“Naruto!”

After several minutes of heated combat, Lee leapt back, took a deep breath, and shouted with fiery resolve,

“Let’s go all out!”

Although Naruto had been pressing him nonstop with Taijutsu, he still hadn’t unleashed his Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.

“But…”

Naruto hesitated. To him, using Shadow Clones didn’t feel like a pure Taijutsu duel anymore.

“Youth means giving everything you’ve got!”

Lee grinned, flashing a thumbs-up. “Besides, Gai-sensei taught me a new weapon just for your Shadow Clones!”

Naruto’s hesitation melted into excitement. His grin widened, teeth gleaming.

“You’re right! A full-power fight is the truest youth!”

With that, Lee pulled out a pair of nunchaku, spinning them in his hands.

“They’re called nunchaku.”

Naruto blinked in surprise. “What a weird weapon! Since when did you learn that?”

“A month ago.” Lee twirled the nunchaku skillfully.

Naruto suddenly realized—he had been so focused on mastering the Rasengan at the Academy that he hadn’t noticed Lee’s new training.

“Alright then! Let’s do this!”

Naruto slammed his hands together.

“Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

With a loud bang bang bang, smoke filled the arena, and thirty identical Narutos charged out.

The crowd gasped. Many had never seen the infamous jutsu up close.

“W-what?” Shibi’s usually calm expression flickered in shock. It was one thing for Naruto and Lee to show skill beyond Genin level—but summoning thirty Shadow Clones? Even Shibi himself would hesitate to attempt such a feat.

Shadow Clones divided chakra evenly. Most shinobi weakened themselves with too many. But Naruto summoning this many could only mean one thing—his chakra reserves were monstrous. For a seven-year-old, it was almost absurd.

Nono’s eyes widened. “So much chakra…?” She had seen her share of shinobi brimming with chakra, but never a child this young.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses, voice quiet but sharp. “I’d bet he’s Uzumaki blood.”

Nono frowned. “But isn’t the Uzumaki Clan supposed to have red hair?”

“Maybe he’s mixed,” Kabuto replied, thinking of Karin, another redhead with a similarly vast pool of chakra.

“Don’t speak of this to outsiders,” Nono warned. Mentioning the annihilated Uzumaki Clan could stir dangerous secrets she had no wish to revisit.

Kabuto gave a knowing nod.

Meanwhile, the battlefield erupted.

“Leaf Whirlwind!”

“Dynamic Entry!”

“Leaf Strong Whirlwind!”

Naruto and his thirty clones swarmed Lee like a storm.

But Lee’s nunchaku were no ordinary weapon. Every strike cracked through clones, dispersing them in bursts of smoke. Their cries echoed across the training ground as Lee fought valiantly against impossible odds.

Naruto dodged a swing, eyes shining. “This weapon’s pretty strong… but—Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Another thirty Narutos appeared with a puff of smoke, replacing the ones already down.

Kitazawa’s lessons showed—Naruto no longer summoned hundreds recklessly. Against a Taijutsu user like Lee, smaller waves worked best. He didn’t want to spam long-range ninjutsu either; that would make the fight unfair.

This was a test of youth and willpower.

On the sidelines, the other Genin whispered among themselves.

Tenten’s eyes softened. “Lee’s gotten really strong.”

Neji stayed silent, analyzing the nunchaku. Dangerous for Taijutsu users… but not against his speed. His strikes would reach Lee’s pressure points before those weapons ever could.

Kiba crossed his arms, frowning. “Naruto’s got too much chakra. Lee can’t win like this.”

Sasuke, however, smirked. He noticed Naruto was limiting himself to thirty clones. Last time, he had unleashed fifty—sometimes even a hundred. But to Sasuke, it didn’t matter. He had already beaten Naruto before; Shadow Clones weren’t enough to threaten him.

Ino exhaled with sympathy. “Lee’s doing amazing, but fighting Naruto was just bad luck. Against anyone else, he’d win.”

Shino’s voice cut in, calm and precise. “The battle is ending. Naruto’s reading the nunchaku’s rhythm.”

As if on cue, Lee’s movements faltered, his stamina running dry.

