"The first round is over. The second round will begin after a fifteen-minute break." Iruka announced.
"Everyone's training has been very effective." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile. "Everyone has made progress."
"The one who made the most progress is undoubtedly Rock Lee."
Maruboshi Kosuke thought for a moment and said, "Konoha Dragon God has made his strength advance by leaps and bounds."
"This is all thanks to Guy, who helped Little Lee lay a solid foundation in Taijutsu," Chen said modestly.
Although Naruto and Lee had both learned Konoha Dragon God, they tacitly didn't mention it. After all, his strength was already on another level.
"When he learns the Eight Gates, he'll be the next Guy." Maruboshi Kosuke chuckled. "It's truly exciting."
Kakashi twitched his lips. The only thing not exciting was that Rock Lee and Might Guy had exactly the same personality.
Adding Naruto to the mix was practically a forbidden youth trio.
"It's not just Little Lee who's good." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with great satisfaction. "All the students who entered the second round can be called the future pillars of Konoha Village."
"This is all Kitazawa's credit." Maruboshi Kosuke sighed. "There are really more and more geniuses in the Genius Class."
When he became a teacher for the Genius Class, there weren't as many geniuses as there are now.
More accurately, at that time, the Genius Class only had geniuses from Konoha Village.
Now, due to Kitazawa's influence, many non-Konoha Village geniuses had joined, such as Kimimaro, Shion, and Chino.
"I just did my part," Kitazawa said casually when he heard this.
Strictly speaking, the current Genius Class had not yet reached its limit. Perhaps in the future, all the geniuses from the Five Great Villages could be gathered into one class.
"Barring any accidents, they will all become Jonin in the future," Kurenai said with a subtle expression. "By then, many students' strengths will probably surpass mine."
She was self-aware. Although she had learned Rasengan, Chakra Enhanced Strength, and the Self Curse Seal and other ninjutsu with Kitazawa's help, her talent was indeed not good enough.
Compared to Sasuke, Naruto, Hyuga Neji, and the others, she was far inferior.
"This is a good thing," Kosuke said indifferently. "Only when students are stronger than their teachers can the teacher's teaching ability be truly reflected."
The break ended amid everyone's chatter.
"Second round, first match: Inuzuka Kiba versus Aburame Shino," Iruka announced loudly.
"This is troublesome—why is it Shino?" Kiba stood up, rubbing his head in frustration.
"Woof woof!" Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Akamaru seems quite happy." Tenten stroked Akamaru's head and said.
"He hasn't fought Shino before, so he's happy." Kiba paused, then said, "Forget it, don't think too much. Just do your best."
"How can you give up before fighting?" Naruto gave a thumbs-up and said, "Kiba, let your youth bloom!"
"Go, go, go!" Ino and the others cheered for Kiba and Akamaru.
The two people and one dog walked to the center of the Training Ground.
As soon as the battle began, Kiba immediately formed hand seals and created a Shadow Clone.
Three-Headed Hellhound! Kiba, the Shadow Clone, and Akamaru merged together.
Shino adjusted his glasses.
In the first round, Kiba had not used the Three-Headed Hellhound.
Shino had thought that with Akamaru joining, the Three-Headed Hellhound would be different, but now it looked no different from before.
War Stomp!
The Three-Headed Hellhound raised its front paws and stomped down violently. The ground shook, and a large amount of debris flew up from the earth.
"Did the chakra increase a bit?" Shino understood in his heart and immediately raised his hand.
Akamaru was a ninken and had chakra of his own. With Akamaru, Kiba could save some chakra and use it on ninjutsu to increase its power.
However, this amount of power was still not enough for Shino.
A swarm of earth-colored Kikaichu flew out from his sleeves. All the debris was blocked.
Kiba was slightly startled. Are there Kikaichu of this color, too?
Earth Release: Earth Fang Bullet!
The Three-Headed Hellhound lifted its head and opened its mouth wide.
