Chapter 1: A Flicker of Lightning

I am Naruto and my friend is Sasuke

Chapter 1: A Flicker of Lightning

Suresh adjusted the logs on the campfire, watching the embers dance into the crisp mountain air. The sky above the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina was clear, dotted with a sea of stars, and the cool breeze of early autumn whispered through the trees. Beside him, Alex unrolled his sleeping bag, his eyes fixed on the screen of his tablet.

"Man, Boruto is really picking up the pace," Alex said, his voice tinged with excitement. "You see Boruto: Blue Two Vortex finale is close. Everyone's fighting the Otsutsuki, and Boruto is about to fight with Shibai. This is insane."

[Author: Boruto: Blue Two Vortex isn't finished, so just assume shinobis wagged war on remaining Otsutsukis who have arrived on earth. ]

Suresh glanced up from the fire, pulling out his phone to check the episode. "Yeah, but the show lost its magic after Naruto and Sasuke lost their powers. No Rinnegan, no Kurama. It's like they're just shadows of their former selves."

Alex shrugged. "You have to think about it from the story's perspective. They had to move the spotlight to the next generation. Naruto and Sasuke were too OP. If they still had their powers, Boruto wouldn't have a chance to shine."

Suresh shook his head, the flames reflecting in his eyes. "It's not about that. It's like… they've taken everything that made Naruto and Sasuke legends and stripped it away. All those years, all those fights, and now they're—"

"—weak," Alex finished, raising an eyebrow. "You're one of those old-school fans who can't accept change, huh?"

Suresh smirked. "It's not about accepting change. It's about respecting the journey. Sasuke losing the Rinnegan to some random knife stab, and Kurama—Kurama, man—gone like that from Naruto to Himawari? It's just poor writing."

They sat in silence for a moment, the crackling fire the only sound. The mountain felt eerily still, the vastness of the wilderness pressing in on them like an invisible weight.

A low rumble rolled through the sky. Suresh frowned, glancing up. "Wasn't the forecast clear tonight?"

"It was," Alex replied, his eyes shifting from the screen to the sky. "But... maybe it's a storm moving in."

Before they could say more, the rumble grew louder, and a jagged streak of lightning split the sky. For a brief second, the entire mountainside was illuminated, and then—boom! A deafening clap of thunder followed. Suresh and Alex jumped, their eyes wide as the fire sputtered.

"Whoa! That was close!" Suresh exclaimed, his heart pounding.

But the sky didn't calm. Instead, Boruto's Purple lightening jutsu colour on Alex's screen seemed to merge with the storm above. The lightning intensified, flickering purple as if mirroring the scene in Boruto. The boys exchanged uneasy glances.

"Dude, this feels weird," Alex muttered, standing up. "Like, really weird."

Another flash of lightning streaked down, this time directly above them. The energy in the air became palpable, making their hair stand on end. The two friends barely had time to react before a blinding light enveloped the campsite, followed by a surge of electricity coursing through their bodies. Suresh felt his muscles seize up, the world blurring in a cacophony of light, pain, and sound.

The next moment, everything went dark.

Iruka Sensei's voice echoed through the classroom, and the soft rustle of paper echoed as the children took notes. The sun shone brightly through the Konoha Academy windows, casting warm light onto the faces of the seven-year-old students.

"Alright, class, who can tell me the answer to—"

Suddenly, Iruka paused. His eyes widened as Naruto and Sasuke, sitting at their desks, both clutched their heads, their faces contorted in pain. Without warning, they collapsed.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Iruka shouted, rushing over to them as the rest of the class erupted in whispers and worried glances.

Suresh gasped as he opened his eyes, his body feeling heavy and numb. The smell of antiseptic and the soft rustle of sheets reached his nose. Slowly, he sat up, blinking as the unfamiliar surroundings of a small hospital room came into focus. He was no longer in the mountains. Instead, he lay on a bed with white linens, and the walls were lined with medical equipment and cabinets.

"What the…" he muttered, rubbing his head. His voice sounded different—higher pitched. He glanced down, and his eyes widened. His hands were small, his arms thin. His clothes—a bright orange jacket and pants—were not his own. His heart started to race as he realized he wasn't in his usual body.

Just then, he noticed another bed next to him. Alex—or rather, a boy with spiky black hair and a blue shirt—was stirring. Suresh's eyes locked onto him.

"Alex?" Suresh whispered.

The boy opened his eyes, blinking in confusion before his gaze met Suresh's. "Suresh? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me… but, dude, look at us." Suresh gestured at himself. "We're not in our bodies anymore. I'm Naruto… and you're… Sasuke."

Alex—now looking like Sasuke—sat up slowly, staring at his own hands. "This isn't possible. We were just camping, and then… that lightning…"

"Must have done something," Suresh finished. "But look at where we are. This is the Naruto universe, and we're—" Before he could finish, a wave of dizziness washed over him. Memories—memories that weren't his—flooded his mind. Images of the academy, pranks pulled on villagers, fights with Sasuke, and the overwhelming feeling of loneliness overwhelmed him.

He clutched his head. "Whoa… I think I'm getting his memories."

Alex's eyes widened as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "Yeah, me too. It's like… I remember everything from Sasuke's perspective."

Before they could process more, a familiar voice called out from the doorway. "Naruto, Sasuke! Are you two awake?"