Naruto’s clones seized the moment. Two grabbed his nunchaku, another two latched onto his legs. Lee struggled fiercely, but the combined weight pinned him in place.

“Dynamic Entry!”

The real Naruto leapt forward, delivering a powerful flying kick straight to Lee’s chest.

Lee staggered under the blow. Were it not for the clones holding him down, the impact might have sent him crashing unconscious across the arena.

Gasping, Lee finally raised his voice.

“I… I surrender!”

The clones vanished. Naruto rushed forward, worried. “Lee, are you okay?”

Lee lifted a trembling thumbs-up, sweat dripping down his face. “I’m fine! That fight… was the flame of youth itself!”

Naruto beamed. “Then next time, we’ll burn even brighter!”

“Deal!” Lee grinned back despite his exhaustion.

“Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!” Kitazawa announced, cutting in before the two could start crying and hugging again.

On the sidelines, Gai’s chest swelled with pride. “Kakashi! What do you think of my two students?”

Kakashi’s single eye curved lazily. “Not bad. Though if Naruto were under me, he’d be even stronger.”

He wasn’t boasting—just stating fact. With Naruto’s chakra reserves, the boy could master an arsenal of ninjutsu on top of Taijutsu. Relying only on Taijutsu was practically wasting that potential.

Gai’s teeth gleamed in response. “As expected of my eternal rival!” Then he leaned in, voice mischievous. “But what about Lee?”

Kakashi fell silent. Teaching Lee would indeed suit Gai far better. The boy was practically a mirror of his teacher.

Gai laughed heartily. “See? That means when it comes to training students, we’re evenly matched!”

Kakashi’s lips twitched. Somehow, Gai turned everything into their rivalry.

Kurenai cut in sharply. “Don’t forget Kitazawa’s role! Naruto’s been training under him too.”

Kakashi inclined his head slightly. Even so, in his mind Naruto was still winning only because of his endless chakra pool. Nothing yet had truly impressed him.

But he couldn’t help but wonder…

Would Naruto show him something greater in time?

The first row of the audience stirred.

“Tsunade, what do you think?”

Hiruzen’s eyes crinkled with satisfaction as he chuckled at Naruto’s performance.

Tsunade folded her arms, considering. “He’s got Kushina’s style.”

Like her son, Uzumaki Kushina had been brimming with chakra. And, just like Naruto, her fighting style was bold—recklessly bold.

Hiruzen gave a small sigh, caught between amusement and helplessness. He had always hoped Naruto would follow in Minato’s footsteps, inheriting a style that was precise, clever, and steady. But fate clearly had other plans. To him, sheer brute force was too simple, too easily countered. Naruto might struggle to ever mirror Minato’s aptitude in battle.

“The second match begins now.”

Kitazawa reached into the lottery box and drew two slips of paper. Despite being in charge of this elite tournament, he knew matches of the caliber of Naruto versus Rock Lee were rare gems.

The surrounding ninja shared that sentiment. After all, these were still Academy students—genius or not.

“Seventh match, Uchiha Sasuke versus Inuzuka Hana!”

At the sound of the name, the crowd buzzed. Uchiha Sasuke—Fugaku’s son, Itachi’s younger brother, the Uchiha clan’s prodigy—was stepping into the spotlight.

Kitazawa hadn’t rigged the draw. Still, he thought wryly, ‘Pride always comes before the fall. Better to let Sasuke taste an easy victory first—it’ll make the lesson sting later.’

“Go, big sis!” Kiba shouted, waving toward Hana.

Sakura, ever curious, leaned over. “Kiba, who’s stronger—you or your sister?”

“Me, obviously!” Kiba declared without hesitation.

“Good, then Sasuke should be fine,” Sakura muttered with relief.

“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?” Kiba protested, then quickly corrected himself. “I mean, I’m stronger now—but my sister used to be way ahead of me!”

Naruto scratched his head. “Uh… is there a difference between the old you and the new you?”

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, catching on. “Kitazawa-sensei gave you some kind of special training, didn’t he? What is it?”

Kiba smirked. “That’s a secret. But trust me—you’ll all be surprised.”

“Whatever.”