Earth Release chakra gathered, turning into three stone bullets that shot out at incredible speed.
With a bang! The defensive wall formed by earth-colored Kikaichu suddenly trembled.
Shino's expression remained unchanged as he waved his hand again. More earth-colored Kikaichu swarmed forward.
"What?" Kiba's eyes widened when he saw his Earth Release: Earth Fang Bullet being blocked.
"These are mutated Kikaichu with Earth Release resistance." Shino did not hide anything and explained calmly.
Kiba immediately felt helpless.
There really were such mutated Kikaichu. He knew that Shino had been experimenting with Kikaichu mutations.
After all, Fire Kikaichu and Water Kikaichu had appeared before. It was normal to add Earth Kikaichu now.
Thinking of this, Kiba immediately charged the Three-Headed Hellhound toward Shino.
The huge body leaped into the air, and its claws descended from above.
Summoning Technique! Shino bit his thumb without hesitation.
A Queen Bee, whose size was not inferior to the Three-Headed Hellhound, appeared on the field.
The two sides engaged in close-quarters combat, causing the Training Ground to shake continuously.
From the situation, the Three-Headed Hellhound slightly gained the upper hand.
But the Queen Bee was not fighting alone.
Honey Technique! Shino seized the opportunity and released Bees carrying beeswax.
The Three-Headed Hellhound, in the midst of intense battle, instinctively slapped downward.
Beeswax splashed out, sticking to its hand.
The Queen Bee immediately ascended, flicked its tail, and a poisonous stinger shot out.
Fang Bullet!
Although one of its front limbs was stuck, the Three-Headed Hellhound reacted quickly and spat out three chakra bullets.
The poisonous stinger was knocked away in mid-air. The Queen Bee flapped its wings and dodged the three chakra bullets.
At the same time, dense swarms of Bees flew out around Shino.
Bee Senbon Technique!
The Bees raised their tails and fired one poisonous stinger after another.
The stingers pierced deeply into the fur of the Three-Headed Hellhound.
"Woof!" The Three-Headed Hellhound couldn't help but let out a howl.
With this delay, the Queen Bee scattered a large amount of beeswax. The Three-Headed Hellhound was completely immobilized.
With a bang. Kiba and Akamaru appeared.
They were both stuck to the ground by the beeswax, looking utterly miserable.
Shino walked forward and helped them clean off the beeswax.
"Winner, Shino." Seeing this, Iruka announced the result.
"Now Shino has five types of mutated Kikaichu?" Ino asked subconsciously.
"Currently, it seems there are indeed five types." Shikamaru paused and said, "Perhaps there will be Yang Release and Yin Release Kikaichu in the future."
"Such outrageous Kikaichu!" Sakura couldn't help but exclaim.
"Limited power," Sasuke said calmly.
He had seen Shino's Fire Kikaichu before. They were not completely immune to Fire Release ninjutsu and could only resist for three to five seconds.
If it were a high-level Fire Release ninjutsu, even the Fire Kikaichu could only endure for about one second.
"For you, it's limited power, but for us, it's not necessarily so." Ino shook her head as she spoke.
"Indeed." Chino agreed.
The longer she stayed in the Genius Class, the more she felt that her own talent was ordinary.
Although she possessed the Blood Dragon Eye, she couldn't even make it into the top ten of the Genius Class—something that was truly terrifying.
"Second round, second match: Uchiha Sasuke versus Nara Shikamaru." Iruka's voice interrupted their discussion.
"My luck is really bad." Shikamaru twitched the corner of his mouth as he stood up.
"To hold on for a few more seconds is victory." Ino comforted him.
"Winning or losing doesn't matter anymore, just don't get hurt." Akimichi Choji smiled innocently.
"…" Shikamaru hesitated to speak. In the end, he said nothing and walked into the arena.
Sasuke stepped to the opposite side with a poker face. He activated his Sharingan without hesitation.
