A single punch is unleashed.
A hurricane of immense magnitude sweeps through the sky and earth once more.
Held in Minato's arms, Naruto feels his face as if grazed by knives.
The sensation comes quickly and fades just as fast.
Imperial Minato's figure flickers, instantly moving out of the storm's range, appearing thousands of meters away.
At that moment, Naruto finally sees the demon god-like figure in the midst of the storm.
He only sees him maintaining the stance of a single punch aimed at the sky.
Sunlight, stronger than before, illuminates Imperial Naruto.
This leaves Naruto stunned, and he looks up.
Tens of thousands of meters above, directly in front of Imperial Naruto's position, within a radius of thousands of meters, not a single cloud is visible!
The entire sky has a massive hole!
The scorching sunlight streams from this hole.
"The sky… shattered!"
Naruto mutters with a blank stare.
"These two really made a mess. Thankfully, Naruto only punched the sky… but even so, the repair team's probably going to complain again." Imperial Minato grumbles with slight irritation.
"…Tch—Too strong… Arrogant Sasuke in this world, and Big Brother Naruto, they're just too strong!"
Naruto keeps muttering, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Until his head is tapped. Only then does he realize everyone has gathered around.
Imperial Naruto, now wearing only shorts, returns to his original appearance.
Imperial Sasuke looks down at him, his gaze radiating arrogance and a hint of mockery:
"So? Weren't you proudly saying you'd show me your true strength? Now you're scared stiff by me and Naruto?"
"But it's understandable. After all, you're from the village ninja era, a poor soul who's never seen true power."
"…"
Naruto, silenced by Imperial Sasuke's taunts, doesn't respond.
He only bites his lip.
Yamato, quick to react, gives a wry smile: "Sasuke, anyone seeing this for the first time would be terrified."
"Such incredible power—if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe humans in this world could possess such strength. The sky gods of legend probably aren't much more than this…" Sakura adds quickly.
"So, when you return, behave yourselves and abandon any fanciful ideas. Obey us and join the Empire—it's your best option. If it comes to conflict or war, Naruto and I will take action directly. You don't want to see what happens to the entire ninja world then, do you?" Imperial Sasuke warns.
"…"
Team Seven falls silent.
"Sasuke, don't always say things like that. We're friends! And I believe Sakura, little Naruto, Yamato, and Sai will do their best to persuade everyone in the ninja world to join us." Imperial Kushina says.
"Right, I'll do my utmost to convince the Hokage to join the Empire!" Yamato nods seriously, pausing before adding, "No, not just Konoha! I'll persuade the entire ninja world!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In a daze, Naruto doesn't quite know how he returned to his lodging, how he packed his things simply, or how he waited until the next morning to get out of bed.
Then he gathers with Sakura, Yamato, and Sai.
"Naruto, you okay?"
Outside the dormitory building.
The three see Naruto, still slightly dazed, and can't help but ask.
"Huh? I'm fine, what's up, Captain Yamato?" Naruto responds, still out of it.
"Snap out of it, Naruto! You're still daydreaming at this point!" Sakura, unable to stand Naruto's current state, lands a hard punch on his head.
Naruto's head swells slightly, and he clutches it, yelping in pain.
"Waa! Sakura, why'd you hit me?!"
"Idiot Naruto, how long are you going to make us worry? It's just seeing the power of this world's Naruto and Sasuke! Why are you acting like you're mentally stunted?" Sakura yells.
"I… I just feel so weak… I was even proudly thinking I could fight Sasuke…" Naruto says, holding his head, a bit embarrassed.
"What? Feeling like a clown who showed off and now feels humiliated?" Sakura asks.
"Yeah…"
"Idiot!"
Sakura scolds again, landing another punch on Naruto's head.
"Ow! That hurts! Why'd you hit me again, Sakura-chan?!"
Naruto crouches, looking at Sakura with teary eyes.
"If you're a clown, what does that make us, who've trained for two months, only mastered three Rokushiki techniques, and haven't even perfected one? Clowns among clowns?" Sakura shouts.
"No… of course not."
"Get up, Naruto! You're not a clown—you're our pride! You're a genius acknowledged by Iruka-sensei and a worthy opponent recognized by this world's Sasuke!"
"Even though you lost, the gap between your strengths is like heaven and earth! So what? This world's Sasuke and Naruto just trained longer. If you work hard enough, it's not like you have no chance to catch up!"
"And do you know, in the entire Shinobi Empire with over a hundred million people, how strong this world's Naruto and Sasuke are?"
"No… don't know… how strong?" Naruto asks dumbly.
"Yesterday, I asked Uncle Minato. In the entire Shinobi Empire, Naruto and Sasuke are among the top five strongest! Top five out of over a hundred million people!"
"So awesome…"
Naruto is stunned, muttering after a moment:
"So, me in this world, and that arrogant Sasuke, are that incredible!"
His eyes gradually regain a spark of determination: "It's decided! I have to become as strong as them! If they can be that great, there's no reason I can't be. Even if I'm not as good, I can't fall too far behind! I'm just getting started! Nothing's set in stone yet!"
"Exactly! Our martial arts journey is just beginning! Who's strong and who's weak in the future isn't decided yet! Keep it up, idiot Naruto!" Sakura's lips curve into a smile.
"Then let's do our best together! Sakura! Sai! And Captain Yamato!"
Naruto raises his right fist, shouting.
"Such a spirited shout, Naruto! But I won't lose to you! Aaaaaah! Let's go! Let's climb new peaks together on the path of martial arts!" A familiar shout from Imperial Lee echoes from behind.
The four quickly turn around.
They see Imperial Lee in his tight outfit and bowl-cut hair, Imperial Itachi in a black cloak, Imperial Neji in a pristine white coat with a gentle smile, and Imperial Minato walking slowly toward them.
Seeing their gazes, Imperial Neji and Itachi both smile.
Imperial Neji even laughs: "Great spirit, Naruto. Keep it up."