On the battlefield, Naruto and Sasuke stood face to face, their gazes locked.
After a long silence, Naruto smirked.
"Heh… Sasuke, I never thought our fight would happen like this."
Sasuke remained cold, his expression unreadable.
"What? Are you getting sentimental now?"
Naruto's grin widened.
"I've been waiting to take you down for a long time!"
Sasuke finally smirked back.
"Hah! Right back at you!"
From the sidelines, Hayate Gekkō glanced at the time before raising his hand.
"Begin!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Naruto dashed forward, face determined, shouting—
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In an instant, a swarm of Naruto clones appeared, charging alongside him. Their voices rang out in unison.
Sasuke didn't hesitate. He pulled out a scroll, unfurled it in one motion, and slammed it onto the ground.
Poof!
A massive shuriken appeared in his hand. Without wasting a second, he hurled it straight into the oncoming wave of clones.
The spinning blade carved through the first row of Narutos, dispersing them in bursts of smoke, but the rest kept pushing forward.
Sasuke tugged on a hidden wire attached to the shuriken, causing it to change trajectory midair, sweeping in a deadly arc and taking out another cluster of clones.
But there were still too many!
By the time Sasuke had reeled the weapon back, several clones had already closed the distance.
Without hesitation, he dropped the wire, drew his kunai, and lunged into the chaos—
The fight had truly begun.
One punch. One kick. One flying strike.
With every attack, Sasuke knocked down one or more of Naruto's shadow clones.
By now, his Sharingan was fully activated, allowing him to track every movement around him with precision. Despite being surrounded by countless clones, Sasuke moved effortlessly through them, dodging their attacks with ease.
But then—
Two clones suddenly erupted from the ground beneath him, latching onto his legs.
At the same time, a group of clones ahead grabbed another and hurled him straight at Sasuke like a projectile.
Realizing there was no time to dodge, Sasuke crossed his arms in defense.
BAM!
The impact of Naruto's airborne clone sent a sharp jolt through Sasuke's chest. Though the attacking clone dispersed upon collision, the force knocked Sasuke backward into the air.
Pain flared in his ribs, but he grit his teeth, twisting mid-air to regain control before landing on his feet.
Without hesitation, his hands flew into a rapid sequence of seals.
Naruto saw this and immediately rushed forward to stop him—
But Sasuke wasn't just anyone.
His training, his discipline—his hands moved faster than Naruto could react.
Just as Naruto's clones closed in—
Too late.
Sasuke finished his seals, brought his fingers to his lips, took a deep breath, and exhaled—
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A massive torrent of flames erupted from Sasuke's mouth, sweeping across the battlefield in a wide arc.
By the time he stopped, the air was thick with heat. Scorch marks littered the ground, and embers flickered in the aftermath.
But Naruto was gone.
Sasuke's eyes darted around. Where—
Suddenly, Naruto shot up from underground right beneath him, fist cocked back for an uppercut.
But Sasuke wasn't falling for the same trick twice.
He twisted in mid-air, dodging the punch, and countered with a powerful kick—
WHAM!
Naruto was sent flying.
Sasuke's eyes gleamed. That impact—this one's the real Naruto!
Seizing the moment, Sasuke pushed off the ground, accelerating toward the airborne Naruto.
Naruto tumbled backward, crashing onto the dirt. He winced but knew he couldn't afford to stay down.
Ignoring the pain, he slammed his hands together.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF! POOF! POOF!
Three clones burst into existence, immediately charging at Sasuke.
But Sasuke was ready.
He dodged, grabbed Naruto, and launched him skyward.
In that moment, he recalled Lee's devastating taijutsu.
A smirk crossed his lips.
"Sorry, Naruto," he muttered.
"Lion Barrage!"
In a flash, Sasuke appeared above Naruto, driving his foot into his back—
Naruto plummeted toward the ground like a meteor.
BOOM!
The ground cracked as Naruto's body hit the earth.
Sasuke looked down at him, motionless beneath his feet.
He scoffed.
Turning away, he addressed Hayate.
"You can call it, examiner."
Hayate, his usual deadpan expression unchanged, simply motioned for Sasuke to look behind him.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. No way...
