"Hateful!!!"
Sasuke's anger flared as his mentality shifted.
Sakura was too fast.
Even though his Sharingan could see her movements clearly, his body couldn't keep up. Worse still, the lingering dust and smoke impaired his vision, making it even harder to react in time.
His frustration grew as he retreated onto the rubble—debris left behind by Sakura's devastating punches. His breath came in ragged gasps, his pride wounded.
The Sharingan began to spin.
The effects of his training started to manifest.
A third tomoe formed in each eye.
Sasuke wasn't surprised.
He had deliberately held back from awakening this power, believing he didn't need it to defeat Sakura. But now, he realized he had underestimated her.
His strength had already been pushed to its limit.
"I can't lose… not after coming this far!"
His gaze sharpened.
"If I have to borrow Naruto's power to win… so be it!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang!
Four shadow clones materialized.
The clones immediately dashed toward four different positions, forming a tactical perimeter.
Sakura narrowed her eyes, observing their placements.
"What is Sasuke planning?"
Due to the unique properties of shadow clones, even the Sharingan couldn't distinguish the real body. Likewise, Sakura's own chakra sensing wasn't refined enough to tell them apart.
"Five versus five, then."
"Naruto-kun… I'll seize the future with my own hands."
Her chakra surged.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang!
Four more Sakuras appeared on the battlefield.
Sasuke smirked.
"Chidori!"
Zzzt!
Lightning crackled as all five of him activated Chidori simultaneously, raising their hands in unison.
The chakra nature of lightning surged and connected them.
"Chidori Current!"
The next moment, they formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Fwoosh!
From five directions, fireballs shot toward Sakura, spreading out like a storm of embers.
The flames rained down, threatening to consume everything.
Sakura wasted no time. She slammed her fist into the ground.
BOOM!
Chunks of earth erupted from the impact, forming a wall of rubble to block the incoming fire.
But Sasuke didn't let up.
His five clones moved in unison, tightening the battlefield around her.
One of Sakura's clones tried to escape but was instantly shattered by an arc of Chidori's lightning.
"That's a good strategy," Naruto mused.
Kakashi nodded in approval, a hint of envy in his voice.
"I didn't expect Sasuke's chakra reserves to be this large," he admitted. "It's almost unfair for a jonin instructor."
If only he knew—Naruto had already reached a level where he could duel Kurenai Yuhi on even footing.
Kurenai, a genjutsu prodigy, had learned high-level Uchiha illusions from Naruto, along with numerous techniques from the Scroll of Seals. Her strength had skyrocketed, and she was no longer the kunoichi who lost instantly to a certain "filial son."
Even underestimating her would be a grave mistake.
Back in the fight, Sasuke hurled a kunai with a wire attached.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Flames shot along the wire, igniting the battlefield into a raging inferno.
"Sakura, admit it—you can't win," he declared.
"Hmph, don't celebrate too soon," she countered.
"If you get hurt, I'll have to ask Naruto to heal you later."
Sasuke's expression hardened. His five bodies leaped forward simultaneously, aiming to overwhelm her.
But Sakura simply smiled.
"Underestimating me? That's your mistake."
She struck the ground again.
BOOM!
Rubble flew in all directions, but unlike before, the debris didn't scatter randomly.
Sasuke squinted.
"Wait… what is she doing?"
Then he saw it—through the dust, multiple Sakura clones had emerged.
They placed their hands on the boulders.
"No use?" Sakura echoed his earlier words.
BOOM!
Massive rocks hurtled through the air at incredible speed.
Sasuke reacted instantly. He cut them down with Chidori, shattering them into smaller pieces.
But what about the debris after the smash?
Crack!
The impact destroyed his clones one by one.
Now, only the real Sasuke remained.
Sakura's fists glowed with chakra.
"Chakra Scalpel!"
This time, it was Sasuke who faced an overwhelming assault from five Sakura clones.
"Chidori is a single-target technique—I can't hit all five at once!"
His Sharingan couldn't discern the real one either.
