Yes, this was the very first time Izayoi had been matched against Naruto Uzumaki. In taijutsu sparring, it seemed like there was some mysterious "fate" at play between Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha—about half the time, those two ended up matched with each other. As a result, Izayoi never got a chance to face Naruto.
Thankfully, Izayoi's Red-tier Otsutsuki Bloodline boasted enormous chakra reserves, on par with the Sage Body. Otherwise, he wouldn't even know how to go about forcing Naruto's Sage Body to "drop," so to speak. Now that he'd finally been matched against Naruto, Izayoi was thrilled—this meant his luck was excellent today. If fortune smiled on him, maybe he could snag a precious talent entry.
He kept his excitement in check and headed to stand on Iruka's right. Opposite him was Naruto, biting his lip yet refusing to give up. Izayoi raised his right hand, extending his index and middle fingers, and smiled. "Naruto, let's do our best."
Naruto, taken aback for a moment, felt his tense mood suddenly lighten. Looking at Izayoi's eyes, he felt a comforting warmth. This guy wasn't looking at him with contempt or rejection—just the same respectful attitude he'd show anyone else. Besides Iruka (who'd started to acknowledge Naruto the previous semester), Izayoi was the second person to treat him this way. That realization almost made Naruto want to cry. But he held it in, nodded hard, and answered with a big grin, "Yeah! Let's do it!"
He, too, raised his index and middle fingers. His blue eyes, the same color as Izayoi's, became resolute. Iruka, taking in the scene, smiled in relief. Then he stepped back a few paces and shouted, "Round 7—begin!"
The second Iruka's words ended, Izayoi and Naruto charged at each other. Naruto's attacks were straightforward and repetitive—he didn't know how to mix things up at all. As soon as he got close, he threw a punch at Izayoi. Izayoi might not have the Sharingan, but with his honed perception, he could see from Naruto's shoulder movement what was coming. Before Naruto's punch connected, Izayoi raised his left arm, striking Naruto's wrist with the back of his hand to knock the blow aside. Then he landed a right punch of his own.
Bam—Naruto took it square in the left cheek. The force knocked him to the ground, leaving his face bruised and swollen. "Ow…that really hurts…" he gasped, but he wasn't taken out by a single blow. He sprang back up and continued attacking.
Unfortunately, no matter what he tried—punch or kick—Izayoi easily read them, either blocking or evading and countering. Even Hinata's swift Gentle Fist, with every strike enhanced by visible chakra flares, was something Izayoi could handle. Naruto's uncoordinated lunges, riddled with openings, were even less threatening.
Punch after punch pounded into Naruto, leaving his clothes filthy and his face covered in bruises. He was thoroughly outclassed. Yet despite this one-sided beating, Naruto didn't surrender. Initially he'd flinched with every blow, but now he stayed quiet even when struck. His determination was evident, and little by little, his random attacks grew a bit more focused. He was learning in the midst of battle—even if, by the next fight, he'd forget much of what he learned. Still, for the moment, he was visibly improving.
Izayoi caught sight of a decisive opening and resolved to end it. Ducking low to evade Naruto's latest punch, he swept Naruto's legs with a quick spinning kick. As Naruto toppled onto his back, Izayoi followed up with a fist aimed at his face—but stopped just short of connecting.
Seeing this, Iruka immediately declared, "Naruto Uzumaki is unable to continue! The winner is Izayoi!"
Smack!
Almost at the exact moment Iruka finished speaking, one of the bubbles around Naruto that only Izayoi could see—a purple bubble—suddenly burst. A burst of purple light shot toward Izayoi, sinking into his body. Right after, a tiny transparent bubble formed around Naruto. This miniature bubble wasn't any color from white to red, and it showed no text—it was just empty. Izayoi had seen this many times before. He knew that bubble was in a cooldown state. Once it finished cooling down, it'd revert to that purple bubble with the text restored, giving Izayoi a chance to claim it again.
Yes, a talent can drop multiple times. Izayoi just hadn't yet gotten the same talent more than once from the same person. Spotting the label on that burst purple bubble, Izayoi grew excited—but he didn't open his status screen right away. Instead, he offered Naruto his hand with a smile. "You were awesome, Naruto. Let's do this again sometime."
Naruto, who'd felt nothing but frustration a moment ago, suddenly relaxed upon seeing Izayoi's genuine respect. Usually he only felt this sense of bitter regret around Sasuke. Now, he just took Izayoi's hand and stood up, grinning back. "You're seriously strong, Izayoi—but next time, I won't lose!"
"You've improved a lot already. I'm looking forward to our next match." Izayoi flashed the index-and-middle-finger sign again, and Naruto responded in kind, hooking his two fingers around Izayoi's.
This was the Seal of Reconciliation, the counterpart to the Seal of Confrontation they'd used at the start—symbolizing that no matter how deep the grudge, two ninja could still make peace. In the original storyline, Naruto and Sasuke ended the millennium-long battle of Asura and Indra through a final handshake like this. Without it, the reincarnation cycle of the Sage's sons would have continued indefinitely.
But none of that mattered much to Izayoi right now. After completing the seal, he returned to his place in line, half-heartedly acknowledging his classmates. Quietly, he summoned the mental interface only he could see, and responded to the system prompt that had appeared in his mind when that purple light sank into him.
Ding! You've obtained the Talent Entry [Uzumaki Bloodline (Purple)]. Merge or dismantle?
"Merge."
A moment later, his list of entries now included Uzumaki Bloodline (Purple).