If he fell for the Nara Clan's Secret Technique, it would be very dangerous. But their Secret Technique was not without a trace—it had to be cast through shadows.
Sasuke's idea was simple. He would constantly observe Shikamaru's shadow with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Shadow Imitation Shuriken!
Shikamaru had already guessed Sasuke's thoughts. He had no effective way to counter it.
On the contrary, he also had to stay wary of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, lest he suddenly fall into a genjutsu.
Shikamaru threw out six shuriken. Sasuke returned the favor with six of his own.
He pulled his hands, deflecting the six shuriken, then two of them accelerated and targeted Shikamaru. This was the Manipulating Shuriken Technique.
Shikamaru sighed inwardly. His Shadow Imitation Shuriken Technique was broken before he even had the chance to use it.
Konoha-style Body Flicker Technique! Shikamaru instantly vanished from his spot, transforming into a leaf.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique! Sasuke quickly formed hand seals.
A massive fireball chased straight after the leaf in mid-air.
Shikamaru's heart trembled, and he immediately increased his Chakra output, accelerating sharply as he charged forward.
A piercing bird cry rang out. Sasuke's entire body was enveloped in lightning.
Shikamaru glanced left and right. After avoiding the great fireball, he landed in the shadow of a tree at the edge of the Training Ground.
Seeing this, Sasuke used the Body Flicker Technique to close in rapidly.
A strong sense of crisis struck Shikamaru. At the critical moment, he formed hand seals.
Shadow Replacement Jutsu!
He vanished in an instant.
Sasuke couldn't help but stop abruptly. He instinctively frowned and looked around, but still couldn't find Shikamaru.
"How come I've never seen this Secret Technique before?" Kiba scratched his head and asked.
"This is the Shadow Replacement Jutsu, created by Teacher Kitazawa," Ino said proudly, hands on her hips.
"Then why didn't Shikamaru use it before?" Sakura asked curiously.
"He just learned it recently," Ino replied.
"No wonder." Sakura nodded, then asked, "Did Shikamaru disappear? Why can't I find him anywhere?"
"In the Tree shadow." Neji activated his Byakugan and discovered that Shikamaru was hiding in the tree's shadow.
More precisely, he was hiding within his own shadow, but it was covered by the tree's shadow.
Because of this, Sasuke didn't discover him immediately. It was somewhat like a blind spot.
"He can't hide for too long." Yakumo shook her head.
Shadow Imitation Technique!
Shikamaru also knew that he would eventually be discovered by Sasuke's Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Taking advantage of Sasuke's gaze being elsewhere, he immediately formed hand seals.
A shadow spread rapidly.
"So he was in the shadow." Sasuke snorted lightly and leaped up at once.
In mid-air, the lightning covering his body spread in all directions.
"I surrender!" Seeing the lightning rushing toward him, Shikamaru shouted quickly.
Kitazawa flashed over and pulled him out of the lightning's range.
"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka announced.
"This Secret Technique is quite good." Sarutobi Hiruzen commented.
"Kitazawa's talent in creating ninjutsu is not much inferior to the Second Hokage-sama." Kosuke nodded.
"Moreover, the ninjutsu he creates can benefit the entire ninja clan," Chen said with a smile.
Kakashi thought of Kirin and Chidori.
The former had been created based on Kitazawa's inspiration. The latter had been modified by Kitazawa, leading to Chidori Current and other variant Lightning Release ninjutsu.
In the field of creating and modifying ninjutsu, Kitazawa was indeed unmatched by few.
"This shows that Kitazawa has a very deep understanding of all Seven Release ninjutsu." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.
If he were to choose a successor in Konoha Village, he would not hesitate to choose Kitazawa.
Unfortunately, Kitazawa, like Naruto, had too much talent. This made the idea of a successor nothing more than an embellishment—it made no real difference whether Sarutobi Hiruzen taught them or not.
Kurenai didn't speak, but the proud look on her face said everything. After all, this was her man.
