Chapter 184: Uzumaki Naruto
"There are three people to the northeast, two men and one woman, Ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village."
Ino said with her eyes closed.
She was performing her family's sensory Ninjutsu.
"Can we beat them?"
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Choji looked up toward the northeast, but he could only see distorted heatwaves and the endless desert.
"It shouldn't be a big problem."
Ino opened her eyes and said, "They feel pretty average, though we can't rule out the possibility that they have strong camouflage abilities."
As she spoke, she looked toward Naruto.
Although they had been told earlier to let her and Choji train more, having a powerhouse on the team meant they would be unconsciously influenced.
"Won't we know once we fight them?"
Naruto looked calm.
Seeing this, Ino gained confidence, exchanged a glance with Choji, and headed northeast.
A dozen seconds later, three Ninjas came into view.
"Choji, you attack from the front to help distract them; I'll try to control two of them."
Ino took a flash bomb from her pouch.
"Multi-Size Jutsu!"
Choji quickly formed hand seals and clapped his hands, his body becoming exceptionally giant.
He stepped forward, the ground sinking, and dust instantly formed a barrier between his feet, concealing Ino and Naruto.
The loud noise startled the three Sand Ninjas.
"Watch out!"
The young man in the middle warned, "He's not alone; there should be two others hidden in the shadows."
Choji ignored them, reaching out his hands to slap at the three.
Palms over two meters wide stirred up gusts of wind in the air.
"So big!"
The female Sand Ninja muttered to herself, momentarily dazed.
"You two watch out for the other two."
The young man reacted quickly, raising two fingers.
Streams of dust rose from the ground like flowing water, quickly forming two sand walls on the left and right.
The Hidden Sand Village's specialties were none other than Wind Release and sand manipulation secret techniques.
In the desert, they were like fish in water.
Choji's palms struck the sand walls, immediately causing two booms.
At the same time, Ino accurately threw the flash bomb, which landed at the feet of the three under the cover of the dust.
"Ah! My eyes!"
Caught off guard, the three clutched their eyes and screamed.
"Mind Clone Transfer Jutsu!"
With a serious expression, Ino crossed her hands, and two invisible mental shocks hit two of them like bullets.
Naruto caught her falling body just in time.
"Choji."
The two controlled Ninjas immediately shouted and launched an attack on the young man.
Choji instantly knew that Ino's Jutsu had succeeded.
But controlling two people at once was too exhausting to last long.
Without hesitation, he used the Super Open Hand Slap.
His hands doubled in size again, pressing down directly on the young man.
The young man felt the sky darken.
He was already struggling under his teammates' attacks; now, with the addition of a pair of giant hands, despair inevitably showed in his eyes.
The outcome was decided.
Naruto smiled.
It felt good not having to do it himself.
[Congratulations to the host for achieving the 'mei changsu' achievement; you have gained one normal card draw.]
Huh.
Naruto was a bit surprised.
This achievement was clearly because of Merlin.
I wonder what he did again?
Did he create the Langya List?
The newspaper I read yesterday didn't seem to mention this.
Naruto thought about it and didn't draw a card.
I have two now; maybe I should save up for a ten-pull?
Never mind, he preferred to believe in the miracle of single pulls.
"It's a Heaven Scroll."
Ino was a bit disappointed, waved her hand, and said, "Since it's the same, you guys can go."
Sunagakure and Konohagakure are allies.
Without any conflict of interest, letting them go could be considered a favor.
"Thank you!"
The three immediately sighed in relief and thanked them repeatedly.
Choji returned to his normal size, rubbed his stomach, and said, "I'm hungry."
His Ninjutsu all exchanged appetite for combat power.
"Here."
Ino took out some roasted meat sealed in a scroll.
Naruto suddenly thought of his own wife.
She has a huge appetite.
Maybe she's suited to learn the Akimichi clan's secret techniques.
But with the Multi-Size Jutsu, wouldn't she become eight feet tall?
Cough, cough.
Speaking of Hinata, Naruto had originally planned to team up with her for the second round.
But Kiba refused.
Not because he was afraid of being a third wheel, but because he thought there would be no sense of crisis with Naruto.
Choji ate while walking.
Ino kept an eye on their surroundings, stopping from time to time to use sensory Ninjutsu.
The morning passed quickly.
"What's going on?"
Ino set up a temporary parasol and asked in confusion, "Aside from the Sand Ninja team we met at the beginning, we haven't encountered any other Sand Ninjas. Is something wrong?"
"Could we be under Genjutsu?"
Choji couldn't help but ask.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
Ino immediately formed seals, then shook her head. "It's not Genjutsu."
She lowered her head in thought.
Naruto took out two bottles of ice-cold cola and handed them over.
He naturally knew the reason.
"Wow!"
Choji's eyes lit up intensely as he took a sip of the cola.
