that she managed to stay conscious this time.
Naruto noticed her embarrassment and quickly let go of her hand, laughing awkwardly.
"Haha… It's not that big of a deal, really."
Sure, his training was intense, but there had been more than a few times he'd nearly destroyed half the village in the process.
Just as Naruto was about to say something else, a familiar figure approached from a distance.
The trademark spiky hair of the Uchiha clan was unmistakable.
"Sasuke, huh?" Naruto thought to himself.
Sasuke walked up, carrying a small paper bag, looking less brooding than usual but still serious.
Hinata glanced between Sasuke and Naruto, her heart sinking a little. She'd thought it would just be her and Naruto…
Sasuke came to a stop in front of Naruto, his face twisted in a mixture of frustration and reluctance. Without waiting for a response, he shoved the paper bag into Naruto's arms.
"Here."
Naruto looked down and saw it was filled with apples. He chuckled.
Was this Sasuke's way of returning the favor?
"I couldn't find any golden apples in the village," Sasuke muttered, as if worried Naruto would turn his nose up at his gift.
Naruto grinned. Sasuke had probably realized the golden apple he'd eaten earlier wasn't ordinary after it healed him so quickly.
Taking one of the apples, Naruto wiped it clean and handed it to Hinata, then tossed another to Sasuke before grabbing one for himself.
Sasuke took the apple without a second thought and started munching on it.
Naruto, still chewing on his own apple, could tell something was on Sasuke's mind. The kid wore his emotions on his sleeve.
"So, what's up?" Naruto asked casually, not as confrontational as usual. After all, Sasuke had just given him a gift, and they had fought before.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Sasuke said, his voice determined, "let's have a rematch."
"Huh?"
Naruto was momentarily stunned. Of all the things Sasuke could've said, this was not what he expected.
Even if Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan, Naruto was pretty sure the fight would end the same way as before. Was this kid just asking to get beaten again?
Hinata, overhearing the conversation, also looked to Naruto with curiosity. She had always wondered just how strong Naruto was.
"You serious?"
Sasuke's face was resolute, all arrogance gone. Naruto could see that the Uchiha massacre had changed him.
"I want to see how much stronger you are than me," Sasuke declared.
"Alright," Naruto said, finishing his apple and brushing the dirt off his pants as he stood up.
Their conversation was brief, but that was all they needed. In a matter of moments, the two stood facing each other in an open clearing.
Sasuke had come to terms with his weakness after the Uchiha massacre. He knew he had to acknowledge his flaws if he wanted to grow stronger, and right now, Naruto was the strongest peer he knew.
The two locked eyes and formed the seal of confrontation, signaling the start of their spar.
In the blink of an eye, Sasuke activated his Sharingan.
Naruto noticed the single tomoe in Sasuke's left eye and the double tomoe in his right, but all he could think was, Really? Just one tomoe in the left eye?
Wait a minute! He remembered something.
"Don't look him in the eyes!" Naruto quickly turned his head to avoid Sasuke's Sharingan, but just to be safe, he pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his inventory and put them on.
"Kurama! Help me keep track of his movements," Naruto called out to the fox sealed within him.
Kurama lazily lifted his eyelids but didn't respond. Still, Naruto knew the fox had agreed.
With the sunglasses on, Sasuke couldn't tell whether Naruto's eyes were open or closed.
Naruto planned to rely on Kurama to guide him, avoiding eye contact until he could get behind Sasuke for a surprise attack.
Sasuke stared at Naruto, confused. Why was Naruto putting on sunglasses? What was this nonsense?
He blinked, trying to activate his Sharingan's genjutsu several times, but… nothing happened. Naruto just stood there, completely unaffected.
Why isn't the genjutsu working? Sasuke thought, his mind racing. Could… could it be the sunglasses?!
Was the world really this ridiculous? Could sunglasses block genjutsu?
Realizing genjutsu was useless, Sasuke quickly threw several shuriken and kunai at Naruto while beginning to form hand signs.
Naruto, his senses heightened, heard the familiar whizzing of the shuriken cutting through the air. He didn't even need Kurama's warning to know they were coming.
This time, instead of blocking them with something like his giant iron door, he tossed out three portals, the purple light cocooning him completely. The projectiles vanished as they passed through.
In the glow of the purple light, both Sasuke and Hinata looked on in amazement.
"Wow… so cool!" Hinata whispered, her hand covering her mouth in awe. She had never imagined Naruto's power could be used this way.
Sasuke, meanwhile, was stunned, his pupils widening as he realized something was off.
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