Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu! Sasuke formed hand signs and unleashed a large blast of flames.
The flames, empowered by Fire Release Chakra, rapidly expanded into a high-temperature Great Fireball.
Hinata came to a sudden stop, like an agile cat, and dodged to her left.
Manipulated Shuriken Technique! Sasuke flipped his hands, and six shuriken flew out in a fan shape.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Hinata's response was decisive. Her fair palms glowed with Chakra, and she struck six times, sending the six shuriken flying far away.
Even if the shuriken were attached to rubber strings, it was useless.
Because the shuriken were bounced too far away, by the time Sasuke exerted force to pull them back, Hinata was already gone from her original spot.
"Byakugan and Gentle Fist are truly troublesome."
Sasuke's expression darkened slightly, his mind racing as he pondered how to seize the opportunity to unleash Genjutsu: Ephemeral.
The problem he faced now was that Hinata was very familiar with both his Fire Release and Genjutsu. It would be very difficult to defeat her the way he defeated Hyuga Neji.
And the worst part was that Sasuke dared not let Hinata get close.
Firstly, his taijutsu was inferior to Gentle Fist. Secondly, Gentle Fist could strike the chakra pathway system; once hit, it was practically a declaration of defeat.
To prevent Hinata from approaching, Sasuke had no choice but to use Fire Release and shuriken. But this was not a long-term solution because his Chakra wouldn't last for many more uses.
Sasuke gritted his teeth and thought of a rather risky method. Without much hesitation, he unleashed Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
Over a dozen fist-sized fireballs flew out haphazardly, like a meteor shower, sealing off Hinata's surroundings.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Hinata adopted the same method as Hyuga Neji. She moved forward into the fire, shattering fireballs as she went.
Sasuke calculated the distance between them. In the next second, he formed hand signs.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
Three fire dragons roared out.
Hinata's pupils couldn't help but contract. The three fire dragons, under Sasuke's control, had completely sealed off her front.
Hinata, left with no choice, could only run to the right while keeping an eye on the movements of the three fire dragons.
Although she was already very close to Sasuke, the three fire dragons blocked the way, and using Konoha-style Body Flicker would get her burned.
Just then, the three fire dragons suddenly spread apart.
Hinata instinctively paused, then met Sasuke's Sharingan.
"It worked!" Sasuke immediately unleashed Genjutsu: Ephemeral.
Hinata's spirits lifted at the same time.
This was... the best timing!
Sasuke had moved the three fire dragons aside himself to make her fall into his Genjutsu. But this also meant there were no longer any obstacles between them.
Konoha-style Body Flicker! Hinata's body immediately transformed into leaves.
"...?" Sasuke, who was forming hand signs, suddenly lost his target and was filled with questions.
He instinctively looked left and right.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms! Hinata flashed in front of him, her palms striking his body.
Sasuke's body trembled, and he felt the flow of Chakra within him stagnate.
Hinata unceremoniously unleashed the first ten palms she had mastered.
Sasuke stumbled as his Chakra stopped flowing, and he directly collapsed to the ground.
How could this happen? Sasuke felt unwilling.
He had activated his Sharingan and successfully defeated Hyuga Neji, so why did he lose to Hinata?
No!
Was his glory about to end just as it began? Sasuke struggled desperately.
A rush of emotions surged into his eyes. He suddenly felt that the Chakra within him had faint signs of flowing again.
"Ahhh!" Sasuke struggled to his feet.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms! Seeing this, Hinata struck him with ten more palms. This time, they were different Chakra points.
"You..." Sasuke's Chakra once again fell into silence. His blood rushed to his head, his vision blurred, and he fainted.
"Sasuke?" Hinata, who had just been so decisive, suddenly panicked.
Kitazawa was about to step forward to examine Sasuke, but someone beat him to it.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura rushed forward and hugged him. She formed hand signs and placed her hands on his chest.
