The commotion finally died down, the roaring flames extinguished, leaving behind charred marks on the ground. As the thick smoke cleared, the class, who had been standing at a distance, gasped in shock.

Naruto stood there, barely affected by the fire. His clothes were singed, and there were a few soot marks on his face, but other than that, he was completely unharmed. The shadowy form that had protected him had long since vanished before anyone could truly see it.

"Well, I’ll be damned," Naruto thought, staring at his hands. He had no idea what just happened, but that was awesome! A wide grin formed on his face. "Heh, that was crazy!"

Sasuke, on the other hand, was frozen in place, his breath caught in his throat. His mind reeled at the implications. He hadn't been thinking when he used the Fireball Jutsu; his emotions had completely taken over, and in his rage, he had nearly killed Naruto.

"But… how did he survive?" Sasuke clenched his fists, his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

Before he could dwell on it further, a sharp pain exploded at the back of his head as Iruka smacked him hard. "You brat! I specifically forbade the use of ninjutsu!" Iruka shouted, his face red with fury. "You are suspended for the next week! Do you even understand how wrong this could have gone?!"

Iruka took a deep breath, his hands still shaking. He had acted quickly, evacuating the students before the flames spread, but it could have been a disaster. The idea that he had nearly lost a student in a simple sparring match made his blood run cold. He turned to Naruto, his worry overtaking his anger. "Naruto! Are you alright?!"

Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "I’m alright, Sensei!" he grinned.

Iruka studied him for a moment before sighing in relief. Shaking his head, he turned back to the class. "That’s it for today! Everyone, go home!" He watched as the students murmured among themselves before trickling out of the training grounds, shooting Naruto and Sasuke wary glances. Once everyone was gone, he took a deep breath. He had to report this to the Hokage.

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Later that evening, Iruka arrived at the Hokage Tower. He was escorted into the office, where Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind a mountain of paperwork, his pipe resting in his hand. The old Hokage gave Iruka a patient but sharp glance.

"Iruka, what brings you here?"

Iruka bowed respectfully before stepping forward. "Lord Hokage, there’s something urgent I need to report regarding two of my students: Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

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Hiruzen set his pipe down, his expression turning serious. "Go on."

Taking a deep breath, Iruka recounted the events of the taijutsu match, how Naruto and Sasuke had suddenly displayed strength and speed far beyond their usual capabilities. He described in detail how Sasuke had unleashed a much stronger Fireball Jutsu than expected and how Naruto had somehow withstood the flames unscathed.

Hiruzen’s brows furrowed deeply, and he steepled his fingers. "Are you absolutely certain their abilities improved suddenly?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Until recently, Sasuke was already at the top of the class, but his strength has skyrocketed seemingly overnight. And Naruto... he's always been resilient, but this was different. He was as strong as Sasuke in pure taijutsu, and his speed was almost inhuman."

Hiruzen’s eyes darkened slightly. "This isn’t normal..." he murmured, exhaling a puff of smoke. His mind immediately raced through possibilities. The sudden increase in power, the unnatural resistance to fire—could someone be influencing them? Orochimaru? No, he had been keeping an eye on his former student’s movements, and nothing suggested interference.

"Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked cautiously.

Hiruzen looked at him, his sharp mind already coming to a decision. "I want surveillance placed on both of them immediately. Discreetly. If something unnatural is happening, I want to know about it."

Iruka hesitated but nodded. "Understood, sir."

As Iruka left, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing. "Naruto… Sasuke… What exactly happened to you two?"

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Meanwhile, Naruto was back at his apartment, bouncing with excitement. He could barely sit still.

"Maybe now Sakura-chan will finally look at me differently!" he laughed smugly, leaning back on his bed with his arms behind his head.

Still, a nagging thought lingered in the back of his mind. What exactly were those black shadows that protected him from Sasuke’s flames? He had never done anything like that before.

"Well, maybe it’s my hidden potential finally waking up!" he joked to himself before yawning. "Eh, whatever. I’ll just get stronger!"

With that, he drifted off to sleep, a satisfied grin on his face.

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Sasuke, however, was anything but satisfied. He sat on the floor of his house, his hands clenched into fists. The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon filtering through the window.

His body still ached from the fight, but the pain wasn’t what bothered him—it was the thoughts swirling inside his head. He had nearly killed Naruto today. He had let his emotions take control.

"I knew I had a temper, but I’ve never been that reckless before," he thought bitterly. "What if Iruka hadn’t been there? What if Naruto hadn’t—" He stopped himself, shaking his head.

But one thing gnawed at him more than anything else. Naruto had matched him blow for blow. That idiot, the dead last, the one person who never stood a chance against him before… had suddenly become just as strong. And somehow, he survived his flames.

"How?" Sasuke clenched his teeth. "What the hell is going on?"

His mind was in turmoil. He had finally felt like he was growing stronger after being stuck at the same level since his family’s massacre. But then Naruto…

"Damn it… everything is bothering me! If only everything would just disa—" He stopped, his own words sending a chill down his spine.

"What am I saying...?"

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.