The aerial battle raged on. Perfect Susanoo slashed with its longsword or unleashed various powerful ninjutsu, but Naruto destroyed everything with his fists alone.
Sweat beaded on Sasuke's forehead. He could feel his chakra draining at an alarming rate. It wasn't that he was weak—far from it. Spending most of his time away from Konoha meant he didn't have to face Sakura's wrath regularly. His physical condition was excellent.
The problem was his opponent.
His Perfect Susanoo could cut through Kaguya's Divine Tree with a single slash. But he couldn't break through Naruto's defense. Instead, he was being crushed and beaten by those golden fists.
Moreover, there were no fancy ninjutsu involved, no gorgeous swordsmanship. Just punches. One punch, another punch, and another. Under each blow, every sword technique and ninjutsu attack from Perfect Susanoo shattered and dissipated beneath Naruto's screaming fists.
Outrageous. Brutal.
This wasn't the Naruto Uzumaki of his world. There were no chakra fluctuations emanating from his body at all. Could it be that in his world, he doesn't practice ninjutsu at all? Sasuke began falling into doubt. This was a one-punch Naruto.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
Like drums in the evening and bells at dawn, each punch created ripples in the air that twisted reality itself, making the atmosphere seem almost solid.
Although Naruto wasn't going all out, Sasuke's Perfect Susanoo gave him a satisfying fight. This wide-open, aggressive battle style was exactly what Naruto loved most.
The longsword slashed across Naruto's fist. Susanoo drew another blade from behind, gripping both weapons in its hands. The construct tumbled and rolled through the air, gorgeous swordsmanship pouring down on Naruto like a waterfall.
Very well. You have two swords? Then I'll have four fists.
The thought flashed through Naruto's mind. His shoulder blades began shifting behind his existing arms.
"SHHKT!" Two additional arms erupted from his shoulder blades, followed immediately by devastating bombardment raining down on Perfect Susanoo's body. The violent, intensive assault caused the purple light surrounding Susanoo to dim noticeably.
"What?!" Looking at the monstrous Naruto before him, the first figure that flashed through Sasuke's mind was Kimimaro under Orochimaru's command. Kimimaro had also possessed the ability to sprout bone protrusions from his body like this.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
In a single breath, Naruto threw hundreds of punches. Each one hammered into Perfect Susanoo's supposedly impenetrable body.
"No good—not enough chakra!" Sasuke's heart lurched. He simply withdrew Perfect Susanoo entirely.
Naruto was fighting with complete satisfaction when his target suddenly vanished. He looked down and saw Sasuke conceding defeat. Immediately, he returned to normal form and flew toward the ground.
Seeing Naruto approaching, Sasuke said with a weak expression, "Naruto, I'm defeated!"
The moment he admitted defeat, Sasuke's pupils shrank suddenly. He saw Naruto's fist coming straight toward him. In shock, he blurted out, "Naruto, stop! I already surrendered!"
"I know," Naruto said with a laugh. "But I haven't seen your sincerity about being friends with me yet."
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
An hour later, Naruto withdrew his fist with a completely satisfied expression. He looked down at Sasuke lying on the ground, bruised and swollen beyond recognition.
"Sasuke, I'm so happy! I never expected I'd have two Sasuke friends!"
You're happy. I'm not happy. What is this even about?! Sasuke looked at Naruto with the most resentful expression his pig-like face could manage.
For the first time, he felt the world's malice directed specifically at him. When he was young, this world's Naruto had kept beating him up for childish and ridiculous reasons. Now, with a daughter of his own, a Naruto from another world appeared and beat him up too.
Sasuke felt true pain at this moment.
"Sasuke, are you unhappy?" Seeing Sasuke's resentful expression, Naruto asked with concern.
Sasuke remained silent.
"Could it be that my sincerity wasn't enough?" Naruto lowered his head, thinking aloud. "I showed Sasuke's sincerity for a full hour. If that's not enough, then don't I have to add more time?"
Hearing Naruto's muttering, Sasuke's entire body trembled. A smile appeared on his battered face. "No, no! I'm very happy to make friends with Naruto. After all, becoming good friends with Narutos from two different worlds is a very wonderful experience."
"That's good." Seeing Sasuke's smile, Naruto felt relieved. He helped Sasuke to his feet.
"By the way, Naruto." Sasuke couldn't help but bring it up. "I already surrendered earlier. What was that about?"
Apparently, Sasuke was somewhat bothered by the fact that he'd surrendered and still gotten beaten.
Hearing the question, Naruto smiled brightly. "Sasuke, this is my process for making friends. Any friend who wants to befriend me must have a friendly discussion. Otherwise, how would I know if the other party is sincere? How can I tell if they'll truly become my friend?"
"Process?" Sasuke was stunned. What kind of Naruto is this? Judging by his expression, he doesn't realize he's completely twisted this concept, does he?
"Is this the case with every friend you make?" Sasuke asked carefully.
"Yes! Let me tell you, this friendship method is super effective." Naruto's enthusiasm was genuine. "If someone doesn't become friends after one friendly exchange, then two or three times will work. You have to be persistent! I've made so many friends already, and the number keeps growing. This is my dream!"
Speaking of this, Naruto looked genuinely proud.
"Uh..." Seeing the pride radiating from Naruto's face, Sasuke was speechless. But he couldn't help asking, "Naruto, have you never been beaten yourself?"
Naruto immediately looked at Sasuke. "What are you talking about? With my strength, who could beat me? Besides, who would beat up a good person like me? I'm approachable and willing to make friends with everyone."
Right. This Naruto can't be reasoned with. He only talks with his fists. But if your fists aren't bigger than his, you'd better shut up.
Sasuke shut up obediently.
He was already the father of a child. Sasuke was no longer as impulsive as he'd been in his youth. If Naruto had beaten him like this when he was young, he wouldn't have agreed to become friends after just once.
At least three times would've been necessary!
"Let's go, Sasuke. Back to your house." Naruto's excitement was palpable. "Let me tell you, Sakura and I are also good friends. I really want to meet your Sakura."
He genuinely wanted to make friends with this world's Sakura too.
"Alright." Sasuke led the way, taking Naruto toward his home.
Soon they arrived at Sasuke's house—a modest courtyard with a single entrance. After entering the yard and walking up the corridor, they heard Sakura's voice from inside: "Sasuke's back!"
"Yeah. Naruto's here too," Sasuke responded. He nodded to Naruto, and both of them changed shoes at the entrance before walking into the house.
"Naruto's here too?" Sakura's surprised voice sounded, followed by steady, strong footsteps. "Doesn't Naruto have to work at the Hokage Building today? Why does he have time to visit our house?"
Apparently, all of Naruto's old friends knew that this world's Uzumaki Naruto was a complete workaholic. A workaholic who neglected his family like that couldn't possibly manage friendships well either.
Not like the young Naruto, who valued friendship highly and made time to visit good friends regularly to maintain relationships through friendly exchanges.
Sakura finally appeared in the living room, looking toward Sasuke with a smile on her face. When she saw Sasuke's pig-headed appearance—no longer the handsome middle-aged Uchiha she'd married—her smile froze completely.
Sasuke was just about to speak when he heard Sakura's angry voice cut through the air. "Sasuke-kun! Who beat you up like this?!"
Seeing the fury building on Sakura's face, Sasuke pointed embarrassingly to Naruto beside him. "We were just—"
"We were just sparring," he tried to explain, but before he could finish the sentence, Sakura was already charging toward Naruto. Her fist was already pulling back for a devastating strike. As she rushed forward, Sakura's tiger-like roar filled the house:
"THIS IS HOW YOU SPAR?!"