Naruto: I Am Uchiha Sasuke!?

"Who... who are you?"

In the quiet forest, Hinata tightened her grip on a kunai, her pale eyes locked onto the shadowy figure before her.

Just moments ago, as she practiced her Gentle Fist techniques, an unknown assailant had suddenly attacked her. His strikes were swift and merciless, clearly aiming to do serious harm.

The man, sporting a bandage on his forehead, let out a low chuckle, twirling his kunai between his fingers. "Not bad, little girl. You react faster than I expected."

Without hesitation, he lunged, his dagger gleaming in the dim light as it slashed toward her.

Hinata dropped into a defensive stance, narrowly evading the attack before channeling chakra into her palm. "Gentle Fist!"

She struck directly at the man's chest with a precise, powerful palm thrust.

A satisfying impact rang out—

But the next second, the figure before her dissolved into a spray of water.

"A water clone?!" Hinata gasped, eyes widening.

Before she could react further, a voice came from behind.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"

A barrage of water blasts shot toward her with the force of cannonballs.

Hinata barely had time to brace before she was struck, sent crashing into a nearby tree. The impact knocked the kunai from her grasp, and pain flared in her ribs.

She gritted her teeth, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "A C-rank Water Style technique... This guy is at least Chūnin-level."

Despair crept into her heart. She had chosen a remote part of the forest to train, far from any help. No one knew she was here.

"The Hyuga Clan might be famous, but in the end, you're just a weakling," the bandaged man sneered, stepping closer.

Hinata struggled to rise, her vision wavering.

Then—

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

A shuriken spun from the depths of the forest, whizzing toward the enemy's head.

"Tch!" The man ducked reflexively.

But the shuriken changed trajectory mid-air—

A flash of steel, and the bandage on his forehead was sliced open, revealing a hidden forehead protector marked with four diagonal slashes.

"A rogue ninja from Kirigakure? I should've known," came a calm, sharp voice.

Perched on a thick tree branch, Sasuke Uchiha stared down at the scene, his Sharingan gleaming ominously.

"Sasuke-kun..." Hinata exhaled in relief.

But her concern quickly replaced it. Could Sasuke handle a Chūnin-level Mist ninja?

The rogue shinobi scowled, realizing how close he had come to death. "Damn brat... That almost got me."

Then, without missing a beat, he formed a rapid sequence of hand seals. "Water Style: Water Wave Jutsu!"

A powerful surge of water erupted from his mouth, surging toward Sasuke.

But Sasuke remained unfazed. His own hands moved swiftly.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball roared to life, meeting the incoming torrent head-on.

BOOM—

Steam exploded into the air as fire and water clashed. Yet, to the rogue shinobi's shock, the fireball didn't dissipate—it scorched through, overpowering the Water Style attack and barreling toward him.

"What?! Impossible!" he cried, leaping desperately to the side.

He barely dodged the main force of the attack, but the searing heat still licked at his back, charring his clothes and scorching his skin.

"Tch... This is bad..." he muttered, stumbling as the burning pain spread. The thick mist left behind by the evaporated water began to cloud the battlefield.

Sasuke landed silently beside Hinata, offering her a hand. "Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine... Sasuke-kun, watch out! He's coming!" Hinata warned, her Byakugan piercing through the mist.

But Sasuke only smirked. "He's already caught."

The rogue ninja, sword drawn, rushed forward—

Then suddenly, with a sharp clink, his body was jerked backward.

Looking down, his eyes widened in horror. Wires—thin, near-invisible ninja wire—had wrapped tightly around his limbs.

"W-what?! When did—?!"

"Sharingan: Shuriken Control Technique." Sasuke's voice was calm. "You walked right into my trap."

The ninja struggled, but the more he moved, the tighter the wires cut into him.

"Damn Konoha brat! You'll regret this!" he growled, biting down to crush the poison pill in his mouth—

But Sasuke was faster.

He appeared in front of him in a blur, delivering a precise punch to the stomach.

CRACK—

The rogue shinobi's eyes rolled back as he collapsed, unconscious.

Sasuke exhaled. "Too much talking."

With practiced efficiency, he tied the enemy up, ensuring he wouldn't escape.

Then, Sasuke placed a hand on the rogue ninja's body, activating his newly developed technique.

[Onimaro Technique: Extraction.]

Instantly, a portion of the ninja's chakra flowed into Sasuke's body, his system adapting to the water-natured energy.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Now, I have Water Style, too."

With the battle over, he turned back to Hinata, who was struggling to stand.

"Come on, I'll carry you back."

"N-no, Sasuke-kun, I can w—ah!"

Ignoring her protests, Sasuke effortlessly lifted her onto his back. With his free hand, he grabbed the unconscious rogue ninja and vanished into the forest.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting golden hues over the treetops.

Hinata rested her head lightly against Sasuke's shoulder, her heart beating fast.

"Sasuke-kun... You're amazing," she whispered, blushing slightly.

Sasuke merely smirked. "Hinata, you can become just as strong. Train hard, and I'll teach you."

"Really...?" she murmured.

"Of course."

As the two disappeared into the distance, their shadows stretched long under the fading light.

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