Chapter 574: The Strongest of This Generation

Chapter 574: Chapter 574: The Strongest of This Generation

Feeling the attention of the children his age gathered around him, Naruto, who had always been rejected and isolated, felt immensely proud. This was the moment of glory he had always dreamed of!

At that moment, he pointed his thumb at himself and loudly declared, "Listen up, everyone! I, Uzumaki Naruto, am the man who will become Hokage someday!"

Instantly, the surroundings fell silent.

"Hahahaha!"

The silence was quickly broken. Recovering from their surprise, the parents and children burst into laughter.

Sasuke covered his face, not wanting to admit that he even knew Naruto.

On the distant platform, the Third Hokage, with his pipe in his mouth, shook his head helplessly.

Jiraiya said to Tsunade beside him, "I never expected this brat to have the same dream as Minato. He wants to become Hokage too!"

Tsunade, however, merely gazed at Naruto in silence.

Both her younger brother, Nawaki, and her lover, Kato Dan, had once harbored the same dream as the Naruto standing before her—to become Hokage.

Unfortunately, both had fallen on the battlefield, their lives cut short on the path toward that dream.

Amid the laughing crowd, Hinata was the only one whose eyes sparkled like stars as she gazed at Naruto with a face full of admiration.

She firmly believed that Naruto would definitely become Hokage!

Naruto paid no attention to the ridicule around him. He intended to prove himself to everyone through his strength.

Thus, he looked at Sasuke earnestly and said, "Sasuke, please accept my challenge!"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto and said coolly, "Naruto, even if you really have learned some kind of senjutsu, you’re still no match for me. Against these Sharingan of mine, you don’t stand a chance!"

"That’s not true!"

With that, Naruto brought his palms together with a sharp clap and attempted to enter Sage Mode.

He firmly believed that Ichikishimahime of Ryuchi Cave hadn’t lied to him. In Sage Mode, he would undoubtedly be the strongest among his peers, and he would definitely be able to defeat Sasuke, even with his Sharingan.

Seeing Naruto’s serious demeanor, Sasuke became slightly more attentive, and the pitch-black pupils in his eyes turned scarlet.

Beside Sasuke, Fugaku maintained his stern expression, revealing nothing of what he was thinking. Itachi, meanwhile, watched Naruto curiously.

He had heard of senjutsu before and had even witnessed Jiraiya in Sage Mode on the battlefield, so he understood just how powerful senjutsu could be.

The surrounding spectators gradually stopped laughing as well, turning their gazes toward Naruto with expressions of anticipation or curiosity.

On the platform, Jiraiya’s expression grew solemn. He could vaguely sense natural energy surging within Naruto.

At the other end of the platform, Kagami narrowed his eyes.

He knew that Naruto indeed possessed the aptitude to cultivate senjutsu, but logically speaking, Naruto should have had absolutely no opportunity to come into contact with it at this point in time.

For a moment, regardless of whether they believed him or not, everyone’s attention was focused on Naruto—on this child who had boldly declared that he would become Hokage!

Pfffft...

Just when everyone thought Naruto might actually perform some kind of senjutsu, after straining for so long, all he managed to produce was a loud, foul-smelling fart!

"Huh!? How did this happen?"

Naruto was completely bewildered.

To prepare for today’s challenge against Sasuke, he hadn’t slept a wink the previous night. Suppressing his impatience, he had sat on his bed absorbing natural energy throughout the entire night, only managing to doze off briefly when dawn was approaching.

He had thought the natural energy he had absorbed would be sufficient to enter Sage Mode, but when he actually tried, he discovered that he still couldn’t enter it.

"What an idiot!"

Curling his lips, Sasuke stopped paying attention to Naruto and turned to leave.

Having finally mustered the courage to challenge Sasuke, Naruto naturally wasn’t about to let him walk away just like that. Throwing caution to the wind, he shouted and charged straight at Sasuke.

Sasuke, who was leisurely strolling toward the Ninja Academy’s entrance with both hands tucked into his pockets, seemed completely unaware of Naruto lunging at him from behind.

Yet, just as Naruto was about to reach him, Sasuke’s figure suddenly flickered.

He deftly slipped behind Naruto, casually kicked him to the ground, and planted a foot on his back.

Then, sweeping his gaze across the surrounding students of his generation, he declared as though issuing a challenge to them all, "All attacks are useless against these Sharingan of mine! I, Uchiha Sasuke, am the strongest of this generation!"

With that, Sasuke, his hands still tucked into his pockets, followed his father and elder brother toward the Ninja Academy’s entrance.

Naruto unwillingly climbed back to his feet.

Sasuke’s movements just now had been so fast that he hadn’t even had time to react.

However, the surrounding children weren’t laughing at Naruto this time.

Sasuke’s performance had far exceeded their expectations. Just like Naruto, none of them had managed to react in time.

Among the crowd, Neji wore a solemn expression.

"Sasuke’s speed has improved considerably since last time, and his perceptive abilities seem to be improving as well. He’s truly an opponent who cannot be underestimated!"

Shikamaru scratched his head.

"Sigh, looks like there are quite a few troublesome guys among our classmates this year!"

Sai held a small sketchbook, drawing and scribbling away. With just a few simple strokes, he vividly reproduced the scene of Sasuke knocking Naruto to the ground.

Kurama Yakumo leaned over beside Sai, watching him draw with a look of fascination.

Rock Lee clenched his fists and gazed at Sasuke’s gradually receding figure, setting him as the goal he would strive to surpass.

Sakura and Ino, meanwhile, were completely captivated by the handsome Sasuke, gazing at him with lovestruck expressions.

Seeing that everyone’s attention had been stolen by Sasuke, Naruto grew anxious and frustrated. He racked his brains, desperately trying to think of another technique he could use to defeat Sasuke.

"Huh? How could I forget? I can use the Summoning Technique too!"

Suddenly remembering that he had learned the Summoning Technique, Naruto hurriedly bit his finger, preparing to summon his contracted beast, Garaga, and settle things with Sasuke once and for all.

Just then, a hand landed on Naruto’s shoulder, and a voice said, "Naruto, this is a school, you know!"

Naruto turned around and discovered that the person holding his shoulder was none other than Yakushi Kabuto, who had previously taken him to Ryuchi Cave to cultivate senjutsu.

He immediately exclaimed in delight, "Big Brother Kabuto! What are you doing at the Ninja Academy too?"

Kabuto pointed at the uniform he was wearing and smiled.

"From now on, I’ll be one of your teachers!"

Naruto’s face lit up with joy.

"That’s awesome!"

Kabuto then leaned toward Naruto’s ear and whispered, "Don’t do anything reckless. If you summon Garaga here, you’ll end up hurting the other students."

Only then did Naruto remember Garaga’s enormous size. Scratching his head in embarrassment, he said, "I forgot!"

Looking at the carefree Naruto, Kabuto was utterly speechless.

Before this, he had repeatedly warned Naruto not to reveal anything about senjutsu while in the village.

Yet, who would have thought that the moment Naruto returned to the village, he would start shouting about senjutsu for everyone to hear?

In the distance, Kagami watched this scene with a thoughtful expression.

"Naruto bit his finger just now. Was he trying to use the Summoning Technique? Why did Kabuto stop him? Could it be that Kabuto entered the Ninja Academy not for Sasuke, but for Naruto?"