Sasuke searched the villages as thoroughly as he could, moving from street to street, from one training ground to another, and eventually towards the forest, but he failed to uncover even the smallest clue about Naruto's whereabouts.
The longer he searched, the more irritation settled into his chest. The frustration he felt wouldn't help him and would only make him grow impatient, and he wanted to remove this feeling inside him, but he couldn't; it would only disappear once he found Naruto, but since he couldn't find him, he could only continue his search while trying to remain as patient as he could.
Sasuke learned from his father that his twin sister, Satsuki, managed to awaken her Sharingan during their mission.
But he hasn't awakened his own Sharingan yet since his Jonin sensei haven't made their squad complete for any dangerous mission.
Sasuke knows the method of directly awakening his Sharingan, and that's through a battle, a battle where his life is put in great danger.
'If I can't awaken my Sharingan, then there's no way I'll be able to get my revenge against him,' Sasuke thought, and the appearance of Itachi Uchiha appeared in his mind, clenching his fist and teeth.
Just as Sasuke was about to leave the area and search the rest of the forest, a flicker of movement at the edges of his vision caught his attention.
Sasuke saw someone walking throughout the forest, but it wasn't Naruto, which slightly disappointed Sasuke.
It was Keimei.
She walks calmly with an unconcerned expression on her face.
Sasuke watched her for a moment, and just as he was about to continue his original intention, an idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
At first, he tried to dismiss it. But the more he considered it, the deeper it rooted itself in his mind until he could no longer ignore it—and ultimately chose to act on it.
His mother had once mentioned that among her three Genin students, Keimei stood at the top without question. She had even said Keimei was the strongest female ninja in their batch.
'If I fought Keimei instead... Could that pressure be enough to awaken my Sharingan? '
Sasuke already wasted hours searching for Naruto. If he can't find him, then maybe Keimei can help him achieve what he desired.
Sasuke understands the risk of his action.
Everyone in their class remembered what happened to those who tried to bully or had any malicious intent.
Her action back then became a warning throughout their class to not provoke Keimei no matter what the cause.
Even Menma and Yayoi, the troublemakers of the class and the duo who constantly pull off any pranks, decide to avoid Keimei at all costs.
Sasuke knows the danger, but right now he is willing to take the risk if it means he can grow stronger in a short period of time.
After making the decision, he immediately jumps down in front of Keimei, confusing the latter of his intention, but this confusion will soon be replaced with annoyance.
"Keimei Uzumaki... I want to see your true power. Fight me!" His voice was steady and firm.
Keimei frowned, and his expression hardened. How could Keimei not understand the reason behind Sasuke's challenge? It was clear to Keimei that Sasuke wanted to use her as some sort of dummy to forcefully awaken his Sharingan.
This selfish action of Sasuke really annoyed Keimei.
"I don't have time to play your games, Uchiha," Keimei coldly said.
"I wasn't asking."
Sasuke dashed towards Keimei, and the moment he got close, he launched his fist and aimed towards Keimei's jaw.
Keimei easily caught his fist with one hand. She tightly gripped his fist and slowly rotated it while staring at Sasuke's eyes coldly.
Sasuke frowned as he felt the pain of his arm and tried to pull it out but was unable to thanks to Keimei's tight grip. Without any choice, Sasuke decides to launch another attack targeting Keimei's liver area.
Enhancing his legs with chakra as he swings his legs towards Keimei, but she easily manages to grab his ankle.
Not waiting for Sasuke to think of launching any counterattack, Keimei launches her own attack by kicking Sasuke in his guts, sending him flying.
Sasuke manages to find balance and skids for a few meters. The moment his body stops moving backwards, he falls to one knee as he clutches his stomach.
'Strong... Much stronger than I thought, Sasuke thought, and his lips slightly curled upwards.
After seeing her strength, Sasuke believes he can finally grow stronger in a short period of time.
During the training he had with Team 11, there were rare chances where they were sparring each other, but Sasuke didn't feel any pressure like he is experiencing right now.
This is why he became even more convinced that fighting Keimei would make him stronger.
Keimei noticed his expression, and this greatly displeased her further.
She wasn't free to entertain Sasuke until he was satisfied. She had many things to do, but the person in front of her clearly didn't care and only cared about his own selfish opinion.
"This is the last warning: walk away or pay the price," Keimei said, her eyes narrowed, and the temperature in the surrounding area sharply dropped.
"No," Sasuke responds after standing up.
He once again moved. The ground beneath his feet cracked thanks to the force Sasuke applied. This time he was many times faster compared to earlier, and just as Sasuke was about to launch an attack once again, Keimei appeared in front of him.
Before he could even process anything, he felt an intense pain in his stomach. This pain is much stronger compared to the previous one.
Keimei removes her fist from Sasuke's stomach, but that doesn't mean she is finished attacking Sasuke. Instead, she launches an uppercut, sending Sasuke flying in the air.
Keimei wasn't done and jumped in the air, appearing above Sasuke. She raises one of her legs straight up and brings it down with great speed and force, hitting Sasuke and making the latter fall back to the ground with great velocity.
Sasuke landed on the ground, creating a human-shaped dent and cracks around it. This also creates a cloud of dust, blocking anyone's views around him.
Keimei landed gracefully on the ground while her eyes locked on Sasuke's location.
Keimei already guessed that this attack wasn't enough, as she saw Sasuke's silhouette slowly trying to stand up.
It was clear that Sasuke is determined to trample her feelings to achieve his goal.
This makes Keimei remember something from when she was four years old.
Flashback.
Naruto and Sasuke are both eating at the top of the branch of the tree, away from any prying eyes. While they are silently eating their lunch, they notice a group of kids bullying another kid.
"What should I do if I don't want anyone to trample me?" Keimei softly asks while her eyes stare at the bullies kicking the kids and laughing.
"Not wanting to be trampled on, there are two ways. One is to become strong, strong until no one dares to step on you. Another is to turn into dog shit, something no one would want to step on."
Keimei thought about the action Naruto had, especially during the sparring session the class occasionally does, and the results of Naruto always losing easily.
'I don't want to become dog shit. My pride wouldn't allow me. If I don't want to become dog shit, then I will become strong instead. "Stronger than others so they wouldn't dare to even think of trampling me." Keimei's thoughts and burning determination flash in her eyes.
This didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, and his lips slightly curled upwards, creating a sinister smile on his face.
Flashback End.
Keimei is still unable to understand the reason why Naruto helped her back then. One thing she was sure of was the fact it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart but something more selfish.
She didn't have the time to understand it; as the time passed, the reason behind his help changed.
Keimei didn't understand the reason for his sudden changes, but they weren't unpleasant changes in her opinion, especially when Naruto sometimes acted like a clown.
Keimei snapped out from her thoughts as she saw a fireball the size of a small house flying in her direction at high speed.
She quickly vanished from her location as the fireball landed and burned the ground and the surrounding trees in the process.
As for Sasuke, who had already been seen clearly as the cloud of dust disappeared, he stared at his work with a frowned expression, especially after seeing the dark smoke where Keimei had previously stood.
Sasuke realized that he can't fight Keimei in close combat. Their previous exchanges already show the gap between their strength and speeds.
If Sasuke wanted to get his objective, he had to rely on Ninjutsu instead.
Sasuke surveys the surrounding area to search for Keimei's silhouette, yet before he could turn his head around, Keimei punched him in his cheeks, sending him flying.
Keimei didn't let Sasuke fly towards the trees as she grabbed his ankle. This action wasn't out of the goodness of her heart but another way to injure Sasuke.
Keimei, without hesitation, slams Sasuke on the ground, creating another human-shaped dent.