[Ninja Academy]
At the training field for class assessments at the Konoha Ninja Academy.
"Next, the first match: Uchiha Sasuke versus Yukio."
Holding the attendance sheet, Iruka Umino's clear voice spread across the field.
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of the paper as he silently prayed.
Hopefully those two kids wouldn't go too far.
After all, they were the two most outstanding geniuses of their class. He was afraid they might get carried away and start fighting for real.
The field was already surrounded by students. One after another, they stretched their necks forward, their eyes burning with excitement.
No one wanted to miss this highly anticipated clash between geniuses.
This was a showdown between the two top talents in the class.
"Sakura, I'm betting on Yukio. You're not going to bet on Sasuke again, are you?"
Yamanaka Ino crossed her arms, a sly smile curling at her lips, though her gaze couldn't help drifting toward the black-haired boy standing at the edge of the field.
Haruno Sakura clasped her hands together, her sparkling eyes fixed on Uchiha Sasuke.
"Of course! Sasuke will definitely win! Even though Yukio is handsome too, Sasuke is still my favorite."
Haruno Sakura spoke with complete certainty.
At this moment, the two of them were still close friends who shared everything.
Completely different from the original story.
In the original story, both of them had fallen for the author, causing their relationship to fall apart.
The two who were once inseparable became rivals.
But now, they had completely different feelings in their hearts.
Haruno Sakura's feelings had never changed.
As for Yamanaka Ino, her heart had long since fallen for the boy who had suddenly appeared...Yukio.
Not far away, Nara Shikamaru leaned against an old locust tree with his hands in his pockets. He looked bored as he yawned, but his eyes had never left Yukio.
"Crunch crunch crunch..."
Akimichi Choji chewed on potato chips in big bites. His little stomach was already starting to take shape.
"Go, Yukio!! Beat that arrogant Uchiha until he's running for his life!"
Namikaze Naruto raised both hands and shouted at the top of his lungs, his face red with excitement.
Even with his parents still alive, the passion and straightforwardness at his core had not changed at all.
Namikaze Naruto had not become the cold and noble son of the Seventh Hokage that others imagined.
Instead, he was even more cheerful and confident than in the original story, radiating bright sunshine wherever he went.
More passionate and energetic than Namikaze Minato.
In the field, Uchiha Sasuke and Yukio faced each other from a distance.
"Yukio."
Sasuke's voice was cold, and a lingering darkness churned in his eyes.
Even though he had not experienced the tragedy of his clan being wiped out, his brother Uchiha Itachi's defection and the sudden deaths of so many Uchiha clan members had already left scars in his heart that could never be erased.
"Long time no see, Sasuke."
"We haven't met for quite a while. I wonder if you've gotten any stronger."
Yukio gave a slight nod. His tone was polite but distant, while a hint of eagerness flashed in his eyes.
He had long wanted to test the results of his training at Shikkotsu Forest.
Other than Naruto, Sasuke was the only suitable opponent in the class.
Sasuke quietly watched Yukio and slowly prepared to attack.
Yukio had just returned from training at Shikkotsu Forest. His aura was calm and restrained, making it impossible to judge his true strength.
"Enough talk. Let's begin!"
Before he even finished speaking, Sasuke's body turned into a black blur. The grass beneath his feet shattered as he shot toward Yukio like an arrow released from a bow.
Yukio had no intention of entering Sage Mode.
His training at Shikkotsu Forest had given him far more than Sage Mode alone.
Facing Sasuke's fierce attack, he lowered his stance and twisted his waist. His right fist shot forward with terrifying wind pressure, and the force of the punch made the air let out a deep explosive sound.
"Super Strength Punch!"
"Tsunade-sama's signature technique!"
Iruka's heart tightened as he looked at Sasuke with growing concern.
The terrifying power behind that punch even shocked Sasuke.
Sasuke's pupils shrank sharply, and his crimson Sharingan opened almost instinctively.
A one-tomoe Sharingan slowly spun in his eyes.
"Sharingan... activate!"
It was the Sharingan Sasuke had awakened in anger after his brother's defection.
"It's the Sharingan! That's the Uchiha clan's Sharingan!"
"Sasuke-kun is so cool!"
The watching students instantly exploded with excitement, shouting one after another.
Sasuke had thought the Sharingan's extraordinary dynamic vision would be enough to track the punch's path.
But in the next moment, his face turned pale.
"Impossible... How can it be this fast?!"
The crimson tomoe spun wildly in his eyes, yet he couldn't even lock onto Yukio's afterimage.
Whoosh!!
Before his words could finish, a powerful gust of wind was already rushing toward him.
Yukio's figure appeared before Sasuke like a gale. The force of his fist brushed past Sasuke's cheek.
He had already held back seventy percent of his strength, but the remaining force still struck Sasuke's chest like a heavy hammer.
Bang!
Sasuke let out a muffled grunt and was sent flying backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily onto the training field.
Yukio slowly walked forward and extended a hand toward Sasuke on the ground. His fingers formed a friendly Seal of Reconciliation.
"Sasuke, you're not hurt, are you?"
The training ground first fell into dead silence.
Then a wave of cheers erupted.
"Yukio won! As expected of Konoha's number one genius!"
"Hehe, Sakura, look, Yukio won!"
Yamanaka Ino swung her blonde ponytail and smugly raised an eyebrow at Haruno Sakura.
A vein instantly popped on Sakura's forehead as she gritted her teeth.
"What are you yelling for? Yukio isn't your boyfriend. What are you so proud of?!"
Ino's face darkened. Putting her hands on her hips, she loudly shot back,
"He will be soon!!"
Naruto burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Look at that arrogant Sasuke! He's always acting like he's some super-kage-two-thousand-three, and today he couldn't even take one move! Yukio is amazing! If it were me, I'd have fought him for at least three hundred rounds!"
Inuzuka Kiba said, "Give me a break. Last time you couldn't even beat me. Three hundred rounds?"
On the field, Sasuke suddenly jumped back to his feet and brushed the dust off his clothes.
He had truly lost in a frustrating way.
Great Fireball Technique, Substitution Technique, shuriken techniques... all the skills Itachi had personally taught him, all the abilities he had practiced day and night and taken pride in.
He hadn't even gotten the chance to use any of them.
From the moment Yukio threw his punch to the moment he was sent flying, only an instant had passed.
He hadn't even seen Yukio's movements clearly.
Looking at Sasuke's tense expression, Yukio withdrew his hand and chuckled.
"Sasuke, the battlefield changes in an instant."
"Tch."
Sasuke pressed his lips together and formed the Seal of Reconciliation as well.
"You've become this strong. Did your father secretly give you special training?"
Yukio raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice too, amusement in his tone.
"What? Not convinced after losing?"
Sasuke turned his face away and muttered, "I just wasn't prepared. Next time, next time I'll definitely burn you with my Great Fireball."
"Sure."
"I'll be waiting. But it wasn't my dad who taught me. I trained myself."
Yukio agreed readily and patted him on the shoulder.
At that moment, Teacher Iruka stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"Alright, this sparring match is over. The winner... Yukio! Everyone should learn from Yukio. Only through hard training can you achieve good results in actual combat!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ino was the first to rush over. She even had a bottle of water in her hand, which she eagerly offered to Yukio.
"Yukio, Yukio, are you thirsty? Here, drink some water!"
Rabbit! Rabbit!