After about an hour of walking, Sakura couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. She sneaked up beside Naruto and whispered, "Naruto, who is that guy? Why are you so scared of him?"
Sasuke perked up, clearly interested in hearing more about Sora.
There was something familiar about him, but he just couldn't place where he'd seen the man before.
"That's my uncle," Naruto replied. "I've only met him once, but my parents said he's really, really strong. Nobody knows exactly how powerful he really is."
Kakashi and Sora, walking up ahead, heard the conversation from the three kids but just chuckled quietly and didn't respond.
In the back, Sasuke couldn't help himself. "What's your uncle's name? I've never seen him before."
"His name's Sora. He's always lived up in the hills behind Konoha and barely ever leaves."
"Sora?!"
Sasuke blurted out the name, shocked. The foundational texts used to teach new Uchiha clan members had been written by someone named Sora—and that name was still printed on them.
"You know him too, Sasuke?" Sakura asked in confusion. "How come I've never heard of him? Don't tell me I'm out of the loop already…"
Shaking his head, Sasuke muttered, "I'm not sure it's the same guy. But in our clan, the rules were drafted by someone named Sora." As he spoke, he stole a quick glance at the quiet man walking ahead of them.
"Go on, Naruto," he said. "What else do you know?"
"Oh, right! So, apparently, he started at the Academy at five, graduated at six, and took the Chūnin Exams at seven. He destroyed all the other candidates—nobody else even passed. But he said 'Konoha's strongest should always be a genin,' so he refused to be promoted. He's still a genin to this day."
Naruto gulped as he continued, clearly awed. "My parents told me he killed a bunch of jōnin when he was just seven. By the time he was eight, nobody in the village could touch him. He even went with them to the Cloud Village once and beat everyone there so badly they didn't dare leave their compound for days. Then they came to Konoha to apologize."
"He was one of the top sixteen in the first Shinobi Way Tournament," Naruto added. "But something happened and the tournament was cut short. Otherwise, they say he would've definitely taken first place."
"After that, he went off to live alone and stopped appearing in public."
Naruto's eyes sparkled with admiration, his voice lowering in reverence. "They also said Konoha is as prosperous as it is today because of the advice he gave. Without him, things would be totally different."
Clicking his tongue, Naruto gave Sasuke a smug little grin.
Back when he first learned all this, he had been absolutely floored. Now, it was Sasuke's turn to be stunned.
"No way!" they both shouted.
As Naruto had predicted, Sasuke and Sakura exploded in disbelief, shaking their heads like bobbleheads.
"That's impossible," Sasuke scoffed. "How could anyone do that at eight years old? And if he really did all that, why have I never heard about it?"
"I'm telling the truth!" Naruto insisted.
"Nope. Not buying it."
As the two boys argued face to face, Sakura stood awkwardly to the side, unsure of what to think.
Naruto was the Hokage's son—it wasn't like he'd make up something that wild, right?
But if it really was true… that was just too unbelievable.
Kakashi, walking a few steps ahead, had fallen into his own thoughts when Naruto began sharing the story. The boys' bickering finally brought him back to reality.
"It's true," he said calmly. "And that's only part of it."
He didn't wait to see their stunned reactions—just picked up his pace to catch up to Sora.
Sasuke and Sakura stood frozen, jaws hanging open as they stared at Sora's calm and unassuming figure.
When they reached a patch of woods, they came upon a small puddle. Kakashi and Sora exchanged a look.
Poof!
Suddenly, two grotesque-looking ninja shot out of the puddle, slicing through both Sora and Kakashi.
"Uncle Sora! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto screamed.
Without hesitation, Naruto and Sasuke rushed in. Sakura stayed behind to guard Tazuna.
Up in the trees, the real Sora and Kakashi watched the scene unfold with disappointed expressions.
"In weather this dry," Sora muttered, "how did none of them notice that giant wet patch on the ground?"
If they weren't using this moment to train the three kids, he would've just stomped the Demon Brothers flat—though they wouldn't have dropped any cards anyway.
Once Naruto and Sasuke subdued the enemy, Sora and Kakashi reappeared.
"Kill them," Sora said coldly. "One each."
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and drove his shuriken into one of the brothers.
Naruto wasn't so quick. His hands trembled as he approached the other one, hesitant and overwhelmed.
Sora's icy stare made his blood run cold.
Unable to resist that terrifying gaze, Naruto finally plunged the shuriken into the enemy with his eyes squeezed shut.
As the man died, Naruto staggered to the side and vomited violently.
Only then did Sora turn and walk away, leaving the rest of the explanation to Kakashi. He had no patience for Tazuna's chatter.
After everyone had stated their determination to continue, they set off again—though Tazuna's slow pace made for sluggish progress.
It took them five full days to finally reach the edge of the Land of Fire. The sea that surrounded the Land of Waves lay just ahead.
Unwilling to wait for Tazuna's tiny boat, Sora summoned a thick wooden plank and casually floated across the water.
Kakashi, already anticipating this, hopped onto the plank too, leaving the three genin and Tazuna to paddle themselves.
"Come on!" Sakura whined. "Naruto, row faster! We've gotta catch up!"
"What about Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
"He's rowing too!"
Sora overheard this and sighed. Sakura's favoritism was obvious—even Naruto being the Hokage's son didn't change that.
Still, she didn't dare cross Naruto too blatantly. Had she been as over-the-top as her canon self—fawning over Sasuke and constantly belittling Naruto—Sora would've made sure she got a lesson she'd never forget.
No child should be allowed to treat others like tools.
Fortunately, in this world, Naruto had grown up with real friends. He had no interest in Sakura and never became her loyal lapdog.
Before long, they all reached the far shore. The moment they stepped onto land, Sora sensed two hidden presences lurking in the nearby forest.
He didn't say anything—just cast a brief glance in their direction.
If he wanted Naruto and Sasuke to start dropping cards, he had to let them grow stronger. This would be a perfect training opportunity.
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