Naruto held his breath, eyes wide as he hurled himself forward with everything he had. He channeled the Nine-Tails' chakra, forming massive golden arms that clamped tightly onto "Kakashi's" shoulders, locking him in place.
At this moment, Naruto no longer cared about the bells. He didn't care about passing the test. All he wanted was to defeat Kakashi-sensei with his own hands, to finally earn the recognition of Sakura and Sasuke.
He was no longer the dead-last of the Academy.
But what Naruto could never imagine was that the man standing before him wasn't Kakashi at all—it was Senju Haruto.
"Rasengan, is it?"
Haruto muttered as he calmly looked at the boy charging toward him.
The Nine-Tails' chakra was monstrously powerful. If this had been the real Kakashi caught in Naruto's grip, then even with his Lightning Release Chakra Mode unleashed at full capacity, there would have been no escaping.
In other words, even if Kakashi hadn't been injured earlier, he would have lost this exchange.
"Looks like stepping in myself was the right call after all."
Haruto sighed inwardly, raising one arm as the glowing Rasengan neared. He reached forward—
BOOM!
With a thunderous crack, Haruto's palm closed around the swirling sphere of destruction.
Harnessing his own vast reserves of chakra, he withstood the Rasengan's terrifying force head-on.
"Wh–what?!"
Naruto's throat went dry, disbelief written all over his face.
The Rasengan's destructive power was nothing short of overwhelming—he had seen it rival even a Tailed Beast Bomb. Yet here it was, caught by his teacher's bare hand, as if it were nothing more than a ball of light.
"To grab a high-density jutsu like that with your hand… impossible!" Sasuke blinked rapidly, half convinced he was still dreaming. One shock after another had stacked up today, but this… this felt like too much.
"Even the Rasengan…" Hidden in the bushes, the real Kakashi was shaken to his core.
He had always known Haruto was strong, but this display was beyond comprehension.
Because right now, Naruto wasn't just a normal genin anymore.
That golden cloak surrounding his body was the Nine-Tails' chakra—Naruto was freely wielding its power.
By sheer chakra volume alone, Naruto outclassed Kakashi by at least a hundred times.
And yet, Haruto hadn't used Wood Release, nor Lightning Mode, nor Susanoo… he had simply caught Naruto's Rasengan with his hand.
"I told you—you should've aimed for the bells."
Haruto's voice was cold. He paused briefly, then added, "Or did you really think you had the strength to defeat a jōnin?"
Without waiting for an answer, Haruto clenched his fist.
BOOM!
The Rasengan detonated between them in a violent burst, the shockwave blasting Naruto backward.
Haruto simply layered chakra into his palm, shaping it like a glove, dispersing the force entirely.
The others weren't so calm. Sakura, Sasuke, and the real Kakashi all sucked in sharp breaths.
Especially Sakura and Sasuke—neither of them knew Haruto's true identity, nor that this was a transformation disguise. In their eyes, Kakashi-sensei had been moments away from losing to Naruto, only to suddenly flip the script and reveal overwhelming, untouchable power.
But it didn't end there.
As Naruto's body was hurled back, he extended more chakra arms from the Nine-Tails, clawing at the earth to slow his flight.
But in an instant, every single arm was sliced apart.
Haruto blurred forward, caught up with Naruto, and slammed a hand around his throat—driving him into the ground.
CRASH!
The earth ruptured, cracks spreading outward as Naruto's back cratered the soil.
What stunned Naruto most was that even in golden cloak mode, he couldn't break free from Haruto's grip.
The Nine-Tails' power surged again, birthing countless golden arms that lashed out to crush Haruto. But they shattered uselessly against him, unable to force him back even a step.
Naruto's lungs burned. His vision blurred as the crushing grip cut off his air. His focus slipped, the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak flickering before collapsing completely.
Breathless, Naruto gasped as Haruto released him at last.
Mimicking Kakashi's usual style, Haruto performed Headhunter Jutsu, dragging Naruto down into the earth until only his head stuck out.
But Haruto went further. He infused the trap with the sealing nature of Shukaku's chakra and the binding effects of Magnet Release.
Whether Sage Mode or golden cloak—Naruto couldn't break free this time.
"Haah…" Finally able to breathe again, Naruto sucked in air greedily before exhaling hard.
Only after sealing away Naruto's most powerful state did Haruto straighten up, hands casually slipping into his pockets. He turned toward Sakura and Sasuke, as if silently asking: Well? Aren't you two coming?
Sakura and Sasuke stiffened. Their throats bobbed as they exchanged a nervous glance, neither daring to move.
If even Naruto in this new form had been crushed so easily, what chance did they have?
At that exact moment, the alarm clock Kakashi had set earlier suddenly rang out.
Haruto turned his head slightly, glancing at it. "Time's up."
"Aah… just when I was this close…"
Naruto groaned from underground, trying again to call forth golden cloak mode, or Sage Mode—but nothing worked.
"What?! Why can't I break free?!" Naruto shouted in disbelief. "Just before, I could escape this jutsu!"
"It's simple."
Haruto shook his head, letting disappointment show plainly on his face. "Earlier, I only treated you like a normal genin. I'll admit—you showed more power than I expected. But only a little more."
"I even left openings on purpose. And still, you failed to seize them."
"A true shinobi," Haruto continued, his voice hard, "focuses on completing the mission above all else. That is the first priority. But you—twice now—you threw it away just to try and beat me."
Naruto froze, realization dawning but confusion still lingering. "I… I don't get it. Kakashi-sensei, if you're this strong—if you can beat me without even using Lightning Mode—then why did you…"
Haruto shot him a sidelong glance.
Because the one forced to reveal his true strength hadn't been him at all.
But of course, he couldn't say that now. His role here was Kakashi, through and through.
"That?" Haruto said with casual indifference. "Just a performance. Any jōnin can push their chakra to the extreme when they need to. Don't fool yourself into thinking it was anything special."
His gaze fell back on Naruto, voice flat.
"You've got nothing to be proud of, Naruto."