Naruto felt the burning sting on his face—and then, with a wide grin breaking across his cheeks, he threw a punch straight into Sasuke's right cheek.
Sasuke staggered, spat to the side, and met Naruto's eyes with a wicked smirk.
"Come on! Stop dragging your feet!"
"Let's go, Sass!"
With perfect synchronicity, the two launched into an all-out fistfight—trading blows like seasoned brawlers in a round-based sparring match.
Sakura stood watching, not even trying to intervene at first. Her face flushed red, her thoughts drifting.
(Oh my~ Is Sasuke standing up for me? No—wait—is he just fighting Naruto?)
(But… we're all teammates. This isn't good~)
She finally shook herself out of the daze.
(No! This is the Chunin Exams!)
Normally, these two would fight at the drop of a hat, and she'd let them, but this was serious. They couldn't afford to waste time anymore!
With a worried expression, Sakura stepped forward, shouting in a high, urgent voice.
"Stop it! Stop fighting, you two!"
"This is the Chunin Exams! If you keep messing around like this, we won't have time to collect the scrolls!"
"We'll never pass like this!"
But in that moment, Naruto and Sasuke—driven by the ancient souls of Ashura and Indra raging in their blood—couldn't hear her. Their tempers had already flared.
(How could an outsider possibly understand the bond between us brothers?)
So they both snapped at her in unison.
"Shut up, nagging woman! Get out of the way!"
Sakura flinched. She was used to Sasuke barking at her—but Naruto? Loudmouthed, loyal Naruto? The boy who claimed to love her?
The betrayal stung.
(You bastard with your wide eyes and stupid smile… Didn't you say you liked me? Are you playing me for a fool!?)
Furious, she stormed forward and slammed her fist into Naruto's face.
WHACK!
Naruto went flying, rolled twice across the ground, and groaned.
Sasuke blinked in disbelief. He stared at Naruto, lying crumpled in the dirt.
And then… a strange resentment flickered in Sasuke's heart.
(You woman… You actually hit Naruto in front of me!? Don't you know I'm the only one allowed to beat him up!?)
Fueled by that thought, Sasuke turned and hurled a slap of righteous vengeance straight at Sakura.
Sakura's heart twisted in pain.
(Sasuke… You're going to hit me? For Naruto?)
But before Sasuke's hand could land, Naruto—who had barely picked himself up—blurred into action.
In that single instant, he used the only Body Flicker Technique he'd ever managed to pull off.
He threw himself between Sasuke and Sakura, ready to take the blow head-on.
His right arm shot up too.
SMACK!
Both their palms collided with each other's faces.
Naruto and Sasuke spun twice in midair from the impact—then collapsed.
"Cough—cough!"
Sakura opened her eyes slowly. The slap she'd braced for… never came.
She blinked, dazed.
(What just happened? Did I awaken some hidden strength and scare them off?)
Naruto and Sasuke slowly sat up, their faces stinging with fresh red slap marks.
Their eyes met. They stared.
The weight of the situation finally crashed over them.
They were still in the Chunin Exams.
Silence.
Then, they both cracked awkward smiles.
"Let's call it a draw for now. We'll finish this after the test."
"Yeah… deal."
They dusted themselves off and helped each other up like nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, the trio of Iwagakure Genin—tied up nearby—watched the scene in absolute horror.
(Wh-What the hell did we just witness…?)
(After beating the crap out of each other, they're just casually brushing off the dirt? These Konoha Genin are terrifying! What monsters are they raising in that village!?)
Ignoring the shell-shocked enemies, Sasuke calmly approached the tied-up Genin and rifled through their gear. He found a flare gun and shot it into the sky.
A red firework streaked above the canopy of the Forest of Death, exploding at a hundred meters into the shape of a weeping face.
Outside the forest, Anko Mitarashi squinted at the red signal while chewing on a meat skewer.
"I wonder if they dropped out on their own or ran into someone who doesn't like killing…"
She tossed the stick aside and turned to the Special Jonin behind her.
"Let's move. That signal's not gonna check itself."
Back inside the forest, Naruto and the others pushed forward—unaware that a storm was brewing ahead of them.
A storm in the shape of a woman they could never hope to defeat.
The red flare had not gone unnoticed.
Across the forest, it caught the eyes of many strong Genin.
Some were in the middle of battle and ignored it. But others—elites from across the Hidden Villages—saw the sign and rushed toward its origin.
Among them:
Gaara's team.
Yugao's team.
Yukimaru's team.
Omoi's team.
Fū's team.
Hydrangea's team.
More than a dozen elite squads—sixty to seventy shinobi—were now converging on a single location.
And the one who triggered it all… was smirking.
Sasuke walked with Naruto and Sakura, arms crossed and pleased with himself.
(Only elite Genin would chase after something like that flare. Let them wipe each other out first.)
(We'll just clean up after.)
But minutes later, Sasuke stopped in his tracks.
His smirk vanished.
He stared ahead, tense.
Naruto and Sakura flanked him, both confused.
"What's wrong now?" Naruto asked.
"Need a bathroom break?"
Sasuke ignored the jab. His eyes stayed locked on the thick tree ahead of them—on the woman standing atop one of its branches.
She wore a deep navy combat uniform.
Exactly like the ones worn by high-ranking Uchiha.
Sasuke knew that outfit. He had seen it before. It wasn't some cheap knockoff.
It was real.
"Why… are you wearing Master Hikaru's clothes?"
Saya stood silently on the branch above, her dark eyes studying Sasuke with cool detachment.
She spotted the Uchiha crest on his back—and her lips curled slightly with disdain.
(Uchiha.)
But she reminded herself—this was not the old Uchiha.
This was Lord Hikaru's clan now.
"Clothes?"
Saya tilted her head slightly.
"I'm wearing Lord Hikaru's clothes because I didn't have anything else. Problem?"
Sasuke froze.
(Wait… Lord Hikaru's clothes? That pressure I felt from her—it makes sense now!)
(She's… his wife!?)
Eyes wide, Sasuke bent forward in a 90-degree bow and shouted with reverence.
"Greetings, Master's Wife! I'm Uchiha Sasuke, disciple of Lord Hikaru!"
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