"So you're finally angry, brat! I never thought someone as naïve as you could actually get mad too!"
Ganshi stood up from the ground and casually brushed off his clothes. Naruto's kick had been brutal, but it barely left a mark on him.
"I won't allow anyone to harm my teammates—even if there's just a chance of it, it's unacceptable."
Naruto pulled out two kunai knives and charged at Ganshi. His face no longer wore its usual smile; instead, cold determination filled his expression.
"Sending a mentally unstable guy to participate in the Chunin Exams? I wonder what Iwagakure was thinking!" Hinata tapped her fingers rhythmically on the railing, her brows slightly furrowed as she began planning how to retaliate against Iwagakure.
"He's probably just some pathetic person rejected by his peers back at his village. Iwagakure probably wouldn't care whether he lived or died!" Sakura showed no particular emotion, though she felt a slight itch in her palms at the thought of watching a Meteor Storm in Iwagakure.
"While his background is indeed pitiable, judging by now, years of being treated like trash have probably warped his mind for good," Ino scoffed with clear disgust. "This guy really fits that saying—there's some truth to it: people who suffer often become monsters because of it."
"But now, Naruto has truly been provoked, so he only has himself to blame for what's coming!" Tenten had already taken the chance to switch into a clean jacket. Watching Naruto locked in battle with Ganshi below, she let out a laugh. "Now that I think about it, I've never actually seen Naruto angry before!"
"That's because nobody ever really pissed him off until now!"
Sakura explained. "Although Naruto has a pretty good personality, it's only relative. Everyone has their limits, and Naruto's absolute limit is his teammates. When Naruto truly gets angry, the consequences can be extremely severe!"
Chapter 242 – Rotating Rasengan [Four]
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three Shadow Clones, along with Naruto himself, completely surrounded Ganshi. However, unlike before, Naruto's face no longer showed rage—only calmness remained. It was an important lesson Kakashi had taught him: never let unnecessary emotions interfere during battle.
"I originally regretted not getting to fight your teammates, but now I've changed my mind. I'll seriously injure you first, then deal with your teammates slowly during the third part of the Chunin Exam. At that time, when you can only watch helplessly as your teammate dies, will you still be able to laugh?"
Ganshi didn't seem worried at all about being surrounded—Shadow Clones were only useful for gathering intelligence; they held almost no real value in actual combat.
"How can you be so sure you'll definitely face off against Sakura and Sasuke?" Naruto showed no sign of anger, calmly responding with a question that nearly made Ganshi choke on his own frustration.
"Remember, Shuo and Xi Chuo from the Cloud Village, plus Gaara and Temari from the Sand Village have also passed the preliminary rounds. Even if I lose this fight, during the official matches you might face them instead of my comrades!"
Ganshi's smiling expression froze instantly before turning as dark as a soot-covered kettle.
"And how do I say this... Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm looking down on you, but frankly, even if you actually faced them, I doubt you'd stand a chance!" Naruto shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Let me tell you something—back at the ninja academy, I was like the Dead Last in every way. Whether it was theory or practical classes, I always ranked number one, bottom of the list. But they've been taking the top spots for years. Just because you defeated me doesn't mean you can defeat them."
"That's none of your business whether I can beat them or not, brat! You should worry about yourself first!"
Filled with rage, Ganshi charged straight at Naruto's physical body. His original plan had been perfect—he wanted Naruto to experience the pain of losing a comrade. However, Naruto's words hit him unexpectedly: people from villages other than Konoha had passed the preliminaries too. In other words, even if he defeated Naruto, there was no guarantee he would encounter any Konoha ninjas during the third part of the Chunin Exams.
This reality left Ganshi feeling deeply oppressed and frustrated. The scars covering his body were too terrifying, combined with his injured throat—he had lived alone for years now. None of his peers ever dared approach him, which shaped Ganshi's extremely dark personality. Yet Naruto, someone similarly rejected from childhood, still managed to smile brightly, fueling Ganshi's jealousy. Why could Naruto remain so optimistic? If everyone looked down upon you, shouldn't you hate the entire world?
Driven by this jealousy, Ganshi developed an urge to corrupt Naruto—to make him fall into darkness. What Ganshi didn't realize was that convincing Naruto to turn evil would be just as difficult as making Obito fall out of love, persuading Black Zetsu to abandon rescuing his mother, or stopping Sasuke from being obsessed with his brother.
Ducking beneath Ganshi's punch, Naruto avoided the strike. At just the right moment, two shadow clones kicked simultaneously from left and right. Although Ganshi blocked the attacks using his arms, his body slid backward from the impact. Immediately afterward, a straight punch from the clone guarding Naruto's back slammed directly into Ganshi's lower back.
**"Poom!"**
A dull sound echoed, yet Ganshi showed no reaction—as if the punch hadn't landed on him at all.
His body staggered from the impact, then suddenly spun around, swinging his arm and smashing the clone across the face. The heavy blow shattered the shadow clone entirely.
The disappearance of one clone didn't bother Naruto much, and the sensations from the clone's destruction didn't affect him deeply either. Exactly when Ganshi turned to obliterate the clone, Naruto himself, along with the remaining two shadow clones, launched another attack against Ganshi.
[Leaf Whirlwind!]
Naruto shouted as he launched a kick straight for Ganshi's head. Just as Ganshi raised his arm to block, two Shadow Clones crouched down and slammed their feet into Ganshi's calves on either side.
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