c12: High-profile Arrival
Since Sasuke and Sakura were injured and needed to rest, they were delayed for another two days. In truth, the biggest reason was that Naruto didn't want to reach the tower too quickly, since the Forest of Death rarely gave them quiet time together. Haruno Sakura and Naruto were getting along surprisingly well, and Naruto didn't want to waste this precious peace. During these two days, Naruto and Sakura looked for food together, cooked together, and even rested side by side intentionally or unintentionally, almost like those relaxed moments they shared after training with Kakashi. In today's words, it was a romantic camping trip. After two days, Sasuke and Sakura's injuries especially the poison from Orochimaru's hidden strike were almost healed thanks to Sakura's careful treatment and Sasuke's stubborn endurance, and they were ready to rush to the tower and complete the mission.
Logically speaking, a team carrying both the Heaven and Earth scrolls should conceal their presence and advance cautiously toward the tower, just as Anko had warned them. But Naruto didn't want to sneak around in front of Sakura, nor did he need to when they had already fought off Orochimaru. So they lined up in a straight formation, with Naruto in front, Sakura in the center, and Sasuke at the rear, and swaggered toward the tower like overconfident genin. They even talked loudly on the way, a deliberate provocation to any team still lurking.
When they drew closer to the tower, those blind and desperate teams really appeared. Naruto, already used to high-speed assaults since watching Rock Lee, used chakra-enhanced movement not unlike the Body Flicker Technique— o disable two instantly. As for the third, he let him escape to alert nearby teams, so they wouldn't have to waste effort hunting more ambushers.
But not long after they continued forward, they encountered a group of Rain-nin, using the same Water Clone and needle attacks that had troubled Team 7 earlier. However, to Naruto, their tactics felt identical to the trio they met on the first day, and now he had far more confidence. He simply overwhelmed them with a massive burst of combined ninjutsu, reminiscent of his Multi Shadow Clone assault, and in the face of absolute power, these small tricks proved useless.
The overwhelming shockwave of the jutsu was felt by the surrounding enemies, and even one or two lurking squads saw it clearly. Its deterrent force was definitely no less than Gaara's sand pressure. After dealing with the Rain-nin, no one else dared appear. Naruto and his teammates walked toward the tower without hiding, with Sakura holding Naruto's arm. Seeing Naruto's power displayed so casually, Sasuke grew even more determined to surpass him.
After entering the tower and opening the Heaven and Earth scrolls as instructed, Iruka appeared through the summoning technique and announced that they had successfully passed. Not only that, but the third stage of the exam would begin immediately. Unlike the survival test, this round had many spectators, including the daimyō and the Hokage. Furthermore, it used a one-on-one format, directly revealing each ninja's strength. Many participants were eager to show off, but most glanced nervously at Naruto, since he was the one opponent they least hoped to face.
As random pairings appeared on the screen, the first match involved Sasuke, whose curse mark still hurt him badly. Fortunately, he mimicked Rock Lee's taijutsu, performing the Lion Combo an evolved version of Lee's Front Lotus and secured victory. The matches continued one after another, but Naruto wasn't very concerned. The only opponents he needed to watch were the monstrous Gaara and the overly intelligent Shikamaru.
Gaara's opponent was the hardworking Lee. Lee's taijutsu finally forced Gaara onto the defensive, but the difference in absolute protection was too great. Even after opening five of the Eight Gates and launching the Reverse Lotus, Lee only managed to injure Gaara while severely damaging his own body. Although Naruto believed hard work mattered deeply, he also understood that genius abilitieslike Gaara's automatic sand shield couldn't be ignored. If Lee had been able to open a few more gates, Gaara might truly have lost.
As for Shikamaru, although his ninjutsu wasn't powerful and his chakra reserves were limited, his sharp intellect gave him terrifying combat potential. Through precise calculations and flawless strategy, he could defeat opponents far stronger than himself, as seen when he handled multiple enemies during the Forest of Death.
