The moment Naruto launched forward, there was no hesitation in his movements. Instead of retreating from Kakashi Hatake's attack, he did the opposite—he advanced boldly, using offense as his greatest form of defense. His blue eyes narrowed with determination as he activated the Taijutsu regimen he had inherited from Might Guy.
"Leaf Great Hurricane!"
Whack—!
The fierce kicking strike clashed head-on with Kakashi's counter-Taijutsu. A shockwave burst between them, and both combatants felt a sharp sting run up their legs. Despite the pain, neither stepped back, and neither was willing to yield even an inch.
"Heh," Kakashi smirked behind his mask, "just as expected from the genius my eternal rival Guy wouldn't stop talking about—my future lifelong rival, Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto grinned widely. "Kakashi-sensei, your Taijutsu is crazy strong too!"
In truth, this exchange of compliments was mostly meaningless. Kakashi's strength and experience far surpassed anything an ordinary human could attain. His Taijutsu, molded through years of rivalry with Might Guy, was no less formidable—even if it wasn't as explosively wild as Guy's.
Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. "Looks like I underestimated you..."
In the next breath, he produced a kunai with practiced ease, its edge gleaming wickedly as he lunged toward Naruto. The blade sliced through the air with a whistle.
Naruto's instincts screamed at him to avoid a direct clash. He ducked out of the way, skidding across the ground, choosing not to test his luck again against Kakashi's lethal precision.
Kakashi didn't let up. His figure flickered, his movements sharp and efficient as he closed the distance. The kunai sliced toward Naruto again—but at the final instant, Kakashi's strike shifted. The kunai dissolved into a fist, which slammed firmly into Naruto's chest.
Thud—!
Naruto was sent flying backward.
"You lost, Naruto," Kakashi declared calmly.
But in the next heartbeat—
Poof—
The Naruto Kakashi struck burst into a cloud of white smoke.
"Huh?"
Kakashi's single visible eye widened.
"A Shadow Clone?!"
He clicked his tongue. "This brat... he really mastered such an advanced jutsu already?!"
A chuckle echoed from behind him. Naruto leaped out from the shadows, his real body emerging at last, his arm stretched toward the bell hanging at Kakashi's waist.
Cold sweat beaded on Kakashi's forehead.
"So he prepared a Shadow Clone before the test even started…?"
"So the Naruto who fought me wasn't his real body… he was hiding the whole time?!"
"What a cunning kid!"
On the sidelines, Hinata and Sasuke stared, stunned.
Hinata's heart beat wildly. "Na-Naruto-kun… so amazing…"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his pride pricked. Tch. Even if it was a trick… this loser is annoyingly crafty.
Naruto's ploy had completely caught Kakashi off guard—something few shinobi were capable of.
Yet Kakashi wasn't one of Konoha's top shinobi for nothing.
Without even turning his head, he executed a perfect spin-kick. Naruto's eyes widened; he raised his hands to block, but the force still sent him stumbling.
"Dammit! Does Kakashi-sensei have eyes on the back of his head?! How did he see me?!"
Kakashi finally exhaled, calm returning to his expression.
"Well, surprising as it is… you won't outsmart me with such small tricks."
Naruto bristled. "Small tricks?! Fine! Then watch this!"
He threw his hands together.
"Oh my god—behold Uzumaki Naruto's true power!"
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The training ground exploded with white smoke. Within seconds, hundreds—no, thousands—of Narutos filled the clearing. Their laughter overlapped, loud and chaotic, rattling the air itself.
It was the forbidden jutsu created by the Second Hokage—Senju Tobirama's notorious technique.
Kakashi stared, bewildered.
"H-He really mastered the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu…?!"
"And this number… it's insane!"
"What kind of terrifying Chakra reserves does he have?!"
Even as an Elite Jonin, Kakashi often had to carefully ration his own chakra. But Naruto, a fresh Genin, had chakra reserves that were outright monstrous.
Hinata's hands flew to her mouth, her cheeks flushed.
"Na-Naruto-kun… so incredible…"
Sasuke grit his teeth, frustration boiling.
"Dammit! How strong have you gotten, Naruto?!"
Naruto's army of clones surrounded Kakashi completely, all striking heroic poses with their hands on their hips.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Kakashi-sensei! You might handle one of me—but can you handle hundreds? Thousands?!"
"This time, I'm taking that bell!"
"Charge!"
With that command, the clones surged forward like an unstoppable tidal wave. Kunai flew, shuriken whistled, punches and kicks thundered, all converging on Kakashi at once.
Despite his shock, Kakashi didn't panic.
"I must say… it is impressive. But taking the bell won't be that easy."
He drew two kunai, spinning them skillfully before gripping them tight. Then he launched into a wild but precise counterattack.
Whack! Smack! Crack!
His Taijutsu was perfect—fluid, airtight, not a single wasted movement.
Even with overwhelming numbers, Naruto found it hard to break through. Kakashi deflected, dodged, and dispatched clones without pause.
Naruto growled in frustration.
"Still not enough?!"
"Everyone—GO!"
Dozens of clones lunged at once, tackling Kakashi and piling on top of him like an avalanche. The heap of bodies grew until Kakashi was completely buried.
"We got him!"
The clones reached eagerly toward the bells—
Poof!
Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Nani?!"
"That was a Shadow Clone too?!"
"Dammit!"
High above them, Kakashi now sat casually on a tree branch, reading Make-Out Paradise with infuriating calm.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're so dirty!" Naruto shouted angrily.
Kakashi didn't even look up. "It's called getting a taste of your own medicine."
Naruto snapped, grabbed a shuriken, and hurled it.
It struck dead center.
"Ah!"
Naruto froze. "H-hey?! Did I go too far?!"
The next instant, Kakashi's body turned into a piece of wood.
"A Replacement Technique?!"
"Where's the real one?!"
Hinata's eyes sharpened. "Na-Naruto-kun… behind you!"
"Kakashi-sensei transformed into one of your clones—he's hiding among them!"
Kakashi's eyes widened beneath his mask.
So that girl—Hyuga Hinata—activated her Byakugan instinctively?
As expected of a Bloodline Limit…
Using that tiny opening, Kakashi lunged toward Naruto.
"Konoha's Secret Taijutsu Ultimate Technique…"
"A Thousand Years of Death!"
His interlocked fingers jabbed forward like a spear—straight toward Naruto's rear.
Naruto shrieked and barely dodged thanks to Hinata's warning. He jumped away, clutching his backside protectively.
"Kakashi-sensei! What kind of disgusting Taijutsu is that?!"
Kakashi sighed. "Tsk… he dodged."
"Sigh… fighting you kids is exhausting…"
Sasuke scoffed coldly. "Move aside, loser. I'll handle this."
Without waiting for Naruto's response, he stepped forward, formed hand signs, and inhaled sharply.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A blazing orb of roaring fire shot forward, engulfing Kakashi in searing heat.
"What?!"
"Even this brat can use such advanced Ninjutsu?!"
It was at this moment Kakashi fully understood what it meant to be among the Academy's top three.
He quickly knelt and slammed his hands onto the ground, preparing his counterattack—
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)