Reborn into Naruto World with Tenseigan

Observing Sasuke effectively utilizing his tactics to swiftly defeat Naruto, Itachi experienced a mixture of relief and regret. While Kuroto’s plan didn’t unfold as intended, the raised corners of Itachi’s mouth betrayed his true emotions. He was still content with this result.

In Itachi’s heart, Sasuke’s current progress seemed satisfactory. Therefore, even if Sasuke couldn’t Mangekyō Sharingan, it didn’t bother him.

Different from Itachi, Fugaku’s facial expression displayed a complex blend of happiness, loss, and depression, although proud of his son’s progress so far, he still hopes that his son would quickly awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Beside him, Mikoto remained notably composed. She smiled, directing her gaze at Sasuke, remarking, “Sasuke has truly matured!”

Kakashi praised Sasuke with a proud smile, saying, “Well done, Sasuke!”

Sasuke’s performance in this fight was impeccable. Whether it was the formulation and execution of strategy or the meticulous detailing in the layout of the mesh, he pushed himself to the limits of his abilities.

While it might seem that he defeated Naruto quickly and effortlessly, the reality was that even a slight deviation could have resulted in Sasuke losing the fight, therefore, Kakashi was proud.

Unexpectedly, Elder Hiruzen also showed enthusiasm, stating, “Another genius from the Uchiha Clan has emerged, akin to Uchiha Shisui!”

Indeed, Elder Hiruzen was overjoyed at the moment. Jiraiya accepting Uchiha Sasuke as his disciple meant that Sasuke became a part of the Hokage faction. With Sasuke now under their guidance from a young age, they could instill the necessary ideals early on, shaping him differently from the rest of the Uchiha Clan.

Tsunade-hime also expressed agreement, saying, “If Uchiha Sasuke happens to graduate from the Ninja Academy as the top ranker, then he would truly deserve it.”

As a Senju, Tsunade-hime naturally harbored reservations about the Uchiha Clan. However, she conceded that Uchiha Sasuke stood out as the best shinobi in his year. His exceptional performance, though he might not be the overall strongest, undoubtedly marked him as the finest. Even Naruto, who displayed remarkable skills, found himself overshadowed and defeated by Sasuke.

While others began praising Sasuke for his swift victory over Naruto, Kuroto remained silent and activated his Byakugan to assess Naruto’s condition.

Naruto’s vulnerability to Genjutsu was undeniable, and despite Kuroto’s attempts to train him to counter it, the boy showed little progress. Nevertheless, Kuroto wasn’t overly concerned. Naruto’s situation was unique, and there was no imperative for him to learn how to counter Genjutsu. This was attributed to the presence of the tsundere fox sealed inside his body.

Based on Kuroto’s observations over the past seven months during the special training, it became evident that Kurama had been covertly assisting Naruto. Therefore, Kuroto believed that even in the current situation, Kurama would undoubtedly lend his aid to Naruto. This possibility gains more credibility when considering the deep-seated resentment Kurama harbors towards the Uchihas and their Sharingan. It is inconceivable that he would willingly accept defeat at the hands of a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan.

Given these circumstances, it’s entirely plausible for Naruto to stage a comeback.

…

Back at the Arena

Exactly as Kuroto had anticipated, when Naruto fell victim to a Genjutsu from a mere three-tomoe Sharingan, the Nine-Tails erupted in fury. Instantly, it dragged Naruto’s consciousness in front of it to ‘educate’ the kid!

The temporal flow within the plane of consciousness differed from that of the plane of reality. Despite the Nine-Tails ranting and shouting at Naruto for what seemed like a prolonged period, not even a second had passed in the real world.

Just as the onlookers assumed the match was concluded and the referee prepared to announce the result, the fallen Naruto abruptly opened his eyes. However, this time, his pupils bore a subtle difference.