"He's fine, just overwhelmed by intense emotions." Kitazawa patted Hinata's head and said.
Having been a chief Medical Ninja at Konoha Hospital for so long, he had learned to observe, listen, inquire, and feel the pulse.
Although Sasuke was unconscious, his face was bright, and he seemed to be fine.
Kitazawa couldn't help but chuckle wryly at the scene he had just witnessed. Sasuke was clearly on the verge of a power surge, but Hinata's few palms brought him back to square one.
If he hadn't encountered Hinata, he might have actually turned the tables.
"Winner, Hinata," Kitazawa announced the result loudly.
Hinata couldn't help but smile. She actually won against Sasuke? To be honest, her victory was largely due to luck.
Of course, the biggest credit went to the Konoha-style Body Flicker that Kitazawa taught her.
[Current Mission: Help Hyuga Hinata defeat Uchiha Sasuke.]
[Mission Reward: Genjutsu: Ephemeral.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Kitazawa's lips curved upward as he saw the text suddenly appear before his eyes.
A world where only Sasuke was injured came into being, but he didn't remain unconscious for long and soon woke up.
"Sasuke-kun, how are you feeling?" Sakura asked with concern.
"..." Sasuke didn't want to speak at all.
He stood up and silently left the arena. How happy he was to activate his Sharingan. How excited he was to defeat Hyuga Neji. Why did two happy things combine to become this?
"Sasuke, losing once is no big deal, just win next time." Naruto cheered him on.
"You don't understand the Uchiha." Sasuke was silent for a few seconds, then said.
"I really don't understand the Uchiha, but I know that persistence leads to victory!" Naruto gave a thumbs up and said, "Come join the glorious Path of Youth, and let's sweat it out together!"
"I refuse!" Sasuke recoiled half a step in fright and quickly shook his head.
"Why?" Naruto asked in confusion, "Weren't you very happy when you wore the green jumpsuit?"
"...?" Sasuke was full of questions. Which eye did you use to see that I was happy?
But being interrupted by Naruto, his mood recovered quite a bit. Losing to Hinata was already a foregone conclusion; no amount of self-pity could change it.
Now, what he needed to do was learn more Fire Release and Genjutsu.
Sasuke finally understood the importance of information, or rather, new Ninjutsu. He lost to Hinata because he didn't know she had already learned Konoha-style Body Flicker Jutsu.
As long as he learned enough Ninjutsu, no one could defeat him!
Kitazawa glanced at Sasuke. Upon noticing the change in his expression, he thought to himself that this was the correct way to use Naruto.
"The Uchiha Clan indeed produced two geniuses." Tsunade looked at Sasuke and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Sasuke's Dojutsu power increased quite a bit just now."
"He just awakened his eyes not long ago, and he's already improved again?" Shizune asked in astonishment, "Isn't he only seven years old?"
"Geniuses are just that unreasonable." Tsunade suddenly smiled and said, "But Sasuke is quite an anomaly."
In Konoha Village, besides the Uchiha Clan, the one who understood them best was the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
As a high-ranking member of Konoha Village and a grandniece of Senju Tobirama, Tsunade had naturally read relevant research. She was very clear about how the Sharingan awakened and evolved.
However, Sasuke's method of improvement without killing anyone was relatively rare.
"Sasuke is indeed different." Kitazawa nodded and said.
In his previous life, many people believed Sasuke was the only normal person in the Uchiha Clan.
"The two students who drew number two, please come to the centre!" Iruka, seeing that it was about time, announced loudly.
"This match, Naruto against Yakumo, will probably be difficult to win," Shizune said, looking at Naruto and Yakumo entering the middle.
"It's not just difficult to win; he can't win at all." Tsunade shook her head and said.
The reason was that Yakumo's Genjutsu Kekkei Genkai was simply too terrifying.
A Terrifying Illusion and Genjutsu Creation could even trip up a Jonin if they weren't prepared.
