Ch.281 Defeat and Provocation

"What is that!?"

The moment Sasuke saw the Rasengan in Naruto's hand, his heart skipped a beat.

Although he didn't know what the Rasengan was, his instincts told him that being hit by it would have dire consequences.

Just as he was about to leap away to avoid it, two of Naruto's shadow clones suddenly rushed out from either side, grabbing his arms and holding him firmly in place.

Sensing the danger, Sasuke quickly dispatched the two shadow clones holding him.

However, this brief delay cost him his last chance to dodge. By the time he was free, Naruto's true self was already upon him, the Rasengan inches from his chest.

"You—"

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak.

But before he could utter a word, Naruto's Rasengan struck him squarely in the chest.

Thud!

With a dull thud, Sasuke was sent flying backward, crashing through several of Naruto's shadow clones before finally slamming into a tree at the edge of the training ground, where he came to a stop.

"Damn it!"

Sasuke tried to get up, but as soon as he lifted his body, his vision went dark, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, completely unconscious.

For a moment, the training ground fell silent.

"D-did I see that right? Sasuke was defeated by Naruto?"

"What kind of jutsu did Naruto use?"

"Is Sasuke okay?"

After a long pause, someone finally broke the silence.

Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh-

Soon, the academy teachers rushed to Sasuke's side, urgently checking the condition of the unconscious boy.

Watching the anxious teachers gathered around Sasuke, Naruto finally realized what had happened. "Did I win? I defeated Sasuke?"

Sakura, who had been watching the entire scene, was dumbfounded. "Naruto actually defeated Sasuke? How is that possible?"

Shion murmured, "He only trained with Jiraiya-sama for a week, and yet he's improved this much!?"

Nearby.

Kimimaro paused briefly to glance at the scene before resuming his own training, uninterested.

Neji, on the other hand, looked at Naruto thoughtfully.

He had heard rumors that Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, had taken Naruto as his student. However, he hadn't expected Naruto's strength to improve so rapidly under Jiraiya's guidance. To defeat Sasuke in just a week, even if it involved an element of surprise, was something that demanded his attention.

Tenten, standing beside Neji, looked back and forth between Naruto and Neji, her face filled with worry.

It was clear to anyone with eyes that with the emergence of talents like Yakumo and now Naruto, and with the involvement of legendary figures like the Sannin as mentors, the dynamics of the academy were bound to undergo a major shift.

In such a changing landscape, the top talents of the academy—Shinji, Sasuke, Kimimaro, and Neji—would undoubtedly face the greatest challenges.

Now that Sasuke had fallen, the next to fall under the pressure of these rising stars could very well be Shinji, Kimimaro, or Neji. Many students turned their eyes to the three of them, only to find Shinji calm and composed, Kimimaro as cold and indifferent as ever, and Neji exuding confidence.

...

Hidden Leaf Hospital.

...

"Where am I?"

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, the memory of his defeat at Naruto's hands flooded back, filling him with shame and anger. He tried to sit up, but as soon as he lifted his body, a searing pain shot through his chest.

"Ah!"

Crying out in pain, Sasuke collapsed back onto the hospital bed.

At that moment, Kakashi, who had been sitting in the corner of the room, glanced up from his book and said in a lazy tone, "The muscles in your chest are severely strained. It'll take at least two days for you to fully recover."

Startled, Sasuke turned his head and saw Kakashi sitting in the corner, holding a copy of Make-Out Paradise.

Kakashi continued, not looking up from his book, "You should consider yourself lucky. You took a direct hit from the Rasengan, but your bones are intact."

"Damn it!" Sasuke grew even more furious upon hearing how serious his injuries were. But then he caught Kakashi's words and asked, "Rasengan?"

Kakashi closed his book and said, "Yes, the technique Naruto used to hit you is called the Rasengan. It's an A-rank ninjutsu that doesn't require hand seals."

"What!?"

Sasuke's expression darkened.

A seal-less ninjutsu, and an A-rank one at that—the Rasengan was clearly no ordinary technique.

"Fortunately, Naruto has only just mastered it. Otherwise, your injuries would be far more severe."

Kakashi shook his head.

To be honest, Sasuke's performance had disappointed him.

In Kakashi's eyes, even with Naruto's mastery of the Shadow Clone Technique and the Rasengan, Sasuke still had a good chance of winning.

The problem was that Naruto had only just learned these techniques and wasn't yet proficient in using them. If Sasuke had remained calm and focused, he could have countered Naruto's moves and won the fight.

The fact that Sasuke was now lying in a hospital bed had less to do with Naruto's strength and more to do with Sasuke's own carelessness.

Feeling the weight of his repeated failures, Sasuke's mood grew darker. He said through gritted teeth, "You think I'll let him hit me a second time?"

Kakashi replied coolly, "On the battlefield, one mistake is all it takes to cost you your life."

Bang!

Sasuke slammed his fist against the bed frame.

Seeing that Sasuke was still wallowing in his emotions, Kakashi shook his head and left the room.

A short while later, another figure entered the room. "Sasuke, are you okay?"

Sasuke looked up and saw Shinji standing there. His expression darkened. "Shinji, did you come here to mock me?"

Shinji replied calmly, "I just came to check on you."

Knowing that Shinji often visited the medical ward, Sasuke said, "You didn't expect me to lose to Naruto, did you?"

Shinji shook his head. "No, it's not surprising. Naruto has mastered the Shadow Clone Technique and the Rasengan. He's become very strong."

Sasuke muttered, "First Yakumo, and now Naruto. I've disgraced the Uchiha clan."

Shinji smiled. "Sasuke, don't overthink it. Yakumo is now Tsunade-sama's student, and Naruto is being trained by Jiraiya-sama. Losing to them is nothing to be ashamed of. No one will laugh at you."

"You don't understand anything! You haven't even awakened your Sharingan!" Sasuke shouted, then added, "Even if they're being trained by the Sannin, I shouldn't have lost to people like them!"

Shinji deliberately paused for a moment before saying, "You don't understand just how strong the Sannin are."

Of course, Sasuke knew the Sannin were powerful. Ever since Yakumo and Naruto had been taken under their wings, he had repeatedly asked himself why the Sannin hadn't chosen him, who was clearly more talented.

Seeing that he had provoked Sasuke enough, Shinji left the room.

His "Rinnegan Plan" required Sasuke to grow stronger, to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. And so, just like Itachi in the original timeline, Shinji would have to continue to provoke Sasuke from time to time...