Three jonin stood casually.
Nine genin entered novice fighting stances.
"Begin."
Everything exploded into motion.
Team Assignments — Instinct Over Comfort
Naruto didn't hesitate.
"Move!"
Hinata HyugaIno Yamanaka
They moved with him—
Straight toward—
Asuma Sarutobi
Elsewhere—
Sakura, Kiba, Choji
Charged—
Kakashi Hatake
And—
Shikamaru, Shino, and Sasuke
Slipped into the trees—
Facing—
Kurenai Yuhi
Naruto's Battlefield — Against Asuma
The moment they entered range—
Asuma's hands flashed.
"Lets see how you handle this."
A billow of smoke erupted from Asuma's mouth, his cigarette never leaving his mouth, hiding his prescence within the training ground—
Naruto went through his own hand signs, "Wind Release: Cyclone!" shooting out a pocket of low pressure in the treeline, sucking up smoke like a jet engine. His form was still obscured for a handful of seconds.
"Hinata—tell me what's going on in there!"
"Y-Yes!"
She moved—
Byakugan flaring—
Vision piercing everything.
"Asuma-sensei's—making hand seals—!"
Naruto twisted—
Wind surged into his legs—
WHOOSH
He barely slipped past the bullet of wind
"…Fast."
Asuma grinned.
"…Not bad kid."
Naruto didn't respond.
Hands flashed—
"Wind Style: Gale Pierce!"
A compressed burst tore forward—
Not wide—
Focused.
Asuma tilted—
Dodged clean—
—but—
"Now, Ino!"
"…Got it!"
Ino Yamanaka formed a seal—
"Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"
A flicker—
Asuma's body shifted—
Just—
For a fraction.
"…Hmph."
He broke it.
Easily.
But—
That moment—
Was enough.
Hinata was already there. The smoke had cleared away leaving a clear view of the grizzled Jonin. Hinata capitalized on this and rushed toward him.
Two precise strikes—
Tap—Tap—
Asuma slid back—
Blocking most—
But not all.
A pause.
"…Good coordination."
Naruto grinned.
"…We're not done."
Naruto Multitasks — The Field Expands
POOF
POOF
POOF
Shadow clones burst into existence—
"Go."
They scattered—
One landed beside—
Shino Aburame
Mid-fight.
"Take these."
Naruto tossed—
Chakra Infusion Bandages.
Shino caught them.
"…Explain."
"Boost recovery. Helps with poison, fatigue."
A beat.
"…I might use them later. Thank you."
Bugs shifting he prepared his colony for a fight—
Kakashi's Field — Raw Pressure
Kakashi stood relaxed reading his favorite 18+ book.
Three genin circled him.
"…Alright."
He vanished.
"WHERE—?!"
Too late—
THUD
Kiba slammed into the dirt, Kakashi's sandal on the small of his back.
"Gah—!"
"Too slow."
CRACK
Choji's swung a haymaker strike at the white haired scarecrow now much closer to him than the second before—
Blocked—
Effortlessly.
"…Too weak."
Sakura's eyes sharpened.
"…No—"
"…He's predicting us."
Kakashi's single eye curved.
"…Good."
Kiba growled.
"…Then we stop being predictable!"
He surged out from under Kakashi's foot, forming a hand seal with Akamaru by his side
Akamaru POOFED now a carbon clone of Kiba. The two clones created some distance from Kakashi before charging him on all fours.
"Fang over Fang!" Two drills spiraled towards Kakashi, his confidence never wavered as he turned to the next page of his book.
Sakura circled—throwing a rain of shuriken, followed closely by more shuriken in their shadows. Naruto and Sasuke weren't the only ones who had been training!
"…Force him to react—!"
Kakashi stepped in between the two rotating drills coming his way—
He adjusted the distance from the book to his face to avoid a shuriken marring its limited edition pages.
For the first time—
He put away his book
"…That's better."
Kurenai's Field — The Trap
Silence.
Too quiet.
"…Something's wrong."
Shikamaru Nara muttered.
"…You noticed."
Ringing—
Everywhere.
Kurenai Yuhi sat high in the trees, hands shaped into seals
Then—
The world twisted.
Trees warped.
Ground melted.
"…Genjutsu."
Too late.
Sasuke's Sharingan spun—
Trying to determine reality from fiction—
Nothing could be trusted.
Shino's bugs scattered—
Disoriented.
"…We're caught."