Naruto's current specialties were Taijutsu and Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. Facing ordinary Genjutsu Ninja, the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu could indeed gain an advantage.
However, if it were Yakumo, with her abilities, she could make Naruto and all his Shadow Clones fall into Genjutsu.
"How about we make a bet?" Kitazawa heard her absolute statement and suddenly had an idea, saying.
He wanted to see if Tsunade truly had bad luck on her side. To be honest, he also felt that Naruto had a relatively small chance of winning.
But he was the original protagonist, and if Sasuke could unleash his inner power, so could he. Moreover, he had a trump card, which was the Nine-Tailed.
Kitazawa recalled the plot.
Naruto's first unconscious use of Nine-Tailed Chakra was after being defeated by Haku, the cross-dressing male, in the Land of Waves.
Secondly, during the Chunin Exams, he also erupted when facing Neji and Gaara.
"What are we betting on?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow and asked.
Because she had been researching new Ninjutsu, she had stayed with Yakumo for a long time and understood her strength too well.
It was basically impossible for Naruto to defeat her. Why would she refuse a bet she was guaranteed to win?
"Whoever loses agrees to one request from the other party," Kitazawa said with a slight smile.
"I have one condition." Tsunade narrowed her eyes and said, "If the other party genuinely cannot fulfill it, they can change the request."
Kitazawa couldn't help but be stunned. You actually gained intelligence when gambling?
He thought carefully and felt that this was most likely Hiruzen Sarutobi's fault. After Tsunade fell for Hiruzen Sarutobi's scheme last time, she became wary of him.
"Okay." Kitazawa agreed.
Given Tsunade's personality, if she really went back on her word, no one could stop her. But with this bet, it might play a significant role at certain special moments.
For example, when persuading her to accept treatment for her hemophobia. Of course, the prerequisite was that Naruto could defeat Yakumo Kurama.
Kitazawa wasn't sure either; the chances of winning or losing the bet were fifty-fifty. But he had done his best, at least adding a status skill to Naruto where Tsunade always loses her bets.
"I don't think Naruto has much of a chance." Kiba sighed and said.
He had already suffered a crushing defeat against Yakumo in the first round without even fighting. But it wasn't voluntary; he unconsciously conceded under the dual Genjutsu of Art of Speech and Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
"It is indeed very difficult." Ino nodded in agreement and said.
"Just do your best." Shikamaru also wasn't very optimistic about Naruto.
"Sasuke-kun, what do you think?" Sakura looked at Sasuke, who had been silent, and asked.
"Yakumo is stronger." Sasuke thought for a moment and said, "Naruto's Taijutsu won't have much effect against her Genjutsu."
The two people in the field performed the Confrontation Seal together.
"Yakumo, let's have a youthful showdown!" Naruto's teeth gleamed as he gave a thumbs-up and said.
"Okay." Yakumo nodded.
Before receiving Tsunade's treatment, she envied Naruto because he had a very healthy body. Now that a semester had passed, she never expected to become Naruto's opponent today.
"Here I come!" Naruto immediately formed hand signs without hesitation and shouted, "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang, bang, bang!
A large amount of smoke appeared, and in an instant, a hundred Narutos appeared on the field.
"What?"
"How can there be so many Shadow Clones?"
"Where did he get all that Chakra?"
The onlookers were instantly shocked.
And the First Year Class A students were even more dumbfounded. Everyone was in the same class, so why were you so outstanding?
"Is he really six years old?" Shizune's eyes widened, feeling like she was caught in a Genjutsu.
She could also use Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, but at most, she could only create twenty Shadow Clones.
Didn't this mean Naruto had more Chakra than her?
"As expected of the Uzumaki Clan." Tsunade already knew he could use Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu when she was teaching Kitazawa before, but seeing it again still made her emotional.
Naruto, like his mother Uzumaki Kushina, possessed a vast amount of Chakra from a young age.
