While Naruto had been solely focused on mastering Water Walking, back at the Academy, his continued absence from class had fueled new rumors among the students. Sasuke's fangirls, a group that prominently included Sakura, Ino and other few, were confidently asserting that Naruto's victory in the last spar was nothing but a fluke, a lucky shot. They whispered that he was now afraid of Sasuke and that was why he wasn't showing up at the Academy.
Sasuke, however, did share their opinion about the luck factor. He was intensely angry at Naruto for the punch he had landed, a blow that had bruised his face and required him to bandage his slightly damaged nose.
Unlike his usual brooding, internal plans and thoughts focused solely on how he would eventually kill Itachi, Sasuke's thoughts now included a burning desire for revenge against Naruto. He planned how he would teach Naruto a lesson he would never forget. Unaware of the grudges being held and the rumors circulating at the Academy, Naruto was feeling happy. He had achieved small successes in his Water Walking practice, managing to maintain balance on the water's surface. Taking actual steps and walking on the water was still proving challenging and time-consuming.
Another week passed in this manner. It was now the afternoon, sixteen days since Naruto had arrived in this world. He stood on the surface of the Naka river, completely soaked from his continuous attempts at Water Walking. "FUCKING FINALLY!" he shouted, the words filled with pure, unadulterated happiness. He had finally managed to master both Tree Walking and Water Walking. Sixteen days total. He was surprised he had managed to master Water Walking relatively quickly compared to his initial expectations.
'Maybe because of tree walking my chakra control was already good and with me practicing Water Walking pretty much all day helps me quickly mastered water walking then I presumed,' he thought, analyzing his rapid progress. With the mission complete, he carefully sat down on the water's surface, maintaining his chakra control. He looked at the space before him, where the System notification appeared, displaying the reward for finally completing his first mission.
[Congratulations Host, you have been Rewarded with Full Control - Over Yang Kurama's Chakra.]
[Descriptions : Host can able to use his Bijuu's Chakra at will and can use all Bijuu Modes regardless of relationship with Bijuu, even Full Transformation Bijuu mode, without any drawbacks.]
"Hahahaha..!" Naruto laughed aloud, the sound echoing slightly over the river. It was a laugh of pure, unadulterated joy from gaining such immense abilities. Full Bijuu transformation would grant him access to devastating power, including the Kurama-shaped Susanoo called Kurama Bijuu Mode and the terrifying Bijuudama. Even using just the Version 2 Bijuu Mode with all nine tails manifested, he wondered how many opponents could truly match him.
He took a few deep breaths, calming himself down from the surge of excitement. He decided to get some lunch first and consider trying out his newly acquired abilities and Jutsu later, perhaps the next day.
...
The next day, however, was another weekly Spar at the Academy. Fortunately, it was the last one. After today, no more spars would take place for their class in the Ninja Academy, as the Genin graduation exam was scheduled in just around two weeks. If they passed, they would become official Ninja. Naruto sat simply on the last bench, next to Choji and Shikamaru. Some girls in the class were sending glares in his direction. Sasuke was also staring intently at him; he clearly wanted to get his payback for the previous spar.
Shikamaru nudged him lightly with his elbow. "Because of you they are even glaring at us!" he muttered lazily. Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Just ignore useless things," he said nonchalantly.
After the morning theoretical lessons, which primarily focused on the 'Will of Fire,' Iruka led them all outside to the Academy's training field.
The spars began. Sasuke's gaze remained fixed on Naruto, a palpable intensity in his stare. He strongly wished that his spar today would be against Naruto so he could finally gain his revenge from their last match. However, Iruka announced the next match. "Next match Sasuke Uchiha vs Kiba Inuzuka." Kiba visibly shuddered slightly. It wasn't that he was scared of Sasuke, but he knew Sasuke was stronger than him, and more importantly, Sasuke was currently very angry at Naruto. That anger would likely be unleashed upon him.
Kiba shot a slight glare in Naruto's direction. He was about to walk forward to the spar area. But Sasuke spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of annoyance. "Iruka sensei, I didn't want to spar with Kiba, let me spar with Naruto," he demanded. "I will show him today how strong an Uchiha is!" Iruka looked a little bewildered by the request and was about to refuse. But then Naruto spoke. "Iruka sensei I also wants to spar with Sasuke," he said calmly.
Hearing Naruto's request shocked everyone standing there, not just Iruka and Kiba, but all the students. Some whispered, 'Did he hit his head?' while some girls, particularly Sasuke's fangirls, called out, "Today Sasuke-kun will show you, you only won by luck last time!" Sasuke was slightly surprised by Naruto's agreement, but his expression quickly shifted into a confident smirk.
