"Oh, I have no plans on fighting you here," Orochimaru said. His grin stretched unnaturally wide. "But… good luck trying to take Sasuke back."
WHISP—
His body dissolved into a rushing breeze, vanishing down the corridor. Naruto exhaled sharply through his nose.
"Coward," he muttered, immediately turning and sprinting toward Yamato and Sakura's signal.
---
Sai reached Sasuke first—just like in the anime—only this time the tension was thicker, the air humming with static chakra.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!
A violent explosion blasted through Sasuke's room. The shockwave rattled the entire hideout, dust raining from the ceiling.
Smoke poured into the hall.
Naruto smirked the moment he felt the surge of chakra.
"Found you."
He darted forward, feet barely touching the ground as he followed the explosion's direction.
He arrived seconds later. The ceiling had been obliterated—chunks of stone and wood scattered everywhere. Sunlight poured in from above, blinding and harsh.
Sakura stood frozen, staring up in disbelief.
And there he was.
Sasuke, standing above them on the ruined ledge, framed by the bright white sun behind him. The wind tugged at his long black hair, and his sword rested behind his back in the most impractical position imaginable.
But damn if it didn't look dramatic.
"Naruto." Sasuke said slowly, voice flat and cold.
Naruto squinted up at him.
'Yeah, we ain't doing that dramatic reunion crap.'
"Been a while, huh, Sasuke? You look even gayer than before." Naruto said with a smug grin.
Sakura nearly choked.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You're still dumber than ever, I see."
"Wrong," Naruto replied casually. "Very wrong. Now instead of me asking why you left and wasting time with dumb exposition… how 'bout we just get started?"
Sasuke blinked, genuinely thrown off.
Yamato arrived just in time to hear Sasuke mutter, "So this is Kakashi's replaceme—"
FWP—!
Sasuke barely reacted in time.
Naruto vanished from the ground, reappearing right in front of Sasuke's face with a spinning kick aimed straight at his jaw.
Sasuke ducked low—WHOOSH!—the kick slicing through empty air before he snapped backward into a tight flip, landing further down the broken platform.
Naruto landed lightly, dust rising around his feet.
He glanced down at the team, giving them a casual thumbs-up.
"I'll be quick."
Then he turned back to Sasuke, eyes sharp.
'Let's see how strong you really are.'
Sasuke straightened, eyes narrowing further, his hand drifting toward the hilt behind him. The wind howled between them. The reunion was over. The fight had begun.
Sasuke's face stayed cold, unreadable—but Naruto caught it. That tiny flicker in his eyes. Surprise.
He hadn't expected Naruto to move like that. Almost as fast as him. Almost.
'So he wasn't slacking… No worries. I'll show you the gap.' Sasuke thought, tightening his grip.
Meanwhile, Naruto's mind was on something far more important:
'You are my friiieeend… ano hi no yume… Man, the Shippuden openings hit different. Best ever, no debate.'
Sasuke's voice cut in. "You know, Naruto… I didn't kill you back there on a whim."
"Yeah yeah, put 'em up," Naruto replied, already dashing forward, feet cracking the stone beneath him.
Sasuke's eyes sharpened. His hand flashed.
SHING—!
The Kusanagi blade slid free.
"Then get ready to die on a whim," he muttered darkly.
Naruto pulled out a kunai as they collided—
CLINK!
Metal rang across the entire hideout.
They clashed again—
CLIIIIINK!!
Sparks burst between their blades, scattering like fireflies in the dim underground.
Naruto suddenly twisted his wrist, forcing Sasuke's sword downward. He stepped on the flat of the blade, using it like a springboard as he leaped—
And came down with a flying knee aimed at Sasuke's jaw.
Sasuke reacted instantly—He spun sideways, hopping just enough to evade, then lashed out with a slicing upward kick at Naruto's back.
FWIP—!
Naruto vaulted over the kick, flipping cleanly, and snapped his leg out for a spinning kick to Sasuke's face.
Sasuke raised his arm and blocked, feet digging trenches in the stone as the impact pushed him back.
Before he could counter— POOF!
A shadow rose behind him.
Naruto's clone appeared mid-air and delivered a perfectly timed kick square to Sasuke's spine—
BAM!!
Sasuke shot forward, skidding violently across the ground. Dust exploded around his feet as he dug in and stopped himself.
He stared back, breathing a bit heavier.
'He can't possibly be as strong as me.'
'Impossible.'
But Naruto was already smirking, spinning the kunai around his finger.
Sasuke exhaled slowly.
"All right… I'm done playing."
"Good," Naruto replied with a grin.
Then Sasuke blurred.
VSSSHHH
A streak of motion.
Naruto mirrored him.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Shockwaves burst through the hallway as their fists and feet collided faster than the eye could track.
Sakura and the others came up and all they saw were flashes— Streaks of blue and black, bursts of chakra, sparks of metal, shockwaves rattling the walls.
But Naruto and Sasuke…They moved like two storms finally colliding. And neither had any intention of slowing down.
Suddenly—
BAM
Both of their fists collided, raw chakra flaring between them. The impact detonated like a shockwave, blasting dust outward and forcing both boys to skid back across the cracked stone floor.
Sasuke dug his heels in, stopping with a harsh scrape. Naruto flipped once, landing perfectly, kunai spinning in his hand.
Sakura's breath caught.
"They're… equals," she whispered.
Yamato shook his head immediately.
"No. They're both holding back. Sasuke hasn't even activated his Sharingan yet. And Naruto…" he glanced at the blond, whose expression looked almost bored. "Naruto's playing around. He's completely different from when he fought Orochimaru."
Sakura's chest tightened.
'Still… still so far ahead of me.'
'All that training… all those years… and I'm still useless.'
She bit her lip hard, fighting the burn behind her eyes. Her hands shook, nails digging into her palms.
Then—
SKRRRZZZZT—!
Electricity crackled violently from Sasuke's hand. Chidori-Lightning danced up his arm like living snakes as he slowly sheathed the Kusanagi blade, eyes narrowing.
His expression turned lethal.
'I'll finish this.'
Naruto's smirk widened the moment he saw lightning form.
"Finally," he muttered.
He raised his palm—
FWOOOOOM—!
A Rasengan spiraled to life instantly, brighter and denser than the one he used against Kabuto years ago. The wind roared around it, tearing loose stones from the ground. The blue sphere spun so fast it illuminated Naruto's entire face in a ghostly glow.
The air itself trembled.
"Let's do this then!" Naruto shouted.
The two launched forward—
BAAM!
The ground exploded beneath them from the force of their leap. They shot upward, both becoming streaks of blue and white lightning.
Sasuke's Chidori hissed and screeched like a thousand birds.
Naruto's Rasengan howled like a miniature hurricane.
In the air— Just for a heartbeat—
They were silhouettes crossing paths against the piercing sunlight from the broken rooftop.
They twisted mid-air—
And they—
TO BE CONTINUED