Sasuke was completely stunned. This was the first time he had seen Naruto's Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
He had previously thought he could easily defeat Naruto. But now, he had doubts.
Firstly, because the Sharingan could not distinguish between a Shadow Clone and the original body.
Secondly, with so many Shadow Clones, it would be difficult for a single Genjutsu to control them all. No matter what, he would have to face Naruto's Youth group beating.
"Is this the surprise he was talking about?" Sasuke fell silent.
He had planned to challenge Naruto after his fight with Hinata. Now it seemed he would have to postpone it. If he lost two matches in a row, his Uchiha heart would shatter.
Sasuke clenched his fists. Still, the same thing applied: he needed to learn more Fire Release and Genjutsu, especially area-of-effect ones.
"So many Shadow Clones?" Shino Aburame, who usually remained expressionless, showed a surprised look. Mainly because the scene before him truly exceeded his imagination.
"Can Naruto win?" Kiba asked excitedly.
"It's hard to say." Shikamaru rarely became serious and said, "It's started; we'll know the answer by watching."
Although he was usually very lazy, this kind of spar still piqued his interest.
"Naruto, you are truly surprising." Yakumo couldn't help but say.
She had never seen so many Shadow Clones before. But this also meant that her Art of Speech and Kyoka Suigetsu(Mirror Flower, Water Moon) would be difficult to use effectively.
They were both Ninjutsu aimed at individuals.
Yakumo Kurama immediately took out the paintings she had prepared beforehand.
"Konoha Whirlwind!" A group of Narutos charged towards Yakumo in an orderly fashion.
Because of the sheer number, Yakumo looked like a lone boat facing a storm.
Crack! Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and brilliant lightning struck down.
"Quick, get out of the way!" A group of Narutos scattered.
But the lightning was too fast, and two Shadow Clones were still hit, disappearing with screams.
Yakumo calmly tore two paintings. She had prepared many paintings for the monthly exam. Of course, using the paintings would also consume her Chakra.
After all, each time she used a painting, she was using one of her Bloodline Limit abilities, Genjutsu Creation.
Fortunately, the awakening of her Bloodline Limit gave her a large amount of Chakra, or rather, Yin Release power.
It was precisely because of too much Yin Release power that her body could not bear it. If it weren't for Tsunade's conditioning, she would have already had major problems, let alone come to participate in the monthly exam.
The paintings disappeared in flames. Scorching heat rolled, and fierce flames spread outwards.
The two Naruto Shadow Clones at the very front were engulfed by the flames before they could dodge, turning into smoke.
"Concentrate and charge in one direction!" Naruto immediately commanded.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!" The first Naruto, shrouded in Chakra, kicked upwards.
The sea of fire parted, creating a path. But flames from all directions surged over again.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind"
More Narutos followed one after another, continuing the relay. In an instant, the surviving Narutos reached Yakumo's front.
He didn't hesitate and unleashed a Konoha Whirlwind.
Yakumo couldn't help but retreat two steps. But her speed was very slow compared to Hinata.
The reason was simple. She had never learned any Taijutsu, nor had she undergone any physical training.
Before, because of her Bloodline Limit, her body was even weaker than that of an ordinary person. Now, after Tsunade's treatment, she was a little better than an ordinary person.
Yakumo frantically threw out a painting.
A strong gust of wind blew Naruto, who was kicking towards her back. For a moment, several more Shadow Clones disappeared.
"Again!" Naruto saw the hope of victory and shouted excitedly.
Yakumo's weakness was her body. As long as he could get close, he could win. His Shadow Clones cooperated fully, once again approaching Yakumo in the strong wind.
Yakumo Kurama's expression changed slightly; she took a breath and quickly unfurled a painting. Lightning struck down one after another.
"Ahhh!" Many of Naruto's Shadow Clones screamed.
But halfway through their screams, they couldn't bear it and disappeared.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto formed hand signs, once again increasing his Shadow Clones by fifty.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)