He spun around—and sure enough, Naruto was rising to his feet.
His body was covered in bruises and cuts, his stance shaky, yet he was still standing.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
"You really don't know when to stay down, do you?"
Naruto, despite his exhaustion, managed a weak grin.
"Heh... Sasuke. I told you—I'm going to beat you."
A voice inside him refused to let him quit.
I can't lose!
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A red chakra flared to life around Naruto, surging like a raging fire. The fatigue weighing him down seemed to vanish in an instant.
Sasuke felt the immense chakra radiating from Naruto, his expression shifting.
This power... where is it coming from?!
Naruto clenched his fists, his muscles tightening as the chakra roared through his body.
With a sudden burst of speed—
CRACK!
The ground shattered beneath him as he launched forward, closing the distance in an instant.
This was different.
He's twice as fast as before!
Sasuke barely had time to react, dodging just in time as Naruto's fist came flying toward him. He countered with an elbow strike—
BOOM!
The sheer force of the clash sent a shockwave rippling through the air.
Sasuke's arm throbbed from the impact.
His strength is insane!
Without hesitation, Sasuke rolled backward, putting some distance between them.
He exhaled sharply, his eyes glinting with newfound determination.
"Heh... That's impressive," Sasuke admitted, a dangerous smirk forming on his lips.
Naruto tilted his head, confused.
"What's wrong, Sasuke? Thinking about giving up?"
Sasuke chuckled darkly.
"Hah... Hahahaha."
Then, his expression turned cold.
"I just thought I should warn you..."
He raised his right hand, gripping his wrist with his left.
"...The next move is dangerous. Try not to die."
Chakra began to crackle around his palm.
A crackling sound filled the air as lightning surged in Sasuke's hand, the sharp cries of a thousand birds echoing through the stadium.
In the stands, Guy turned to Kakashi, his face filled with shock.
"Kakashi! That technique is too dangerous! You actually taught it to Sasuke?"
Kakashi didn't look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the two fighters below, his expression unreadable.
"Yeah… I taught it to him," he admitted. "But I never expected the first time he'd use it would be against a comrade."
As Naruto faced Sasuke's dangerous technique, he didn't waver. Instead, he formed a seal and summoned two shadow clones. His face remained calm, a faint smile playing at his lips.
"I know I've always said this technique shouldn't be used against a friend," Naruto muttered, "but I guess there's no other choice."
His mind flashed back to his training with Jiraiya.
Back then, Naruto had stood before him, determination burning in his eyes.
"I don't want to lose my friends anymore!" Naruto had declared. "I need more power to protect them! Please, train me!"
Jiraiya had smiled at the boy's resolve.
"Good. Hold onto that determination, and let's get to work."
Snapping back to the present, Naruto focused, directing his clones to assist him. With practiced movements, they guided chakra into his palm, shaping it into a swirling sphere of energy.
A moment later—
A bright, azure Rasengan formed in Naruto's hand.
Sasuke's eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his face.
The dead-last… actually…
His expression darkened.
With a burst of speed, Sasuke charged, electricity crackling wildly around him.
"You talk too much!"
Naruto clenched his Rasengan tighter, his face twisted in fierce determination.
"You're the one who's clueless!"
In the stands, Guy's expression tensed.
"Kakashi! You're not stopping this?!"
Kakashi remained silent, his gaze locked onto the battlefield.
A heartbeat later—
BOOM!
Chidori and Rasengan collided.
A blinding explosion of light erupted from the impact, energy bursting outward in a deafening shockwave.
BANG—
The stadium trembled as a powerful gust tore through the air, sending dust and debris flying. The spectators closest to the battlefield winced as the wind lashed at their faces.
As the dust settled, the battlefield came into view.
A massive crater—at least five meters wide—scarred the center of the arena.
At the crater's edge, both Naruto and Sasuke lay motionless, their right hands burned from the sheer force of their techniques.
Sasuke, barely clinging to consciousness, stared dazedly at the sky above.
Naruto's power… he thought. How…?
His thoughts swirled in confusion.
"If only I..."
Silence.
Hayate stepped forward, observing the two fallen fighters.
With a calm but firm voice, he declared—
"Both fighters are unable to continue. The match is a draw!"
__________
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