"Battle start!"
Sasuke controlled [Yakushi Kabuto] and rushed forward.
Of course he could play like this—he already had a huge advantage, so there was no need to be overly cautious. He could afford to be bold.
But he didn't notice that beside him, Sakura and Kakashi's expressions were slowly turning from surprise to shock, then to horror.
Gululu—
A layer of red, visible chakra slowly enveloped Naruto's body. His once sunny aura instantly shifted into something violent and oppressive.
"Naruto..."
Before Sakura could scream, Kakashi covered her mouth.
Kakashi shook his head slightly, signaling her not to interrupt. He had already realized something was wrong.
Naruto's eyes were dyed red. He shook his head slightly, then raised his hand to pat it—like someone just waking up from a long coma.
Only then did a hint of clarity return to his gaze, though that scarlet hue didn't fade.
Ignoring Kakashi and Sakura beside him, he picked up his phone as usual and continued playing.
Pa!
[Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail]'s suddenly extended chakra arm turned into the claw of a demon fox, yanking [Yakushi Kabuto] back in an instant.
Sasuke frowned. That fast?
Not just his skill, but that decisiveness—it was as if his usual cautious playstyle had vanished, replaced by reckless aggression.
No need to overthink it. He still had his Secret Scrolls—why not substitute?
[Yakushi Kabuto] used Substitution, while [Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail] had already moved away.
No follow-up lag from the opponent—just as Sasuke expected.
He maneuvered [Yakushi Kabuto] closer, keeping a safe distance.
[Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail] stood motionless just a few meters ahead, as if AFK.
Trying to bait out my skill? Or just distracting me?
Sasuke didn't bother looking at the real Naruto sitting beside him. He simply concluded Naruto was deliberately showing an opening.
Most players wouldn't dare to take the bait—but he wasn't most players.
"Chakra Scalpel!"
[Yakushi Kabuto] moved out of sight, then suddenly dashed forward with a low lunge.
But just as he was about to strike [Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail], he entered a hit state.
That was… a point-blank shuriken!
Naruto had cast a Secret Scroll just as the Chakra Scalpel brushed against his scalp—the shuriken immediately interrupted [Yakushi Kabuto]'s attack!
He actually reacted in time to counter a Secret Scroll?
Sasuke relaxed his grip on his phone and finally turned to look at Naruto—and froze.
The three whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks had thickened, his whole body radiating an ominous aura.
And yet, he sat there quietly, both hands holding his phone, still playing.
Even his elongated nails didn't seem to affect his movements.
Sasuke looked up at Kakashi, silently asking what was going on. Kakashi just shook his head, signaling him to continue.
Sasuke's [Yakushi Kabuto] still lost the match. Against this newly transformed Naruto, he only managed to take off a sliver of health.
Now only one ninja remained. Sasuke stretched his wrist, ready for the final round.
[Uchiha Sasuke·Curse Seal]
[VS]
[Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail]
As she watched the loading screen showing both ninjas' portraits, Sakura couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of destiny in this matchup.
The battle began. Sasuke pulled along the Y-axis.
Naruto's Returning Shuriken traveled on a long X-axis, while Sasuke's Secret Scroll "Wood Release: Pillar Line" had powerful Y-axis potential.
Naruto dropped to all fours, darting wildly across the battlefield.
Sasuke spammed normal attacks, A-ing from the ground to the air and back down again.
[Uchiha Sasuke·Curse Seal] could cast all skills midair, so Sasuke wasn't afraid of being punished for aerial lag.
Ten seconds passed—and neither landed a single hit.
But in terms of HP, Sasuke was slightly ahead. He glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye...
And just then—the fox's claw struck!
Clean and sharp—[Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail]'s claw dragged the airborne [Uchiha Sasuke·Curse Seal] straight back down during his landing lag.
This guy! Sasuke's eyes sharpened.
Naruto had noticed his split-second glance away? That kind of awareness was terrifying!
And worse...
That was his own mistake.
Sasuke took a deep breath, shut out all distractions, and focused entirely on the match.
[Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail]'s basic attacks were steady—two-hit combos with no after-lag.
Sasuke immediately used Substitution. Otherwise, by the time he lost half his HP, Naruto would still be chaining those two-hit combos.
Naturally, Naruto retreated right after.
Sasuke chased him down the same X-axis, and just as he expected, Naruto threw his Returning Shuriken.
[Uchiha Sasuke·Curse Seal] crouched low, using "Wood Release: Pillar Line" to tank the shuriken, then instantly followed up with Skill Two.
Like a spinning cannonball, he slammed straight into [Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail].
Blocking a Returning Shuriken took technique.
The thing flew out and then circled back—if you only blocked the outward flight, you'd still get hit on its return.
So you had to block both phases at the farthest point—a test of distance control.
For some reason, Sasuke's phone screen seemed sharper and clearer than ever.
After landing Skill Two, he followed with a normal attack, juggling [Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail] into the air.
Naruto didn't panic. He waited for [Uchiha Sasuke·Curse Seal] to land.
But as mentioned before, [Uzumaki Naruto·First Tail]'s two-hit combo could chain for a long time.
And if [Uchiha Sasuke·Curse Seal] timed his one-hit rhythm right, he could infinitely push the combo!
Naruto saw through that—and instantly used Substitution.
Sasuke disengaged; Naruto pursued. The roles reversed—another round of tactical back-and-forth.
Sakura watched, her mouth dry.
As a spectator, she might not fully understand the depth of it, but the tension in the air made her heart race.
She couldn't help imagining—if she were the one playing right now…
She probably wouldn't have lasted this long.
Sakura was the type to try new things right away, so she had already played Unlimited Class Tournament once.
But compared to what she was watching now, her match had been pure amateur hour.
Her thoughts drifted back to Chapter Three—the Chūnin Exam arc.
Whether it was the Land of Waves in Chapter Two or the Chūnin Exam, she had always been standing behind, watching their backs.
Even now… she was just standing there.
Could she still call herself part of Team 7 like this? Was she really going to keep being like this?
Her mind spun with confusion. When she came to her senses again, Naruto and Sasuke's health bars were both dangerously low.
After countless exchanges, they were nearly even—Sasuke's HP slightly ahead...
The Returning Shuriken came flying!
Sasuke had no skills left—his Secret Scrolls were used—and he was cornered.
Seeing the shuriken spinning toward his face, he calmly glanced at Naruto's remaining HP, then pressed the Ultimate button without hesitation.
"Chidori!"
"Rasengan!"
Two lines appeared on-screen at the same time.
Both Naruto and Sasuke, out of skills, had chosen the same move—casting their Ultimates simultaneously!
When the black lightning and red chakra clashed, the resulting roar was enough to tear the heart apart—rage and emotion intertwining as one.
Amid the violent tremor, the screen was engulfed by blinding white light—and one of the HP bars hit zero.
Both Sasuke and Naruto put down their phones.
On the suddenly darkened screens, the same image appeared.
[Before I defeat him... my journey will not end!!]