Both Alex and Suresh realized that Iruka was speaking in Japanese, and to their surprise, they could understand every word. Thanks to the memories of their respective bodies, they now knew how to speak and write Japanese accordingly, though only student-level writing skills as they were just kids.

They both turned to see Iruka-sensei standing there, looking concerned. Suresh and Alex exchanged a quick glance.

"What happened?" Suresh asked, trying to sound natural despite the panic in his chest.

Iruka sighed, stepping closer. "You both fainted in the classroom. I brought you to the academy hospital to make sure you were okay. The doctor said it might have been exhaustion, but you seem fine now."

Suresh forced a smile. "Yeah, just… tired, I guess."

Iruka's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "Alright. You two seem okay now, so let's head back to class."

As Iruka led them back to the classroom, Suresh whispered to Alex in English. "Dude, this is crazy. We're actually in the Naruto universe."

Alex nodded, his expression serious. "We need to be careful. We don't know how long we'll be here or why."

Suresh took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Right. But if we're going to survive here, we need to play along."

"Stop speaking in English and start acting like Naruto. Don't forget; you're Konoha's Jinchuriki; ANBU and Danzo's Root members are watching you," Alex reminded Suresh solemnly, distancing himself with a stoic expression, just like Sasuke.

------

When they entered the classroom, a wave of chatter and noise greeted them. The other kids were talking amongst themselves until they noticed Naruto and Sasuke walk in. Immediately, the attention turned to them.

"Sasuke! Are you okay?" Sakura and Ino rushed over to Alex, worry etched on their faces. "We were so worried when we heard you fainted."

Suresh watched as a small crowd of girls swarmed around Alex, all of them fawning over "Sasuke." Meanwhile, Hinata, who sat quietly in her place, peeked at Suresh—her cheeks turning pink when he glanced her way.

Suresh rolled his eyes slightly but kept his expression calm. "Looks like you've got your fan club," he muttered to Alex, who tried to maintain Sasuke's stoic expression.

Iruka cleared his throat, raising his voice. "Alright, everyone, back to your seats. Naruto and Sasuke are fine. Let's continue with the lesson."

The girls reluctantly backed away, taking their seats, but not before stealing a few more glances at Alex. Suresh caught the relieved look on several other faces in the classroom, including Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino, as they saw that both "Naruto" and "Sasuke" were safe, while some students remained indifferent.

A few other students—new faces Suresh didn't recognize from the anime—also looked over. One of them, a tall boy with dark green hair named Taro, gave a nod of acknowledgment, while another, a girl with short, bright pink hair called Emi, whispered to her friend, Yori, who had a severe expression and a scar running across his nose.

Suresh felt a moment of relief as he realized that despite being in an unfamiliar version of Konoha's academy, he and Alex were blending in well enough—for now.

Suresh let out a small sigh of relief as he sat down next to Alex. "That was close," he whispered.

"Yeah, but it's going to be harder from here. Also, start acting like Naruto for now," Alex whispered back.

"Okay," Suresh whispered. He then put on a wide grin and stood up, raising his voice a little. "Hey, hey! Watch out, everyone—Naruto Uzumaki is back and better than ever!" he announced, trying to channel Naruto's confidence and energy.

He playfully jogged over to Hinata's seat, wanting to sit next to her, and gave her a friendly wave and a big smile. "Hey, Hinata! Can I sit next to you?" he asked, his tone cheerful and a little loud—just like Naruto would do.

Hinata's face turned bright red, and she stammered, "N-Naruto-kun…"

Suresh chuckled, rubbing the back of his head before sitting on the empty seat next to her.

He noticed a few of the other students rolling their eyes while some, like Kiba, snickered at his actions.

As Iruka resumed the lesson, Suresh leaned back, tuning out the lecture about the First Hokage's legacy and the founding of Konoha. He already knew all this—he'd watched it in the anime a hundred times. But beside him, Alex paid close attention, nodding along to fit Sasuke's character perfectly.

Suresh fought back a yawn, already feeling the boredom set in. "Man, I know more about this stuff than Iruka does," he thought. But when he glanced at Alex, he saw his friend's serious expression, entirely in character.

"Guess I'll have to sleep like Naruto," he thought as he carefully settled into a comfortable position and began to doze off.

"Idiot, but it fits Naruto," Alex thought, shaking his head silently with a small, amused smile.

"Naruto!!" Iruka Sensei shouted after spotting Suresh dozing off.

"Iruka Sensei, are you real?" Suresh asked, rubbing his eyes and momentarily forgetting that he had been isekai'd into the Naruto universe as Naruto.

"Aahha," Kiba and the others laughed at Suresh's question.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, her expression worried as she looked at Iruka Sensei's serious face.

"Idiot," Alex thought, realizing that Suresh was fitting into the role of Naruto better than he had expected, even without trying too hard.

"Tch!" Shikamaru sighed, finding the whole situation a drag.

"…" Choji remained silent, his expression unreadable as he ate his snacks.

"…" Shino adjusted his glasses.

"Stand up for the entire class," Iruka announced, pointing at Suresh.

Suresh had to stand up even if he didn't like it. He felt ashamed to stand like a kid, but he had no choice but to stand up.

End of the chapter.____________________________________

Power stones, please. ------