Fire of Youth! [2]

Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. Finding an opening, Sasuke rushed with a fist straight to Naruto's head. But kept his eyes open. He saw the incoming fist and instead of dodging he rushed forward himself. 

In the right moment he ducked, dodging the fist - in the next millisecond he dashed forward, and delivered a heavy fist into Sasuke's stomach!

Sasuke felt a deep pain in his abdomen as he stumbled backward. He flickered back to regain some space. His eyes look at Naruto with a sense of disbelief.

Is this really Naruto!?

Sasuke felt anger and shame rising in his heart. I can't let this idiot keep up with me!

Naruto in his heart felt so spirited as he landed a blow on Sasuke, the one he looked up to secretly and wished to be as strong and popular as, aside from his twin sister. 

'Naruto-kun…', Hinata blushed seeing Naruto being so damn cool.

Sakura and Ino stood and screamed to cheer on Sasuke. Some of them are already commenting on how Naruto is quite amazing at keeping up. But the spectators do not matter for the pair of rivals.

'Oi Sasuke! Don't let that idiot defeat you!', Kiba screamed to support Sasuke - more as a joke to tease Naruto. Naruto will definitely ask Tsuyu to target Kiba later but for now he is serious about the spar between him and Sasuke.

"Is that all you got Sasuke?", Naruto taunted Sasuke with a smirk, his eyes radiating confidence.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He felt like his pride was being trampled. With a whoosh, he rushed forward really fast! This time he doesn't care if puts too much strength into any of his strikes and punches!

Naruto is caught off guard from the shift of rhythm as a punch lands on his cheek.

Ack! Naruto fell onto the ground, but he quickly stood back up.

"Damn you bastard!", Naruto himself felt anger rising and stopped holding back punches.

Fast!

Sasuke sees the incoming jab but manages to barely dodge. But before Sasuke even managed to land a counter attack, Naruto already put up his guard. Sasuke realised it's as if Naruto expected it. As if he can read him. 

No, he is too dumb for that! Naruto is simply following his instinct drilled by Tanya into him from the beatings!

Sasuke releasing this start to actually use feigns in his attacks. Naruto sees Sasuke's arm is about to move to deliver a punch to him and moves to dodge. Or so he thought. Sasuke changed his motion and instead rapidly delivered a sweeping kick with a spinning motion, taking Naruto off guard.

Naruto felt his feet is sweeped and he lost his footing. As Naruto stumbled and lost his ground, Sasuke rushed in and kneed him in the stomach hard!

Ack! Naruto coughed out some saliva as he felt his stomach churning from the heavy blow. He held onto his abdomen, grunting in pain. 

Ergh…

He had some tears in his eyes from the pain. Sasuke didn't hold back at all in that strike - due to his anger contained within. The girls and spectators cheer for Sasuke, as if not caring that Naruto is still holding his abdomen while grunting on the dirt.

Kiba seeing how Naruto was not standing up for a long time felt both worry and anger rising in his heart. He quickly went up to check on Naruto. 

"Bro! You good?". Kiba worries etched onto his face. Hinata also followed behind.

'N-Naruto-kun…', she felt worried for him.

'Nnh… I am fine! It's nothing!', Naruto tried to act nonchalant as he put up a smile.

Kiba looks at Sasuke who had his arms folded, looking so smug. 

"Oi! What's wrong with you! Don't you see how hard you hit!", Kiba is getting riled up seeing how nonchalant Sasuke looks.

Sasuke looks at Naruto.

'He's just a crybaby. Tch', he said so, but deep in his heart he did feel guilty, but he quickly swallowed it. 

'Don't waste my time next time', Sasuke said with a cold face as he turned to leave. But amidst his arrogant facade, he felt a sense of weakness and shame. That Naruto out of all people is catching up to him. He felt weak, and he hated it.

He decides to train even harder.

But as months pass by, Naruto keeps on challenging him, and his own improvement cannot catch up with Naruto's own. Naruto himself is using Sasuke as a 'benchmark', and even if he loses each time, but he feels more spirited, knowing he is making Sasuke finally taking him seriously.

In a spar between them recently, Sasuke almost lost. He felt so angry, so ashamed, so weak, that after he was kicked hard on the side and couldn't get up, his emotions bubbled up to the extreme and a single tomoe sharingan appeared.

Naruto is shocked to see the red eyes.

"W-what is that…". 

Sasuke didn't answer. And Sasuke himself didn't realise it. All he sees is that everything seems slower. Or perhaps he is faster. 

Naruto dodged the incoming hit from Sasuke. But just as Naruto tried to counterattack, Sasuke expected its trajectory and grabbed his wrist amidst the punch.

Naruto is bewildered at how Sasuke can catch his fist. Before Naruto can react, Sasuke uses a shoulder throw, thrashing him onto the dirt. Naruto felt himself losing his breath as he felt pain all over.

"Urgh… bastard…", Naruto grunted as he took heavy breaths.

Sasuke looks at Naruto, then at his hands. As if his eyes felt different…

'Sharingan…'. Sasuke realised he is using sharingan at this moment. And the chakra flowing into his eyes right now is proof of that. He closed his eyes, and adjusted his emotions before he closed it.

Sasuke clenched his fist. The fact that he had to use sharingan against Naruto felt even more humiliating. But at this point he had to admit, Naruto is improving fast. And he hates it.

Sasuke made a seal of reconciliation and pointed it towards Naruto.

Naruto managed to sit up, and his face widened in surprise seeing the seal Sasuke made.

'Huh??? What are you doing?'.

'Sasuke snorted.

"Idiot. It's the seal of reconciliation. What else". 

Naruto is stunned… but then a sunny smile carved onto his face.

'Heh! So you see how amazing I am now!', Naruto took Sasuke's hand and formed the seal as well.

Sasuke is quiet for a while, not replying to his stupid remarks as if wanting to ask something. But he said it regardless of his pride. Because he wants to be stronger. And training by himself or his method is not able to keep up.

'Naruto, I saw you train with your little sister at times…'.

'Hm? Yea what about it?', Naruto tilted his head.

"I will be joining", Sasuke folded his arms. He is not asking, he is inviting himself.

'Huh? You want to join me and Kiba?'. Naruto felt quite confused, not understanding what Sasuke was thinking. 

Sasuke also knows Tsuyu is as strong or stronger than himself, and Tsuyu's method must have done something to make Naruto improve significantly over time. He hates to admit it but it's a fact.

"Well. Hehe… Sure! Hehe…". Naruto is giggling as he imagines the image of the arrogant Sasuke getting beaten down by Tsuyu with a harsh beating. And he would LOVE to see it!

And because now Sasuke trains with Tsuyu and others - he no longer stays in the Uchiha compound to train and because of this Sakura and Ino who wants to spend time with handsome Sasuke decides to join the baptism just to get the chance to be with Sasuke.

Might Guy happened to come across the group while they were training and felt the raging fire of youth from the bunch and invited himself into the group. Tanya reluctantly ignores his existence who keeps spouting youth nonsense during the training, almost disrupting the atmosphere but she try to act like he's not there.

Hinata joined at times when he's free, and it seems his father favors Tsuyu's method to straighten up her daughter's personality. Neji who had lost to Tsuyu before and respected her of course felt like joining to see what it's about and why there's so many.

And that's how the group came to be.