"HAHAHAHA... NARUTO, COME FIGHT ME! LET ME BEAT YOU SENSELESS... HAHAHAHA..."
Naruto had just returned from escorting Mizuki to the hospital when he heard someone declaring they wanted to beat him up.
He thought he'd misheard. Usually, he was the one initiating friendly sparring sessions. No one had ever dared say they wanted to beat him.
When he stepped into the yard, he found Sasuke standing with hands on hips, face turned toward the sky, laughing maniacally.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Also, I could've sworn someone just said they were going to beat me up?"
Sasuke's clothes were covered in dirt, as if he'd taken a fall.
"You didn't hear wrong, Naruto." Sasuke turned around, meeting Naruto's gaze with absolute seriousness. "You did hear someone say they were going to beat you up. And that person was me!"
He pointed at himself dramatically, radiating arrogance.
Originally, Sasuke had planned to wait until he'd mastered Naruto's father's Rasengan before challenging him. That way, he could finally make Naruto experience what it felt like to have a bruised and swollen face.
But today, everything had changed. While frying eggs and thinking of that man, his emotions had spiraled out of control and triggered his family's genetic kekkei genkai—the Sharingan.
The power of the Sharingan was well documented in the Uchiha clan's secret archives. Once activated, enemy attacks became visible, predictable. With this, Sasuke could finally turn the tables.
In the kitchen, Nine-Tails couldn't help but press a paw to his forehead.
Oh no. Poor Sasuke. Another beating incoming.
"What? Sasuke, you're going to beat me?" Naruto clenched both fists. His knuckles cracked audibly.
"That's right, Naruto! To tell you the truth, I've wanted to beat you for a long time!" Sasuke's voice rang out confidently. "Accept your fate! Today, no matter what, I'm going to pound you until your own mother wouldn't recognize you!"
After saying this, Sasuke felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He'd been holding those words back for far too long.
Before, he'd never dared speak them—saying such things would've earned an immediate beating. But now he'd grown stronger. He had the Sharingan. He didn't need to fear Naruto anymore.
"Very good, Sasuke. I like this version of you." Naruto's voice was unnervingly calm. "This is the Sasuke-kun I should know—full of fighting spirit, wild and unrestrained. I sincerely hope that in the future, you can remain as brilliant as you are in this moment."
"Don't worry, Naruto. I'll always be brilliant from now on." Sasuke raised his chin coldly. "Also, you're doing the dishes from now on."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Nine-Tails dragged a stool over, grabbed a bag of melon seeds, and planted himself in front of the doorway. This was going to be entertaining.
"Sasuke, I'm coming. I hope everything goes as you wish."
Naruto's body blurred into motion, rushing toward Sasuke.
Seeing Naruto move, Sasuke's lips curved into a confident smile. His eyes gradually turned crimson. Chakra flooded his vision, and sure enough—under this magnificent dojutsu, Naruto's movements became slower, more predictable.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Sasuke's hands flew through the seals. A massive fireball erupted toward Naruto, who swept his body aside and dodged effortlessly. Naruto's chuckle drifted through the air.
"Sasuke, I've told you before—your Fire Style can't hit anyone. The only thing it's good for is lighting charcoal when we're grilling."
"Hmph." Sasuke didn't let the mockery shake him.
"Incomplete Rasengan!"
He switched tactics, condensing chakra in his palm into a sphere of swirling light and launching it at Naruto.
Naruto's grin widened. His form faded into a blur. Sasuke could only hear the whistle of wind—he couldn't pinpoint Naruto's exact location at all.
Not enough. I need more!
Chakra rushed frantically into Sasuke's eyes. Slowly, painfully, a second tomoe began forming in his left eye. One eye now had a single tomoe, the other two.
Instantly, Sasuke felt his chakra depleting at an alarming rate. His mental energy drained just as rapidly.
No. I need to finish this quickly.
"Incomplete Rasengan! Rasengan! Rasengan!"
In rapid succession, Sasuke released more than a dozen incomplete Rasengan. They were "incomplete" because he was still in the early stages of mastering the technique—the spheres lacked the power and stability of the perfected version.
Naruto didn't bother dodging the barrage. He activated Heavenly Ascension Fist with both hands simultaneously, punching directly at the incoming spheres.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
One by one, the Rasengan dispersed under Naruto's iron fists.
The chakra in Sasuke's body had nearly vanished. His Sharingan faded back to normal black pupils. Seeing Naruto retract his fists and sprint toward him, Sasuke immediately snapped to attention, bowed ninety degrees, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"NARUTO, I'M SORRY! I KNOW I WAS WRONG!"
Naruto's fist stopped one centimeter from Sasuke's head. The sudden, sincere apology caught him completely off guard. "Sasuke, didn't you want to beat me? Why are you apologizing?"
"I was wrong, Naruto! We're friends—I shouldn't have said I'd beat you!" Sasuke maintained his ninety-degree bow.
"This is too boring. Sasuke folded so quickly." Nine-Tails sighed from his stool. He hadn't even finished half his bag of melon seeds. "What a letdown."
"Oh? I heard very clearly just now that you wanted to beat me until I didn't know my own mother?" Naruto's smile didn't reach his eyes.
"That was a slip of the tongue, Naruto!"
"And someone said I'd be doing all the dishes from now on?"
"I'll wash them! I'll wash all the dishes! Every single one!"
Seeing Sasuke's genuinely contrite expression, Naruto felt somewhat satisfied.
Then he punched Sasuke hard on the top of his head.
A lump swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Sasuke screamed, clutching his head, staring at Naruto with deep resentment. I apologized! I even agreed to wash the dishes! What more do you want?!
But it wasn't over.
Thwack. Crack. Thump.
Three minutes of solo exercise followed. When Naruto finished loosening his muscles and bones, he looked down at Sasuke's bruised and swollen face. "By the way, Sasuke—what was that thing with your eyes earlier?"
"It's a kekkei genkai from the Uchiha family. Inherited." Sasuke's voice was muffled. "I was frying eggs and suddenly thought of Itachi. The emotional fluctuation triggered the awakening. It seemed to strengthen again during our fight just now."
"Oh, I see. So that was the basis for your delusion that you could challenge me." Naruto's gaze was flat.
"Haha... I was joking! Just joking! I never intended to actually challenge you!" Sasuke backpedaled frantically.
"However," Naruto said thoughtfully, "you mentioned that fighting strengthened your dojutsu. That means combat can make your eyes more powerful. If that's the case, we should spar frequently from now on."
Sasuke's blood ran cold. Didn't that mean he'd be getting beaten up regularly?
"No, no, we can't fight often!" Sasuke said quickly. "This technique drains my stamina and chakra. I don't have enough reserves to maintain regular Sharingan usage!"
"Speaking of which, is dinner ready? I'm hungry!"
"I'll cook right away!" Sasuke scrambled up from the ground and limped toward the kitchen.
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