Uchiha Compound — Pre-Dawn
Before the sun even thought of rising, Sasuke was already awake.
His breath fogged in the chilly morning air as he stood shirtless in the backyard of the Uchiha compound, the silence broken only by the rhythmic thud of his sandals on the cold stone.
Weighted wristbands, ankle weights, and a custom vest strapped tightly to his body. Each movement was resistance. Each repetition a test.
Push-ups. Pull-ups from a tree branch. Squats. Lunges.
He ran laps around the compound perimeter, a full kilometer circuit. Then he did it again. And again.
Afterward came stretching and deep-breath meditation—pulling in nature chakra subtly, not to use but to sense. His control over chakra had grown to where even balancing a leaf on his forehead while upside down in a handstand was almost too easy.
Lightning chakra pulses ran through his muscles in steady, controlled intervals. It wasn't combat-use yet, not like the Raikage, but it was conditioning—cellular stimulation paired with a nutrient-rich diet that rebuilt and hardened his body faster than normal.
He finished with kenjutsu kata using a wooden blade enhanced with chakra. Each strike calculated. Each step balanced.
Then, after a quick protein-heavy breakfast—grilled fish, miso soup, boiled eggs, pan-seared meat, and rice with pickled vegetables—he cleaned up, changed into his academy uniform, and headed to class.
___________
The morning began with the usual chaos.
Naruto tripped over his own feet. Kiba was chasing Akamaru through the academy halls. Ino and Sakura were arguing over who could throw a kunai straighter, while Shikamaru slept under the window.
Choji offered Sasuke some chips. He declined with a brief nod of thanks.
Sasuke sat in his seat, staring out the window in silence, tuning it all out—until Iruka-sensei clapped his hands.
"Alright, everyone! Pair sparring assessments today! You'll be grouped and evaluated on teamwork, strategy, and performance!"
Groans. Cheers. Naruto's voice cut through all of it.
"IRUKA-SENSEI! I CALL SASUKE!"
Sasuke slowly turned his head, eyes narrowing.
Iruka smiled. "Actually, Naruto, you and Sasuke will be paired. Your opponents will be Kiba and Shino."
Naruto pumped his fists. "LET'S GO!"
Sasuke sighed. This was going to be annoying.
On the way to the training field, Naruto buzzed around him like a fly.
"Did you eat breakfast? Bet you skipped again, huh? That's why you're so grumpy all the time. You gotta eat carbs in the morning, believe it!"
Sasuke didn't answer. But his eyes flicked toward Naruto—and stayed there a moment longer than usual.
Training Field 6 — Midday
The four boys stood at opposite ends of the sparring ring. The rest of the class watched from the sidelines, already placing bets. Ino loudly predicted that Sasuke would carry Naruto, Sakura threatened to punch her, and Choji just opened a new chip bag.
Shikamaru sighed. "This is such a drag. Sasuke's got this."
Hinata smiled shyly at Naruto's confidence.
Kiba grinned. "You ready to lose, pretty boy?"
Shino adjusted his glasses. "Engage swiftly. Naruto is chaotic but unpredictable."
"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "That's a compliment, right?!"
Sasuke activated his one-tomoe Sharingan. Just one, as always. Just enough.
"Stay out of my way," he muttered.
Naruto grinned. "No promises!"
The Match
Kiba charged in first, reckless and loud. Akamaru leapt off his shoulder mid-dash.
Sasuke sidestepped a fang-over-fang spin with perfect timing, grabbed Naruto by the collar, and yanked him out of the way.
"HEY!"
"Shut up and follow my lead."
Naruto spun around and sent a wide kick at Akamaru, who dodged easily. Shino sent his insects to flank.
Sasuke made quick hand signs and released a small lightning pulse that forced the bugs back. He used the moment to create distance.
Naruto, meanwhile, pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it at his own feet.
"What are you doing?!" Sasuke snapped.
"Improvising!" came the voice from the smoke.
He dove out from the side and tackled Kiba while throwing a handful of dirt at Shino. It wasn't a shadow clone, but Naruto's unpredictability filled the same chaotic niche.
Sasuke saw the opportunity and moved.
He blurred in with a speed burst, tapped Shino in the chest with a chakra-enhanced palm, and spun behind Kiba, catching him with a sweeping trip.
Naruto leapt from the smoke and landed on top of both of them.
"WE WIN!" he shouted triumphantly.
Silence.
Then applause. Then laughter.
Even Iruka chuckled. "Not bad, you four. Naruto… that was actually decent teamwork."
Sasuke walked away, brushing dirt off his sleeves.
Naruto jogged up beside him.
"Hey, hey! Admit it! I helped!"
Sasuke didn't answer.
But his smirk said enough.
________
After Class
Saaasukeee," Naruto whined dramatically, swinging his arms beside him as they walked. "Let's go get ramen! I'm starving. I burned like, a thousand calories today!"
"You burn calories existing," Sasuke muttered.
"Exactly! That's why I need two bowls!"
Naruto dragged Sasuke through the village streets, waving at random villagers, stopping to talk to a cat, getting distracted by a squirrel, and then dragging Sasuke again.
Despite himself, Sasuke allowed it. Just this once.
They reached Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto shouted for the miso pork special before they even sat down. Sasuke ordered something lighter.
"You know," Naruto said between bites, mouth half-full, "you're not that bad to hang out with."
Sasuke lifted an eyebrow.
"Still moody though. Like a cat who hates everyone but secretly likes chin scritches."
Sasuke deadpanned. "You try touching me and I'll break your fingers."
Naruto snorted noodles out of his nose laughing.
It was disgusting.
But Sasuke didn't move away.
Not this time.
Uchiha clan compound — Late Night
While the village slept, Sasuke trained. The stars above mirrored the flickers of lightning chakra dancing over his skin.
He moved through kenjutsu forms against his two shadow clones. He had no sparring partners, so he made them.
Sweat dripped from his brow. His weighted wristbands made every swing sharper. Every step heavier.
After an hour, he shifted to chakra control. Tree climbing was muscle memory now. Water walking had become a game of balance and flow.
He sat by the riverbank, eyes closed, feeding lightning chakra in pulses through his body. It tingled in his muscles. Stimulated his cells. Encouraged regeneration. Strength.
He ate high-protein meals, calculated and consistent. Eggs. Fish. Leafy greens. Electrolyte water. His body had changed drastically.
His breathing slowed. Meditation.
Focus. Discipline. Control.
He formed a swirling orb of chakra in one palm.
It held for a while, showing signs of stability.
Then collapsed.
"Tch. Closer this time."
He did this till his chakra reserves exhausted.
After that he freshened up, ate plentiful and then fell asleep.