Naruto: I Am Uzumaki Naruto!?

Under the watchful eyes of the gathered crowd, a dark-faced Uchiha clan member stepped through the gates, his expression heavy with frustration.

Uzumaki Naruto glanced over, his lips curling into a knowing smile.

"The Uchiha sure are a proud bunch. Not even a nod of respect toward the Hokage. No wonder they end up getting wiped out in the future."

Deep within the seal, the Nine-Tails let out a low growl, his massive form shifting as he stood up.

"Damn Uchiha," Kurama snarled. "Naruto, you better put them in their place!"

Naruto chuckled, rubbing his nose.

"Got it, got it."

Uchiha Shisui approached, his signature easygoing smile in place as he looked at the golden-haired boy standing confidently in the middle of the training ground.

"So, you're Uzumaki Naruto, huh?"

Naruto tilted his head slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes before he grinned.

"That's me! Nice to meet you!"

Shisui took out eight kunai, pointing toward the targets set up in the distance.

"I'll be your opponent. The challenge is kunai throwing, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yup!"

"But..."

Shisui raised an eyebrow.

"But?"

Naruto smirked and twirled a single ryo coin between his fingers.

"Shouldn't you at least put some money up front?"

A murmur spread through the crowd. Even Shisui was momentarily taken aback before laughing.

"You want an advance? Alright." He turned to Uchiha Fugaku. "Patriarch, could you lend me 160 million ryo? I'll win it back in no time."

Uchiha Fugaku: "..."

A twitch formed at the corner of Fugaku's mouth as he reached into his pocket with clear reluctance.

"I only have fifty million on me…"

"Only fifty million?" Shisui blinked. "Why so little?"

Fugaku's expression darkened. Do you think we're some rich merchant family?

Shisui didn't dwell on it and took the fifty million ryo confidently, handing ten million to Naruto to cover his previous bet.

"Here's your winnings from before. Let's bet the remaining forty million."

Naruto's grin widened.

"Deal! But first, I gotta hit the bathroom."

---

Inside the academy restroom, Naruto opened his system interface.

[Kunai Training: 2,000,000 ryo]

"Buy two."

The first cost two million.

The second cost four million.

By the time he was done, six million ryo had been burned, but the moment he stepped out, he felt it—his control over kunai had skyrocketed.

---

Back at the training ground, the air was thick with anticipation.

Students, villagers, shinobi—even Hokage Sarutobi himself—watched closely as Naruto and Shisui took their places.

Iruka swallowed hard and raised his hand.

"Begin!"

The moment his voice fell, Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan spun to life.

A collective gasp echoed through the crowd.

"Shisui activated his Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"This is over. Uzumaki Naruto doesn't stand a chance!"

"Using Mangekyō just for a kunai challenge? Isn't that overkill?"

"Doesn't matter. This is Uchiha's bloodline limit—his eyesight alone gives him the advantage."

While most murmured in doubt, a few voices stood firm.

"Naruto-kun, you got this!"

"If you win, I'll treat you to barbecue!"

"Go, Naruto!"

Hyūga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and several others cheered from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Shisui smirked.

"No matter how talented he is, against my Mangekyō, he can't possibly..."

Both competitors threw their kunai at the exact same time.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sixteen kunai clashed mid-air, sparks flying in all directions.

Shisui's confident smile remained.

"Not bad, Naruto-kun, but in the end—"

Then he saw it.

His smile froze.

His expression twisted in shock.

The remaining kunai had all fallen to the ground, except for one.

And that single kunai...

Had landed dead center on the target.

"...What?"

Shisui's body moved before his brain could catch up. In a blur, he dashed to the target, his heartbeat hammering in his ears.

There it was.

A kunai, embedded precisely where it should be.

His kunai, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"...Impossible..."

"My Mangekyō saw through his every move. How...?"

Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened.

"Uchiha Shisui... lost?"

Unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

Even with his trained eyes, Sarutobi hadn't caught anything unusual about Naruto's throw.

There was no trick.

No genjutsu.

Just pure, absolute skill.

Naruto stood with his arms crossed, grinning ear to ear.

"Looks like I win."

Silence.

Then, the entire crowd erupted.

A New Legend is Born.