The forest echoed with thunderous crashes as another massive tree toppled to the ground.
Sasuke leaped from branch to branch, maintaining his distance while studying his opponent. Naruto's entire body had transformed—muscles swollen with power, every movement radiating raw strength.
He's like a monster in human form, Sasuke thought, pulse quickening. But at least he seems limited to the ground.
Time to exploit that weakness.
Following his brother's carefully crafted strategy, Sasuke formed hand seals mid-leap. His fingers blurred through the familiar sequence.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
He exhaled, and a sphere of roaring flames shot from his mouth, hurtling toward Naruto.
Naruto had just torn another tree from the earth when the fireball came at him. He abandoned his pursuit of Sasuke, swinging the massive trunk like a bat. The tree met the flames with a whoosh—leaves igniting instantly, but the bulk of the wood absorbed the attack.
Sasuke didn't hesitate. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Another blazing sphere rocketed forward. This was his specialty—the foundational technique of the Uchiha clan. His father and brother had drilled it into him since childhood until he could perform it without thinking.
The tree in Naruto's hands was now completely engulfed in flames. He tossed it aside and casually ripped another from the ground, using it to disperse Sasuke's second fireball.
Then, in one fluid motion, Naruto hurled the trunk like a javelin.
The massive projectile screamed through the air, friction generating a high-pitched whistle. It closed the distance in an eyeblink.
CRASH.
Wood exploded into splinters. When the debris cleared, only a broken log remained where Sasuke had been standing.
Substitution, Naruto realized, impressed.
Sasuke reappeared on a distant tree, his chest heaving. The constant evasion was draining his stamina far faster than he'd anticipated.
"Sasuke," Naruto called from below, both fists clenched at his sides. His pectoral muscles flexed, seeming to swell even larger. "You think you've figured out my weakness?"
Sasuke forced his breathing to steady, his expression carefully neutral.
Then Naruto moved.
His foot slammed into the earth, cratering the ground. But instead of charging at another tree, his entire body launched upward like a missile.
Sasuke's eyes widened. That jumping ability—it's as fast as the Body Flicker Technique!
In an instant, Naruto reached Sasuke's tree. But instead of using Mountain Embrace to snap the trunk, his toes touched the bark for just a fraction of a second before he redirected, shooting toward a different tree entirely.
What? Sasuke's mind raced. He's going straight for my real body. How did he see through my Substitution?
Panic surged. Sasuke quickly formed seals. "Clone Jutsu!"
Three identical Sasukes split apart, each running in opposite directions through the branches.
It didn't work.
Naruto pursued Sasuke's true body without hesitation, ignoring the illusory copies completely. As if sensing the question forming in Sasuke's mind, Naruto called out:
"Clone Jutsu is just chakra creating afterimages to confuse enemies. They're illusions—they don't have life force. I can sense your blood and energy, Sasuke. Your clones are empty. Only your real body has that spark."
He grinned, closing the distance. "Even if your clones somehow had the same life force, they'd still be weaker than your real body. I'd know which one was you."
Sasuke's jaw dropped. Life force sensing? Where did he learn techniques like this? What kind of taijutsu training produces this?
Throughout all three of their fights, Naruto hadn't used a single ninjutsu. Not one jutsu. Was he really pursuing pure taijutsu as his only path?
Heat washed over Sasuke's back—actual, physical heat radiating from Naruto's body. His energy and blood ran so powerfully that his body generated warmth like a furnace. Sasuke could feel him approaching, closing the gap with every breath.
His left hand dropped to the kunai strapped to his thigh.
A thought struck him: If I stab him with this, will it even hurt him?
He made his decision.
"Who needs kunai?" Sasuke spun around and threw a punch.
"Ha! That's the spirit!" Naruto's face lit up with genuine excitement. "Take mine too!"
Their fists collided.
Pain shot through Sasuke's arm. His entire fist went numb instantly from the tremendous force. But they were too close now to back away. He could only grit his teeth and keep fighting.
Crack. Thud. Smack.
They exchanged blow after blow, fists and feet flying in a chaotic brawl. The fight carried them from the trees down to the forest floor, neither willing to give an inch.
"Sasuke, just give up!" Naruto urged.
He was holding back significantly, keeping his strength carefully controlled. Sasuke's physical conditioning was nowhere near his own level—if Naruto fought seriously, this would have ended with Sasuke as a broken mess on the ground.
That wasn't the point. He didn't want to hurt Sasuke. He wanted a friendly match. He wanted a friend.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The close-quarters combat continued. Naruto maintained his calm, measured expression, almost casual in his movements.
Sasuke, meanwhile, gasped for air. His face flushed deep red, strength draining from his limbs. Every time his strike connected with Naruto's body, he felt the muscles beneath vibrate at an impossible frequency—sending numbing shocks through his entire arm.
That vibration technique... what is it?
Everything about Naruto shattered Sasuke's understanding. He didn't fight like anyone from Konoha. Nothing about his abilities made sense.
Worse, fighting in such close proximity meant enduring the intense heat radiating from Naruto's body. It was like grappling with a living furnace. Sasuke's skin turned red, sweat pouring down his face.
Finally, his legs gave out.
Naruto drove him back until a tree pressed against his spine—no escape left. Naruto's palm slammed into the trunk beside Sasuke's head. Bark and splinters rained down.
"Sasuke," Naruto said gently. "You lost."
"I... still have... strength..." Sasuke panted, defiant even in defeat. He stared up at Naruto, who towered over him by a full head, one arm braced against the tree like a cage.
"Really? Then let's keep going."
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
A few more punches later, Sasuke's last reserves evaporated. Fresh bruises bloomed across his face, his features swelling once again into that familiar, painful pattern.
He collapsed, sprawling on the ground with his chest heaving. "Naruto... what is that? What kind of taijutsu are you using?"
"This isn't just taijutsu..."
Sasuke's vision blurred as he stared up at his classmate. Naruto had reverted to his normal state, his muscles no longer grotesquely swollen. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, illuminating him from behind in golden rays. He seemed to glow.
Hearing Sasuke's question, Naruto's chest swelled with pride. He tilted his head back, gazing at the sky at a dramatic forty-five-degree angle, and declared:
"I practice Ultimate Taijutsu—the way of the Iron Body!"