When they heard there was a new ninjutsu to learn, Naruto and Sasuke's eyes lit up.
But should they agree to Nojuro Ryun's condition?
Naruto and Sasuke put their arms around each other's shoulders and discussed it in hushed tones for a while, finally reaching a conclusion.
[We'll take that bet!]
They figured that even though Kakashi seemed lazy and lackadaisical, he was a genuine jōnin after all; how could he possibly have no sense of time at all?
Ryun just smiled without commenting, simply having Sakura sit beside him, using his chopsticks to pick up breakfast and share it with her.
At first, Sakura was a bit shy, but thinking this was the first time Ryun had ever fed her, she threw caution to the wind.
Naruto watched the interaction between Ryun and Sakura with deep reluctance, while Sasuke said, "If you want others to recognize you, then increase your own strength."
"Ryun proved himself. What about you?"
Naruto was speechless and could only withdraw his gaze, following Sasuke's lead and quietly waiting for Kakashi's arrival.
But as time slowly passed, Naruto and Sasuke's faces gradually became covered in exasperated lines.
Ryun simply put his arm around Sakura and sat down in the shade of a tree. While they chatted and laughed, Ryun continued to transmit Yang Release chakra to Sakura.
The effects of these few hours of effort were already showing on Sakura.
Physical development naturally couldn't happen this fast, but Sakura's spirit seemed to have been considerably strengthened, and her chakra had also increased somewhat.
Maybe the total amount wasn't much, but one had to remember this was less than a single day's work.
Moreover, as Sakura's body and spirit continued to grow stronger, her rate of growth would also accelerate.
At this rate, even if Ryun maxed out her panel at 80 points, Sakura could still bring her basic attributes up in a few years.
Ryun was very satisfied with this change, and it also strengthened his resolve to enhance the remaining few girls.
Finally, the time passed eleven o'clock. Kakashi, yawning, arrived on the scene and said, "Yo, everyone's here."
"Sorry, I got lost on the road of life."
The resentment from Sasuke and Naruto was practically overflowing, because they had not only waited around for several hours, but had also lost the bet with Ryun.
Sakura, on the other hand, was radiant, her spirit and physical strength both having reached peak condition.
Kakashi ignored Sasuke and Naruto's dark looks, casting a different glance at Ryun before saying, "And why is young Ryun here too?"
"Although this isn't exactly off-limits, there's going to be a fight between ninjas here soon. Could you please excuse us?"
"Of course."
Ryun wouldn't argue with Kakashi over an issue like this. After giving Sakura a brief hug, he waved his hand and left the area. Once he was somewhere out of sight, he summoned his fishing rod and began to fish.
The current distance technically still wasn't completely safe, but Kakashi didn't drive Ryun away again.
After all, he knew all about Ryun's situation; he might even be a colleague in the future, so there was naturally no need to offend him.
"I have two bells here—"
Kakashi pulled out his trademark bells and began the test where three people had to grab two bells.
As for the content of the test, Ryun wasn't interested.
What he was interested in was how much combat ability Sakura could display; this could be considered a review of the results from his efforts the previous night.
So Ryun released his mental energy and began to observe the match.
Kakashi finished explaining the rules, gave Naruto a warning, and then told the three to scatter and hide.
Sakura and Sasuke both concealed their forms and aura, but Naruto alone stood up and charged straight ahead.
Kakashi pulled out a copy of *Make-Out Paradise*, intending to handle all of Naruto's attacks with one hand.
At first, he indeed succeeded. Naruto's taijutsu was a complete mess, relying purely on brute force.
Just as Kakashi was about to shake his head and tell Naruto to calm down, chakra suddenly lit up on Naruto's foot.
"This is—"
The next second, Kakashi quickly bent down.
Naruto's powerful kick whizzed past the tip of Kakashi's nose, causing the lazy Kakashi to show an expression of surprise.
"Looks like completing the tree-climbing and water-walking training really was his doing, huh?"
"See? You know I'm awesome now!"
Just as Naruto proudly started to say this, Kakashi had already appeared behind him, making the Tiger hand seal.
"Is it coming? The secret Konoha taijutsu, *Sennen Goroshi*?"
Ryun was just getting ready to hear Naruto's scream, but the first thing that appeared was Sasuke's voice.
"Katon: Gōkyaku no Jutsu!"
A blazing fireball shot straight towards Kakashi's back, the timing impeccable, right at the moment Kakashi was putting force behind his movement.
