Chapter 49 Naruto vs. Sasuke

Apparently, Naruto was more familiar with the area than Sasuke.

He rushed out of a hidden bend, landed lightly on a rock on the riverbed, and then jumped from one rock to another to reach the other side. His movements were smooth and graceful, which Sasuke had not seen a week ago.

Sasuke followed closely behind, not daring to relax for a moment, for fear of losing Naruto's trail again.

The woods suddenly opened up, and Sasuke's adrenaline and instincts from years of training allowed him to stop in time and avoid running headfirst into a trap on the other side of the woods.

Naruto's angry roar came from the darkness, the voice was low and violent, completely different from the voice that should be heard at his age.

"Earth Escape: Earth Flow Cut!"

Before Sasuke could react, a huge rock suddenly protruded from the ground in front of him and flew past him almost brushing his shoulder.

He narrowly avoided the first boulder, but the second one came right after him, and the two boulders collided heavily, making a deafening roar.

Sasuke landed in a clearing at the edge of the pool formed by the waterfall.

Naruto stood on the other side of the river, his chest heaving violently, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, which was different from usual.

The scratches on his face and arms were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Some invisible chakra was emitting steam, and the wounds quickly closed and disappeared. Sasuke felt a stinging pain in the wound on his arm, which made him more awake.

The two of them confronted each other, their blue eyes and black eyes colliding in the air, flashing sparks of anger.

Sasuke assumed a fighting stance, knowing that a battle was inevitable.

The next second, the two launched an attack at the same time. There was no probing, no fancy moves, only pure strength and speed.

Neither of them used weapons, but their bodies seemed to have turned into deadly weapons. Every collision burst into dazzling sparks, pulling them closer.

All kinds of ninjutsu that they could not learn in ninja school poured out from their fingertips. Even though Sasuke's ninjutsu was more powerful, he could only barely parry it.

Naruto seemed like a completely different person.

The ninjutsu he used were all C- or D-rank, but he was able to perform them almost continuously, turning the surrounding environment into his weapon.

They both fought without reservation, using all their strength in every move, just wanting to defeat the other.

Sasuke felt a surge of excitement coming over him.

The Naruto before him was no longer just a challenge, but an evenly matched opponent, one who matched him perfectly.

This thought made Sasuke both annoyed and excited. Although Sasuke's attack was more accurate, Naruto's ability to withstand blows was stronger, and he could withstand twice as many attacks as Sasuke.

There was still boldness and passion in Naruto's every move, but that strength had been honed to be as sharp as a blade, rather than the clumsy and dull style that Sasuke was accustomed to.

His violent energy was no longer aimless, but full of deadly threat.

This was the first time Sasuke was forced to go all out to match Naruto.

He could feel his chakra running out, but Naruto seemed to have some energy left.

Sasuke had tried his best to avoid using ninjutsu to save chakra, but Naruto continued to use various moves, one of which even scared Sasuke.

"Lightning Release: Spark Shooting!"

Countless tiny electric needles shot out between them, and Sasuke had to twist his body and jump backwards to avoid these deadly attacks.

This was the first time Naruto used Lightning Release, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere, like the calm before the storm.

The battle started again, more intense than before. This time, it was Sasuke's turn to try to keep up with Naruto's pace.

Naruto's movements were as fast, wild and ferocious as a wild animal. The only flaw was that the coordination of his movements seemed to decrease as his anger and strength increased.

Sasuke punched Naruto in the stomach with enough force to break a tree.

He heard Naruto gasp, but he didn't stop. Instead, he raised his elbow and hit Sasuke's temple hard. Sasuke's eyes went dark and he staggered back a few steps.

The two men distanced themselves again and looked into each other's eyes. A strange tension filled the air.

Sasuke could feel the blood running down his forehead, warm and sticky. Naruto stood up straight, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Something is different.

The hostility in the air seemed to have dissipated, replaced by an indescribable tension.

The situation has become delicate, and any move by either side could break this balance.

Then, a smile appeared on Naruto's lips, a sharp, bitter and wild smile.

Sasuke suddenly felt a palpitation in his chest, as if something was gushing out from deep inside his heart and rushing straight into his throat, causing him to involuntarily squeeze out a breath from between his teeth.

Then, he found that the corners of his mouth also turned up slightly, revealing a smile, which was completely contrary to his original intention.

Naruto's smile grew, turning into a wanton grin, like a powerful weapon. He took a step forward, so fast and so sudden that Sasuke instinctively tensed up.

The smile in Naruto's eyes grew wider, with a hint of amusement.

It was a feint, a joke.

Sasuke felt something expand in his chest, squeezing his stomach and lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe.

He instinctively wanted to suppress this feeling, wanted to hold on to his usual indifference and anger, wanted to drive away this strange novelty.

But he was surprised to find that both the indifference and the anger had disappeared, replaced by a strange energy that made him feel excited and nervous.

He responded without thinking and continued to play with Naruto.

Just like that, the battle became something else.

It was more of a dance than a fight, and it was unlike any fight Sasuke had ever experienced before.

They used fighting techniques and clever footwork more to show off their strength than to actually hurt each other.

Each strike was just enough to leave a bruise rather than a fracture, and their movements were full of grace rather than brute force.

They fought like this until both were exhausted, with their chakra and stamina depleted.

To Sasuke's annoyance, he realized that Naruto's chakra and physical strength were much greater than his own, and the reason why they were able to tie was because he used his energy more carefully than Naruto.

By the end of the fight, Sasuke's muscles were sore and his body was soaked with sweat. They stood there panting, their feet apart, their eyes meeting in the air, flashing with blazing flames.

Naruto was the first to break the silence.

"You crazy man," he gasped, his tone no longer filled with the previous anger.

"Idiot," Sasuke shot back.

But this time, his tone was different from any other time. It was more like an end, or rather, a beginning.