"Second Round, Third Match—Uzumaki Naruto versus Rock Lee!" A moment later, Iruka called out again.
"It's Lee, huh?" Naruto's face lit up with surprise.
"Naruto, let's have a battle full of youth!" Rock Lee said excitedly.
"Let's go!" Naruto responded. "Unleash our youth!"
The two of them stepped onto the field as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
Bang, bang, bang—sounds rang out continuously.
Naruto did not use Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. He rushed forward and engaged Rock Lee in a pure taijutsu contest.
Konoha Whirlwind, Konoha Great Whirlwind, and Leaf Hurricane—various taijutsu techniques were unleashed one after another.
"Both of them are very proficient in taijutsu." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.
"But Naruto's physical quality is stronger, giving him an advantage in both strength and speed." Chen shook his head.
"Most likely, the winner will be decided by Konoha Dragon God." Kosuke speculated.
As for who would win, they didn't discuss it. Because the answer was obvious.
"Naruto!" After half an hour of fighting, Rock Lee said breathlessly, "It's time to burn our youth with Konoha Dragon God!"
"Konoha Dragon God!" Hearing this, Naruto raised his arms and began to spin.
"Konoha Dragon God!" Rock Lee followed closely behind.
Two green dragons collided again and again on the Training Ground, reminding Kitazawa of the spinning-top cartoons he had watched in his previous life.
However, Naruto ultimately gained the upper hand.
After less than half a minute of collision, Rock Lee could no longer maintain the Konoha Dragon God.
"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Before Rock Lee learned Konoha Dragon God, he had thought he could still defeat him. After all, pure taijutsu ninja had significant flaws.
But now that Rock Lee had mastered Konoha Dragon God, Iruka knew he stood no chance at all.
He even doubted whether he would make it into the top twenty if he participated in the Genius Class's practical exam.
Kitazawa secretly thought that Rock Lee could be considered to have truly turned his fortunes around.
Although he had worked hard before, the limitations of taijutsu, coupled with the high talent of the other students, had once led to his low ranking.
Time slowly passed.
"The second round is over. After a fifteen-minute break, we will enter the third round." Iruka shouted loudly.
By the third round, there were fewer than ten students left in the Genius Class. But every one of them was a genius among geniuses.
In other ninja villages, producing one or two such talents would already be quite remarkable.
"Iruka." Kitazawa stepped forward and said, "I will be in charge of the third round."
Firstly, he wanted Sasuke and Naruto to face each other.
Secondly, because the intensity of the battles would increase in the third round, Iruka, as the referee, might be accidentally injured.
"Okay, Kitazawa-senpai." Iruka nodded and walked toward Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
The theoretical class teachers were also teachers. Teachers stood together to watch, and students gathered to watch—clearly separated.
"The referee for the third round has been changed to Teacher Kitazawa?" Ino's eyes lit up as she asked.
"It seems so." Shikamaru always felt that Kitazawa was going to manipulate the outcome, but he eventually dispelled that thought.
"It's all the same, no matter who the referee is," Kiba said indifferently.
"There's still a difference." Ino tilted her head and said with a smile, "With Teacher Kitazawa as the referee, I can definitely perform better."
"What's the meaning of that?" Tayuya asked, puzzled.
"Teacher Kitazawa taught us so many ninjutsu—we have to prove ourselves to him!" Ino clenched her fists and said.
Tayuya pouted. She had thought there was some special reason, but it was just this?
Still, it did sound somewhat reasonable. It would be too embarrassing to lose in front of Kitazawa.
Hinata nodded subconsciously upon hearing this. She felt the same way.
"Ino is right!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up and said, "Later, I'll show Teacher Kitazawa the results of my training!"
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
What training had Naruto participated in? But he would soon find out.
---
Fifteen minutes passed in a flash, and the third round officially began.
Kitazawa raised his hand and reached into the draw box.
Under everyone's gaze, he pulled out two small slips of paper.
