After Tsunade and Jiraiya finished their brief conversation, they turned back to find that Sasuke had already pinned Naruto face‑down onto the ground.
Naruto was shouting and struggling furiously, his face flushed red, but it looked more like the rage of someone completely outmatched.
It turned out that while Tsunade and Jiraiya were away, Naruto just couldn't stop himself from provoking Sasuke again.
In Naruto's mind, his strength had grown far beyond what it used to be. If he could defeat Sasuke now, he might be able to make Sasuke realize his "mistake" and return to Konoha with him — and maybe even win Sakura's admiration in the process.
Naruto's hopes were high, but reality was harsh.
He had improved steadily over these months of training… but did he really think Sasuke had just stood still?
So when Naruto ran out of words and threw a punch in frustration, Sasuke simply dodged it lightly, tripped him up, and pinned him to the ground in one smooth motion.
Their taijutsu skills were simply not in the same league anymore!
Even though Sasuke had been beaten badly during every training session — to the point where his pride was almost shattered — the results were undeniable.
Every day, Shinji and Hidan practiced and sparred with him, and sometimes Tobi joined in too. That kind of relentless, high‑pressure tempering was something Naruto could never match, traveling around and gathering "research material" with Jiraiya.
It wasn't that Jiraiya was a poor teacher.
On the contrary — if anything, Shinji was actually the one teaching in a very unconventional way.
But the difference was this: Shinji's method was focused entirely on boosting strength and combat ability as fast as possible. Jiraiya, however, taught with a view toward the future, and often included lessons on philosophy and the "Way of the Ninja."
That was exactly why the gap between them had grown so wide.
Naruto was clearly the type to mature slowly and reach great heights later… but that time hadn't come yet.
"Alright, Sasuke. That's enough — just teach him a lesson, don't go too far."
Seeing Jiraiya and Tsunade returning, Shinji knew someone was there to keep Naruto in check, so he told Sasuke to let him go.
Sasuke had long since stopped seeing Naruto as a worthy opponent. If Naruto hadn't kept provoking him, he wouldn't even have bothered to acknowledge him.
He had killed so many powerful enemies in these past months — even Jonin‑level ninja! Did Naruto really think he was still on the same level?
As soon as he was free, Naruto scrambled up, ready to fight back. He was not convinced — not in the slightest!
He believed he had only been caught off guard, and hadn't had a chance to show what he had learned during his training. More importantly, his pride simply wouldn't let him lose to Sasuke like that.
"Enough, Naruto. What do you think you're doing?"
Jiraiya pressed his hand firmly onto Naruto's head, holding him back from charging at Sasuke again.
Shinji's words earlier had been a courtesy, but also a clear message: keep your student under control.
"Perverted Sage — let go of me! Today I'm going to settle this once and for all with Sasuke!"
Naruto struggled like a furious young bull.
Sasuke scoffed, his eyes full of disdain, and completely ignored him.
Seeing that reaction, Naruto's eyes turned red. A faint, menacing aura began to emanate from him — the distinct chakra of the Nine‑Tailed Fox…
"I will defeat him today! Otherwise, what was the point of all my hard training?!"
Jiraiya frowned as he saw Naruto starting to lose control.
He had wanted to avoid letting Naruto fight Sasuke so soon. But if he stopped him now, it would crush his confidence and make their relationship even worse.
"Very well, Naruto. I'll allow you to spar with Sasuke. But — only if he agrees. If he refuses, you must drop it and stop pestering him."
As soon as he heard that, the unstable aura around Naruto vanished instantly. He shouted loudly toward Sasuke:
"Did you hear that, Sasuke?! If you're not a coward, fight me!"
"Tch… how boring."
Sasuke didn't see Naruto as any kind of threat. He was ready to ignore him completely.
Panicked, Naruto began taunting him again, calling him a coward, saying he was scared, and anything else he could think of to provoke him.
Sasuke's eyes turned cold. Anger rose in his expression.
He was still young, after all — how could anyone stay calm when insulted like that?
Just then, Shinji spoke up:
"Go on then. Show me everything you've learned during this time. Your test is simple: defeat him. If you lose… you may as well leave. I won't teach you anything else."
Sasuke nodded calmly. "If I lose to him, I wouldn't have the face to stay anyway."
Those words made it clear: neither Shinji nor Sasuke considered Naruto — at his current stage — a serious challenge.
All Naruto had really mastered so far was the Rasengan, a Summoning Technique, and Multiple Shadow Clones.
Jiraiya would never have taught him Sage Mode this early, or helped him adapt to the Nine‑Tails' chakra so quickly.
But Sasuke?
Mangekyō Sharingan + Chidori Stream + Cursed‑Seal Enhanced Kusanagi Sword!
How could he possibly lose?
To put it bluntly — one blast of Amaterasu and the fight would be over instantly.
Jiraiya sighed helplessly.
"Since you both agree… let's find a quiet, isolated place for this match."
Tsunade let out a burp, clearly tipsy.
"Follow me. I know a place that's wide open, and at this time of day, no one will be there."
No one objected, so they followed her to the shore of a lake.
Just as she said, it was peaceful and quiet, with plenty of open ground — more than enough space to fight without restriction.
Before it began, Shinji reminded Sasuke:
"Don't use Amaterasu unless absolutely necessary."
"Against him? I won't need it."
Sasuke stepped forward, proud and confident.
That kid's got attitude… I like it! Shinji thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya gave Naruto some final instructions and stayed close, ready to intervene at any moment.
In his eyes, the result didn't matter — what mattered was that no one got seriously hurt. Otherwise, he would never be able to explain it to anyone.
The two walked toward each other, stopping five meters apart.
"Just wait — I'll show you I'm not the same person I was before!" Naruto shouted first, full of bravado.
Sasuke's reply was cold and sharp: "You haven't changed at all. Not to me. Three minutes. I'll finish this in three minutes."
When it came to arrogance and one‑upmanship, Sasuke was the master — Naruto couldn't compete at all.
"I've had enough of that superior attitude! I'm going to beat you today!"
Naruto was furious, but this time he didn't rush in blindly. He began with Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Dozens of clones appeared — a show of force, but also a way to test his opponent.
As they rushed toward him, Sasuke didn't even bother drawing his sword. Using only taijutsu, he shattered every single clone effortlessly.
No matter how many there were, the strength of each one was still tied directly to the original body.
If he could beat Naruto once, he could beat him a hundred times!
"Meaningless fight."
It had barely begun, but Sasuke was already disappointed.
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