Chapter 143: Sasuke's Seven-Year Grudge

As Sasuke unleashed his fire jutsu, a massive blaze erupted from his mouth, transforming into a giant fireball that hurtled towards Akira Uchiha.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

However, while Sasuke was quick, Akira matched his speed, instantly forming hand seals and launching a fireball of his own.

In comparison, if Sasuke's fireball was the size of a soccer ball, then Akira's was more like a basketball.

The difference in size alone made it clear that there was a gap in the power of their techniques.

Sure enough, as Akira's fireball surged forward, it completely overpowered Sasuke's, forcing him to dodge to the side to avoid being engulfed by the flames.

Quickly recovering, Sasuke hurled two kunai at Akira, but just as they were about to reach their target, he threw two more, causing the kunai to collide midair and change trajectory. Now, the kunai closed in on Akira from four directions, leaving him with no escape.

"As expected of the Uchiha clan—both their fire style and shuriken jutsu are top-notch!" one of the onlookers, Kiba Inuzuka, thought to himself, impressed by Sasuke's skill.

But Akira wasn't fazed. He raised his hand and threw four kunai of his own, each one precisely intercepting Sasuke's.

That alone was impressive, but two of Akira's kunai ricocheted off the others in midair, redirecting themselves back towards Sasuke with alarming speed and accuracy.

Eyes wide, Sasuke had to hastily dodge the incoming kunai, barely escaping unscathed.

"Is it just me, or does it seem like Sasuke is being outmatched even in shurikenjutsu?" one of the nearby shinobi remarked, his expression turning puzzled.

At fourteen, with the Sharingan fully awakened, Sasuke was considered a formidable jōnin-level ninja, not to mention he was the son of the Fifth Hokage, Fugaku.

Yet from the start of this skirmish, whether it was taijutsu, fire jutsu, or shuriken techniques, Sasuke was being thoroughly outclassed. The observing shinobi couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved.

"Who is this guy with horns who dares to impersonate Akira Uchiha? His strength is no joke—he's easily at jōnin level or higher," they thought.

Sasuke, having narrowly avoided the kunai, felt the same. "This guy… he's unbelievably strong," he admitted to himself, taking a deep breath before forming new hand seals.

A surge of blue lightning crackled in his hand as he prepared his next move.

"Chidori!" Sasuke's signature move erupted in his hand, the sound of thousands of chirping birds filling the air.

Akira, however, simply smirked. If Sasuke was using Chidori, then Akira would use its more refined version.

"Lightning Blade!" Akira's hand crackled with an even more intense blue lightning, nearly identical in appearance to Sasuke's Chidori, but with far greater precision and power.

In a flash, both figures darted towards each other, their lightning techniques colliding. But it was clear who the victor was—Sasuke's Chidori shattered upon impact, while Akira's Lightning Blade stopped just inches from Sasuke's chest, the electric energy humming ominously.

If Akira moved his hand even a fraction further, Sasuke would be skewered.

The sheer lethal potential of the Lightning Blade was what made it so dangerous—it was sharp enough to cut through anything, even severing limbs with ease, as Akira had once done to Ōnoki in the past.

Seeing Sasuke at a clear disadvantage, Kiba's face paled, and he shouted, "Help… someone, help him!"

He was about to rush in when he noticed that none of his comrades were moving to assist. Instead, they all exchanged knowing looks, as if something had suddenly clicked for them.

"Why are you all just standing there? If Sasuke gets hurt, we're in big trouble!" Kiba yelled, frustrated by their lack of action.

"Kiba, haven't you figured it out yet? That guy… he really is Akira Uchiha," the female shinobi next to him explained, half-exasperated.

"Yeah, think about it. Fire style, lightning style, even his shurikenjutsu—all of them are outclassing Sasuke. No one but an Uchiha could pull that off," another shinobi added.

"And look at his eyes. Even though the color's different, there's only one kind of eye in the shinobi world that has three tomoe like that—Sharingan."

