Sasuke, the so-called No.1 genius of the Ninja Academy, had always believed that as long as he worked hard enough, he would one day defeat Itachi. But now, after seeing Naruto's strength, doubt crept into his heart. Was he... actually weak?
They were the same age. Yet Naruto was ridiculously strong. Unreasonably strong. It was like comparing a house cat to a tailed beast.
Sasuke clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together like someone just told him Itachi was giving out free sparring sessions—only to find out he wasn't invited.
Naruto saw the frustration practically radiating off of him and let out a sigh.
"Sasuke, you're definitely strong among our peers," he said, attempting his best wise-mentor voice. "I accepted your challenge because I think you're a good person and a friend worth having."
Sasuke's eye twitched. Was Naruto... comforting him?
"I hope you stop mixing personal emotions with power comparisons," Naruto continued. "If you feel you're not strong enough, then train like crazy—do push-ups, run laps, maybe scream dramatically at the sky. Trust me, it works in anime."
Sasuke frowned. "Anime? What's that?"
Naruto looked away, suddenly very interested in a nearby tree. "Anyway, like I was saying train like crazy."
Of course, Naruto wasn't about to say that his strength came from a totally unfair system that handed him power like a generous uncle at a birthday party. 'Hey Sasuke, I get my skills from a magic lottery, wanna roll?' Yeah, that'd go over well.
Sasuke suddenly straightened up, his eyes flashing like he had just unlocked Ultra Instinct… or found a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for revenge training. "Train like crazy, huh?" he muttered, as if Naruto had just revealed the meaning of life, the universe, and everything—except it was just a fancy way of saying work harder, dude.
Kakashi, watching from the sidelines, exhaled loudly. "Alright, alright, enough of this dramatic rivalry moment. We get it, you're both future legends."
Before either of them could get too carried away, he casually grabbed Naruto and Sasuke by the scruffs of their necks, hoisting them slightly off the ground like two misbehaving kittens.
Then, he turned to Sakura, who was still standing there like she had accidentally walked into the wrong conversation.
"Congratulations, all three of you passed the test. From today, you are officially Konoha genin."
Sakura blinked. "...Wait, for real?"
"Yes."
"For real, for real?"
"Yes."
"Like, no pranks? No secret tests? No 'you actually failed' plot twist?"
Kakashi's visible eye twitched. "Yes, for real. Now, before I change my mind, go home and rest."
Sakura nearly collapsed from relief, while Sasuke continued mentally planning how to get stronger in the future.
Kakashi sighed again. This team was going to be so much work.
Naruto wasn't surprised. He already knew Kakashi's test was just a teamwork exercise. He'd figured out the trick right away. All he had to do was make sure everyone fought together, and they'd pass.
Kakashi started his usual speech about teamwork and protecting comrades. Naruto half-listened while mentally thinking about what to eat later.
Once the lesson was over, Kakashi dismissed them. "Alright, go home and rest. We meet at 6 AM tomorrow for our first real mission."
As soon as they left, two masked figures appeared from the shadows.
"I never expected the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to have such power..." one murmured.
The other ninja scoffed. "Enough chatter. Report this to Danzo-sama."
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was buried under a mountain of paperwork. The Third Hokage was doing what all great leaders did—suffering from excessive paperwork.
With a whoosh, Kakashi appeared at the door, casually holding his Icha Icha Paradise book.
Hiruzen looked up and smiled. "Kakashi, how did the test go?"
"As you said, Naruto surprised me," Kakashi admitted. "But... if he's this strong, why place him in Team 7? Wouldn't he be more useful elsewhere?"
Hiruzen took a slow puff of his pipe, releasing a cloud of smoke. "Putting Naruto in Team 7 allows him to grow properly. Besides, you know his situation. Many eyes are watching him from the shadows."
He exhaled another smoke ring and gave Kakashi a meaningful look. "The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is Konoha's greatest asset. If he's with you, I can rest easy."
Kakashi sighed. "I see. But Sasuke sees Naruto as a rival. If this continues, it might break him."
Hiruzen chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Kakashi, I trust you to handle it."
"...Great. More problems for me," Kakashi muttered under his breath. Why was he always stuck dealing with difficult students?
Hiruzen suddenly became serious and handed a scroll to Kakashi. "The attackers from last night have been identified. Our Anbu patrol retrieved this information."
Kakashi opened the scroll and frowned. "People from Kumogakure?"
Hiruzen nodded, a sharp glint in his old eyes. "Yes. They disguised themselves well, using Doton users to try and frame Iwagakure."
Kakashi placed the document down. "What do you plan to do?"
Hiruzen sighed heavily and took another deep drag from his pipe. "We have no proof. There's nothing we can do."
Kakashi knew what that meant. Konoha had suffered too much—first the Nine-Tails attack, then the Uchiha Massacre. Right now, they weren't in a position to start a war.
He didn't like it, but he understood.
Later that evening, outside Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto called out loudly, "Uncle, five bowls of char siu ramen and five beef ramen, please!"
The ramen shop owner, Teuchi, chuckled. "Naruto, you've been coming here a lot lately. Did you hit the jackpot or something?"
Naruto grinned as he stepped inside. "I'm a ninja now! Get ready to see me here all the time!" He proudly tapped his forehead protector.
"Oh, wow! Congratulations, Naruto!"
A soft voice chimed in, and Naruto turned to see Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, peeking over the counter.
She smiled warmly at him.
Naruto beamed back. He loved this place. Teuchi and Ayame were some of the only people who had ever treated him kindly. No glares, no whispers behind his back—just good food and good company.
And right now, that was enough.
(End of Chapter)