Orochimaru: "It's only natural. Without a proper teacher, that's the result."
Uchiha Fugaku: "If only we were still here to guide him."
Hatake Kakashi: "With Sasuke's talent, most of his time at the academy was wasted."
When Sasuke graduated from the Ninja Academy this year, he didn't even know how to climb trees properly.
He couldn't use the Sharingan either!
And yet, in what feels like no time at all—
He now possesses the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
Not long ago, he even learned the Chidori and mastered the technique of channeling lightning chakra through his body to enhance his speed.
His power has grown tremendously!
By contrast, during all those years at the academy, Sasuke's progress was painfully slow. He had long since mastered everything the school could teach him. The rest of the time had been nothing but wasted effort.
[Sasuke often looked at the heirs of the great ninja clans in his class, envying them for having mentors to guide their growth.]
[But there was nothing he could do.]
[He could only train alone—Relentlessly practicing the same ninjutsu he had already perfected.]
[In every exam, Sasuke remained at the top of his class.]
[And at twelve years old, he finally graduated from the Ninja Academy.]
Namikaze Minato: "These few years are truly crucial. Back then, under Jiraiya-sensei's guidance, my strength improved rapidly."
He had been noticed by Jiraiya-sensei while still a student at the Ninja Academy.Jiraiya often took time out of his missions to train him personally.
As a result, by the time Minato graduated from the academy, his strength was already comparable to that of a jōnin.
When he was still an academy student, Kushina had once been kidnapped by a jōnin from Kumogakure—and Minato had rescued her all by himself.
As for Uchiha Sasuke...
When he graduated from the Ninja Academy at twelve, he was considered an excellent genin at best.
Orochimaru: "Uchiha Sasuke, if you wish to grow stronger quickly, come to me. I'm confident my teaching ability far surpasses Jiraiya's."
Hatake Kakashi: "Don't be fooled, Sasuke. Orochimaru isn't the kind to offer kindness for free!"
Sasuke remained silent.
Naturally, he wouldn't need Orochimaru's training—not if he could obtain a powerful reward from the Quiz session.
The silver-framed screen paused.
The gold-framed screen began to play.
[In the parallel world, Sasuke trains even harder—spending most of his days pushing his mind and body to their limits. Daily tasks like preparing food are left to Sakura and Ino.]
[As for schoolwork, he only needs to recite one magic phrase:]
["Arigatō, Sakura-chan!"]
[Then 'Tool Sakura' happily finishes it for him.]
[Ninja Academy: Practical Assessment]
["Go, Sasuke!"]
["Sasuke's number one in the world!"]
[Almost all the girls cheer for Sasuke.]
[The boys, however, are furious.]
[Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, and the others can't wait to beat him up.]
["Next match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Uzumaki Naruto!"][Iruka-sensei announces.]
[Sasuke steps onto the stage, glances at the hostile Naruto, then frowns. Looking toward the crowd, he says:]
["Kiba, Shikamaru, Chōji… and that one from the Aburame clan—come up together."]
["Sasuke, what's that supposed to mean?!"]["You bastard, are you looking down on us?!"]["What a drag…"]["Fine, let's get this over with so I can eat and sleep."]["…My name is Aburame Shino."]
[Provoked by Sasuke's arrogance, Naruto and the other five students charge in to fight him together.]
Uzumaki Naruto: "He's way too arrogant! He doesn't even take us seriously!"
Inuzuka Kiba: "Let's smash that smug face of his—let's see if any girls still cheer for him then!"
Nara Shikamaru: "Troublesome… I've got a bad feeling about this."
[The battle begins.]
[Naruto and Kiba charge from two directions at once.]
[But under Sasuke's Sharingan, their movements seem to crawl in slow motion.]
[With a slight dodge and a punch, Naruto and Kiba crash straight into each other.]
[Sasuke leaps into the air, avoiding Shikamaru's Shadow Possession, while Chōji curls into a ball and rolls in from behind.]
[Buzz!]
[Sasuke's Two-Tomoe Sharingan begins to spin!]
[Chōji charges straight toward Shino, who's standing in the corner.]
["Chōji! You're under a genjutsu! Sasuke's not over there!"][Shikamaru shouts in alarm.]
[Chōji changes direction—but ends up colliding with Kiba and Akamaru, sending all three tumbling to the ground.]
[Naruto, also caught in a genjutsu, starts wildly attacking Shino, leaving the poor boy completely helpless.]
Iruka: "The difference in skill is overwhelming…"
Kakashi: "A Two-Tomoe Sharingan at the academy level—honestly, that's overkill."
Orochimaru: "Such is the power of bloodline inheritance. The gap in talent isn't something that can be easily bridged."
Nara Shikamaru: "The strength difference is just too big. Even with a solid strategy, it might not make any difference."
Aburame Shino: "And they still lack teamwork."
Uzumaki Naruto: "Damn it! That Sasuke's even more annoying than our Sasuke!"
Uchiha Sasuke: "???"
[It didn't take much effort—Sasuke easily defeated the combined assault of all five opponents.]
[In the practical combat test, he took first place without dispute.]
[The crowd erupted in cheers—mostly from the girls in the audience.]
[Naruto and the others were left frustrated and defeated.]
[Yet there wasn't even a hint of satisfaction on Sasuke's face.]
[On the contrary, he looked… anxious.]
[Seeing his expression, Naruto and the others grew even angrier, thinking Sasuke was just acting smug and looking down on them.]
[But in truth, Sasuke really was anxious.]
[Even when several skilled academy students teamed up, this was the best they could do.]
[And he was going to be stuck in the Ninja Academy for five whole years.]
[Five more years… fighting these same weaklings?!]
"Weaklings?!"
Inuzuka Kiba ground his teeth furiously.
That Sasuke over there was way too irritating!
Orochimaru: "Hehe… I wonder how this version of Sasuke will continue his training. Let's hope it turns out differently."