"Third Round, First Match—Uchiha Sasuke versus Uzumaki Naruto," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Great!" Naruto said happily.
Sasuke slowly exhaled. What was coming would always come.
He would personally see what new ninjutsu Naruto had learned. Could it be even more outrageous than Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu plus Konoha Dragon God?
"He's truly a pervert," Kiba complained. "Only Naruto would be so happy to draw Sasuke."
"Woof woof!" Akamaru barked twice.
"Akamaru is right." Tenten teased.
"You can understand him?" Ino asked in surprise.
"No." Tenten smiled and said, "I just guessed."
"Sasuke-kun, good luck!" Sakura clenched her fists, waved them, and said.
Sasuke, fearing she would say more, immediately walked to the center of the Training Ground.
"Sasuke!" Naruto stood in front of him and said, "I feel it—"
Sasuke silently took out the Sword of the Thunder God.
Chakra was injected, and lightning diffused. He suddenly swung it. A dazzling arc of lightning formed in mid-air.
Seeing this, Naruto could only abandon the latter half of his sentence.
He grabbed Samehada and swung it violently. A chain extended, and Samehada flew out, biting off the lightning mid-flight.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique! Sasuke quickly spat out a huge fireball.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Naruto casually threw away Samehada.
A howling wind appeared out of nowhere, instantly turning into a turbulent gale. The massive fireball, blown by the wind, changed direction and shot toward Sasuke.
Body Flicker Technique! Sasuke dodged the fireball, chakra bursting from his feet as he rushed forward.
At the same time, he activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Genjutsu: Unknown Fire! His Three-Tomoe Sharingan vibrated violently, and invisible mental fluctuations spread.
Although Naruto instantly dispelled the genjutsu, even this instant dispelling still required a certain amount of time.
It was very short, but for Sasuke, who possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, it was enough to seize the opportunity.
Hatake Swordsmanship! Seeing Naruto fall into a daze, Sasuke immediately accelerated and thrust his sword forward.
Just as it was about to strike, a dark-red chakra emerged from Naruto.
This chakra quickly split into two streams, like a pair of hands, grabbing the Sword of the Thunder God.
"What?" Sasuke was stunned. He had never encountered such a situation before.
"Konoha Whirlwind!" After Kurama dispelled the genjutsu for Naruto, he kicked out.
Sasuke immediately drew the Sword of the Thunder God back and retreated, avoiding the kick while creating some distance.
Naruto did not pursue.
He stood still, and the dark-red chakra rapidly spread. The next second, a tail appeared behind him.
"???" Sasuke's face was instantly filled with question marks.
And the Genius Class students watching from the side of the Training Ground were also in an uproar.
"How did Naruto grow a tail?" Tenten subconsciously rubbed her eyes.
"Naruto has revealed his true form! He's really not human!" Kiba's eyes widened as he blurted out.
"This chakra is so evil!" Karin couldn't help but say.
In fact, she didn't need to say it—everyone present could sense the violent aura within that chakra.
"What's going on?" Chino asked, puzzled. "Is Naruto really not human?"
"Naruto is the son of Fourth Hokage-sama, so of course he's human." Ino shook her head and said.
"It looks like a Tailed Beast Transformation." Shikamaru's eyes suddenly lit up as he spoke.
"Tailed Beast Transformation?" Sakura subconsciously looked at Shikamaru, her face full of doubt.
"Do you still remember Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi?" Shikamaru reminded them. "He was the Three-Tails Jinchuriki of the Hidden Mist Village."
Defeating Yagura Karatachi was undoubtedly the beginning of Kitazawa's rise to fame. As Kitazawa's students, they had all learned about this battle through various channels.
"Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?" Ino suddenly reacted and asked in shock.
Hyuga Neji, Shino, and Yakumo all revealed stunned expressions.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, not far away, were far more composed than Kiba and the rest of the students.
After all, they had long known that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Including Iruka.
Although he wasn't a high-ranking official of Konoha, he had personally experienced the Nine-Tails Rampage.
