Kapitel 58: Chapter 58: The Battle Everyone Is Waiting For
Last night, he hadn't trained at all he had gone straight home and fallen asleep.
But just as Sasuke finished getting dressed and before he could start his morning routine, a familiar head popped in through the window.
"Just waking up, Sasuke?"
Hearing the voice, Sasuke blinked in surprise.
"Naruto?"
"What are you doing here?"
Separated by the wall, their eyes met Sasuke with a puzzled expression, Naruto looking thoroughly exasperated.
"Don't tell me… you don't know what today is?"
Sasuke paused, frowning.
"Is there a mission today? I didn't hear about it. Didn't Kakashi-sensei say there wouldn't be any missions for a while?"
"What mission? It's the day of your match with Neji Hyuuga! Did you forget?"
Oh.
Of course, Sasuke hadn't forgotten the system had been reminding him about it every day.
What surprised him was how Naruto even knew about it.
After being hurried along by Naruto, Sasuke finished freshening up and got ready to leave.
Naruto, meanwhile, kept rambling the whole time.
It was only then that Sasuke began to understand.
Apparently, his match with Neji had caused quite a stir.
The entire Leaf Village was abuzz.
The Hyuuga and Uchiha two legendary clans known for their powerful dojutsu bloodline limits.
The thought of these two iconic lineages clashing again had everyone on edge.
The question of which clan held the strongest bloodline in the ninja world had reignited interest.
For a village that had been at peace for years, this was a rare and exciting event.
Countless villagers had already gathered at the Leaf Arena, eager to witness this fight between two young prodigies.
Although both were still technically genin, this was no ordinary genin battle it was the Sharingan versus the Byakugan.
Naruto dragged Sasuke along as they hurried toward the arena.
By then, Sasuke had shaken off his initial confusion.
The fact that a simple match between two genin could attract the entire village's attention was surprising, to say the least.
But clearly, someone was fanning the flames.
Sasuke sensed a hint of conspiracy, though he couldn't figure out who would bother to manipulate the situation or why.
When they arrived at the arena, Sasuke didn't even need to step inside to hear the deafening noise of an excited crowd.
It seemed like half of Konoha had shown up.
As he slowly walked into the arena, Sasuke couldn't help but feel the weight of everyone's anticipation.
Walking through the long passageway, Sasuke emerged at the center of the arena's battlefield.
The moment he appeared, the entire crowd in the arena erupted into a frenzy.
Cheers and screams echoed from every direction.
Sasuke felt completely at a loss for words.
Across from him, Neji Hyuuga is appearance also left Sasuke speechless Neji had dressed up like this was some grand occasion.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat on the main podium, observing the scene with interest.
All around the spectator stands, Konoha's shinobi could be spotted.
From jonin to chunin, there were plenty present, and the number of genin was even greater.
Among them, Sasuke even noticed Kakashi standing with his arms crossed, looking like he was enjoying the spectacle.
Sasuke, having spent the past few days training outside of Konoha, had no idea this battle had been blown out of proportion.
Seeing Kakashi's expression, it was clear he had known about this all along.
How annoying not even a heads-up, Sasuke thought to himself.
Kakashi, noticing the peculiar look on Sasuke's face, seemed puzzled.
With Sasuke's strength, having already defeated Zabuza, taking on Neji Hyuuga should be no big deal. Why does he look so off?
"Your student doesn't seem very confident," Guy remarked from beside him.
Kakashi shook his head. "No, Sasuke isn't lacking confidence it's more like he's... surprised."
"Surprised?"
"What's there to be surprised about now?" Guy asked, clearly confused.
Kakashi smirked knowingly. "This guy... I bet he didn't even realize how much attention his fight with Neji would draw."
Guy froze for a moment.
What?
Even the little kids in the village knew about this match. How could Sasuke, one of the participants, be unaware?
The surrounding elite jonin overheard Kakashi's comment and were momentarily taken aback.
No way...
"Causing such a commotion and not even realizing it?" Kurenai Yuhi, a jonin skilled in genjutsu, found Sasuke's obliviousness amusing.
Asuma Sarutobi furrowed his brow. "The Uchiha prodigy, the one who helped Kakashi defeat Zabuza this kid's strength is definitely something to look forward to."
Kakashi sighed in exasperation. "I've told you all many times it was Sasuke himself who defeated Zabuza!"
"In that case, it makes his performance even more exciting to anticipate," Asuma replied.
"My student, Neji Hyuuga, is the most talented from the previous batch of genin," Guy chimed in.
"And your student, Sasuke Uchiha, is undoubtedly the most talented in this batch."
"Kakashi, it seems not only are we destined to be eternal rivals, but even our students can't escape the same fate!"
Guy chuckled heartily, clearly enjoying the thought.
"Hahaha!"
The loud and somewhat foolish laughter left the Konoha Twelve in the genin section stunned.
"Is that a jonin sensei?" Shikamaru muttered, his mouth twitching slightly.
Tenten and Lee, sitting nearby, overheard and turned to look at him.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Shikamaru quickly shook his head. "No… nothing."
Choji glanced at him. "Shikamaru, who do you think is stronger Sasuke or that Hyuuga guy?"
Before Shikamaru could respond, Ino cut in enthusiastically, "Of course it's Sasuke-kun! Isn't it obvious?"
Ignoring Ino's fangirling, Shikamaru focused on the match.
"Asuma-sensei mentioned that Sasuke has already assisted his teacher, Kakashi Hatake, in completing an A-rank mission and even helped take down Zabuza Momochi, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure," he said.
"Though he was assisting, the fact that he could participate in such a high-level fight shows how strong Sasuke is. But Neji Hyuuga is also a genius from the class above us. It's hard to say who will win."
Naruto, eavesdropping on the conversation, froze for a moment.
Wasn't Zabuza defeated entirely by Sasuke?
Kakashi-sensei had gone to look for him and Sakura, and hadn't fought Zabuza at all.
Why are these guys saying Sasuke just assisted Kakashi in defeating Zabuza?
Naruto was about to speak up when Sakura stopped him.
"Naruto, don't reveal Sasuke-kun's full strength. Let them think what they want."
"Just wait until they see Sasuke-kun's incredible power in action!"
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