Seeing the shock on the two Tailed Beasts' faces, Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"What? You two look like you can't accept the fact that he's still alive."
Kokuō lowered its head thoughtfully, while Kurama remained lost in thought.
"Naruto," Kokuō said quietly, "as a human, aren't you the least bit curious how someone could survive in the ninja world for over a thousand years?"
Naruto answered calmly.
"Why would I be? I've already seen beings in this world who've lived that long. You Tailed Beasts are living proof of that."
"Besides, my dad once told me about the Three Great Sage Lands—Great Toad Sage from Mount Myōboku, the White Snake Sage from Ryūchi Cave, and the Slug Sage from Shikkotsu Forest. All of them have lived for over a thousand years too, and from the looks of it, they're not dying anytime soon."
Kurama's voice grew deeper.
"But we Tailed Beasts—and those creatures from the Sage Lands—we're not human. Humans aren't supposed to live that long. So why can that thing…"
Naruto raised a finger and pointed at the still image of the half-black, half-white face.
"Forget whether humans can live that long. Are we even sure that thing is still human?"
Kurama and Kokuō exchanged glances.
Yeah… that thing might not even be human.
After a moment of silence, Kokuō stomped a hoof.
"Originally, the stone tablet just contained warnings about the dangers of the Sharingan—so why would someone alter it?"
Kurama bared its teeth in a sinister grin.
"Heh… definitely part of some plot. The irony is that the altered tablet still ended up in the hands of the Uchiha—the very inheritors of the Sharingan."
Naruto shook his head and closed the image, only to immediately bring up another window.
The moment Kurama saw the new string of data appear on the screen, the smirk vanished from its face.
Kokuō's eyes widened too. Its tails twitched anxiously behind it.
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi! The power of All Creation! The Rinnegan—this guy was behind all of it?!"
At the Nara Clan Compound…
Shikamaru was playing shogi with his father, Shikaku.
After Shikaku made a move, he noticed his son zoning out.
"Shikamaru, it's your turn."
Startled, Shikamaru snapped out of it and placed a piece down.
But Shikaku frowned.
"That move was a mistake… Let's end it here for today."
"Huh?"
Before Shikamaru could react, Shikaku had already scattered the board and was staring at his son.
"You're distracted. Still thinking about what I said earlier—about your future jonin instructor?"
Shikamaru shook his head.
"No, it's not that. Honestly, I don't care who my teacher is. I've been thinking about who'll end up as Naruto's instructor."
Shikaku's expression hardened.
"That's the Hokage's decision. It's not something you need to concern yourself with."
Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle.
"Funny. Naruto said the exact same thing earlier. That the Hokage already has it all planned out."
He paused and then asked casually:
"So, Dad, is Asuma-sensei going to be a candidate for the Fifth Hokage position?"
Shikaku fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"Yes. He's one of the candidates."
Shikamaru picked up the "King" piece from the board and stared at it thoughtfully.
"So… is his competition strong?"
Shikaku's gaze sharpened.
"Why would you ask that?"
Shikamaru casually swapped the piece in his hand for a "Gold General" and looked up.
"Because you hesitated."
"You weren't denying it outright. You were considering whether or not Asuma-sensei has secured his place as a viable candidate."
"Which means... there's a problem, isn't there?"
Shikaku didn't reply. After Shikamaru reset the board, he gave a small nod.
Shikamaru made the opening move, his tone calm.
"I figured. If he didn't have some kind of issue, they wouldn't have placed him as the instructor for me, Chōji, and Ino. Sure, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio has always been grouped together, but their squad leaders never had this much political weight before."
"Dad, I'm curious. What kind of problem could a man like Asuma—the Hokage's son—possibly have that would hurt his chances at becoming Hokage?"
Shikaku frowned again. Shikamaru was clearly baiting him.
After a long pause, he placed a piece down and muttered:
"He misplayed his King."
The Next Day
"You couldn't even handle my shadow clones, and now you want to fight my real body?"
"Yes."
Sasuke nodded firmly, eyes unwavering.
Naruto grabbed his shoulder, and the Flying Thunder God Technique activated.
Swish!
The two reappeared in a secluded mountain hollow—where Naruto had once hidden Han.
Sasuke gasped.
"We're outside the village now!"
Realizing this, he immediately leapt back ten meters, landing on a boulder. With quick movements, he unrolled a scroll.
Poof!
A cloud of smoke burst forth—and he was holding a standard issue longsword.
Naruto smirked slightly and did the same—summoning his own blade.
Suddenly, Sasuke called out:
"Wait!"
Naruto stood poised with his blade.
"What now?"
Sasuke took a combat stance.
"No using that teleportation jutsu from earlier!"
Naruto nodded.
"Fine."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"No Shadow Clones. No Chakra Amplification techniques either!"
Naruto agreed again.
"Okay."
Sasuke pressed on, expression stoic:
"We're only allowed taijutsu and basic Substitution Jutsu. No elemental ninjutsu."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, amused.
"So you're that confident in your Sharingan? I admire your shamelessness. After all, using a kekkei genkai like the Sharingan in a taijutsu fight doesn't technically count as a jutsu."
Sasuke activated his Sharingan instantly.
"I just want to see how far the gap between us really is."
Naruto chuckled.
"Then I'll let you make the first move."
"Tch—like I'd let you!"
Before the words fully left his mouth, Sasuke had already shattered the rock beneath his feet and lunged forward.
In a flash, he crossed the ten-meter distance—his sword slicing down like a waterfall.
After a year of Lightning Style training, Sasuke's speed was no joke.
Clang!
Sasuke's pupils shrank.
Naruto had already blocked his strike—but the Sharingan hadn't seen his movement.
Sasuke immediately retreated. As he landed, another flash of steel flew toward his face.
He twisted instinctively and swept his blade at knee-level.
Clang!
They clashed again—but even with the Sharingan's predictive abilities, Sasuke couldn't track Naruto's movements.
He could react, but he couldn't follow.
In a matter of seconds, their blades had clashed several times. Naruto's attacks grew faster, his sword light brighter with each swing.
Shlick!
A blade grazed Sasuke's shoulder, drawing blood.
But Sasuke barely flinched.
His Sharingan eyes were locked on Naruto, blade still dancing furiously.
"Almost there! I will see it clearly—with my Sharingan, I can keep up!"
As their swords clashed faster and faster, something changed—
A third tomoe bloomed in one of Sasuke's eyes.
Clang!
With a sharp twist, Sasuke parried Naruto's next blow and countered.
"I can see everything now!"
Shhhhink!
Naruto twisted his blade, pressing it against Sasuke's.
"Maybe—but we'll see. Your Sharingan just evolved."
Sasuke blinked, stunned.
He glanced at Naruto's mirrored blade and saw his reflection—his right eye had indeed awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan.
He quickly pulled back and raised his sword defensively.
Just one eye evolved…?
Realizing this, Sasuke gave a proud smirk.
"Try me again!"
Naruto grinned and took a step back.
He raised his sword, knees slightly bent.
Chakra began surging violently through his legs—like water coming to a boil.
"What the—?!"
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Steam was rising from Naruto's body.
But before he could process it—
Boom!
The ground exploded under Naruto's feet.
Sasuke's vision blurred—
And suddenly, the tip of Naruto's sword was at his throat.
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