(NEW ICHIRAKU RAMEN) CHAPTER SIX

Gojo was the one pressing the attack.

That much was clear from the very first exchange after their initial clash, when he surged forward again with a flurry of strikes meant to overwhelm rather than pierce, probing angles and testing timing while gradually increasing the pressure. Naruto, for his part, remained firmly on the defensive, his movements economical yet textbook-perfect as he intercepted blows with forearms, open palms, and short, sliding steps that kept him just out of reach of anything that might land cleanly.

Yet what stood out was not that Naruto was defending himself. It was that he was not struggling.

Every kick was checked before it could build momentum. Every punch was redirected just enough to carry it past its target. Each sudden change in rhythm that should have caught an opponent off guard was met with an answer just as fast and just as powerful, as though Naruto had already seen it coming. Gojo responded by increasing the flow of cursed energy through his body, reinforcing muscle and tendon alike, letting speed and strength climb higher with each exchange, but the result remained the same.

Naruto kept up.

The realization took root in Gojo’s mind with a spark of genuine surprise. Only one other being, Sukuna, had managed that before.

The thought alone was enough to make his grin widen, even as an undercurrent of annoyance crept in beneath the amusement. He pushed harder, feet blurring against the ground as he closed the distance again and again, his movements accelerating until even trained sorcerers would have struggled to follow them. The narrow alley became a whirl of motion, air snapping and cracking as his strikes carved through it, each one aimed to break through Naruto’s guard by sheer speed alone.

But Naruto was no ordinary man.

He slipped past a sweeping kick, pivoted under a backfist, and met a straight punch with his palm, turning its force aside before it could drive him back. His breathing never grew ragged, and he barely moved away from his position. Even as Gojo’s speed climbed to something that would have left most opponents frozen in shock, Naruto adjusted with him, matching the tempo as though it were nothing more than a rather intense sparring match.

Gojo felt the annoyance sharpen, becoming that familiar itch that surfaced whenever the world refused to bend the way it was supposed to. And for a moment, a single thought rose to the forefront of his mind.

Limitless.

One step, one activation, and the entire exchange would end in an instant, Naruto halted where he stood, every unanswered question neatly resolved by overwhelming superiority. It was his most natural answer to resistance, the technique that reminded everyone exactly why Gojo Satoru stood at the pinnacle of the jujutsu world.

The temptation was strong, yet something stayed his hand.

Perhaps it was the quiet, stubborn sense that using it now would feel like conceding something he did not want to concede, as though he were admitting that Naruto was too fast, too strong, and too close to his level to deal with in any other way. Or perhaps it was simply that, for once, he did not want the fight to end so quickly.

So he let the thought drift away.

And as he did, the annoyance faded with it, replaced by something warmer and far more familiar.

Enjoyment.

The realization settled in as he drove forward again, throwing himself into the clash with renewed focus, eager to test Naruto’s skills in a way he had not been able to with anyone in far too long. This was no longer about prying answers from a reluctant opponent, nor about proving anything to himself. Gojo knew exactly who he was, and he knew he could end this whenever he chose.

Which meant he could also choose not to.

So he allowed himself to simply fight.

Hand against hand, foot against foot, each exchange flowing into the next with a natural cadence that turned the alley into their own private arena. Gojo laughed softly as Naruto caught his wrist and tried to twist him off balance, only for him to slip free and counter with a knee that Naruto barely deflected in time. It felt good. It felt alive in a way combat rarely did anymore.

After all, it was rare to find someone who could push him this far without turning the encounter into a struggle for survival.

Rare, and worth savoring.

Eventually, though, it was Naruto who found the opening.

Gojo overextended just enough on a twisting kick, more out of momentum than true mistake, and Naruto stepped in, hooked his leg, and shifted his weight with practiced ease. The world tilted, then spun, and a second later Gojo was on his back against the cool ground, the breath knocked lightly from his lungs as he stared up at the night sky framed between the buildings.

For a moment, everything was still, as if the world itself were waiting to see how he would react. Then Gojo laughed, loud and genuine, and let his head rest against the ground as he looked up at the man standing over him.

“Well,” he said, smiling as though he had just been treated to an excellent show, “that was fun.”

Naruto studied him in silence, his own breathing still even, eyes narrowed but not hostile.

Gojo’s grin softened at that, something thoughtful flickering behind it as he held the gaze.

Was this, he wondered, what the start of a friendship looked like?