Sasuke, sitting right beside Naruto, immediately noticed Naruto regaining consciousness, and his expression solidified. The earlier barrage of attacks had depleted his chakra reserves, making it extremely challenging to maintain his Sharingan, let alone launch another assault to defeat Naruto. Therefore, when he observed Naruto awakening, panic set in. “Wh-what?!”

Unexpectedly, Naruto didn’t immediately counterattack. Instead, after opening his eyes, he gazed at the clouds with a cloudy and dazed expression. Although his pupils had changed, there was no fierceness in them. Instead, he seemed as if he had witnessed something extraordinary, mumbling to himself in confusion, “Okay, what was that, and why was that fox being grumpy at me?”

Observing Naruto in a dazed state, Sasuke swiftly reacted, mustering all his strength, and delivered a kick to Naruto.

Bang!

With a muffled sound, Naruto on the ground received a hard kick from Sasuke, crashing into the wall and losing consciousness. The audience was taken aback, realizing that Naruto had broken free of the Genjutsu, but Sasuke managed to react in time, delivering another powerful kick to knock him unconscious once again.

Breathing heavily, Sasuke slumped to the ground after dealing with Naruto. Despite being conscious, he had expended all his energy and couldn’t muster the strength to stand. In fact, he felt a deep sense of terror. Staring into the eyes that were Naruto’s yet not entirely his own, Sasuke felt as if his heart was being gripped by an unseen force.

In that moment of terror, Sasuke almost stopped breathing. He couldn’t comprehend why Naruto could break free of his Genjutsu instantly or why Naruto didn’t retaliate immediately despite being released from it. All he knew was that, aside from the recent kick, he had no other abilities. If that kick had failed, the one facing defeat would have been Sasuke.

Slumped on the ground, Sasuke turned his gaze once again toward Naruto, ensuring he was unconscious. Then, he looked at the referee, uncertain about whether he had emerged victorious.

At that moment, the referee confirmed Naruto’s state and announced the result, “Uzumaki Naruto is unconscious, the winner is Uchiha Sasuke!”

…

Among the judges

Kuroto smiled and muttered, “It’s a pity, Naruto couldn’t win.”

Observing Kuroto’s smile, Shisui and Kakashi couldn’t help but comment, “You don’t seem disappointed that he didn’t win.”

Kuroto nodded and replied, “It doesn’t matter… something much better happened.”

Intrigued, Shisui asked, “What?” Kakashi also cast a curious gaze at Kuroto.

Kuroto smiled mysteriously, shaking his head. “It’s a secret.”

Both Shisui and Kakashi were disappointed, deciding not to press further on the ‘secret.’

Kuroto didn’t mind and redirected his attention to Naruto. The earlier dazed expression on Naruto’s face, akin to seeing a ghost, could only mean one thing: the Nine-Tailed Fox must have connected with Naruto. The fact that Naruto broke free from the Genjutsu indicated the fox’s assistance.

For Kuroto, this outcome was favorable. Kyuubi had pulled Naruto into the spiritual world, revealing its image in Naruto’s eyes for the first time. This suggested that Kyuubi either sensed the threat from the Akatsuki organization and chose to collaborate with Naruto, or it signified Kyuubi’s acceptance of the somewhat reckless Naruto. After all, Naruto had endured hatred and rejection throughout his childhood—a situation oddly parallel to Kyuubi, who is hated and feared by everyone!

…

At the arena

Waving to the family members in the audience, Sasuke managed a not-so-cheerful smile.

Phew, suddenly, a gust of evening wind blew by, causing his body to shiver. He couldn’t discern if it was due to sweat or fear, but his face darkened. “Damn it!”

He had never anticipated that Naruto could exert so much pressure on him, especially when Naruto opened his eyes with those peculiar pupils, inducing cold sweat and palpitations in Sasuke’s heart.

Glancing at Naruto, who was now surrounded by the medical team in the distance, Sasuke secretly resolved, “Just wait, Naruto. Next time, I will definitely defeat you fair and square!”