Spring passed into autumn, and before anyone realized it, a full year slipped quietly by.
That day, inside a classroom at the Konoha Ninja Academy, chalk dust floated lazily through beams of sunlight.
Iruka stood at the podium, gripping a nearly blank exam paper in his hand. The vein at his temple throbbed violently.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
His roar made the classroom windows buzz.
"This is the sixth time this semester you've scored zero on a written exam!"
"Hahaha!"
The room immediately erupted into laughter.
Sakura covered her mouth, giggling. Ino pointed at Naruto without the slightest restraint. Even the usually shy Hinata couldn't help but blush and lower her head.
Only Sasuke snorted softly, not even lifting his gaze as he continued flipping through the ninjutsu scroll in his hands.
"What's the big deal?" Naruto dug a finger into his ear, utterly unconcerned.
"I'm number one in practical combat anyway! I even flattened upperclassmen last week!"
"No matter how good you are in practice, it's useless!"
Iruka slammed the desk in fury.
"A ninja must combine theory and practice! From today onward, you'll sit with Sasuke—he'll teach you properly!"
"What?!"
Naruto shot to his feet and pointed at the black-haired boy in the front row.
"No way I'm sitting with this stuck-up Sasuke!"
Only then did Sasuke look up. His dark eyes swept over coldly.
"I'll return that sentence exactly as it is—dead last."
Their gazes collided midair, sparks practically crackling between them.
Watching the scene, the Nine-Tails yawned lazily inside the seal.
"They're at it again. These two brats are giving me a headache."
Madara lay sprawled atop the Nine-Tails' massive head, hands folded behind his skull, observing Sasuke through Naruto's eyes.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, that arrogant little brat stirred memories from long ago.
"Hmph."
He snorted softly, an unidentifiable complexity lacing his tone.
Not long after, Naruto dragged his chair over beside Sasuke, deliberately banging desks and chairs together with loud thuds.
Sasuke didn't even raise an eyebrow—he merely shifted his belongings subtly to the other side.
"Hey! Move over!" Naruto jabbed him with an elbow.
"Touch me again," Sasuke said coldly, "and I'll break your arm."
"Try it! Like I'm scared!"
Iruka cleared his throat heavily.
"Naruto! Open your textbook to page thirty-five. Today's lesson is chakra usage."
The next half hour was nothing short of a disaster.
Whenever Iruka asked a question, Sasuke answered smoothly and precisely.
Naruto, on the other hand, either scratched his head in confusion—or blurted out answers that were completely off the mark.
Worse still, every time Naruto got something wrong, Sasuke let out a quiet, disdainful snort.
"Chakra is divided into five elemental natures, idiot."
While Iruka turned around to write on the board, Sasuke lowered his voice mockingly.
"You don't even know that—what kind of ninja do you think you'll become?"
Naruto's face flushed red.
"Don't look down on me! I—I just—"
"Just have ramen instead of a brain?"
Sasuke curled his lips into a grin that made him look even more punchable.
Just as Naruto was about to lunge at him, Madara's voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
"Naruto, he's not wrong. Chakra does indeed have five basic natures—Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water."
"Dad?!"
Naruto nearly shouted in shock before swallowing it back, his face crumpling.
"Why are you taking his side?!"
"I'm not," Madara replied arrogantly as ever.
"I just can't stand watching my son not know such basic knowledge."
During the afternoon practical class, Iruka announced a grouping that stunned everyone.
"Today we'll be doing two-on-two combat training! Naruto and Sasuke versus Shikamaru and Kiba!"
"What kind of joke is this?!"
Naruto jumped up instantly.
"I'm not teaming up with this stuck-up Sasuke!"
Sasuke's expression was just as cold.
"I don't need dead weight."
Iruka flashed a sly grin.
"This is an order. Refuse to cooperate—and you'll both be cleaning toilets for a month."
The two of them wilted instantly.
"Ready—begin!"
The moment Iruka's whistle sounded, Naruto shot forward with a whoosh, fist flying straight at Shikamaru's face.
Shikamaru sighed and lazily sidestepped.
"What a pain…"
At the same time, Sasuke moved—but not toward the enemy.
Instead, he kicked Naruto squarely in the back.
"Don't block my path, dead last!"
Naruto stumbled forward, swinging at empty air, nearly face-planting into the dirt.
