Faced with Naruto's Sage Mode, Kakashi had no choice but to unleash his full power, pushing himself deeper into Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
With the support of his Sharingan, Kakashi's mastery of this taijutsu style already surpassed even that of the Fourth Raikage.
"If Naruto had already mastered Wind Release: Rasenshuriken… Kakashi would probably lose this match."
Hidden in the shadows, Senju Haruto continued to observe, analyzing the gap in strength between Kakashi and Naruto.
This survival exercise had already veered completely off its intended course.
It was no longer about whether Team 7 could capture the bells, nor whether they could grasp the true purpose of the test—teamwork.
If Kakashi fought with all his strength only to lose to Naruto, then as the jonin leader he would lose all credibility within this team.
Even if Naruto himself didn't care about such things, Sasuke and Sakura would inevitably begin to look down on him.
That was never part of Haruto's plan.
Yet right now, things weren't looking good for Kakashi.
Both he and Naruto were shinobi whose abilities Haruto knew intimately.
And he could see it clearly—Kakashi was serious, throwing himself into the battle with everything he had in order to defeat Naruto.
Because Kakashi knew the same truth Haruto did: in this test, he couldn't afford to lose.
And yet… Naruto was only using Sage Mode. He hadn't even touched the Nine-Tails' chakra or entered his golden form.
One fighter was straining at his absolute limit.
The other was fighting comfortably, with energy to spare.
The outcome clearly favored the latter.
"…Substitution Jutsu."
Haruto's eyes narrowed. He shoved aside thoughts of his own sign-in mission and focused entirely on the clash between Naruto and Kakashi.
If Kakashi really lost—or worse, was about to be defeated—Haruto could only intervene with a Substitution Jutsu to swap places with him.
"…Honestly."
Drawing a slow breath, Haruto hadn't expected things to spiral to this point.
As for Sakura and Sasuke—
Watching Kakashi and Naruto battle, they weren't just shocked by Naruto's strength. Their entire understanding of the shinobi world was collapsing.
Especially Sasuke.
At the Academy, he had been the top student in every subject. His pedigree as an Uchiha, one of the village's most prestigious clans, only strengthened his pride.
In combat training, he had always been far stronger than Sakura, and his understanding of shinobi arts far deeper.
But now—
It all felt like a lie.
This… this is supposed to be what shinobi are?
These are jutsu?
No. This wasn't ninjutsu at all.
This was senjutsu.
Even when he strained his eyes wide open, desperately trying to follow Naruto and Kakashi, Sasuke couldn't track their speed.
The two of them were like raging storms, colliding in one place only to instantly shift and clash somewhere else.
Thunder roared again and again across the battlefield.
Forget using Naruto as bait to lure Kakashi into exposing an opening, forget seizing the bells—in this situation, Sasuke couldn't even keep up with their footsteps.
Worse, every clash between Naruto and Kakashi sent shockwaves blasting outward, rippling through the clearing.
One misstep, and Sasuke risked being caught in the aftermath—knocked back, or sent flying altogether.
He could at least accept Kakashi's strength. Kakashi was a jonin of the Hidden Leaf; it was natural for someone of his rank to wield such overwhelming power.
But Naruto?
Naruto, the "dead last" of the Academy?
What kind of place was Mount Myōboku, exactly?
How could it turn someone like Naruto into this?
"…Damn it."
Sasuke's teeth ground together, his frustration boiling.
Why hadn't he been given such an opportunity? Such power?
If he possessed strength like that, he could finally catch up to that man—and demand the truth about why he had done what he did.
"…Chakra is draining…"
Meanwhile, Kakashi closed his right eye, leaving only his Sharingan open as he scrutinized Naruto carefully.
And he saw it: the senjutsu chakra within Naruto was rapidly dwindling.
Sage Mode made Naruto immensely powerful, but it consumed chakra at an alarming rate.
By Kakashi's estimate, Naruto could sustain it for at most three minutes. Then he would be forced out of the form.
"So that's it…"
Kakashi's thoughts clicked into place.
Every technique had a weakness, a drawback.
For Naruto, it was duration.
The only question was whether Naruto could reenter Sage Mode once it ended.
"…I understand now."
Kakashi's voice grew low. He stopped trying to meet Naruto head-on, instead shifting to evasive steps, blocking each strike while steadily retreating.
Naruto's strength surpassed his own, but in terms of speed—Kakashi still held the advantage.
"Your technique is powerful, Naruto. But it has a weakness."
His words carried a strange duality—outwardly an analysis of battle, but inwardly a probe for confirmation.
"If I'm not mistaken, this jutsu consumes chakra so quickly that you can't sustain it long. Three minutes at most, before you're forced out of it. Isn't that right?"
Kakashi's throat moved as he asked the question.
The truth was, he knew this kind of weakness all too well—because it was his own as well.
With Lightning Release Chakra Mode fully active, plus the strain of the Sharingan, his reserves would be gone in five minutes at most.
"Wow… you really figured it out, Kakashi."
Naruto blinked, stunned for a moment—then grinned and praised him without hesitation.
That was Naruto's personality through and through.
And besides, he didn't even think of Kakashi as an enemy here. To him, this was just a training exercise.
So what harm was there in admitting it?
"…Of course."
Kakashi felt both exasperated and oddly amused.
This was exactly the difference between Naruto and Sasuke.
If it had been Sasuke, he never would have answered so openly. He might even have lied to mislead his opponent.
Because for a shinobi, battles were often decided by information.
And once Naruto's limit was confirmed, the fight became simple.
Kakashi's Lightning Release Chakra Mode could last five minutes. All he had to do was stall until Naruto's Sage Mode wore off, then strike in that moment of weakness.
Suddenly, another thought struck him.
Earlier, when he had trapped Naruto with the Headhunter Jutsu, Naruto had gone eerily quiet for a while.
Could that have been the time he needed to enter Sage Mode?
"If I'm right, activating this technique takes you some time, doesn't it?" Kakashi pressed again.
When Naruto confirmed it, Kakashi grew even more focused on dodging, determined to burn through the remainder of Naruto's chakra.
Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura had no ability to interfere in the fight at all.
And sure enough, it didn't take long before Naruto's senjutsu chakra was completely exhausted. His Sage Mode dispersed, leaving him panting in his normal form.
"…Finally."
Kakashi exhaled deeply, then lunged forward in a blur.
His hand chopped downward in a clean arc, aimed at the side of Naruto's neck, intent on knocking him unconscious.