Chapter 43: The Sky Cleared, the Rain Stopped

Konoha, Year 55.

Ninja Academy, Class 2-A, practical training.

"Winner: Kiba Inuzuka!"

On the training ground, Kiba effortlessly took down one of the background students, securing a victory in the practical match.

"Exchange the Seal of Reconciliation."

After making the two students exchange the Seal of Reconciliation, Iruka swept his gaze across the class before suddenly freezing.

Why were there only boys left?

Where had all the girls gone?

Following the resentful gazes of the boys, Iruka looked toward the shade of a tree.

There, Ino and Hinata were kneeling side by side, while Naruto lay in front of them with his head resting comfortably between their thighs.

Iruka turned toward another patch of shade.

There, Sakura Haruno and a group of background girls surrounded Sasuke Uchiha.

The boys in the class muttered resentfully among themselves.

"Looks like Uchiha Sasuke is still more popular with the girls."

"Tch, can you even compare them? The girls around Naruto are daughters of major clans. The Uchiha are a major clan themselves, so the ones attracted to Sasuke are just vain civilian girls."

"I want a girl fanning me too."

"I want to rest my head on a girl’s lap too."

"Me too! I don’t even need two girls at the same time. Just one would be enough!"

A vein immediately bulged on Iruka’s forehead.

Were these kids here to attend the Ninja Academy or to date?!

He promptly shouted,

"Next match! Sasuke Uchiha versus Naruto Uzumaki!"

A sharp glint flashed through Sasuke’s eyes.

He stood up and proudly looked toward Naruto.

Naruto, who had been pretending to sleep, lazily raised his eyelids and waved a hand.

"I forfeit."

Then he rubbed his face against Ino and Hinata’s thighs before comfortably closing his eyes again.

Knowing that the entire class had turned their attention toward her, Hinata’s face immediately flushed bright red as she lowered her head.

Ino, however, didn’t care in the slightest.

Instead, she glanced at Hinata with an unhappy expression.

She almost wished she could just pull Naruto’s head completely onto her own lap.

But Ino also knew that Naruto would never neglect Hinata.

They had known each other for a year already, and Ino had long since seen through Naruto.

Whenever he gave them presents, he always prepared two.

He never favored one over the other.

There had even been one time when Ino went to Naruto’s house looking for him and happened to see him through the window, sleeping on the sofa while holding hands with an older kunoichi.

Apparently, they had already been living together for years!

Naruto was such a shameless womanizer!

Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha was furious.

"Damn it! Naruto! Are you looking down on me?!"

Naruto lazily raised his eyelids again.

"You think you’re up to it now?"

The boys in the class immediately burst into laughter.

Sasuke’s face darkened.

Remembering the time Naruto had beaten him black and blue, Sasuke’s face began aching all over again.

The girls surrounding Sasuke hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"Forget it, Sasuke. Naruto already forfeited."

"Yeah, Sasuke. You’ve already won. Don’t fight him anymore."

"Exactly, Sasuke. There’s no need to fight someone as reckless as Naruto."

Sasuke trembled with rage.

"Shut up!"

He couldn’t help shouting.

Then he turned around, folded his arms across his chest, and stared arrogantly at Naruto.

"I am no longer the same person I was before! I have received guidance from Onii-san. Do you really think you can still defeat me so easily? Or are you looking down on the Uchiha clan?!"

He deliberately emphasized the words Onii-san.

The implication was obvious.

Your Izumi-san is only a genin.

My brother, on the other hand, is a jōnin!

As for accusing Naruto of looking down on the Uchiha clan, that was because Izumi Uchiha had left the Uchiha clan.

So, in Sasuke’s mind, Naruto must also be looking down on the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke believed that Naruto possessed his current strength because he had received guidance from Izumi Uchiha.

Therefore, in his heart, this battle between him and Naruto was no longer merely a personal match.

It had become a battle for clan honor!

Having received guidance from a true Uchiha, Sasuke had to defeat the person taught by the woman who had abandoned the glory of the Uchiha clan!

He would show that woman just how foolish it had been to abandon the honor of the Uchiha clan!

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Oh? This guy has quite the imagination.

The sky had cleared, the rain had stopped, and Sasuke was feeling himself again!

Without saying another word, Naruto couldn’t very well refuse when Sasuke was practically begging for a beating.

He sprang to his feet and then leaped onto the training ground.

Sasuke clenched his fists, his face filled with excitement.

Finally, he could wash away his past humiliation!

"Seal of Confrontation."

Under Iruka’s supervision, Naruto and Sasuke formed the Seal of Confrontation.

"Begin!"

At Iruka’s command, Sasuke immediately retreated while reaching his right hand toward the kunai pouch strapped to his thigh.

He had barely drawn the kunai halfway out—

"Too slow!"

Naruto was already standing in front of him, despite being ten meters away just a moment ago!

Sasuke’s pupils contracted.

Naruto pressed down with his left hand, forcing the half-drawn kunai completely back into its pouch.

At the same time, a fist rapidly expanded before Sasuke’s eyes!

"Ah!"

"Don’t!"

"Don’t hit Sasuke in the face!"

The girls outside the training area couldn’t bear to watch and hurriedly covered their eyes.

Bang!

Just as Naruto’s fist slammed into Sasuke’s head, a cloud of smoke erupted.

"Excellent! Sasuke’s Substitution Technique is very well practiced, and his timing was perfect!"

Iruka nodded while explaining to the students beside him.

Then his brows suddenly furrowed.

Sasuke had appeared behind Naruto, his hands already forming seals.

Snake.

The moment Iruka recognized the first hand seal, he roughly guessed what jutsu Sasuke intended to use.

His pupils immediately shrank.

"Sasuke, stop!"

"Let me show you the Uchiha’s jutsu, Naruto!"

Sasuke had no intention of stopping.

His hands continued forming seals.

Ram—Monkey.

"Watch out, Naruto!"

Ino couldn’t help shouting worriedly from the sidelines.

Hinata was worried too, but then she thought...

At this speed, I could probably finish the Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms before he finished his hand seals.

Naruto should be fine... right?

On the training ground, Naruto had just landed and turned around.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Two seals per second?

Sasuke, are you sure you’re not messing with me?

But the distance between them was now nearly twenty meters.

If Naruto rushed over and interrupted Sasuke before he completed his hand seals, it would expose strength far beyond what he had consistently displayed so far.

He couldn’t do that.

Without thinking any further—

Adamantine Sealing Chains!

Two golden chains burst from Naruto’s body!

Their speed was astonishing!

Boar.

Sasuke’s pupils contracted as he formed his fourth seal.

What is that?!

The next moment—

Horse.

As Sasuke formed his fifth seal, he suddenly saw a golden chain rapidly growing larger in his field of vision.

An ominous—and strangely familiar—premonition rose in his heart.

Smack!

The first golden chain whipped directly across Sasuke’s left cheek!

Pfft~!

Sasuke hadn’t even had time to complete the final Tiger seal before saliva went flying from his mouth!

Smack!

The other golden chain immediately cracked across Sasuke’s right cheek!

Did you think that was the end?

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

Left!

Right!

Left!

Right!

Left!

Right!

Sasuke was sent flying from side to side in midair as the golden chains relentlessly lashed his face.

"No! No! Stop! Don’t hit Sasuke in the face anymore!"

It was absolutely brutal!

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