Naruto’s Strongest Force [translation]

Konoha Village

Uchiha Snack Street

The entrance to the snack street now had a modern access system.

Each person swiped a card to enter.

Students from the ninja academy could show their student cards for a 20% discount.

Nearby, sightseeing carts dropped off passengers in a steady stream. Many of them were students from the academy.

Beep… Student Card.

Beep… Student Card.

Naruto and Sasuke walked into the bustling snack street together.

Behind them, a few Anbu members in plain clothes followed at a distance.

Since Uchiha Snack Street didn't allow disguised entries, the Anbu couldn't wear their standard uniforms or masks. They had to blend in with casual attire.

Beep…

The steady sound of card scans allowed people to enter in an orderly manner.

Once past the large archway at the entrance, visitors were greeted by rows of neatly arranged food shops.

For first-timers, the vibrant neon signs could be overwhelming.

Fortunately, there were signboards along the way to guide visitors, ensuring no one missed out on the best snacks.

Naruto and Sasuke were currently standing in line outside a stinky tofu shop—one of the most popular spots on the street.

Now 11 years old, they were only a year away from graduating from the academy.

Naruto was still cheerful, but he wasn't as loudmouthed as before. He had grown more reserved, keeping certain things to himself. His golden hair, now longer, was beginning to resemble Minato's.

Sasuke's round face had sharpened, losing its childhood softness. Having never experienced the Uchiha clan massacre, he didn't carry the same brooding darkness. Instead, he exuded the pride typical of an Uchiha heir.

Naruto had become increasingly aware that he was constantly being watched.

Over the years, he had grown used to the presence of the Anbu. Though their personnel rotated regularly, whenever Naruto visited the snack street, the same group seemed to follow him in.

By now, he had figured out who they were.

Naruto had been training diligently, aiming to achieve something remarkable before Natsuki's return.

Every day, he went to Sasuke's house to practice with shadow clones, training until nightfall. When the clones dispersed, the accumulated exhaustion would send Naruto straight to sleep.

Now, he had mastered the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and the A-rank Rasengan.

Sasuke, having awakened his Sharingan over a year ago, had rapidly improved as well. Recently, he learned the A-rank Chidori.

Both were now the top students in their academy year, far ahead of their peers. However, they kept their mastery of advanced jutsu a secret from their classmates.

Despite their dominance, the gap between them and the third- and fourth-ranked students remained significant.

Still, the two lacked real combat experience.

Thanks to the shadow clone training, Naruto's improvement was astonishingly fast. He was starting to feel confident that he could defeat Sasuke in a head-to-head fight.

However, after beating Sasuke once in a previous match, Naruto noticed that Sasuke became much more intense, throwing himself into training with unmatched determination. He even refused Naruto's invitations to eat.

Naruto was startled by Sasuke's obsession. In their subsequent matches, Naruto secretly held back, though Sasuke never realized it.

During their latest match, Sasuke narrowly "won." With a day off today, the two decided to relax by visiting the snack street together.

After a short wait, they finally got their hands on their favorite stinky tofu.

"Sasuke, when do you think Natsuki-senpai will come back? Aah… so good!" Naruto mumbled as he stuffed a piece of tofu, coated with chili oil and cilantro, into his mouth.

"No idea," Sasuke replied, cutting his tofu into smaller pieces with his fork and soaking them in sauce. "But Natsuki-sensei said he'd return before we graduate. We've only got a year left, so it should be soon."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Naruto said, nodding as he chewed.

The two walked along, eating their tofu as its distinct smell wafted into the air.

Behind them, the Anbu team split into two groups: two who liked the smell walked closer, while the other two, who didn't, kept their distance.

The Anbu following Naruto and Sasuke had relaxed somewhat over the years.

Naruto had grown more mature, no longer causing trouble or running around destroying things like he used to.

Most of the time, he was with Sasuke, making their job of monitoring him much easier.

But what they didn't notice was a figure hidden in the nearby flower bed, perfectly blending in with the greenery and watching the two boys intently.

Forest at the Edge of the Uchiha Clan Grounds

With a twist of space, a vortex formed.

Obito, wearing his signature spiral mask, emerged from the Kamui dimension.

"Interesting. So this is the new Uchiha clan grounds?"

The moment Obito stepped out, he felt a chakra wave sweep over him.

"A barrier just like Konoha's?"

He quickly sensed a small team heading in his direction to investigate.

"I wonder if any of them have the Three-Tomoe Sharingan," Obito thought to himself.

What he failed to notice was a ninja cat perched on a distant tree, quietly observing him.

The cat took note of his attire and mask, matching the details in its mind. Then it jumped from the tree with a swift motion.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three massive fireworks exploded behind Obito, filling the sky with fiery red blooms.

The explosions painted the sky with a brilliant red cloud-like pattern.

Obito looked up in surprise.

"The Uchiha are this alert?" he muttered.

As the fireworks dissipated, the ninja cat vanished with a poof, leaving only the faint ripple of a summoning jutsu behind.

Obito, sensing the disturbance, quickly turned around.

He scanned the area but found nothing.

Once again, chakra waves began sweeping over him in intervals.

Obito chuckled softly. "They're giving me quite the welcome."

He prepared to retreat into Kamui to avoid detection.

Suddenly, a bright white light spread outward from the Uchiha clan grounds, expanding rapidly until it encompassed the forest's edge.

Obito was caught within its range.

His face darkened.

"A Time-Sealing Formation?!"

How could the Uchiha have something like this?

The Time-Sealing Formation was a large-scale sealing array capable of completely blocking space-time techniques.

Obito had researched countermeasures for Kamui before and knew this was one of the most effective methods.

The formation wasn't widely used because few people had the skill to deploy it.

Moreover, it had a significant flaw: it couldn't be maintained for long.

Obito tried to activate Kamui. A vortex began to form in the air but fizzled out almost immediately.

The intricate black markings of the sealing array spread across the ground, cutting off Obito's connection to Kamui.

"They were prepared for me… I must've leaked too much information last time," Obito thought, his expression turning grim.

The range of the formation was massive, but Obito estimated it would last no longer than five minutes.

"Uchiha sure know how to spend their money," he muttered, moving toward the edge of the formation.

As long as he could outlast the duration, he would escape.

But no matter where he went, the barrier's chakra scans followed him.

Realizing there was no point in running, Obito stopped in place, his face cold and unreadable.

"Even without Kamui, you still can't kill me," he muttered darkly.

He waited, ready to vanish the moment the Time-Sealing Formation was lifted.