Iruka looked worried. "Naruto are you sure?!" he asked, double-checking.
Naruto nodded calmly.
Iruka sighed, a mix of worry and acceptance on his face. "Alright," he conceded. Kiba was also somewhat shocked by Naruto's willingness, but his expression changed into one of relief. He no longer had to face an angry Sasuke. He looked at Naruto and thought, 'What he is thinking when he said he wants to spar with Sasuke'. He shrugged it off. 'Well his bad luck!' he concluded.
Naruto, however, was not thinking about luck. His sole motivation was to test his newly gained strength against an opponent, and Sasuke was currently the strongest person in his batch. Gaining the ability to control Kurama's Chakra had also significantly increased his base strength and overall power. He wanted to see just how much it had amplified him.
Both boys walked to the center of the training field, standing facing each other. Sasuke was smirking confidently, his face half-cracked in the expression, a lingering effect of his previous injury, clearly eager to beat Naruto. Naruto, on the other side, stood calmly, his expression neutral. The cheers for Sasuke from his fangirls could be heard in the background, urging him on. "Show him Sasuke-kun." "Beat him today Sasuke-kun."
Even among those loud cheers, there was one quiet, almost inaudible cheer for Naruto. Hinata Hyuga stood slightly apart, fidgeting nervously and whispering in a very low voice, 'Best of luck, Naruto-kun.' Neither Sasuke nor Naruto heard them; they were completely focused on each other. Once Iruka-sensei gave the signal to begin the spar, this time it was Sasuke who rushed towards Naruto.
Sasuke didn't simply rush. He activated his Sharingan in his eyes, the one-tomoe was circling within them. He intensely focused on anticipating any small movement Naruto might make, using his enhanced visual prowess. Naruto, however, felt his own senses and vision heightened. Gaining Full Control Over Yang Kurama's Chakra had amplified his physical capabilities. He easily saw through Sasuke's movement as he used the Body Flicker Technique to rapidly appear behind him.
Iruka, witnessing Sasuke activate his Sharingan and use Body Flicker – techniques typically beyond Academy level – was about to step in and stop the spar. He was shocked by what happened in the very next moment. Before Iruka could even take one step, Naruto moved with astonishing speed. Iruka froze, stunned by the sheer velocity. Sasuke, who had just appeared behind Naruto using Body Flicker, was left dumbfounded. Naruto had vanished at such speed that even his Sharingan couldn't track it, and now he had reappeared behind Sasuke.
Moving with impossible swiftness, Naruto reached out, grabbing Sasuke tightly with both hands from behind. Naruto's lips curved into a smirk. Sasuke struggled, trying to break free from the hold, but he was shocked to find Naruto's grip impossibly strong, too powerful for him to escape. In the very next instant, Naruto executed a powerful suplex, slamming Sasuke into the ground. He didn't stop there. He followed up with a continuous series of several more suplexes, each one forcefully driving Sasuke's head towards the earth.
The powerful impact of the successive suplexes left Sasuke unconscious on the training field. This entire sequence of events, from the start of the spar to Sasuke's defeat, took place within the span of less than a minute. All the watching students and Iruka were left utterly stunned. The loud cheers for Sasuke abruptly died down, replaced by a shocked silence. They stared at the unconscious Sasuke lying on the ground while Naruto stood calmly nearby, without a single scratch, looking down at his defeated opponent.
Iruka was also left speechless, too stunned to utter a single word. Shikamaru, who had been watching the match with his typical lazy, dead-fish eyes, fully expecting Naruto to be easily beaten, felt his eyes open wide in complete surprise. All trace of his usual laziness vanished. Kiba and Shino were left completely speechless, as was Akamaru, who let out a small, surprised bark. Shino's shock was hidden by his black glasses and high collar, but the stillness of his posture spoke volumes. Choji's potato chips packet slipped from his numb fingers, falling to the ground as he stared at the sudden, dramatic change of events. 'When did Naruto becomes this strong?' This single question echoed in all of their minds simultaneously.
Hinata Hyuga was also profoundly surprised. Although she had cheered for Naruto, deep down she knew Sasuke was considered the top student in the class, and she hadn't truly expected Naruto to defeat him. This quick, decisive defeat of Sasuke by Naruto caused her to stare at him with her pure white Byakugan eyes, her gaze now filled with a new, profound admiration.
Naruto stood, looking at the unconscious Sasuke. 'Ham, looks like my current base strength is easily around a Chunin Level or higher,' he assessed internally, feeling satisfied. He was very happy with his current strength. His continuous hard work to master Tree Walking and Water Walking, driven by the system's reward, had proven incredibly fruitful.
***