Naruto — Awareness Through Chaos
Back with Asuma—
Naruto clones POOFED out of existence—
Naruto was mad dashing around the field, laying minor concussive tags and minor gravity tags like they were 1 dollar bills at the club.—
"Damn—!"
His eyes flickered—
"Inspect."
Ping.
Kurenai's influence—
Illusion layered over perception.
—and—
A *PING*
Pain is the greatest motivator. It might have an effect on the genjutsu Ms. Yuhi is so fond of
Naruto's eyes widened slightly.
"…That's it."
He grinned.
"HEY—!"
He shouted—
Voice carrying across the battlefield.
"Shikamaru!"
A pause—
Inside the illusion—
Shikamaru's eyes shifted.
"…What."
"Pain breaks it!"
"…What?"
"Genjutsu—interrupt the flow—pain disrupts chakra!"
A beat. The rest of the genin throughout the field heard it as well, noting it for future encounters.
"…Troublesome…"
Then—
CRUNCH
Shikamaru bit his lip—
Hard.
Reality flickered.
Sasuke caught on instantly—
"…Tch—!"
He slashed a kunai across his own arm—
Blood—
The illusion cracked.
Shino didn't hesitate—
His insects bit him from the inside, a grimace was hidden behind the collar of his badass jacket.
The genjutsu shattered.
Back to Naruto vs Asuma
Asuma exhaled.
"…You're fighting three battles at once."
Naruto smirked.
"…Multitasking."
He surged forward—
Wind gathering—
Sharper—
Hinata followed in his shadow, for every strike that Naruto attempted, Asuma would have to deal with a gentle fist right behind it—
Confidence rising—Hinata increased the rate of her strikes slipping into a Hyuuga clan tecnique, 64 Palms.
Her strikes became more decisive—more aggressive
Ino—
No hesitation—
"Again!"
Mind transfer—
Short—
Sharp—
Disruptive.
Not for control—
For openings.
Asuma dodged Hinata and Naruto's strikes cleanly, leaving inches of room between him and the pair, almost toying with them.
Ino's translucent ball of chakra aimed at Asuma tracked his small dodges, anticipating where he'd be next. She needed to draw him closer to some of Naruto's traps.
THUD THUD THUD
Multiple concussive blasts, enough to knock over a stall of cabbages or two caused Asuma to slide back—
A sigh escaped the chainsmoking Jonin, "I might have to try a little harder"
Momentum Shift — The Genin Adapt
Across the field—
Kakashi ducked—
Three attacks—
Timed.
"…Oh?"
A Naruto clone called out—
"What did you say Kakashi sensei?! Choji's not a FAT BASTARD! Why would you say that?—!"
Choji turned a dark red, immediately going through handsigns, inflating to the size of a small blimp
"GET IN MY BELLY!" bellowed the big boned genin as he started rowling like a bowling ball towards Kakashi.
Kiba flanked with his man beast clone—
Kakashi kicked Choji's rolling form, he pinballed within the treeline eventually barreling towards the two Kibas—
"Mommy?"
Both Kiba's as well as Choji launched into the air, a bump after their initial collision causing them to go airborne.
"We're blasting off again!!!" Was heard from the pair as they soared out of the training ground.
Kakashi Sighed, "It seems my genin aren't the only goofballs in this years batch."
Sakura stood facing her Sensei, alone. Kunai drawn she prepped herself for the oncoming slaughter. Determination filled her form
'Not bad Sakura, looks like you've stopped taking the easy way out' thought Kakashi as he ran forward.
Kurenais Hidey Hole View
Shikamaru exhaled.
"…Alright…"
Shadow stretched—
"…Let's flip this."
Sasuke moved—
Now free—
"…I'll pressure."
Shino's bugs surged—
"…I'll restrict movement. She's located in that tree hollow at the far edge of the clearing"
Kurenai smiled faintly.
"…Good. The real fun starts now"
But his shadow was already stretching—
Low.
Subtle.
"…We just need to catch her once."
Sasuke didn't respond.
His Sharingan spun slowly—
Tracking.
Reading.
"…She needs hand signs to cast…I can see a slight fluctuation of chakra affect the air. Timing's off by half a second from her final seal."
Shino stood still—
"…Kikaichu are spreading."
The ground, trees, air. Infested. A veritable net of bugs.
Kurenai smiled faintly.
"…Good formation."
Then—
She casted a genjutsu and disappeared.
—or didn't.