"Naruto has already learned to borrow Kurama's chakra?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with some surprise.
He knew that Kitazawa had recently been taking Naruto to the Forest of Death for special training, but he hadn't expected him to reach this level in just two months.
"His relationship with Kurama is quite good," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"I see." Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, anticipation flashing across his face. "So, he might become a Perfect Jinchuriki?"
Although the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was the strongest, a Perfect Jinchuriki had never truly appeared.
During the Third Shinobi World War, the Hidden Cloud Village had already demonstrated the power of a Perfect Jinchuriki.
In addition, there was the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. Despite wielding only the Three-Tails, he could unleash combat power far exceeding that of other Jinchuriki.
But alas, becoming a Perfect Jinchuriki was too difficult.
Coupled with Uzumaki Kushina's untimely death, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to abandon this plan.
"Hard to say," Kitazawa answered ambiguously. "Naruto is still too young. Whether he can become a Perfect Jinchuriki will have to be seen when he grows up."
"That's true." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "Regardless, this is a very good start."
"After Naruto uses Kurama's chakra, his identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki will definitely be exposed," Kosuke said worriedly. "We'll have to strengthen his protection from now on."
"Of course." Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile. "But there's no need to worry too much, because Konoha Village is no longer what it used to be."
A few years ago, he truly wouldn't have been at ease.
But now, Konoha Village was filled with powerful individuals—arguably in its most prosperous period in ten years.
"With Kitazawa around, Naruto will be fine," Kurenai said with a beaming smile. "Because he has already learned the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"What?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kakashi, and Maruboshi Kosuke all revealed looks of astonishment.
"Just a fluke. I merely happened to have a little talent." Kitazawa casually took out a Flying Thunder God kunai and said.
After learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had only told Tsunade and Kurenai.
It wasn't that he deliberately concealed it—it was simply that the technique wasn't needed for the time being.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others had never seen it before.
"Now there's really no need to worry about Naruto anymore. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kitazawa can arrive in time no matter where he is."
Maruboshi Kosuke sighed. "I never thought the Yellow Flash from back then would appear in Konoha Village again."
Kakashi opened his mouth, his mind drifting back to Minato Namikaze.
But more than nostalgia, what he felt was shock. As Minato's student, he had naturally tried to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique himself.
Unfortunately, he simply had no talent for it.
"He should be called the Black Flash from now on." Chen paused for a moment, then corrected him.
"Titles are things given by enemies." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "Given Kitazawa's strength, his enemies will definitely grant him a fitting title in the future."
A harsh birdlike screech suddenly rang out.
Everyone immediately stopped chatting and turned their attention back to Sasuke and Naruto.
Although Sasuke didn't understand what was happening with Naruto's sudden transformation, he knew that overthinking in battle was useless.
Brilliant lightning spread. Sasuke moved in a flash and appeared before Naruto.
Chidori Current!
Dazzling lightning lashed out like a swarm of snakes, biting toward Naruto.
Sasuke followed closely behind, gripping the Sword of the Thunder God.
But before he could raise it, his breath caught.
The tail behind Naruto swept across, crushing the lightning in an instant.
The dark-red tail continued its momentum, carrying massive chakra as if an iron hammer were smashing down.
Sasuke hurriedly raised the Sword of the Thunder God to block.
A terrifying force struck. His body was forced backward uncontrollably.
But Sasuke did not panic. He stabilized himself and met Naruto's eyes.
Konoha Style: Willow! The Sword of the Thunder God slashed out, leaving layers of afterimages in the air.
"Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken!" Naruto, completely unaffected by the pressure, directly threw a shuriken.
Sasuke's pupils shrank. He immediately stopped Konoha Style: Willow and dodged to the left.
Boom!
The shuriken, reinforced by the Nine-Tails' chakra, smashed into the ground. Cracks spread instantly, and a deep crater appeared.
