"Uchiha Sasuke versus Uzumaki Naruto."
Kitazawa announced in a low voice.
All of Class 1‑A's students immediately shifted their attention.
Although Aburame Shino's strength had shocked them earlier, his usual presence was weak—nowhere near that of Uchiha Sasuke.
And the Aburame clan's reputation could not compare with the Uchiha's.
"Hey, Sasuke!"
Uzumaki Naruto said excitedly. "We can finally have a real fight!"
Of everyone in Class 1‑A, the person he most wanted to face was Uchiha Sasuke.
Not only because Sasuke was strong, but also because of a vague, indescribable bond between them.
"I hope you can last a little longer."
Sasuke replied coolly.
"Wow, Sasuke‑kun!"
Led by Haruno Sakura, several girls instantly turned into cheerleaders.
"Who do you think will win?"
Nara Shikamaru asked with a yawn.
"No suspense—Sasuke will, obviously."
Yamanaka Ino answered off‑handedly.
"The only area where Naruto beats Sasuke is raw physical strength."
Akimichi Chōji said after swallowing a chip.
Although he was closer to Naruto, based on their usual performance he wasn't optimistic.
"Compared with that ice‑cold Sasuke, I'd rather see Naruto win."
Inuzuka Kiba said, arms folded.
…
"Sasuke!"
Forming the seal of confrontation, Naruto shouted, "Leaf Whirlwind!"
He leapt into the air, spinning in a gust of wind, and swept his leg out.
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat—Naruto knew that kind of taijutsu?
But his reaction wasn't slow; standing his ground, he lifted his leg to meet the kick.
Born an Uchiha, he had trained in Uchiha‑style taijutsu since childhood.
Bang!
Their legs collided.
Sasuke frowned and involuntarily took a step back—Naruto was physically stronger.
He wasn't surprised; Naruto always out‑performed him in the physical‑fitness tests.
"This is the fervor of youth!"
Naruto yelled, "Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
His right leg spun, kicking up a powerful wind.
Sasuke's face tightened; he raised both arms to block and, at the same time, drove his knee toward Naruto's abdomen.
Boom!
Naruto's right fist struck Sasuke's knee.
Retreating a step, Naruto whirled into a roundhouse kick.
Sasuke blocked again with crossed arms.
The heavy impact sent numbness through his arms and forced him back.
"Hahaha! One more!"
Naruto laughed and charged after him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two traded blows in rapid succession, each impact echoing through the field.
"How can this be?"
Sakura stared, dumbfounded.
"Is that really Naruto?"
Kiba swallowed hard.
Bro, I wanted you to win, but actually watching you win feels weird…
"Naruto's gotten this strong?"
For some reason, Ino's first thought was of Kitazawa. Did Naruto secretly train in taijutsu behind our backs?
"Sasuke is actually being pushed back?"
Chōji stopped eating chips and focused.
"That taijutsu looks familiar…"
In Shikamaru's mind appeared a green-clad man with gleaming teeth.
Kitazawa nodded—having Naruto start with taijutsu was indeed the right call.
With the Nine‑Tails' interference, ninjutsu was troublesome; taijutsu used much less chakra, so the fox's influence was smaller.
"This ends now!"
The longer the fight dragged on, the more irritated Sasuke became.
Physically weaker, he was losing in taijutsu—yet Uchiha shinobi were never meant to rely on taijutsu alone.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Putting distance between them, Sasuke formed hand seals.
"What—?!"
Naruto had just dashed forward when the air around him grew scorching hot.
A giant fireball barreled toward him.
Sweating in an instant, he turned and ran.
The spectators looked as though they'd seen a ghost.
They hadn't even mastered the basic Clone Technique, yet Sasuke could already unleash Fire Style ninjutsu—and with frightening power, like a miniature sun.
Water Style: Wild Water Wave!
Kitazawa stepped in front of Naruto.
Opening his mouth, he spat out a torrent of water.
The stream swallowed the fireball, and the temperature returned to normal.
Sasuke froze—he hadn't expected his Great Fireball to be snuffed out so easily.
"Winner: Uchiha Sasuke."
Kitazawa declared.
"As expected of my lifelong rival!"
Naruto grinned, flashing his dazzling teeth and giving a thumbs‑up. "Sasuke, I look forward to our next youthful showdown!"
"You've improved a lot," Sasuke said after a few seconds of silence, "but you're still far from my level."
In truth, he already felt threatened.
Without the Great Fireball, he couldn't be sure of beating Naruto; he needed to master more Fire Style jutsu.
"Heh‑heh, that's all thanks to Kitazawa‑sensei and Guy‑sensei."
Naruto only heard half of what Sasuke said and scratched his head sheepishly.
Sasuke thought: Just as I figured.
His own Great Fireball's current power was thanks to Kitazawa, and Naruto's sudden growth clearly had Kitazawa's hand in it as well.
As for Might Guy, Sasuke didn't know him and ignored the name.
Just as Kitazawa opened his mouth to speak, three lines of text appeared before his eyes:
[Current Quest: Help Uchiha Sasuke learn a second Fire Style jutsu.]
[Reward: One‑handed seals]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa accepted immediately—one‑handed seals could be extremely useful for surprise attacks.
[Current Quest: Help Uzumaki Naruto defeat Uchiha Sasuke once.]
[Reward: +⅒ chakra capacity.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa let out a small "huh."
Two quests at once?
He pondered.
The system's quests likely triggered when someone's will was especially strong—and no two rivals had stronger wills than Sasuke and Naruto.
Either way, it was good news.
He'd already earned one boost of ⅒ chakra; another would give him as much chakra as a typical jōnin.
The mission wouldn't be easy, though—Naruto still had a hard road to beating Sasuke.
"Ten‑minute break! Prepare for round two."
Kitazawa clapped his hands.
The Class 1‑A students immediately found places to sit and rest—while chattering nonstop about the match, especially the new rivalry center‑stage: Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.
~~~
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