Chapter 4: Sparks Beneath the Surface
Late afternoon. The sky over Konoha had begun to turn orange, painting the clouds in hues of fire.
Training Ground 9 was usually quiet, forgotten between rotations. Perfect for those who wanted to avoid being watched. Or hide secrets.
"Are you sure about this?" Sasuke asked, folding her arms, disguised as always.
Naruto stood across from her, grinning despite the bruises from his last chakra attempt. "You said my footwork sucks. I wanna see how much it really sucks."
Sasuke gave him a flat look. "I meant it's garbage."
"Exactly. So let's fix it."
She raised a brow. "You think I'm going to teach you?"
"Nope," Naruto said, crouching slightly into a stance he'd seen older shinobi use. "I'm gonna steal it by watching while you beat the crap out of me."
That caught her off-guard. "You're serious."
"Dead serious."
"…Hn."
She slid into a basic Uchiha taijutsu stance — deceptively simple, centered around speed and precision. Even without her Sharingan, she was sharp. Clean. Efficient.
Naruto lunged first.
Big mistake.
She sidestepped, swept his legs, and planted him flat on the dirt.
"Too slow," she muttered.
He groaned. "Oww… again."
She blinked. "You're not done?"
"Not even close."
They went at it again. And again.
Each time, Naruto adjusted. He was wild, clumsy — but unpredictable. His instincts were better than they should've been for someone with no formal training. And worse… he learned fast.
After the sixth round, she actually had to block.
After the eighth, she was breathing harder.
And after the tenth—
Naruto feinted a low kick, then pivoted and spun into a shoulder rush. Sasuke barely twisted away, and his fingers brushed her wrist.
They froze.
Close.
Too close.
Sasuke shoved him back, cheeks pink. "You're improving too fast. This isn't normal."
Naruto scratched his head. "Heh… guess I really am a genius."
Sasuke's smirk faded. "No… it's more than that. You have too much chakra. It's unstable, but… huge. Like it's leaking out of you all the time."
Naruto's grin faltered for a split second.
Leaking out of me?
Sasuke stepped closer, eyes narrowed. "What are you?"
Naruto blinked.
"…Just me."
Before she could press further, a shadow shifted in the trees.
Both heads snapped up.
A silent flicker — black ANBU armor, and a cat mask.
Sasuke paled.
"Itachi," she whispered.
The figure said nothing. Just watched. Then turned, and vanished.
Naruto rubbed his arms. "Who was that?"
"Uchiha," Sasuke said quickly. "Elite."
She didn't say the name. Not yet. Not until she knew why her older brother had been watching.
Why he had looked at Naruto that way.
---
Later that night, Naruto lay on his bed in his small apartment, staring at the ceiling.
He thought about the fight. The way Sasuke had moved. The way he had moved.
His chakra still felt strange. Like something big was slumbering beneath it.
He reached for it. Just for a second.
A red flicker glowed in his gut.
His smile faded.
"…What am I?"
---
To be continued…