Chapter 41: Monkey Steals Peaches
The two of them exchanged blows several times in a short period.
"How was that?"
Sasuke stared with his Red Eyes, a hint of pride on his face because he had kept up with Naruto's speed.
One should know that before, he couldn't even see clearly.
"Not bad."
Naruto took a small step back and gave his evaluation.
He had to admit, the Sharingan was indeed a bug.
No wonder there was a legend in the Ninja Worldof it being invincible in a one-on-one fight.
Insight and hypnosis.
The boost to combat was too significant.
"Hmph!"
Sasuke felt slighted.
What did he mean by "not bad"? You're only evenly matched with me.
"Watch out."
Hearing that hmph, Naruto said with a smile, "Now the real fight begins."
In over a year, he had practiced the Eight Extremes Fist to the point of perfection.
He was already starting to consider which weapon to practice next.
First, exclude the Great Spear.
It wasn't that he didn't like it, but because his Shadow Clone in the Hidden Mist Village had almost finished practicing it.
He only needed to wait to receive the experience.
Naruto charged forward, his right hand clenched into a fist, like a suddenly erupting flash flood, his speed reaching the extreme.
At the same time, he slightly raised his left foot forward.
A fierce and powerful straight punch took Sasukeby surprise.
Even with the Sharingan, he only saw a rough outline; by the time he reacted, it was already right in front of him.
With great difficulty, he leaned back and blocked with his arms held vertically.
But the expected attack did not land.
"Ah!"
Sasuke let out a cry of Pain as his stomach took a heavy knee strike.
His body retreated under the massive force, and he fell to one knee.
He clutched his stomach, cold sweat rolling down.
It turned out the straight punch was just a feint.
Sasuke struggled to his feet, his face pale, but a moment later he took a defensive stance again, intending to try once more.
Naruto didn't say a word, leaning forward again and throwing a punch straight at his face.
"The same move won't work on me twice!"
Sasuke shouted to bolster his spirit, instinctively guarding his head with his arms while raising his right leg for a high kick, intending to strike first.
But before his kick could land, Naruto's body shifted with his punch, hitting his left cheek with lightning speed.
Intense Pain and an irresistible impact.
Sasuke fell backward, but just as he was about to hit the ground in a 'flat sand falling wild goose' style, he reacted, spinning in the air and landing steadily.
"You... why did you hit my face!"
He rubbed his cheek, his head buzzing, his eyes wide.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
Naruto suppressed a laugh.
The left side of his face was swollen like a little pig's head, his former handsomeness completely gone.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke realized his Taijutsu was no match for him and unhesitatingly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A large fireball erupted from his mouth.
An astonishing wave of heat rolled toward him.
Compared to the previous fireball, this one was nearly two meters in diameter, quite terrifying.
But Naruto stood his ground.
His hands moved rapidly, and oil refined from Chakra gushed out along with Fire Release.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
Sasuke's eyes widened.
His first reaction was when Naruto had secretly learned his Great Fireball Technique.
But he changed his mind instantly.
Because Naruto's Flame Bullet directly pushed back his fireball.
In his shock, he hurriedly dodged.
With a boom, the forest behind him began to burn fiercely.
Naruto suddenly thought of a saying.
Set fire to the mountain, sit in a jail cell until it's worn through.
"What Ninjutsu is this?"
Sasuke felt a bit frustrated; the Fire Release he took pride in didn't seem to compare to Naruto's.
"Flame Bullet. Isn't it much stronger than your Great Fireball?"
Naruto said triumphantly.
He intended to provoke Sasuke, helping him build up the emotions needed to awaken his eyes.
Jiraiya had once used this technique to defeat the Animal Path of Pain's Summoned Beast.
Against the Great Fireball Technique, isn't it normal to crush it?
"..."
Sasuke's cheeks flushed red with anger.
The sound of chirping birds suddenly rang out from his right hand.
A massive amount of Chakra whipped up a gust of wind.
Sasuke stood amidst the lightning flashes, his hair fluttering.
Even from Naruto's perspective, having seen much in his past life, this guy was two-thirds as handsome as himself.
Tsk.
Naruto looked at his expression; he seemed to be getting cocky again.
He reached out his hand, and blue Chakra began to rotate rapidly.
Sasuke was slightly surprised. What Ninjutsu was this? It actually wasn't inferior to Chidori.
Damn it!
Why did he feel that the gap between them hadn't narrowed at all?
Sasuke gritted his teeth and charged at him, controlling the Chidori.
Naruto waited for him to arrive, and without any tricks, the Rasengan slammed directly into the center.
Lightning tore apart and rotated.
Sasuke's confident Chidori held out for only a moment before being broken.
Naruto flicked his right hand, and the remaining Rasengan was thrown out, boring a deep hole into a massive tree.
"..."
Sasuke looked dejected.
Although he had anticipated he might lose, he hadn't expected to lose so easily.
He thought they would be evenly matched and fight for hundreds of rounds.
Naruto patted his shoulder and said, "Let's go. Since you're finally back, let's go get something good to eat."
He didn't say anything.
Sasuke was actually quite good.
After all, he was only eight years old.
The only thing Naruto was truly superior in was Chakra.
As long as Sasuke's Chakra caught up, his Sharingan should soon reach three tomoe.
When the time comes, I'll find a way to help him awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The battle ended.
Hinata didn't show much reaction, but Neji, for the first time, felt that Sasuke was a formidable rival.
From the current situation, even with the Eight Extremes Fist, it was hard to say if he could defeat him.
So he challenged Sasuke.
Seeing this, Naruto could only say that eating was the most important thing in the world.
Once they've eaten, even if they fought until they were in bed, it would have nothing to do with him.
Time quickly passed to October.
When Naruto was nine, his peach trees began to bear fruit.
Lying on a tree, he felt like the Great Sage Sun Wukong during the time he guarded the Peach Garden of Immortality.
But unfortunately, there were no Seven Fairies, only Hinata.
"You mean your dad has been praising your progress lately?"
Naruto turned his head to look at Hinata on another peach tree.
"Yes, thanks to Naruto-kun's Eight Extremes Fist."
Hinata's face flushed slightly, reflecting the peaches nearby, giving her a unique charm.
She felt that at this moment, the two of them were like a married couple lying on the same bed, looking at each other.
"No, it's because of your own hard work."
Naruto smiled.
The inherent characteristics of the Eight Extremes Fist were subtly influencing Hinata.
As a result, her Gentle Fist had inadvertently gained a sense of speed, precision, and ruthlessness.
Most likely, Hyuga Hiashi noticed this and was gratified by the change in her personality.
Hinata lowered her head shyly, but she was very happy in her heart.
Because Naruto was so outstanding, she felt a lot of pressure.
If she didn't work hard, she would surely be left behind.
And most importantly, there were several people around Naruto.
Neji and Sasuke were both stronger than her.
Being among a group of geniuses, she felt very uneasy.
But in reality, she was also a top-tier genius.
The two of them rested for a moment and then began training again.
The next day, Naruto discovered a very serious matter.
Three of his peaches had been stolen.
The most ridiculous part was that the culprit had actually left the peach pits behind.
I was too careless.
He thought that sleeping in the Treehouse would allow him to clearly sense the surroundings.
But he also felt surprised.
After all, he was a Jonin.
The person who came must have a very strong ability to hide their presence.
Naruto tracked them for two days and finally found the culprit.
A monkey.