SparkyXD
patreon
Chapter 34: Battle Against Uzumaki Naruto
🕑 Added 2025-02-03 12:55:40 +0000 UTCAfter waiting for a while, It was finally Makoto’s turn to compete.
Iruka’s voice rang out clearly.
"Final group, Makoto Ito versus Naruto Uzumaki!"
At the announcement, Naruto jumped in with an excited face, rubbing his nose with a confident grin. "Is it finally my turn?! Makoto Ito! This time, I’ll definitely defeat you!!"
Naruto was always eager to prove himself and he was sure his victory would finally catch Sakura’s attention.
However, since he struggled to defeat most of the students in class, he had fixated on his frequent rival, Makoto, as a benchmark for progress.
Despite his enthusiasm, most of the students in the class didn’t pay much attention to this particular matchup.
The exception was Hinata and Ino, who both watched as Makoto Ito stepped onto the stage.
From the audience, Ino enthusiastically cheered.
"Makoto-kun! Come on! You can defeat Naruto this time! Show him your strength, Makoto-kun~"
Hinata was a little more reserved, murmured softly to herself. "C-come on, Makoto-kun…"
———————————————
While the other students showed little interest in the match, the big names in the chat group were paying close attention. After all, it was finally Makoto’s turn to fight.
[Uzumaki Kushina: It’s finally Naruto’s turn! I’ve been waiting so long to see him in action! ]
[Namikaze Minato: Yes, let’s take a good look!]
It wasn’t just Minato and Kushina who were eager for this match. The other figures in the group were also invested.
Makoto had received various benefits from them, and they were curious to see the results. More importantly, they wanted to assess the combat abilities of Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
As Naruto enthusiastically leaped onto the battlefield, Makoto stretched lazily before walking forward at a steady pace.
"Makoto! You haven’t defeated me in any of our matches so far But this time, I’m going all out. You definitely won’t win!"
To tell the truth, Makoto had always been one of the weakest students, ranking at the bottom of the class. Whether in academics or combat training, he was considered as an average.
On the other hand, despite Naruto’s poor performance in theoretical subjects, his physical prowess was far above average thanks to his bloodline.
As a result, he had consistently bested Makoto in their previous encounters.
This rivalry for last place had continued throughout their time at the academy.
Makoto gazed at Naruto and chuckled. While the original Makoto had sparred with Naruto on multiple occasions, this was his first time facing him since arriving in this world.
It was an unreal feeling as he stood face-to-face with a character from his childhood.
______
In the audience, Ino’s eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together. "Makoto-kun… he looks so cool when he smiles!”
Hinata, who was standing quietly among the crowd, also noticed the change in Makoto.
"Makoto-kun seems different from before…."
Naruto broke into a wide grin upon seeing Makoto’s smiling face.
The two were simply standing there, grinning at each other. Their classmates looked at them with a confused look on their faces.
What were they doing?
The sooner this match ended, the sooner they could all go home!
Iruka was equally puzzled by this scene.
While it was understandable for Naruto to act this way, given his usual behavior. Makoto’s attitude was unusual.
Normally, he was more introverted. What was going on today?
"Alright, you two! Enough smiling. Hurry up and form the Seal of Opposition!"
At Iruka’s command, both of them finally came back to their senses. They placed their hands together, completed the traditional gesture of respect before a match.
Makoto then extended one hand in front of him, curling his index finger as he gestured toward Naruto. "Come at me."
Seeing his actions Naruto had an annoyed face. "Hmph! Makoto, How dare you underestimate me?!”
“Here I come!!" With a shout, Naruto charged forward with his fist raised.
If it was in the past, Makoto would have been overwhelmed at this moment, scrambling to defend himself.
But now? He has changed into a completely different person.
Naruto’s movements seemed sluggish, almost as if he was seeing them in slow motion. Every strike was filled with openings.
Makoto extended a single hand, effortlessly catching Naruto’s punch mid-air.
"What!?" Naruto’s eyes widened in shock.
How was this possible?
Before, Makoto had never been able to react in time, much less block his attacks. Could it be that Makoto has gotten stronger?
What Naruto didn’t know was that Makoto’s body had undergone significant changes.
Having merged with the Senju bloodline, his physical strength, chakra reserves, and overall endurance had drastically improved.
On top of that, he had received training in taijutsu from several powerful figures. He had even unlocked the first two gates of the Eight Inner Gates.
If the match were purely about physical prowess, Naruto stood no chance. Even if ninjutsu were included, Naruto’s current level was still too weak to pose a challenge.
Naruto immediately put his full strength into that punch but Makoto still stopped it with ease.
"Ugh!" He then tried to pull his fist back, but no matter how much he struggled, his hand was trapped in Makoto’s grip.
At this moment, Iruka had a surprised look on his face.
“It looks like Makoto has improved significantly. His strength seemed to have increased a lot."
As the teacher, Iruka knew exactly what Makoto’s abilities had been like before. There was no way he could have caught Naruto’s punch so easily in the past.
Clearly, something had changed.