Drinking a cold beverage in this terrible weather was truly refreshing.
"Our movements might be tracked by a certain team."
Ino asked Naruto, "If someone has a reconnaissance range far exceeding ours, could they be telling others our location?"
"Yes."
Naruto put down his cola and asked, "Do you two want to go see the Hidden Sand Village's top experts?"
"How 'top'?"
Ino confirmed her suspicion, but anyone Narutocalled an expert was likely not simple.
"About the same as Lee."
"Lee?"
Ino was slightly startled; she had seen Lee's fight with Gaara.
In terms of pure Taijutsu, after opening the Eight Gates, he already had the strength of a Jonin.
Choji looked at Ino.
He didn't like to use his brain.
In the past, Shikamaru made the decisions for the team; now it was up to Ino to judge.
"Let's go try."
After a moment of silence, Ino said, "Looking at the current situation, our team is likely being avoided by the Sand Genin because Naruto is identified as someone not to be provoked. In other words, if we don't defeat this team, it will be hard for us to collect scrolls."
Naruto nodded.
By the second exam, the vast majority of participating Genin were from Konoha and Suna.
If they didn't encounter Sand Genin, their efficiency would become exceptionally low.
"I'll temporarily seal your Chakra and presence."
Naruto pressed his two fingers together and tapped their foreheads.
Chakra poured out, dense curse marks flashed by, and finally, a black formula remained.
And their bodies also became semi-transparent.
Most sensory Ninjutsu detect a target's Chakra, while a few detect presence or vision.
If both are sealed, it's almost equivalent to erasing a person's existence.
Here, one has to say that Sealing Jutsu is omnipotent; it can seal anything.
On a distant sand dune, three Sand Ninjas stood side by side.
After Naruto used the Sealing Jutsu, the pupils of one of the little lolis suddenly contracted.
"They're gone... how can this be?"
The twin tails on her head swayed continuously as she spoke.
And her eyes were bright as stars.
Originally, in her vision, Naruto, Ino, and Choji were crystal clear.
Her name is Yome.
Because she possessed a pair of extremely terrifying eyes.
Able to observe movements dozens of kilometers away.
"What do you mean by that?"
The tall young man beside her, Shira, couldn't help but ask.
Judging by age alone, they were quite different, but he was indeed a Genin.
The reason was that he was a Taijutsu Ninja; except for Taijutsu, he knew nothing else.
For a long time, the Hidden Sand Village, hindered by traditional Ninja concepts, did not consider Taijutsu practitioners as Ninjas.
They weren't even allowed into the Ninja Academy.
So no matter how strong Jiro was, he was not a recognized Ninja of the Hidden Sand Village.
It was only after Gaara became the Kazekage and implemented reforms that he was allowed to become a Ninja.
Because of this, Jiro was extremely respectful and loyal to Gaara.
He thought of using Yome's eyes to avoid high-strength teams, allowing as many Sand Genin as possible to pass the exam.
"They suddenly vanished from my sight."
Yome frowned; no matter how she looked, she couldn't find any trace of them.
"We've been discovered."
Another tall girl spoke up, "There's only one explanation: the other side must have used some kind of tracking-concealment Ninjutsu."
"What should we do now?"
Yome retracted her Chakra, and her eyes returned to normal.
Since they couldn't see, it meant they had lost the initiative.
"They must be heading toward our location."
Jiro said in a low voice, "Uzumaki Naruto is someone Lord Gaara specifically warned us about; his strength is terrifying. It might be too late to run. Sen, set up a Genjutsu trap."
The tall girl tossed her brown hair and said, "Leave it to me."
She specialized in Genjutsu, especially in the desert.
"Let's go."
A moment later, Sen clapped her hands and retreated.
The three immediately vanished from the spot.
"Something's wrong."
Ino rubbed her slightly sore eyes. "It seems we've been to this place before."
Choji looked around upon hearing this.
But he couldn't see any difference.
It was all sand.
"It's Genjutsu."
Naruto reminded them.
"When did this happen?"
Ino couldn't help being surprised.
Most Genjutsu are cast through vision.
But they had already fallen under Genjutsu without even seeing anyone.
"It's the cacti."
Naruto pointed at the cacti in the desert. "Their pollen."
Ino realized, gaining more experience.
She destroyed the cacti directly.
At that moment, a gust of wind appeared before her.
Ino instinctively took out a Kunai.
With a muffled groan, she was sent flying backward.
Sen appeared holding two white-tufted iron fans.
Naruto glanced over and turned calmly.
An extraordinary airwave exploded in front of him, the huge impact causing dust to dance everywhere.
Jiro was like a Saiyan, his hair standing up, and a yellowish light stirring up a storm.
Seven Heavenly Breaths.
Naruto looked at this human whirlwind and met it with his own fist.
A thunderous explosion.
The airwaves swirled; at the moment of their collision, dust spun, carving out marks.
