Chapter 13

[Mikoto Uchiha: Naruto... You intend to help my Sasuke, right? You will, won't you?]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Right now, I probably don't have the strength to face Orochimaru. But with your support, I'm sure I can stop him from marking Sasuke with the Cursed Seal of Heaven.]

[Fugaku Uchiha: That's good. It seems Sasuke will be in good hands in the future.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: You make it sound weird. I'm not interested in men.]

[Fugaku Uchiha: ...]

[Mikoto Uchiha: ...]

[Shisui Uchiha: ...]

[Izumi Uchiha: ...]

[Naruto Uzumaki: What? I like Hinata! The only ones in this group who like men are Madara and Hashirama!]

[Hashirama Senju: Me?! But I'm married!!]

[Madara Uchiha: Brat, stop talking nonsense! Hashirama and I are just friends!]

[Tobirama Senju: Their relationship has always seemed strange to me.]

[Mito Uzumaki: Even I have suspected it many times, but I ignored it, thinking it was just my imagination.]

[Hashirama Senju: Mito, dear, don't say that. There's nothing between Madara and me but friendship.]

[Madara Uchiha: ...]

[Naruto Uzumaki: That silence is dangerous, Madara.]

[Izuna Uchiha: Brother, you're acting suspicious...]

[Madara Uchiha: Stop mocking me!!]

...

"I have no intention of fighting you today," I told Sasuke, who was already prepared for the training match.

Sasuke smirked mockingly.

"Are you scared?"

Naruto frowned, annoyed.

"No. It's just that you're too weak in your current state. That's why I'm going to teach you a few things."

"Teach me? You? Idiot," Sasuke scoffed.

"Naruto, Sasuke is right. You're the dead last of the class, how do you plan to teach us?" Sakura looked at him incredulously.

Before they could continue questioning him, their eyes widened in shock as Naruto disappeared.

A Shadow Clone appeared behind Sakura, a kunai pressed against her throat.

Sasuke, on the other hand, found himself pinned to the ground, both arms restrained by a single hand, while Naruto's other hand held his head down.

"Do you believe me now?" Naruto asked with a slight smirk.

It was clear he was showing off.

"Let me go, dammit!" Sasuke growled, struggling.

Naruto nodded slowly and stepped back, allowing him to stand. At the same time, his clone vanished in a puff of smoke.

"S-since when are you this strong, Naruto...?" Sakura looked at him in astonishment.

"And why do you care, forehead?" he replied indifferently.

A vein throbbed on Sakura's forehead at his words. For a moment, she wanted to punch him, but she remembered how effortlessly he had overpowered them and held back.

Did she even stand a chance?

"So, what are you going to teach us?" she finally asked.

"What I've always been worst at: chakra control!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke and Sakura looked at him, unimpressed.

"Listen to me. If you don't master these exercises, you'll never move up in rank. You'll be Genin for the rest of your life."

Sasuke frowned at those words, but Naruto ignored him and approached a tree.

[Hashirama Senju: A Genin who doesn't know something this basic?]

[Tobirama Senju: It seems the Ninja Academy has declined since my time as Hokage.]

The Ninja Academy was founded by Tobirama Senju fifty years ago to train shinobi before sending them into battle. During his time, he made sure students learned everything they needed before graduating.

[Tobirama Senju: It seems the Academy no longer follows my curriculum. What has Hiruzen been doing all this time?]

Sasuke and Sakura watched in disbelief as Naruto walked up the tree trunk as if it were solid ground.

"Try it. You just have to focus chakra into the soles of your feet. If you use too much, your feet will break through the tree; if you use too little, you'll fall. When you can do it as easily as breathing, you'll notice a huge improvement in your chakra control."

Naruto spoke with the wisdom of a master, even though he was just showing off something they didn't know.

For a moment, Naruto felt like their real sensei instead of Kakashi.

"It doesn't look that hard," Sasuke muttered, approaching another tree.

Sakura followed suit.

On his first attempt, Sasuke got stuck to the trunk.

Sakura, on the other hand, succeeded on her first try thanks to her precise chakra control.

[Hashirama Senju: Ohhh, the forehead girl did it before the Uchiha boy! I never would have expected that.]

[Tobirama Senju: If she becomes Tsunade's student in the future, she should at least be capable of this.]

[Mito Uzumaki: She has good chakra control for her age. It's no surprise she becomes a medical ninja.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: And not just that! Sakura becomes the head of the Medical Department.]

[Hashirama Senju: Looks like Tsunade found a good disciple.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Yeah, well… there's still a long way to go. Right now, Sakura is just useless.]

[Tobirama Senju: …]

[Kushina Uzumaki: You shouldn't talk about your teammates like that.]

Naruto ignored his mother's comment and continued watching.

"This is pretty easy. I thought it would be harder," Sakura commented, making a peace sign.

She had also started showing off.

"Well, it's expected. With that forehead, one would assume you have a big brain in there. I guess it wasn't hard for you to understand."

Naruto's comment made Sakura yell at him again.

Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. The shouting was distracting him.

[Tobirama Senju: Is this really the same kid who will awaken the Rinnegan in the future? I find it hard to believe.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Are you calling me a liar?]

[Tobirama Senju: I'm just saying he doesn't seem very talented.]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Just watch.]

"Sasuke, even Sakura got it before you! What's wrong with you?"

"What are you implying, Naruto?!" Sakura complained from the top of the tree.

Sasuke slipped and fell on his back. Humiliated, he punched the ground in frustration.

"Why don't you use the Sharingan to see Sakura's or my chakra flow and try to copy it?" Naruto suggested.

Sasuke clicked his tongue.

"I haven't awakened it yet."

"Are you sure? I always thought you already had it. That's why you were ahead of the class."

Sasuke looked at him, surprised by his confidence.

He recalled his father's words about the Sharingan:

"The Sharingan is the eye that reflects the heart. We aren't born with it; it awakens through intense emotions, usually after a great loss."

Suddenly, the image of Itachi covered in blood flooded his mind. He remembered the pain in his eyes that day.

Could it be that Naruto was right?

Sasuke focused his chakra into his eyes. Naruto and Sakura watched as his expression changed in an instant.

His eyes turned red, with a single tomoe spinning.

"Did I really… awaken it?" Sasuke murmured, stunned.

If only he had known sooner… Sasuke thought he could have killed his brother a long time ago!

Sakura looked at Sasuke in awe.

"That's the famous Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan? I'm so happy for you, Sasuke!"

"Oh, looks like I was right. Good for you, Sasuke," Naruto said, less enthusiastically.

[Tobirama Senju: Wait! He awakened the Sharingan that easily? How is that possible?]

[Izuna Uchiha: Fool. An Uchiha awakens it through intense emotion. Did you really think a kid who saw his entire clan die wouldn't have awakened it?]

[Madara Uchiha: If he hadn't, I would question his lineage.]

Sasuke glanced at Naruto and murmured,

"I… thanks…"

"Oh? Did I hear right? An Uchiha saying thank you? I think the world is ending!"

[Tobirama Senju: I certainly can't believe it.]

"Just shut up, idiot!" Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto smirked.

"Now, just watch my chakra flow and try to copy it."

Sasuke nodded begrudgingly. Minutes later, he had mastered the exercise.

Just when they thought they were done, Naruto led them to a nearby lake.

"Now, it's time to walk on water."