"The biggest clue? If this guy wanted to kill Sasuke, he could have done it just now. But he stopped, didn't he?"

Hearing his comrades' analysis, Kiba finally started to understand. It made sense—this horned guy was indeed Akira Uchiha.

"So… they all figured it out before I did? And here I was thinking I had it all figured out," Kiba thought, feeling more than a little embarrassed.

But enough about Kiba's current dilemma.

"How about it, Sasuke? You've shown off taijutsu, fire style, lightning style, and your shurikenjutsu. What's next? Want to test your genjutsu skills against me?" Akira asked, his tone teasing as he let the Lightning Blade dissipate.

Sasuke let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "You're still as strong as ever, Akira," he admitted, a hint of frustration in his voice.

There wasn't much left to say. If Akira hadn't pulled back just now, Sasuke knew he would have been struck down.

Continuing the fight would only make him look like a sore loser.

"I knew it…" The surrounding shinobi, though they had already guessed Akira's identity, finally relaxed once Sasuke confirmed it.

"So I was the last one to catch on, huh? Man, I really am slow," Kiba thought, feeling a mix of relief and self-deprecation.

"You finally recognize me, huh?" Akira said, slightly annoyed.

"Hmph!" Although Sasuke was happy to see Akira back, his expression suddenly soured, and he turned his head away, feigning indifference.

"What's with this attitude? Is this really the Sasuke I know?" Akira wondered, feeling a mix of amusement and confusion.

"What's your problem, Sasuke? Seriously, tell me what's bothering you so I can understand what I did wrong," Akira asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

As soon as he said that, Akira felt a bit odd. "Wait… why does this feel like I'm trying to smooth things over with a girlfriend?" he thought, quickly dismissing the idea. "No way, my interests are still totally normal. I'd much rather date a cute girl… maybe even a little sister type."

"You disappeared for seven years without a word. What do you think, Akira?" Sasuke huffed, clearly still upset.

"Hey, that's a misunderstanding. I didn't plan on being gone for seven years!" Akira quickly explained, knowing he was telling the truth.

Sure, those seven years hadn't been a complete waste, but if he'd had a choice, he wouldn't have spent them on autopilot.

With that much time, he could have advanced far beyond his current level through the Life Simulator.

"Fine, I can forgive you for that. But…" Sasuke said, his tone softening before he brought up another grievance. "Do you remember when you went to the border with Kakashi and the others to deter the other villages?"

"Of course I remember," Akira replied, though he was unsure where Sasuke was going with this.

"Then why," Sasuke continued, his voice tinged with irritation, "why did you take that idiot Naruto with you and not me? I was the top of the class, while that fool was dead last! Explain that to me."

Akira blinked, then broke into a chuckle. "So that's what this is about? You've been holding a grudge over something that happened seven years ago?"

Really, Sasuke had been harboring jealousy all this time? Akira couldn't help but find it amusing—and more than a little surprising.

"Yeah, what's the matter? You don't have an answer for that, do you?" Sasuke retorted, crossing his arms, still looking somewhat miffed.

Akira really didn't have a good rebuttal. The truth was that Naruto's massive chakra reserves and the power of the Nine-Tails made him a much more viable option for that mission, at least in the short term.

But how could he explain that to Sasuke without hurting his pride?

"If that's how you felt, why didn't you say anything when I came back to the village after the mission? I was around for over half a month back then," Akira asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Hmph! I was waiting for you to explain yourself, but instead, you just up and disappeared for seven years!" Sasuke snapped back, his frustration evident.

That response finally made Akira burst out laughing.

So that's why Sasuke had been so cold when they first met again—he'd been stewing over this for years.

"Well, that explains everything," Akira thought, thoroughly entertained by Sasuke's long-held grudge.

In the original timeline, Sasuke was known for living in a cycle of anger and revenge. So maybe, just maybe, this version of Sasuke was equally skilled at holding onto grudges—just like a cat that never forgets.

************

<Next 2000 goal is power stones>

Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 193 at patreon.com/Emik01.

*********