The audience stands.
"Yes! That's it! Beat him good!"
The real Naruto jumped up from his seat, unable to contain his excitement as he watched his dream self perform with such flair. He was practically bouncing with joy, eager to cheer and clap for the version of himself in the dream.
The way Naruto countered so smoothly was incredibly satisfying to watch—especially seeing Sasuke forced into a clumsy retreat. Naruto finally felt vindicated.
"Serves you right for looking down on me! Even the me in a dream isn't someone to mess with, huh? Ha!"
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Uzumaki Naruto! +200 emotion points!
Beside him, Sakura stared at Naruto, who was now wildly excited, her expression filled with exasperation.
"Seriously, Naruto… do you have to get that worked up…?" she muttered.
Still, she had to admit—this scene was shocking.
Sasuke was being pushed into a corner by Naruto!
She looked at the screen. Sasuke's hand, still holding a kunai, was trembling faintly. That earlier block must have taken a considerable toll.
Meanwhile, Naruto stood a short distance away, composed and calm. He even looked apologetic, as if afraid he'd hurt Sasuke.
The contrast was mind-boggling.
"Is that really Naruto?"
She mumbled in disbelief. In her memory, the dead-last Naruto had never forced Sasuke into such a desperate position.
Of course…
Kakashi's eyes glinted as he observed the battlefield, quietly commenting in his heart.
"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu... Looks like the Naruto raised by sensei Minato really isn't some hopeless loser."
— — —
Inside the dream:
Sasuke steadied his breath, glaring at Naruto's sheepish expression with growing irritation.
Damn it!
That real-world Naruto is probably watching all this and laughing his ass off!
Just imagining the smug look on Naruto's face as he watched Sasuke struggle lit a fire in Sasuke's chest.
I'll turn this around no matter what! I'm not going to lose like this!
"Not bad, Naruto," Sasuke muttered, his eyes burning with renewed resolve. "But I'm done holding back!"
Before his voice even faded, his eyes snapped wide open—the Sharingan activating.
His hands formed seals with lightning speed, and with a deep inhale, searing chakra swelled in his chest.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Sasuke completed his hand signs and expelled a massive fireball from his mouth.
The blazing flame roared forward, turning the air crimson as it surged toward Naruto with suffocating heat.
Facing the incoming inferno, Naruto's expression turned serious.
Instead of dodging, he stood his ground and rapidly formed his own hand seals. Inside him, chakra attributes began to shift.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
His cheeks puffed, then he unleashed a violent gale.
The howling wind met the raging fire—wind feeding the flame, fire borrowing the wind's fury—instantly amplifying the blaze.
"Oh no!" Sasuke's pupils constricted.
He had expected Naruto to evade, not to strengthen the fire with wind.
It was reckless—wind normally made fire attacks even more dangerous. But Naruto clearly had immense confidence in his chakra control.
The moment Naruto's gust struck the fireball, the flames surged wildly.
But then, Naruto's wind chakra twisted into vortexes—slicing through the fireball in a chaotic spiral.
Boom!
A dull roar echoed as fire exploded outward, scattering in waves of dying embers. The once-menacing fireball had been completely torn apart.
Sasuke's expression shifted instantly—but before he could react, Naruto burst through the smoke like lightning.
He quickly raised his kunai to parry, but realized too late—it was just a shadow clone.
Poof!
The kunai dispersed the clone in a puff of smoke.
But there was no time to breathe. A sudden gust of wind struck from behind.
Shit!
He spun around—just in time to see the real Naruto, already upon him.
Caught off guard, Sasuke barely managed to raise his arms in defense. But Naruto's airborne kick struck hard against his crossed forearms.
The impact hit like a battering ram. Sasuke grunted, body hurled several meters backward before crashing into a tree trunk and collapsing to the ground.
Dust billowed up as he landed. His arms throbbed, his whole body ached, and he nearly coughed up blood.
He tried to rise—but no strength came to his limbs.
That last exchange had been brutal. He hadn't even seen when Naruto split into clones or closed the distance.
I… lost?
Sasuke stared wide-eyed as Naruto ran toward him.
In just a few minutes, not only had he been defeated—he'd been completely overwhelmed.
He couldn't land a single meaningful hit.
This utter, one-sided defeat left his mind blank.
He never dreamed he'd lose to Naruto—and lose so decisively.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Uchiha Sasuke! +800 emotion points!
"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?!"
Naruto reached him and knelt beside him, face filled with worry and regret.
"Sorry—I got too caught up in the fight. I didn't mean to go that hard. Are you hurt anywhere?"
Sasuke looked up at the hand extended toward him—but didn't take it.
Still reeling from the shock of defeat, he simply sat there, chest rising and falling.
"I… actually… lost to Naruto?"
He murmured dazedly, filled with confusion.
The crushing sense of defeat and disbelief clouded his mind—he began to question everything.
The dream had shattered his understanding of power—his long-held belief that he was stronger than Naruto had just been violently overturned.
His emotions swirled chaotically, his face pale and drawn, lost for words.
Naruto, seeing Sasuke frozen, assumed he must've gotten hurt. His worry deepened.
"Sasuke-kun, are you alright? Does it hurt? Damn, I knew I overdid it…"
His voice brimmed with sincere concern. It was clear the outcome didn't matter to him—he only cared whether his friend was okay.
Finally, Sasuke managed to recover slightly.
He grit his teeth and staggered to his feet, waving Naruto's hand away.
"I… I'm fine."
He forced the words out, but the turmoil in his eyes betrayed him.
Not far away, Sakura had rushed over, her face filled with concern.
But Sasuke quietly brushed away her attempt to help him up.
Instead, he fixed his gaze on Naruto—saying nothing, but unable to look away.
Naruto, sensing the tension, respectfully withdrew his hand.
"Good… That's good. Hey, Sasuke-kun…"
He hesitated, confused.
"Back there… even though you used your Sharingan, why didn't you cast a genjutsu? I was on edge the whole time waiting for it."
"Genjutsu?" Sasuke blinked. His brain still fuzzy.
"What genjutsu?" he asked reflexively.
— — —
The audience stands had fallen silent.
Everyone had been stunned by the intense battle—no one spoke for several seconds.
Then, waves of astonished voices broke the stillness.
Naruto stared blankly at the screen, which had now gone dark.
After a long pause, he finally swallowed and murmured:
"Am I… really that strong?"
The dream version of himself had displayed power and skill far beyond his imagination.
Wind Style, masterful use of shadow clones, hand-to-hand combat—
The dream Naruto had everything.
Sasuke had been beaten down like he was the dead-last.
The reversal left Naruto both shaken and awestruck, struggling to process what he'd just seen.
Ding! Emotional fluctuation detected from Uzumaki Naruto! +300 emotion points!
"This is unbelievable…"
Sakura, finally recovering herself, replayed the scenes in her mind.
"Was that really Naruto? He actually crushed Sasuke from start to finish…"
Kakashi exhaled slowly, gazing at the stunned Naruto seated before him. His eyes reflected both admiration and melancholy.
Who would've thought…
That dream Naruto not only used Minato-sensei's techniques—but even had flashes of Jiraiya-sama's style in his fighting.
With someone like that as his opponent…
Sasuke's defeat was more than justified.