Naruto's opponent was Kiba, also a Konoha genin. Knowing Naruto's strength, Kiba shouted that he was unlucky, but he refused to surrender. Facing Naruto's overwhelming power, Kiba immediately used his strongest technique, the Fang Over Fang, a high-speed rotating attack that relied on both Akamaru and scent-tracking that almost no genin could avoid. If it were stronger, it would have been perfect.
Seeing Kiba and Akamaru spinning at high speed with their Fang Over Fang tearing into the arena floor, Naruto quickly gathered chakra while remembering the precise control exercises he learned from tree-climbing and water-walking training. He shaped the chakra with both hands, mixing nature transformation the way he once practiced when trying to strengthen his attacks, and waited for the exact moment Kiba closed the distance. Kiba sensed danger the instant he felt Naruto's chakra spike, immediately veered off course, and redirected the spinning assault toward Naruto's back, just like he did when surprising opponents during the written test ambush. Naruto smiled slightly; he didn't expect Kiba to maneuver so sharply in mid-rotation, but unfortunately, the moment Kiba struck, something felt very wrong to him.
At that moment, Naruto released a defense similar to how he hardened his chakra during his fight with Haku—an intense surge that repelled the combined attack of Kiba and Akamaru and even sent static jolts through their bodies. Though it wasn't actual Lightning Release armor like the Raikage's, the explosive chakra coating was powerful enough to disrupt their technique. Naruto increased the chakra output again, and the force blasted Kiba and Akamaru backward, their hair stiffening and their bodies smoking slightly, both nearly fainting as the rotation collapsed. Naruto had barely moved during the match and defeated his opponent with a single counter, causing the genin in the stands to go pale. Kiba was stunned; he never imagined the gap between them was this overwhelming, and if he knew how much chakra Naruto could truly unleash, he wouldn't know what to think.
Although the fight lasted only an instant, the entire arena gasped. Even several jōnin exchanged surprised glances. Naruto's sudden burst of chakra control especially mid-battle—was something many full-fledged ninja struggled to do. The ANBU watching under Danzo's orders quietly recorded the details and immediately reported the information. Upon hearing it, Danzo, who already kept track of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, began focusing more seriously on Naruto. His talent, considering his status, was something even Root would consider a rare asset.
The next few matches were naturally less explosive, but under the pressure created by Naruto's display, every genin fought with maximum effort. No one wanted to be placed last in the preliminary rankings. Yet differences in skill were inevitable. After round after round, those destined to be eliminated still fell, and the remaining contestants moved on to the one-month training period before the finals. There was time to grow stronger, and although Naruto felt confident in his abilities, he knew that wasn't enough; training was essential, especially after seeing opponents like Gaara and Neji.
What annoyed Naruto was that Kakashi assigned that so-called elite tutor, the special jōnin Ebisu, to guide his training, while Kakashi himself would naturally help Uchiha Sasuke learn the Chidori. Still, if his training location involved the hot springs, he might run into Jiraiya the wandering Toad Sage he'd heard rumors about. That alone made the arrangement worth accepting.
Fortunately, the next stage really was water-walking practice, and the place they headed to was indeed a hot spring. Naruto was already extremely familiar with this level of chakra control, having mastered it during the Land of Waves mission. What Naruto really paid attention to was whether Jiraiya was nearby. But no matter how much he waited, the old sage didn't show up, and if Jiraiya didn't appear, this training would feel like a waste. Meanwhile, Naruto's perfect water-walking made Ebisu's jaw drop.
"No way, absolutely impossible!"
"A brat like you"
"How can that be"
Then the voice Naruto had been waiting for finally appeared: "You're being noisy. You're disturbing me while I'm gathering research material. Looks like the student's already stronger than the teacher."
As Jiraiya emerged, he knocked Ebisu out with one casual chop, demonstrating why he was one of the Legendary Sannin. His strength and confidence were unquestionable.
After dropping Ebisu effortlessly, he turned to Naruto and said, "Kid, you must be the Uzumaki Naruto Kakashi told me about the little genius with surprising chakra control. Not bad at all."
"After meeting you, I've made a big decision."
....