With Kakashi's strength, he could naturally forcibly knock Naruto away and then dodge the fire release, but that would be real combat, not a test.
Kakashi had no choice but to retreat backward to dodge, and at that moment, Sakura rushed out while throwing kunai at him.
"Timing's not bad—but I don't recall you having taijutsu skills, Sakura."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly, ready to teach Sakura a lesson.
He easily caught the incoming kunai, blocked with them, and then punched towards Sakura's abdomen.
This speed was beyond Sakura's ability to dodge, but it didn't exceed the limit of a chūnin's ability.
But the next second, Kakashi's pupils contracted.
Sakura formed hand seals with one hand, swiftly performing *Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu*.
In an instant, the Sakura before Kakashi's eyes vanished, replaced by the figure of Rin Nohara.
A flurry of sharp knives stabbed towards Rin, and just as she was about to be killed again, everything before his eyes disappeared as Kakashi's Sharingan's genjutsu capabilities shattered it.
Kakashi looked at Sakura, stunned.
A D-rank genjutsu, performed with one-handed seals, had actually affected him!
Even if it was only for an instant, it was enough for Sakura to possess a skill level far exceeding that of a genin.
"Not bad at all, but still not good enough. How can a genjutsu specialist charge to the front lines like that?"
Kakashi continued his punch, which struck Sakura's abdomen, but then with a *poof*, the Sakura before him turned into white smoke and disappeared.
A Shadow Clone?
Where did she learn that!
Kakashi had to admit, Sakura had given him another surprise.
If it was a Shadow Clone that rushed out to cast the genjutsu, then it made much more sense.
Although he had better ways to handle it, he was, after all, experienced; Sakura was different.
Kakashi put away *Make-Out Paradise*, feeling that he needed to get serious now.
He turned to continue fighting Sasuke and Naruto, but ended up having to stop in his tracks.
The familiar scene before him seemed strangely unfamiliar. He, who should have been not far from Sasuke and Naruto, now couldn't see them at all.
How is this possible...
Kakashi looked around him in astonishment, knowing he had fallen under the genjutsu, *Kitsune Shin'uchi no Jutsu*.
But the question was, when?
If it was when Sakura's Shadow Clone was using *Narakumi no Jutsu*, and her real body was using *Kitsune Shin'uchi*, he couldn't possibly have missed it.
I'll ask Sakura about it later, he thought to himself as he dispelled the genjutsu he was under, and then saw Naruto clumsily forming hand seals.
Naruto knows a release technique too?
Kakashi watched curiously, deciding to let Naruto perform the technique. Then Naruto opened his mouth and exhaled.
Fūton: Daitoppa!
A fierce wind howled towards Kakashi. Kakashi didn't even think about dodging.
Because although this ninjutsu sounded impressive, it was actually a fairly basic wind release technique. Its power depended entirely on the user's proficiency with wind release.
Clearly, Naruto could only release this technique because of his large chakra pool; the power itself was practically negligible.
But Sasuke's voice made Kakashi's expression change.
"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!"
A line-shaped flame shot towards Kakashi, drilling into Naruto's wind release.
In an instant, the unremarkable wind release transformed into a blazing wind-fire combination!
Scorching flames swept out in all directions. Even if the wind itself wasn't very powerful, the fire was enough to burn someone half to death.
Kakashi showed a look of astonishment, no longer daring to let his guard down, and performed *Doton: Doryūheki*.
The earthen wall with the dog head blocked Naruto and Sasuke's combined technique. At that moment, Sakura, holding a kunai, silently stabbed towards Kakashi's back.
"Got you!"
With a *thud*, a hand emerged from the ground. It was Kakashi, who had used the collision of the previous techniques to conceal his form and cast a Shadow Clone, waiting at his leisure.
Seeing Sakura's face full of terror, Kakashi, feeling a desire to nurture talent, comforted her, saying, "You did well already, Sakura—"
But before he could even finish the word 'Sakura', Sakura's body turned into a puddle of water.
And the kunai in Sakura's hand also emitted white smoke.
A fragmenting kunai!
Kakashi's pupils contracted, and he had no choice but to use the Body Flicker Technique. But even so, a few fragments still followed him.
His fingers danced rapidly, flicking away these fragments.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the roar of the Nine-Tails sounded in his ears.
Kakashi finally frowned, a flicker of anger rising in his heart.
Looks like just using chūnin-level strength won't be enough to handle these three brats.
***
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