His only option was to use a wide-range attack.
"Chidori Current would work, but… it drains too much stamina. I can only use it once a day!"
He had to take a gamble.
"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"
Zzzt!
Electricity surged across the ground, dispelling the shadow clones in an instant.
Sasuke smirked.
"If you had used illusion clones instead, I'd be in trouble."
"But it's over now."
Chidori crackled in his hand as he turned toward the last remaining Sakura.
He had won.
Or so he thought.
Bang!
The sudden sound of a clone dispelling caught him off guard.
"A shadow clone?!"
"When did she—damn it!"
Sasuke spun around.
Sakura's real body stood behind him.
Lifting a boulder larger than herself.
"Unfortunately, Sasuke, I win."
Sasuke shook his head. "Maybe you think you've won, but..."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, revealing a nearly invisible steel wire wrapped around his fingers. A kunai was embedded in the ground near Sakura's feet.
"Before I attacked, I left dozens of kunai laced with steel wire scattered across the battlefield."
"With a single Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique, you'd have no time to react."
Sakura shook her head, unbothered. "I threw a rock and turned my back on you. You have no chance of turning the tables."
"Maybe your fire jutsu would have burned me, but I'm a medical ninja. I wouldn't die, and my combat ability wouldn't drop much."
"But if my attack had landed on your back, you'd be crippled—if not dead."
"That's enough!"
Sasuke scoffed. "I didn't lose, and you didn't win. If you really think otherwise, let's go again!"
"Alright, that's enough. You both performed well," Kakashi interjected.
"Hmph!" Both Sakura and Sasuke turned away, refusing to concede.
Seeing that he could no longer control the situation, Kakashi turned to Naruto for help.
Naruto, however, was preoccupied—sensing something.
"Another chakra signature... It's not weak... and a... pig?"
"The plants confirm it—Tsunade, Shizune, and Tonton."
'If they're returning now, it must be because of what I said earlier—the Book of Sealing is incomplete, and the Wood Release Scrolls only contain basic techniques.'
'Well, at their speed, it'll take some time for them to get here. They're probably just preparing themselves mentally.'
Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto noticed Kakashi looking at him expectantly.
Sighing, he stepped forward, facing the two combatants.
His gaze fell on Sakura first.
Her eyes shone with anticipation.
"Good progress."
Sakura beamed. "Yes~!"
Next, he looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha turned his head away but couldn't hide the subtle twitch of his ears.
"Sasuke, your performance was solid. Chidori Stream combined with Shadow Clones... Based on Kakashi's Raiden technique?"
Sasuke gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
"Your shortcomings are clear, though. Sakura, you lack pursuit capabilities."
"Sasuke, your close-quarters combat needs improvement."
"With your talent—no, with the Uchiha clan's talent—you should consider learning the White Fang Sword Style from Kakashi."
"If you combine it with Lightning Release and your Chidori Style, you could compensate for your weakness in melee combat."
"Of course, once you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, this issue will no longer exist."
Sasuke stiffened slightly, his expression darkening at the mention of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"My Sharingan can see through all illusions!" he declared. "Even that man's Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Naruto shook his head. "Darkness Walking Jutsu."
With a single-handed seal, Sasuke was instantly swallowed by complete darkness.
His Three Tomoe Sharingan remained active, but it was useless against the inky void surrounding him.
Panic flickered in his expression as he struggled to break free. No matter how much he tried, the darkness held firm.
Finally, he forced himself to calm down, rapidly forming a series of hand seals to dispel the technique.
"Instead of relying on your current Sharingan to counter the Mangekyō, wouldn't it be smarter to use the Darkness Walking Technique to immobilize your opponent for a few seconds?"
"Sakura knows this illusion too, but she didn't use it."
Sasuke froze, stunned.
A part of him wanted to argue that the jutsu was unfair—clearly designed to suppress the Uchiha.
Somewhere in the afterlife, Tobirama Senju sneezed. "Why do I feel like someone is cursing me again?"