A fist met a kunai, locking the sturdy Cloud ninja and Sasuke Uchiha in a fierce battle.
Ever since Sasuke began focusing on his chakra control, his taijutsu had become even sharper. The raw, close-quarters combat with the man before him was exactly the kind of challenge he thrived on. He might have lacked the raw strength and speed of his opponent, but in pure taijutsu technique, Sasuke was his equal. His style reflected Kakashi's teachings: using minimal movement to achieve maximum effect.
A young Cloud ninja watched in surprise. "How is that possible? He's just a genin from Konoha, but he's blocking Captain Bukai's attack?"
"Even holding him off for a moment is incredible," another Cloud ninja added, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't think even I could last very long against Captain Bukai."
"Well, the kid is from the Uchiha clan," their companion explained in a low voice. "He's already awakened the Sharingan. Fighting on par with the captain isn't that surprising, is it? Besides, the captain's greatest strength is his nintaijutsu."
"Hey!"
The sturdy Cloud ninja, Bukai, pulled back and roared at his chattering subordinates, "What are you standing around for? Go take care of that kid's teammates!"
In his line of sight, he had already spotted two smaller figures approaching. The three Cloud ninjas exchanged glances, drew their swords, and leaped into the trees, charging toward Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno as they appeared.
"Sakura, get back," Naruto said, extending an arm to shield her. He watched the three fast-moving figures, his expression hardening. "To charge in so openly... They really don't take us seriously."
A Rasengan materialized in his palm, the swirling vortex of chakra illuminating his face.
Bukai, swinging his sword to block another of Sasuke's attacks, looked up and saw the sphere of chakra. His face changed. "That ninjutsu...?"
Naruto thrust the Rasengan forward, knocking down one Cloud ninja, but found himself immediately surrounded by the other two sword-wielding shinobi. This was the kind of fight Naruto was worst at.
After clumsily dodging their blades, Naruto formed a hand sign. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Four shadow clones appeared beside him. They split into pairs to block the Cloud ninjas, with one clone in each pair attacking while the other formed a Rasengan. The tactic was clearly effective.
A flicker of fear showed in the eyes of the two Cloud ninjas. They shared a nod and charged forward again with their swords. Caught in the pincer attack of Naruto's clones, they had no way to dodge and were hit by the Rasengans one after another. But just as the battle seemed over, their bodies exploded into lightning, taking Naruto's shadow clones with them.
Sakura called out a warning. "Naruto, those are Lightning Clones!"
Naruto condensed a Rasengan in each hand. "Sakura, stay close," he warned, warily scanning for any enemies that might reappear.
Two dark figures suddenly dropped from the trees under the moonlight. The Cloud ninjas clearly weren't going to wait for him to complete his jutsu. With a glint of steel, they swung their blades down at his head.
"Spiral Shockwave!"
Naruto raised his hands. Cracks appeared in the two chakra spheres, unleashing a powerful shockwave of energy. Two streams of azure light flashed past, and the two Cloud ninjas fell to the ground.
Naruto let out a breath and frowned. "I couldn't take them all out at once. The jutsu still isn't powerful enough..."
Sakura: "..."
He's so young, and he already doesn't talk like a normal person.
Though she couldn't help but complain about her teammate, Sakura felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. Ever since they'd started taking missions outside the village, she had always been the one who needed protecting. To put it bluntly, she was the dead weight of Team 7.
But the days in Team 7 were too comfortable. Sakura could always be around Sasuke, the boy she admired. She could watch him train and hand him a towel and water when he was tired.
Naruto, who had constantly tried to talk to her back at the academy, was now so focused on training that he hardly bothered her and Sasuke. And while their jonin instructor was unreliable, he was kind-hearted. Her teammates were strong, and they were only pushing themselves to become stronger.
Sakura glanced at Naruto in front of her and at Sasuke, still locked in his fierce battle. She sighed, remembering the advice Kakashi had given her. Her chakra control was excellent; she had the talent to become a medical ninja. She could heal her teammates' injuries. The role of a medical ninja was crucial. If she became one, even Sasuke couldn't ignore her in a fight the way he did now.
He would need her help.
Naruto, however, paid no attention to Sakura's daydreaming. He looked at the sturdy Cloud ninja and Sasuke, then called out coldly, "Hey! Your teammates are all down! Give it up; it's pointless to resist!"
"Those three idiots!" the Cloud ninja cursed under his breath. He put his full force into a downward slash, knocking Sasuke back. Sparks of electricity began to dance across his body as he turned to face Naruto. "Brat, do you even know what you're saying?"
"If you're deaf, then never mind," Naruto retorted, extending his palm as a chakra vortex quickly condensed in his hand. "I'm not going to repeat myself."
"What a sharp tongue."
The sturdy ninja stomped his foot, and his figure blurred as he rushed toward Naruto. His speed was astonishing. The wind pressure from his charge alone was enough to make it hard to breathe. This was a veteran jonin from the Cloud Village.
Lightning Release Taijutsu. In close-quarters combat, Cloud ninjas possessed strength and speed that shinobi from other villages could hardly match.
Sasuke saw his path, gritted his teeth, and gripped his kunai, moving to block him. "Hey, your opponent is me!"
"Get lost!" the Cloud ninja roared, lashing out with a kick aimed at Sasuke's chest.
A small smile touched Sasuke's lips. His scarlet Sharingan had already seen through the attack. What a childish move...
He swung his kunai, ready to strike the opening the kick created, but a force like an iron hammer slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward.
"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, starting to rush forward.
Naruto blocked her path. "Sakura, don't!"
"Stay back!" Sasuke waved a hand, preventing his teammates from rushing into danger. He spat out a mouthful of blood and smiled bitterly. "My Sharingan saw his movements perfectly... but my body couldn't keep up."
"You're a smart brat," the Cloud ninja said with a contemptuous smirk. "No wonder your body is so frail. My legs are enhanced with Lightning Release chakra. When it comes to speed and strength, besides Lord A and Lord B, no one in the village can surpass my mastery of nintaijutsu!"
"Is that so?" Naruto muttered. He suspected the man was boasting, but he didn't know enough about the Cloud Village to be sure. He grew more cautious.
Nintaijutsu was the Cloud Village's signature. Was this guy in front of him really the third strongest person in their village?
-----
Bonus:
Bukai: I'm telling you, in the entire Cloud Village, besides Lord A and Lord B, no one else comes close to me!
Naruto Uzumaki: So… does that make you the third strongest in the Cloud Village?
Bukai: Huh? Yeah, yeah, exactly!
Naruto Uzumaki: This is going to be tricky…
Samui: Don't listen to his bragging. Those Jonin who train in ninja body techniques? Each of them claims that, besides the Fourth Raikage and Killer B, no one can surpass them!
Naruto Uzumaki: Then he's not really the third strongest?
Samui: ???? Everyone thinks they're number three, but some of them can't even make the top thirty…