He whirled around furiously.
"You stuck-up jerk! What was that for?!"
"You were in my way," Sasuke replied coolly.
Kiba seized the opening.
Akamaru leapt from his shoulder.
"Beast Mimicry—Man-Beast Clone!"
Two Kibas lunged at Naruto from both sides, claws slashing straight for his throat.
Naruto leapt backward in panic—only to slam into Sasuke's back.
Both lost balance and tumbled together in an undignified heap.
A split second later—
"Gatsuga!"
The spinning attack slammed into both of them, blasting them away in a cloud of dust.
"Idiot! Watch where you're going!" Sasuke roared.
"You're the one who stopped suddenly!" Naruto snarled.
The spectators burst into laughter.
Sakura buried her face in her hands.
"These two idiots…"
Inside the seal, the Nine-Tails laughed so hard it rolled around.
"Hahahaha! This is the 'genius Uchiha' you were talking about? Can't even dodge a mutt!"
Madara's temple twitched.
"…Shut up."
On the field, taking advantage of their infighting, Shikamaru quickly formed seals.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
A black shadow raced along the ground, snaking toward Naruto's ankle.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Sasuke spun and unleashed a blazing fireball, forcing Shikamaru to abort the technique and leap away.
"Hmph. At least you're somewhat useful."
Sasuke glanced sideways at Naruto.
"Like I needed your help!" Naruto shot back, hands already forming seals.
"Watch this! Fire Style—"
"Gatsuga!"
Before Naruto could finish, two whirlwind-like figures slammed into him, interrupting his jutsu and blasting him backward.
Sasuke hurled shuriken to intercept—but Shikamaru had already predicted it.
"Your movements are too easy to read."
Three shuriken pinned Sasuke's landing spot, forcing him to change direction—straight into Naruto.
Thud!
Forehead to forehead, they crashed together and collapsed, seeing stars.
"Ow! Is your head made of iron?!" Naruto wailed.
"You idiot—look where you're going!" Sasuke snapped.
At the sidelines, Iruka rubbed his temples.
"This may be the worst teamwork in history…"
Seeing the overwhelmingly one-sided battle, Kiba grew increasingly confident.
He was certain he could defeat these two "geniuses."
"Gatsuga!"
The attack surged again.
Shadow sealed their escape routes.
There was nowhere to dodge—
"Sasuke!" Naruto suddenly shouted.
"Don't order me around!" Sasuke barked—yet his body moved instinctively.
Naruto dropped into a crouch.
Sasuke stepped on his shoulder and launched himself skyward, shuriken raining down like a storm.
"What?!" Shikamaru hurriedly adjusted his shadow to defend—
But Naruto formed seals mid-motion.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale accelerated the shuriken, their trajectories turning wildly unpredictable!
Kiba's Gatsuga was shattered instantly.
Shikamaru was forced to abandon his jutsu to evade.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Sasuke changed techniques midair. Dozens of small fireballs spread along the wind, turning the training field into a blazing net.
Cold sweat slid down Shikamaru's forehead.
"They're… coordinating like this?!"
At the final moment, Naruto dashed beneath Sasuke and clasped his hands.
"Get up there!"
Sasuke stepped onto his palms without hesitation and vaulted high into the air—
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
Wind and fire intertwined, forming a roaring inferno—a crimson dragon surging toward Shikamaru and Kiba.
With no way to evade, Shikamaru could only stare as the firestorm approached, a helpless smile on his face.
"…What a pain."
When the smoke cleared, Shikamaru and Kiba lay at the edge of the field.
Akamaru whimpered pitifully.
The entire training ground fell silent.
"W-Winners… Naruto and Sasuke!" Iruka announced at last.
Originally, he'd thought that Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Kiba using C-rank techniques was already impressive.
But Naruto as well?
Was this why the Third Hokage had always paid special attention to him?
Naruto panted heavily—then broke into a wide grin.
"So? Stuck-up Sasuke! Pretty awesome, right?!"
Sasuke turned his head away.
"…It was acceptable."
Yet as he walked off, the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tails didn't mock them for once.
Watching Naruto and Sasuke standing side by side, it muttered:
"They clearly couldn't stand each other at first… yet their coordination is frighteningly good."
Madara remained silent.
Because as he looked at their backs—
He couldn't help but see himself and Senju Hashirama.