Sasuke's eyes widened. How is the power so immense?
The previous Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken had decent power, but it was nowhere near this level.
Sasuke took a deep breath. He increasingly felt that this dark-red chakra was extremely strange.
His first reaction had been that Naruto learned a ninjutsu similar to the Yang Release Chakra Mode.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. He had never heard of any ninjutsu that could grow a tail.
"Sasuke!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up and said. "Next is the real result of my training!"
Sasuke subconsciously tightened his grip on the Sword of the Thunder God.
This isn't the result of your training? What kind of training could cause such a massive surge in chakra? Is this even reasonable?
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, forming hand seals.
Why Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu? Sasuke felt confused. Does this even require training?
But the very next second, he understood.
More than two thousand densely packed shadow clones surrounded him. The entire Training Ground instantly became overcrowded.
Sasuke froze in disbelief.
"T-That's… that's truly exaggerated." Maruboshi Kosuke was so shocked that his words faltered.
"—?" Kakashi twitched the corner of his mouth. Isn't that chakra at least a hundred times more than mine?
"Jinchuriki truly possess inherent advantages." Kurenai watched, utterly stunned.
"Not all Jinchuriki can have such ridiculous amounts of chakra." Sarutobi Hiruzen thought of Hashirama Senju.
Naruto already possessed Hashirama's flair when it came to chakra. It was a pity he couldn't use Wood Release.
If Kitazawa—who could use Wood Release—had this kind of chakra…then Konoha Village would truly be invincible in the ninja world.
After a moment of deathly silence, the Genius Class suddenly erupted into chatter.
"Did I fall under a genjutsu?" Kiba stretched out his leg and said, "Akamaru, bite me."
Akamaru opened his mouth and bit down.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Kiba gasped. "It's actually real?"
"Can someone count exactly how many Shadow Clones there are?" Ino felt her eyes turn green—her entire field of vision was filled with Naruto's green jumpsuit.
"There are definitely over a thousand." Shino suppressed his shock and said.
"I feel like Naruto really isn't human." Tayuya subconsciously shook her head.
"I agree." Karin chimed in.
"This is the terror of a Jinchuriki." Shikamaru sighed.
Previously, people like Sasuke, Yakumo, or Hyuga Neji could occasionally win against Naruto.
But in the future, that possibility was likely gone, because he had now mastered the power of the Nine-Tails.
Neji clenched his fist, then slowly released it, a look of dejection appearing on his face.
He had once thought that with the World-Extinction Arrow, he could engage Naruto in a life-or-death battle. But now it seemed that had only been wishful thinking.
After all, Jinchuriki possessed the Tailed Beast Ball—something far more terrifying than the World-Extinction Arrow.
"This chakra is even more than the Cursed Seal of Earth at full power." Jugo's eyes widened.
Kimimaro, meanwhile, fell silent. Though unwilling, from today onward, he gave up the idea of fighting Naruto.
He couldn't win—definitely couldn't win.
Shion thought of Mōryō of the Land of Demons. No wonder the Five Great Villages were the five strongest powers in the ninja world.
Mōryō was still far weaker compared to a Tailed Beast.
"Sasuke, come on!" Two thousand Narutos spoke at once, their voices like a raging storm sweeping through the field.
Sasuke felt his head buzzing. But those were only minor issues.
The biggest problem was despair.
Looking at the countless Narutos, he felt the urge to surrender for the first time.
Although he was usually very confident, the gap between him and Naruto was now visible to the naked eye.
In the end, the pride of the Uchiha prevented him from giving up immediately. He formed hand seals with both hands at once, mobilizing all the chakra in his body.
Chidori Current!
A massive amount of chakra instantly transformed into fierce lightning. Nearby Shadow Clones were immediately engulfed, letting out bursts of smoke as they vanished.
Sasuke rapidly searched for Naruto's true body with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken!" Naruto shouted, hurling a shuriken first.
Body Flicker Technique!