Her presence hit his line of sight first, a blurry silhouette marked against the backdrop of the forest.
Sasuke's eyes snapped wide—
"…Left—!"
Too late.
The world shifted again—
Not a full genjutsu—
A partial overlay.
Vision doubled.
Sound distorted.
Shikamaru grimaced.
"…Again? Seriously—"
That hesitation—
That fraction of annoyance—
Was enough.
A vine wrapped his ankle—
"Got you."
Kurenai's voice—
Right behind him.
Shikamaru's eyes widened—
"…Ah."
Too slow.
The world inverted—
Trees became sky—
Ground disappeared—
His shadow broke.
"—And you're out."
THUD
Shikamaru hit the ground—
Disoriented—
"…Yeah…"
"…That tracks…"
Out.
Two Remain
Sasuke didn't look at him.
Didn't hesitate.
He moved.
Fast.
Faster than before.
Sharingan locked—
"I see it."
He closed the distance—
Kunai flashed—
CLANG
Kurenai blocked—
But—
A kick followed immediately—
Then another—Suddenly the Sasuke she was trading blows with POOFED out of existence, a roaring fireball filled her attention to her left
Kurenai's expression shifted—Her body POOFED away, a log filling her place
Sasuke followed the flow of chakra caused by the substitution justu. .
Predicting where the beautiful red eyed sensei was he charged forward
"Got you—!"
He broke through some shrubbery, clearly spotting her
Behind them—
Shino hadn't moved.
Not once.
"…Now."
The air shifted.
A swarm surged—
From every direction—
Kikaichu flooded the space—
Targeting—
Chakra.
Kurenai's eyes narrowed.
"…Persistent."
She leapt—
—but the bugs followed—
Restricting movement—
Obscuring vision—
Not overpowering—
But limiting.
Sasuke saw it.
Opportunity.
He surged again—
Faster.
Sharper.
"—!"
THUD
This time—
She felt it.
A solid kick to her side. Sasuke used her body as a springboard, flipping cleanly away after the strike—
Not enough to drop her—
But enough—
To force her back several steps.
Silence—
Then—
The minute sound of a kunai being pressed against a jacket covered throat was heard as Shino was taken hostage by Kurenai.
The genjutsu presence vanished completely.
The bugs slowed.
Sasuke lowered his stance slightly—
Breathing controlled—
Shino gulped
"…We did not lose...immediately."
A pause. "No shit sherlock" the now brooding rival called back.
Naruto — Final Push of the Exchange
Breathing heavier now.
Naruto grinned.
"…Again."
Hinata stepped forward—
No hesitation.
Ino beside her—
Focused.
Wind howled—
The three of them moved—
Not perfect.
But together.
Asuma didn't just defend—
He had to engage seriously.
"I haven't seen your little tornado attack before; I'm interested in where you learned it. It kind of reminds me of Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
In the middle of his line of dialogue, Asuma formed lightning-fast hand seals, launching two open palms at Ino and Hinata respectively.
They were blasted back, tumbling within the clearing until their bodies hit training stumps nearby. They were down for the count, it'd clearly leave a mark.
Naruto faced Asuma aone, quietly POOFing some clones into existence to check on Ino and Hinata.
"If you think cyclone is good, try this out for size!"
Naruto, as well as clones spread throughout the training ground cast the seal necessary for Wind Release: Gale Pierce. Each technique was overloaded with chakra.
Once the technique name left each Naruto's lips the whole clearing elicited a sharp screeching noise, wind tearing against wind, fueled by some of the most powerful chakra in the village.
Asuma in response, squinted his eyes noting the clear cutting power each blast possessed. His hands quickly drew a pair of bladed knuckledusters from his pouch. He crouched low, gathering wind chakra along their blades.
His body lept up in a spin, arcs of gale force wind launched out from his weapons, effectively neutralizing each piercing blast.
From the next training ground over, the wind picked up, knocking a team practicing taijutsu around a little bit. Screams of "The Winds of Youth!" echoed but were ultimately ignored.
Naruto's original body, as well as his clones were blasted onto their rears, tumbling much like Hinata and Ino before him.
A loud THUNK reverberated against a solid tree as Naruto groaned and lifted his gaze to the grizzled Jonin.
"That...was...AWESOME!"
Asuma sweatdropped and put away his knuckledusters, walking toward the fallen group.
Elsewhere, each battle had finished up, the genin limped their way to the training grounds center to regroup and discuss their performance.