Sasuke strode onto the field with his hands in his pockets, every inch the cool Uchiha. He didn’t spare Hana or Kiba a glance.

“Why does your sister have three ninja dogs?” Ino blurted as Hana entered the arena, three dogs padding at her side.

“They’re triplets. They fight best together, so we keep them as a pack,” Kiba explained.

“Match start!” Kitazawa announced.

“Haimaru!” Hana called sharply.

Her lead hound split into a perfect clone.

“Fang Over Fang!”

The two Hana figures spun into twin whirlwinds, tearing toward Sasuke at blinding speed, while the remaining dogs lunged in with snapping jaws.

In the original anime, Fang Over Fang was a staple of Kiba’s arsenal, used endlessly like Naruto’s Rasengan or Sasuke’s Chidori. But it wasn’t Kiba’s creation; his mother, Tsume, had wielded it long before him.

Sasuke didn’t even flinch. His Sharingan spun to life, and the blistering attack slowed to a crawl in his vision.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!”

A roaring inferno burst from his mouth. Hana and her pack scattered to avoid it, but Sasuke was already on the move.

“Leaf Whirlwind!”

His kick connected with one Hana, who collapsed and dispersed into the Haimaru.

But the real Hana was relentless. With a fierce glare, she charged straight into Sasuke’s line of sight—only to freeze an instant later.

Her body stiffened as phantom flames consumed her, searing her skin and pulling a scream from her throat.

Genjutsu: Shiranui.

Calmly, Sasuke pressed a kunai to her neck. The three dogs skidded to a halt, their instincts warning them not to move.

Releasing her, Sasuke allowed Hana to collapse free of the illusion.

Panting, she patted herself frantically. “The fire—it’s gone?”

“It was Genjutsu,” Sasuke said flatly.

“I see.” She exhaled heavily, then raised her hand. “I surrender.”

“Hn.” Sasuke nodded, already turning away.

“Sasuke-kun, so cool!” Sakura squealed, starry-eyed.

“Genjutsu really is unfair…” Kiba muttered, though he wasn’t bitter. He knew Hana’s defeat was clean. Still, one thought comforted him—his Hellhound wouldn’t fall so easily. With two heads and two minds, it could resist illusions unless both were trapped at once.

In the audience, Fugaku allowed a rare nod. “Not bad.”

“Excellent,” Mikoto agreed warmly.

“Especially for someone only seven years old,” Itachi added. “I couldn’t cast Shiranui at that age. I hadn’t even awakened my Sharingan until eight.”

Fugaku’s lips curved in the faintest smile. “After all, he is my son.” Outwardly stern, inwardly pleased.

“Eighth match, Inuzuka Kiba versus Hyuga Neji,” Kitazawa announced, brow raised.

No manipulation—just terrible luck. Still, this wasn’t a knockout tournament. Even a loss could impress if one fought well.

“What?!” Kiba’s jaw dropped. “Neji?!”

“Congrats, you hit the jackpot.” Shikamaru clapped his shoulder.

“Didn’t you have some ‘secret training’ with Kitazawa-sensei?” Ino teased. “Now’s the time.”

“You’re right. I’m not going down easy.” Kiba clenched his fists.

Neji gave him a cool glance. Curious—but unconcerned.

The two stepped into the arena.

“Isn’t he Hana’s little brother?”

“Why didn’t he bring a dog?”

“It doesn’t matter—his opponent is Neji, the Hyuga prodigy!” The crowd whispered.

Neji slid into his Gentle Fist stance. But before he could move, a monstrous two-headed hound—towering over two meters—appeared before him, radiating raw ferocity.

“What the—?!” Naruto’s eyes bulged. “Did Kiba turn into a dog? And that big?!”

“Is this Kitazawa-sensei’s training?” Ino gasped.

“The Inuzuka Clan has the Human-Beast Combination Techniques… but fusing with a Shadow Clone?” Shikamaru shook his head, baffled.

Shino adjusted his glasses. “So this was Kitazawa-sensei’s creation?”

The rest of the class looked just as stunned. Learning jutsu was one thing. Creating them was another level entirely. None of them had expected Kitazawa to be that kind of genius.

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