Sasuke locked onto his position. He suddenly accelerated and appeared right in front of Naruto.
Yin Release: Rasengan! Sasuke raised his hand and struck forward.
"Yang Release: Rasengan!" With Kurama's chakra surging inside him, Naruto found it even easier to use Yang Release chakra.
Because the Kurama within him was the Yang Nine-Tails, while the Yin Nine-Tails remained sealed inside the Shinigami's stomach.
Boom!
The two Rasengan—one Yin, one Yang—collided violently. Fierce, chaotic air currents erupted in every direction.
But in the end, Naruto's chakra proved superior.
A vast tide of dark-red chakra shattered the green Yin Release: Rasengan, like flames consuming paper, then surged straight toward Sasuke.
Body Flicker Technique!
Sasuke retreated at once.
But the Training Ground was already filled with Naruto's Shadow Clones. The moment he landed, he was bombarded by relentless attacks.
Chidori Current! Sasuke dodged while forming hand seals again.
Lightning shot out like arrows, dispersing the nearby Shadow Clones into smoke.
Sasuke took a breath.
Double Chidori!
He charged toward Naruto's true body without hesitation. Sasuke knew very well—he couldn't fight a prolonged battle, nor could he keep his distance.
One person trying to create space against two thousand Shadow Clones was an impossible task.
Accompanied by the piercing cry of lightning, Sasuke slashed at Naruto from both sides.
"Konoha Dragon God!" Naruto spun his body.
A massive dark-red dragon surged forth.
Sasuke's pupils shrank, but he could no longer stop himself. He raised both hands, and the two Chidori crashed into them.
In an instant, lightning and crimson light exploded across the field.
Sasuke was sent flying.
He slammed into the ground, and the surrounding Naruto Shadow Clones immediately rushed in, punching and kicking him.
"Naruto, the match is decided." Kitazawa appeared instantly in front of Sasuke.
Naruto scratched his head and released the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Kitazawa looked down at Sasuke. He lay on the ground, bruised and swollen, his eyes dull like someone who had lost his soul.
Kitazawa stretched out his hand. A soft green glow flowed forth.
Sasuke's injuries were only superficial. In just a few seconds, he returned to normal.
But Kitazawa knew—Sasuke's most serious wound wasn't physical.
Since joining the Genius Class, Sasuke and Naruto had competed and improved together. But today's battle had filled him with helplessness and despair.
"Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki," Kitazawa spoke slowly.
Sasuke subconsciously looked up at him. His understanding of Jinchuriki came from the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
So… he really is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? No wonder.
Sasuke finally found a reason for his defeat. He could accept losing once, but he couldn't accept losing every time.
Would he ever be able to defeat Naruto in the future? Obviously… no.
"Do you know what the Nine-Tails fears the most?" Kitazawa asked again.
"What?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask.
"The Mangekyo Sharingan," Kitazawa replied.
"Mangekyo Sharingan?" Sasuke's eyes lit up.
After his crushing defeat against Kurama Yakumo last time, his father, Uchiha Fugaku, had mentioned the Mangekyo Sharingan to him.
Moreover, he had personally seen Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan.
"That's right." Kitazawa nodded. "Back then, Uchiha Madara controlled the Nine-Tails and fought the First Hokage-sama at the Valley of the End."
"Then how can I awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Sasuke asked without hesitation.
He had already asked Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi before.
But the answers were always the same—he was too young and would naturally understand when he grew up.
"This requires special training," Kitazawa said confidently. "As long as you can endure it, I guarantee you will awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"I can definitely endure it!" Sasuke answered instantly, his spirit reignited.
"Very well." Kitazawa patted his shoulder. "We'll begin the special training when winter break starts."
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!" Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.
He would engrave this defeat—this utter powerlessness—deep into his memory. Once he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, he would definitely repay Naruto for today.
Kitazawa smiled faintly.
Comforting Sasuke was extremely simple. Especially this version of him, whose clan had not been annihilated.