Uchiha Naruto: The Strongest

Chapter 4: Land of Waves

The sun bathed the Third Training Ground in a warm, golden light, casting elongated shadows across the dewy grass. The air carried the crispness of morning, tinged with the faint earthy scent of damp soil. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the lone oak tree at the edge of the grounds, their soft whispers blending with the cheerful chatter of birds flitting overhead.

The sparring rings lay dormant, their dirt floors scarred by the echoes of past battles. Wooden dummies, their surfaces gouged and splintered from years of relentless training, stood as silent sentinels, guardians of countless lessons.

Perched high on a sturdy branch, Madara gazed out at the horizon, his two-tomoe Sharingan swirling faintly in the morning light. His sharp eyes drank in the stillness, his posture radiating quiet focus. Below him, Naori leaned against the tree trunk, the faint rustle of pages the only sound she made as she flipped through a book on botany, her brow furrowed in concentration. On a tree nearby, Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, his dark eyes fixed on a distant point, the weight of unspoken thoughts evident in the tightness of his jaw.

For two hours, the trio existed in shared silence. The birdsong filled the void of words as Sasuke wrestled with his thoughts, Naori remained absorbed in her reading, and Madara sat as still as a statue, lost in contemplation. The training ground, tranquil and untouched, seemed to hold its breath.

When Kakashi finally arrived, the familiar crunch of his sandals on the grass broke the spell. His slouched figure and the lazy wave of his hand were met with varying reactions.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted, his visible eye curving into a half-smile above the infamous orange book tucked under his arm.

Madara cast him a sidelong glance, offering no words but narrowing his eyes slightly.

Naori snapped her book shut with a quiet thud, tucking it under her arm. "So, what are we doing?" she asked, her tone even but edged with curiosity.

Sasuke remained silent, his eyes briefly flicking toward Kakashi before returning to the ground, his expression as unreadable as ever.

Kakashi tilted his head, feigning surprise. "The actual Genin test," he said with exaggerated nonchalance. "To put it simply, most of you passed the Academy, but only some of you can truly pass here. So, there's another test."

Naori raised an eyebrow. "What kind of test?"

Kakashi held up two small silver bells, their faint jingle breaking the stillness of the training ground. "All you have to do is take these from me before noon," he said, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather.

The bells caught the sunlight, glinting like tantalizing prizes. Naori gave a sharp nod, her expression focused as she moved to stand beside Sasuke. Madara, however, remained where he was, his crimson Sharingan fixed on Kakashi with an unreadable intensity.

"Hajime!"

Naori and Sasuke vanished instantly, their forms blurring as they melted into the shadows of the trees. The rustle of leaves betrayed their rapid retreat. Madara didn't flinch. Instead, he leapt gracefully from the tree, landing silently in front of Kakashi, who stood leisurely flipping through his orange book as though the test was an afterthought.

The air around them seemed to shift, heavy with tension. Madara's focus wasn't on the bells—not yet. His blood thrummed with a deeper purpose: to measure his strength against Kakashi's. If he was even a shadow of his ancestor's power, then surpassing this test was inevitable.

Without a word, Madara disappeared, a faint displacement of air the only evidence of his movement. In the next heartbeat, he reappeared, his right fist hurtling toward Kakashi's jaw with devastating precision.