Naruto simply stood there, yet the dust and dirt around him seemed to lose gravity, slowly drifting upwards. A terrifying wave of chakra surged from within him, continuously expanding outwards, kicking up swathes of dust that danced around his form.
"This chakra—!" Sasuke's eyes widened in horror, his body involuntarily taking a step back. Looking at Naruto now, all he felt was a bone-chilling, overwhelming pressure.
This was an application combining Reiatsu and Chakra. The two merged to form a pressure even more terrifying than killing intent. Within its range, it could completely suppress and lock onto the opponent's aura, and to a certain extent, even slow their movements. This was just Naruto's initial experimentation with combining Reiatsu and Chakra; Sasuke was the perfect test subject.
He gave Sasuke a gentle, yet utterly chilling smile. "Ready to dance with the dust, Sasuke?"
"As expected of you." Sasuke gave a cold smirk, then lifted his shirt to reveal the heavy weights strapped beneath.
Thud.
Amidst gasps from the onlookers, he unstrapped the weights, which slammed into the ground, creating a small crater. As his body lightened, the oppressive force from Naruto seemed to lessen considerably.
"Has he been wearing weights to school all this time?" The students sucked in a collective cold breath. Even Iruka couldn't help but stare, visibly shocked.
Is this the genius of the Uchiha?
"Genius?" Sasuke, however, snorted derisively. "I worked myself to death for this! Don't you dare erase my efforts with those two words, 'genius'!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Instantly, four Sasukes appeared in the arena, attacking Naruto from the front, back, left, and right.
Sasuke's speed was incredible; to the students, he was just a blur. One of the clones hurled several shuriken at Naruto, while another unleashed a Great Fireball Jutsu. This Great Fireball was several times more powerful than the one from a year ago. Though the students were watching from a distance, they could almost feel the searing heat warping the air. The Uchiha clan's Fire Style and shuriken throwing skills were indeed outstanding.
"Such speed, combined with shuriken and Fire Style... Truly the genius of the Uchiha clan," Iruka thought, horrified. To think I'm the teacher of this monstrous talent! An image flashed through Iruka's mind: Uchiha Itachi, Konoha's renowned prodigy. Graduated from the Academy at eight, joined the ANBU, his current strength unfathomable. In that instant, Sasuke and Itachi became equals in his mind. Perhaps Sasuke's talent was no less than Itachi's. Iruka couldn't help but sigh. The Uchiha clan was truly teeming with talent.
So, how will Naruto deal with this?
Boom! Suddenly, Naruto's aura exploded outwards, sending dust flying. He vanished from everyone's sight in an instant.
Shunpo—using high-speed footwork and Reiatsu control to create the illusion of instantaneous movement. After rigorous training, Naruto had met the basic requirements to learn Shunpo and had successfully mastered it.
He flash-stepped behind one of the shadow clones and struck out with a single punch. The clone burst apart.
A one-hit kill!
The remaining three Sasukes didn't pause for a second. They reacted with extreme speed, re-forming their encirclement. They alternated between throwing shuriken, engaging in close combat, and occasionally using long-range Great Fireballs for harassment, their coordination flawless.
Yet, amidst this dazzling flurry of attacks, Naruto moved as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard. Sidesteps, dodges, Shunpo counters—all executed with effortless ease. He perfectly evaded every attack, each movement precise, with no wasted motion, no excess space. Naruto was evading everything with minimal stamina consumption. It didn't look like a fight; at first glance, he seemed more like a graceful dancer.
"So elegant." "Naruto's taijutsu… it's far superior to Sasuke's," a student gulped, muttering in awe.
Before long, all of Sasuke's shadow clones had been dealt with, leaving only the original.
Iruka watched, dumbfounded. He tried to imagine himself in Sasuke's place and realized he would likely struggle immensely to win, and might even lose. Gods, these two students of mine are terrifying!
Sasuke was panting slightly, his eyes fixed on Naruto. As I thought, Naruto's strength is even more unfathomable than I imagined. He hasn't even bothered with Shikai, let alone removing his weights.
"So, it's still not enough? In that case…" Sasuke lifted his head, his eyes suddenly flashing crimson, a single black tomoe slowly spinning within each. "Then I'll use these eyes to defeat you!"
Sharingan.
"When did you awaken it?" Naruto paused for a moment, genuinely happy for Sasuke. The Uchiha clan's eyes typically awakened through life-or-death experiences or moments of intense emotion. Usually, the first awakening was a single tomoe, with more developing through later effort, enhancing the Sharingan's abilities.
But what can a one-tomoe Sharingan do? Naruto was curious.
"I see it! I see it clearly! Before these eyes of mine, you have nowhere to hide!" With his Sharingan active, a dangerously alluring, wild smirk spread across Sasuke's face. "Your movements have slowed, Naruto! No… it's that my eyes can see everything!"
"I've seen through you!"
Sasuke and Naruto clashed. Sasuke fluently executed all the taijutsu he had learned. Correspondingly, Naruto's Hakuda perfectly defended against every blow, though not with the same effortless grace as before. Naruto understood this might be his limit while still wearing his weights.
"Now, am I qualified to make you use your Shikai?" An excited look appeared on Sasuke's face.
"As you wish." Naruto decided to play along, retreating to create distance. The shadow clone that had been training earlier promptly delivered his Zanpakuto into Naruto's hand.
Naruto gently stroked Kyoka Suigetsu, his gaze solemn. "Since you're so eager to see it, then… be careful."
A torrent of dark green Reiatsu erupted from Kyoka Suigetsu, swirling around Naruto's body.
"Shatter—Kyoka Suigetsu."
The Kyoka Suigetsu in his hand fell, embedding itself into the ground, then shattered like a mirror, dissolving into the air. Everyone's vision blurred for an instant. They rubbed their eyes; everything seemed normal, except the dark green sword in Naruto's hand was gone.
"What just happened?" Everyone was completely baffled.
"Is this… Shikai?" Sasuke asked, thoroughly confused.
"Indeed," Naruto replied with a smile.
"It doesn't look like anything special. And your sword is gone." Sasuke muttered to himself in puzzlement, but his eyes immediately sharpened. He lunged towards Naruto, kunai raised to strike. "If this is all there is, then this fight is mine!"
Pfft.
The next moment, amidst gasps of shock, the kunai plunged directly into Naruto's chest. Yet, no blood flowed. Naruto's face showed no hint of pain.
"I hit him? No, that's not right!"
Sasuke's pupils contracted violently as an immense pain shot through his own body. A dark green sword had pierced through his abdomen.
Sasuke's eyes filled with disbelief as he looked up at Naruto. The other boy wore a gentle smile, his eyes calm.
"What… what happened? My eyes…" Sasuke mumbled, a wave of dizziness washing over him.
"The sky, in truth, is colorless," Sasuke heard Naruto's gentle voice just before he lost consciousness. "It hasn't deceived you. It's merely that your own eyes have deceived you."