Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 30 The Meeting Two Years Ago

Good morning, Sasuke-kun!

This was the third girl to come and say hello today. Sasuke's face finally darkened completely; his cold mask had vanished, replaced by an even more frightening rage. This expression finally intimidated the next person who wanted to greet him, who shrank back to their seat, looking dejected. Sasuke knew he was popular, so he always sat at the very edge, only letting Naruto sit next to him. This morning, Naruto had completely drifted off to bed, hastily ate a few bites of breakfast, and was then dragged to school by Sasuke. After Iruka's class, Naruto was completely exhausted, collapsing onto his desk and falling into a deep sleep. How could he not be angry that those clueless girls were waving at him loudly over his shoulder?

It's really hard on this idiot to finish three assignments in one night. If he had been this efficient earlier, he wouldn't have been so sleepy.

Sasuke, who had just finished yelling at the passerby, lowered his eyes, unconsciously relaxing his brows and reaching out to stroke his soft yet stubborn blond hair. Even as class started, he couldn't resist the urge. That hair felt so nice to touch, and it looked so beautiful. So, even though Naruto was clearly cute, why did the vast majority of people dislike him? Just because of that ridiculous rumor about the Nine-Tailed Fox? Ha, they'll regret it sooner or later.

After a whole morning, Naruto finally woke up. The Uzumaki clan's bloodline is truly amazing; after working overtime for a week and pulling an all-nighter last night, he was refreshed after just one night's sleep. The afternoon's practical training exercise was to assess whether the students had trained diligently during the holiday. A fully awake Naruto wasn't scary; he knew how to control his strength and would even subtly hold back. A half-asleep Naruto couldn't do either of those things; his punches would be incredibly painful, as Sasuke knew all too well. These past few days, he'd been sitting on the sidelines all day trying to finish his homework, and his body felt stiff. He desperately needed some practice; he didn't want to be humiliated.

The two stepped onto the training field, engaging in a fierce and exhilarating battle, from taijutsu to ninja tools and finally to ninjutsu, much to the amazement of the group of younger students. It was only because they deliberately controlled the direction of their attacks that their ninjutsu didn't reach the audience. Under the teachers' astonished gazes, they formed a reconciliation seal and vanished in a flash, avoiding another attack from their classmates. However, while they escaped the current year's students, they couldn't escape the previous year's. A boy with grayish-white eyes blocked their path, fiercely issuing a challenge.

"Hey, you two, state your names."

"Shouldn't you state your own name before asking someone else's?" Sasuke silently took a step forward and retorted without any politeness.

Naruto hadn't expected that Neji would target them so soon. Counting his past life, he hadn't seen Neji for over twenty years. Even though Neji was currently consumed by resentment, Naruto felt a special connection to him and was momentarily stunned. It was just that it was so difficult to see the younger generation of large clans; even if you disliked them, it was hard to leave the clan unless you became a ninja.

The boy with the white eyes looked displeased, but still honestly stated his name, "I am Hyuga Neji. You were just fighting in the training ground, right? I want to spar with you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, feeling annoyed, because he genuinely believed that no one in the school could rival Naruto. He was about to refuse when Naruto interrupted, saying, "Is he the top student from last year? I've heard of him, Neji-senpai."

First place? Seems somewhat worth a fight. Naruto, how can he even smile at that sour face? So annoying.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and this is Sasuke Uchiha. Sparring is fine, but... not today."

"Why?" Neji's tone was unfriendly.

Naruto grinned broadly, "Sasuke and I are evenly matched opponents. We always go all out in every battle, and after one fight, we're too exhausted to fight again. Senpai wouldn't take advantage of me, would he?"

The boy's neck turned visibly red, and the veins around his eyes, which had previously bulged out, suddenly became smooth. His eyes darted left and right, revealing a hint of helplessness.

Sasuke watched in awe. Only Naruto could bring the aggressive young man back to reality with just two sentences.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a watermelon-headed boy descended from the sky and saved Neji from his awkward situation. Lee had changed into his signature outfit beforehand, looking a hundred times more confident than before, his bright white teeth gleaming, and he gave a thumbs up without any embarrassment.

"Naruto! Sasuke! I saw your match today, it was so exciting! To improve so much in just one vacation, is this what youth is all about!"

Naruto: "You look more energetic too, Lee. This outfit is..."

Li: "It's a gift from Master! Isn't it super cool!"

Sasuke: "..." It was strange before, but it got even stranger after he became Naruto's apprentice. Just what kind of weirdo was this guy's master...? Why can Naruto always get along with so many weirdos...?

The friendship that was supposed to be built two years later, through a fight, was inexplicably established today. The next day, what was supposed to be a four-person duel inexplicably turned into an eleven-person show. Kiba, still unconvinced, tried to follow, only to run into Hinata, who was chasing her cousin with her Byakugan activated. The two sneaked over together. Hinata, however, didn't jump out, instead hiding behind a tree. Shino's insects, having already gathered information, were usually quiet but actually more curious than anyone else, and not wanting to miss the excitement, they quietly followed. Shikamaru was straightforward; he directly asked about Naruto's schedule and casually mentioned his friends who had practiced their teamwork all summer. Sakura was invited by Ino; she felt her best friend couldn't miss this exciting duel with upperclassmen, and maybe she could even catch a glimpse of Sasuke's prowess!

In the lower grades, two students dragged one student along, then one dragged two more, then one dragged three more, eventually forming a group of nine. Meanwhile, the upper grades obediently only sent two students.

"What's going on? You even brought friends?" Neji frowned, puzzled. He was still in a prickly state and couldn't imagine that one person could have so many friends.

"Uh... they're tired of watching me and Sasuke fight all the time, they want to see something different today." Naruto, who had his own agenda, made up an excuse without changing his expression.

"Neji! Isn't this even better! More people can witness our youth!" The oblivious Lee didn't realize anything was wrong; on the contrary, he became even more motivated.

So, it was just a proper sparring session? He thought it was a fight, that's why so many people were brought along.

Shikamaru, who kept his achievements hidden, silently took two steps back and once again put on that listless and uninterested look.

Well, let's see how they fight. Sometimes, I get a little itchy to join in too.