Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 15 Growth

"Naruto Uzumaki wins!"

As the referee's voice faded, Naruto scooped up the little kid lying on the ground, gently patted the dust off him, and then smiled as he walked back to the stands.

Life at the Ninja Academy was peaceful and easy. Because his energy was limited, he no longer had the strength to focus on grades. Sure enough, he was first for three consecutive years—that was based on overall performance. As for written exams, while he could write comments on the most illogical official documents, he couldn't fathom the examiners' intentions. No matter how hard he tried, he was stuck at the "excellent" level, relying on his past life's achievements. Now he was the quintessential "other people's child," and occasionally he would overhear parents using him to criticize their own kids outside the school gate. Naruto found it fascinating, but he was past the age of smugness; he would just smile at most when he heard it.

"What should we eat when we get back today?" Naruto hooked his arm around Sasuke's shoulder, chatting with him.

Sasuke was used to it and his body no longer reacted. "Tomato sushi."

"No, I had tomato miso soup yesterday."

"...The two flavors are different!"

"But the nutrition is the same."

"I'll do it myself!"

"We can't eat tomatoes every day..."

After finishing their exams, the children naturally gathered in twos and threes. While Naruto and Sasuke were bickering, a large group slowly approached. Those in the class who didn't ostracize them were all from wealthy families; their parents held important positions and wouldn't gossip about their children or prevent them from getting to know two ninjas with unlimited potential. Therefore, the future pillars of Konoha unconsciously strengthened their friendship. Occasionally, one or two outgoing individuals would sneak into Sasuke and Naruto's secret hideout, attempting to defeat them outside of class.

As soon as Kiba finished his exam, he pounced on Naruto, baring his teeth and claws, demanding a duel. Naruto slid aside, dodging with Sasuke, and politely declined, explaining that it was his turn to cook today and he needed to go home early.

A large group of students, laughing and joking, finished collecting their holiday homework and rushed out of the school gate.

"Naruto, let's go to the river." It wasn't just Kiba who was itching to fight during this exam; Sasuke was just as unsatisfied, and even tomatoes couldn't get him excited. He had to have a fight first.

Naruto never refused Sasuke, and the two decisively changed course, plunging into the forest. In these three years, their progress had been rapid. Their training only truly began after Naruto discovered the variations of wind style. Chakra test strips were, of course, bought at the shop, and the test revealed that Sasuke also possessed lightning style chakra. The Konoha authorities didn't seem to want the two children to grow up too quickly; ninja geniuses are often difficult to control, and besides, they were both alone, without the constraints of a clan.

For a while, the Third Hokage visited exceptionally frequently, often telling the two children stories of the past. Naruto could only sneer as he listened to the First Hokage's tale of ending the chaos. Hashirama's initial wish was so simple: to create a place to protect his younger brothers. But now, Konoha was nearly wiped out, even the Senju clan was gone. The gap between dream and reality was immense. Without leading by example, no amount of verbal encouragement was effective; he knew this all too well.

Naruto briefly demonstrated his desire to become Hokage, while Sasuke completely ignored him, clearly defining himself as an avenger.

After repeatedly trying to ask about chakra nature transformation but being subtly evaded, Naruto changed his approach and found a book in the library titled "Talent Transformation from Beginner to Expert." He wasn't good at the theory, but Sasuke was. They focused intently on the chapters on lightning nature, even trying some risky methods before finally getting the hang of it.

It's really not Naruto's fault. He's a complete hands-on practitioner; elemental transformation is as natural to him as breathing. He genuinely didn't know how to teach Sasuke. After half a year of this, Sasuke experienced the power of his Lightning Release activated cells for the first time. His excessive speed caused him to crash into a tree on his first charge, and then he discovered that Naruto had also learned to activate cells, and his reactions were much faster than his. Even if Naruto managed to sneak up behind him, he could easily take him down.

Naruto's explanation was, "Hmm... So Sasuke couldn't sense it? I can actually always 'see' Sasuke's chakra. I can't really explain it, but I can 'see' you even with my eyes closed!"

As a level 10 "Naruto language" player, Sasuke quickly understood that the so-called "seeing" was actually perception, and Naruto was a natural-born sensory ninja!

Sasuke was extremely resentful of this, but he couldn't learn it. Sensory abilities rely to some extent on talent, and those who can apply their sensory abilities in actual combat without hand seals are extremely rare. However, Sasuke wasn't one to be limited by his thinking, and he quickly came up with a solution.

The Sharingan, the strongest bloodline limit, possesses exceptional motion tracking abilities. If he can awaken it, he'll definitely be able to keep up with Naruto's movements and find a way to defeat him!

However, the ideal is often far from reality. In a particularly heated battle, Sasuke's intense desire led him to discover the secret to using the Sharingan. He had awakened his Sharingan on the night of the massacre of his clan, but he was too young to use it properly. Yet, the addition of the Sharingan did not reverse the defeat, because his body couldn't keep up with his eyes. His mind could process what his eyes were doing, but his body couldn't, resulting in another crushing defeat.

So Sasuke began an even more grueling training regimen, with Naruto sometimes accompanying him, and sometimes simply unable to get up. For three whole years, under such intense and rigorous training, Sasuke discovered that he could still only manage a draw with Naruto. What kind of monster is this guy?!

The two children stirred up waves on the lake again. When Sasuke finally lay exhausted on the water, Naruto still had the energy to pick him up and a few stunned fish and bring them ashore. That would be their dinner for the night.

"When did you learn water-style transformation?" Sasuke was unconvinced. His fire jutsu was blocked by Naruto's casual wave of his hand. The water in the lake was like an extension of Naruto, controlling him with ease, and in turn, it paralyzed Sasuke with electricity.

Naruto skillfully removed the scales and internal organs, and said matter-of-factly, "It's been a while, but I usually just use it to wash vegetables and such. I didn't expect it to be so convenient for fighting."

"..." Does anyone really use water magic to wash vegetables? Don't be so ridiculous, you huge idiot!

"But that move just now seemed pretty powerful!" Naruto stared at Sasuke with shining eyes. "From now on, one of us will hold back the water attack while the other unleashes the lightning attack. We'll make sure the opponent collapses as soon as they get even a little bit of it!"

"...Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm serious!"