"I'd like you to spar with me!"
After finishing his ramen, Victor was about to leave when Sasuke's words stopped him cold.
He wasn't the only one caught off guard. Beside him, Sakura looked equally stunned.
"Sasuke, you're not joking, right? You want to spar with Lord Victor?"
Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did Sasuke really not understand the massive gap in their strength?
What kind of power did Sasuke have?
And what kind of power did Victor possess?
The difference was like heaven and earth!
Challenging him was basically asking for a beatdown.
Victor found himself amused by Sasuke's request.
Did this guy really think the sun had started shining just for him after learning the Thunder Qilin?
"I'm completely serious. I want to have a sparring match with you!"
Sasuke's tone carried absolute conviction.
"I know you're incredibly strong, and that's exactly why I'm asking! Fighting against powerful opponents is the fastest way to improve! I need to become stronger as quickly as possible!"
"Originally, I wanted to find Kakashi, but I haven't seen him around lately, so I came to you instead."
Speaking of Kakashi made Sasuke's irritation flare up again.
That man barely deserved to be called a team leader.
In the past month, he'd been absent for most of it.
Even when he wasn't on missions, he rarely taught them anything useful.
Apart from tree-climbing exercises and the Chidori, Kakashi hadn't bothered teaching them a single valuable technique.
"I see." Victor nodded slowly.
Although Sasuke hadn't been lured away by Orochimaru thanks to the butterfly effect, he was still desperately driven to avenge himself against Itachi.
Unfortunately, Sasuke had no idea that his brother had already been transformed into something very different by Victor's... intervention.
But using hatred as motivation to become stronger wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
So Victor had no intention of telling him the truth.
"You're right. Fighting strong opponents does help you improve faster."
"However, I have no interest in sparring with you. After all, you're far too weak right now."
Hearing this direct assessment, Sasuke clenched his fists but couldn't bring himself to argue.
His strength really was pathetically weak.
Just as he thought the conversation was over, Victor continued speaking.
"Although I won't spar with you personally, I can recommend someone with considerable strength who would be a good match."
Hearing this, Sasuke looked up sharply.
"Is that person very strong?"
"At the very least, she's stronger than Kakashi."
"Who is she?"
Victor didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Sakura standing beside them.
Seeing this, Sakura felt her heart skip a beat.
"Lord Victor, you're not talking about me, are you?"
Before Victor could respond, Naruto jumped in with a laugh.
"How could it be Sakura-chan? It must be someone you know who happens to know Sakura-chan too. After all, there's no way Sakura-chan's strength could compare to Kakashi-sensei's!"
"Idiot! Who are you underestimating?"
WHAM!
Sakura's fist connected solidly with Naruto's stomach.
The blonde's eyes bulged as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his abdomen and groaning in pain.
"You want me to fight Haruno Sakura? Her? Is she even capable?"
Sasuke's face showed nothing but disdain.
In his eyes, Sakura had always been nothing more than a useless, annoying burden, a pretty vase with no substance.
Well, to be fair, she'd stopped bothering him lately, which was an improvement.
But in terms of combat ability? Sasuke didn't think she could even match Naruto's current level, let alone his own.
Sakura's hand twitched toward her fist again, but she held back at the last second. She'd once harbored feelings for Sasuke, after all, which made hitting him feel wrong somehow.
"Damn it! Looks like I need to show you what I'm really capable of! I accept this challenge!"
She'd been keeping a low profile to avoid hurting her teammates' feelings.
But since they looked down on her this much, staying humble would just mean being underestimated forever.
She couldn't tolerate that at all!
"Let's head to the training ground."
Victor raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Space warped around them, and in an instant, all four of them materialized at one of Konoha's training grounds.
"Are you absolutely sure you want to spar with me?"
Sasuke stood in the center of the training ground, staring across at Sakura. The contempt in his eyes hadn't diminished one bit.
"I won't be holding back."
Sakura snorted coldly. "That's exactly what I was hoping for. I just hope you don't end up crying!"
Hearing this, Sasuke's expression turned ice-cold.
"Me cry? Ridiculous! Since you've brought this on yourself, don't blame me for what happens next!"
"Then stop wasting time talking. Come at me already!"
Sakura stood with her hands clasped behind her back, her clothes rippling despite the absence of wind. She looked every inch the composed master.
Sasuke couldn't take it anymore.
A mere girl like Sakura daring to act so arrogant in front of him?
Not just arrogant, she even had the audacity to tell him to make the first move!
What an insult!
"You're going to regret this!"
Sasuke immediately formed hand seals.
Body Flicker Technique!
His figure blurred, and in an instant, he closed the distance of more than ten meters, appearing directly in front of Sakura. He aimed a powerful kick straight at her abdomen.
"Too slow!"
Facing his fierce attack, Sakura calmly raised one hand, easily catching his kicking leg and using his own momentum to throw him away.
"What?!"
Sasuke's shock was palpable.
She'd neutralized his attack so effortlessly. When had her taijutsu become this formidable?
Was this really the same useless Haruno Sakura he knew?
But he quickly pushed the thought aside.
Whether she was the same person or not didn't matter, he had to defeat her first!
With that thought, he raised his hands and began forming seals even faster than before.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared toward Sakura.
"Wind Control Technique."
A gentle breeze suddenly manifested and dispersed the flames as if they were nothing.
Sasuke's shock deepened.
What kind of technique was that?
Wind Release?
But why hadn't Sakura performed any hand seals?
If Sakura could read his mind, she would've definitely mocked him mercilessly. Brother, what era are you living in? You still need hand seals to fight? Times have changed!
"How dare you let your guard down during a battle?"
Sakura's cold voice came from directly behind him.
Sasuke's pupils constricted sharply.
When he spun around, it was already too late.
"My feet hurt!"
BOOM!
The impact sent Sasuke flying like a cannonball. He crashed into a tree with enough force to snap the trunk clean through.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke barely managed to steady himself, looking down at his trembling, bloodied arm. His heart filled with both fear and unwillingness.
Why?
How had a mere nobody like Haruno Sakura suddenly become this powerful?
No! He couldn't lose!
Even if he lost to Naruto, he could never lose to Haruno Sakura, this useless flower vase!
With that thought burning in his mind, Sasuke concentrated hard. Chakra surged through his body, and his eyes transformed into the two-tomoe Sharingan.
In an instant, dark clouds gathered overhead, and thunder rumbled across the sky.
"So he's planning to use his ultimate technique?"
Seeing this, Victor immediately set up a barrier formation around the training ground to prevent the battle from causing collateral damage to the surrounding area.
At that same moment, Sasuke finally completed his preparation.
"Lightning Release: Kirin!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a massive unicorn made entirely of crackling lightning materialized above them and charged straight toward Sakura.