Naruto raised an eyebrow; the powerful force made him take a step back.
Then Jiro pressed his advantage, punch after punch; as soon as one landed, the next had already arrived.
An unimaginable sense of pressure.
Naruto felt his breathing become slightly difficult.
He felt like he was standing in the middle of an erupting volcano.
His steps retreated again and again.
In just a dozen seconds, he blocked nearly a hundred punches.
Jiro of the Strong Fist Style; every punch was almost as heavy as a thousand catties.
But his gaze was full of horror.
He could see that Naruto wasn't using any Ninjutsu, catching up to his punches purely with physical fitness.
Damn it!
What on earth is this guy's body made of?
Why is there not a single injury after fighting for so long?
Jiro gritted his teeth and roared loudly, "Seven Heavenly Breaths: Third Activation!"
The airwaves around him surged again.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he was sent flying back.
Sliding for several meters, he landed gracefully.
"Is it roughly equivalent to Lee's fifth gate?"
Naruto muttered to himself, looking at the charging Jiro as moonlight quietly appeared in his eyes.
Sage Mode activated.
He raised his right hand, instantly passing through the gap in Jiro's punch wind and striking directly at his neck.
So fast!
Jiro didn't react at all.
His jaw went numb instantly.
He rolled several meters across the desert.
How is this possible?
He struggled to his feet, ignoring the pain from his jaw, and stared intently at Naruto.
The speed of that strike was simply unbelievable.
It was many times faster than during their earlier exchange.
Is it some kind of secret technique?
Jiro couldn't help but take a deep breath.
As Lord Gaara said, he is strong enough to cause despair.
He clenched his fists, leaped forward, and threw a straight punch aimed at Naruto's face.
Naruto tilted his head.
It missed?
Jiro sensed something was wrong and instinctively raised his left fist.
But in the next moment, his entire body jolted.
Naruto's knee strike sent him kneeling to the ground, hands clutching his stomach in unbearable pain, cold sweat rolling down.
Jiro finally couldn't maintain the Seven Heavenly Breaths, and the activation state deactivated.
Just like the Eight Gates, his secret technique also didn't last long enough.
The ultimate reason was that his body couldn't withstand high-intensity combat.
"Jiro!"
Yome and Sen shouted in unison.
Their faces were full of shock.
They knew how strong Jiro was.
Although he was a Genin, he was Gaara's Taijutsu instructor.
In the entire Hidden Sand Village, no one could beat him in Taijutsu.
But this Uzumaki Naruto had defeated him in just one minute.
Their hearts sank.
Choji and Ino exchanged a look.
They had just struggled quite a bit in their fight.
Without Shikamaru's coordination, the strength of the two was greatly reduced.
Ino could only provide support.
Choji felt that if it weren't for Naruto, they would have definitely been finished.
"Enough! Stop fighting!"
Jiro shouted to his two teammates, "We're no match for him; there's no need to keep fighting."
Although Yome and Sen were somewhat unwilling, they still understood the current situation.
"Here."
Jiro suppressed the shock in his heart, took out the scroll, and said, "I finally understand why Lord Gaara mentions you so often."
"..."
I don't really want a man mentioning me every day.
Naruto was a bit confused.
I didn't use 'Talk-no-Jutsu' as much as in the original work.
Gaara, what's with you?
You have a problem.
Naruto looked at the scroll and said, "Keep it for yourselves."
Jiro was stunned, not quite understanding.
If you don't want the scroll, then what did you come here for?
Naruto didn't explain.
He actually just came here to play.
And to test his physical fitness while he was at it.
Simply put, he was doing a physical exam.
It seemed that with a 35% defense bonus, he no longer needed to fear the fifth gate of the Eight Gates.
This statement was a bit inaccurate.
It should be said that the fifth gate couldn't break through his defense.
He estimated it would take the sixth gate to injure him.
"Naruto."
Kurama suddenly spoke from the Sealing Space. "I feel my own Chakra about twenty kilometers west of you."
"Your Chakra?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you sure it's yours?"
"How could I possibly be mistaken?"
Kurama looked dissatisfied. "It is something that came off my own body, after all."
Kinkaku and Ginkaku?
Naruto immediately thought of those two.
Characters Kishimoto likely created while obsessed with journey to the west.
Two great powerhouses of the Hidden Cloud Village.
Possessing the lineage of the Six Paths Sage, they could manipulate the Six Paths ninja tools.
By consuming Kurama's flesh, they obtained Nine-Tailed Chakra.
During the First Shinobi World War, dissatisfied with the war's outcome, they staged a coup, killed the Second Raikage, and pursued the Second Hokage, achieving illustrious battle results.
But they were already dead.
"No need to say anything more."
Naruto waved his hand at Jiro and said, "Choji, Ino, let's go."
Thanks to 'White Deer Deceiving Frost' for the tip.