Naruto's eye faded back to normal as he exhaled once, slow and irritated. So that's the trade-off. I get emergency leverage… and in return I turn just as temperamental as Bernkastel.
Black jack cards rose around him in a tight orbit, swirling upward as the teleport prepared.
Sasuke watched it with clenched fists. "You're just gonna leave us? After everything you've done?"
Naruto tapped the cane lightly. "Everything I've done? Your tone and vocabulary need fixing. I gave you your Sharingan early, understand, boy? You should thank me. The requirement for young Uchiha to awaken it is complicated and usually fails. Isn't that right, Itachi?"
Itachi gave a small nod. "He's correct. Normally it takes trauma… or life-and-death pressure. Naruto forced the awakening."
Naruto shrugged. "See? Efficiency."
Itachi stepped forward. "But where will you go? This is still your village, right?"
Naruto's smile thinned. "My village? My village threw rotten food and sharp stones at me. You should be glad, Itachi, that I didn't go all out and burn this whole place to the ground."
A blur cut the space beside him. Shisui body-flickered in, hand reaching for Naruto's shoulder.
The cards reacted instantly. Black edges spun into a defensive ring—fast, razor-sharp. One card skimmed across Shisui's forearm, slicing skin before he even felt the pain.
Shisui recoiled on instinct, eyes widening.
Naruto didn't turn. "You're lucky you didn't lose a finger. Or an arm. Most people aren't that lucky."
Shisui's thoughts snapped tight as he listened through the ANBU comms—he'd heard every word exchanged between Itachi and Naruto. This kid… he's reading the field like a monster wearing a boy's height.
He steadied himself and spoke quickly. "Would you hear me out, Naruto? For at least one minute."
Naruto lifted the cane slightly, cards orbiting him like a storm. "You get three seconds before I leave. Choose your words carefully."
Shisui didn't blink. "If you win against me… I'll let you shake my hand."
Naruto's eye sharpened with interest. "Hooh. You're offering to shake hands with a demon child like me? And this time it isn't rumor. I really am a demon incarnate, and I like it. It adds taste to this boring flavor."
Sasuke stepped forward, tension rising in his jaw, but Itachi raised a hand and whispered, "Trust Shisui-senpai."
Shisui held Naruto's stare. "But you promise this. If I win—or Itachi wins—you go to the Hokage's office peacefully."
Naruto tapped the cane once, already planning five moves ahead. One stone. Three birds. Maybe more. Regardless of outcome, I'm the one who wins.
He let the cards slow and disperse. " You can both fight me. However… I will hold nothing back this time."
Naruto rested the cane against his shoulder. "Fair warning. Neither of you has enough firepower. Be careful you don't lose any pieces of your bodies."
Shisui moved back to Itachi's side, eyes narrowing behind his mask. "Itachi… do you have a plan?"
Itachi stared straight at Naruto. "You're asking me after making that proposal?"
Shisui gave a stiff, awkward smile. "I don't know this kid well, but my gut's screaming. Naruto can probably go toe-to-toe with a Kage from another village."
Sasuke dragged a hand down his face. "Great. The two geniuses of the ANBU don't even have a plan against Naruto."
Itachi lifted a hand, stopping Sasuke before panic spread. "Be optimistic. My senpai and I can get through this."
Shisui glanced at Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun. From what you've seen… Naruto's blue flame is strong, right?"
Sasuke nodded once. "And he can disappear using those cards. But…" He frowned. "I have a hunch those aren't his real abilities."
Naruto tapped his cane against his shoulder lightly. "Correct. Those are appetizers. Save your fear for the main course."
Shisui winced. "He heard us… even though we whispered."
Itachi didn't waste time. "Sasuke. Back to the bench."
Sasuke stayed still. "You sure? I know his patterns. Even before he became like this, his habits are the same. I can help."
Shisui measured Sasuke's stare, choosing his words with care. "Right now, having no plan is better. And I have a trump card ready ."
The Kotoamatsukami… Naruto probably doesn't know it exists, Itachi thought, keeping his expression steady.
Sasuke nodded once and walked back toward the benches.
Sakura brightened immediately. "See? The ANBU are going to kick that Naruto-baka's butt, right Sasuke?"
Sasuke ignored her completely, eyes fixed on the field. This is the first time any of us will see what he really capable .
Shisui moved first, seals snapping into place before his feet even settled. A sphere of fire blasted out from his lungs in a sharp roar. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."
The fireball tore across the training field, heat distorting the air.
Naruto didn't blink. Behind Shisui, Itachi stepped in and layered a counter. Water surged into a coiling shape as he breathed out a heavy torrent.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu."
The water dragon collided with the fireball and detonated into a thick wall of steam that swallowed the field in one breath.
The students leaned forward, eyes narrowing as the haze rolled past their feet. Iruka tightened his grip on the clipboard. Sasuke watched silently .
Shisui's plan was clear—blind the field, then slip Kotoamatsukami directly into Naruto's eyes through the steam.
Naruto lifted his head slightly, bored.
That's what I want.. If Kotoamatsukami hits me, the link to Bern weakens. But where's the fun in letting it work? Isn't that right, Bern? Lambda?
He raised one hand, palm open. "Blizzara."
The spell detonated instantly. Cold pressure hammered outward. Frost ripped across the dirt. The steam froze midair into glittering shards. A winter gust slammed the field as if the season changed by command alone.
Shisui stumbled back, heels frosting over.
Itachi braced himself, breath turning white as ice crawled along his sleeve.
Naruto rested the cane on his shoulder, unimpressed. "Smash," he said. "Next question."
On the bench
Hinata hugged herself. "Ooh… so cold…"
Kiba stared at the frozen field. "How many kekkei genkai does Naruto even have? First the blue fire… now ice?"
Neji kept watching Naruto with calm suspicion. "And that still wasn't ninjutsu."
Sakura scoffed. "That's cheating. Somehow. Naruto-baka is cheating, right Sasuke—"
Sasuke wasn't listening. His Sharingan was fixed on Naruto, face sharpened in something between awe and irritation. Am I really supposed to chase him? I get one kekkei genkai… and he has two?
Shikamaru leaned back, exhaling. "Honestly? He probably has hundreds of them."
Every student turned to glare at him.
He raised both hands lazily. "What? I'm joking."
Ino jabbed an accusatory finger at him. "If that turns out to be true, I'm hanging you upside down and feeding you chili until you cry."
Shikamaru groaned. "Troublesome."
Naruto ignored every whisper, frost cracking under his shoes as he lifted the cane again. He looked like someone walking through a mild inconvenience, not a battlefield.
Shisui forced a crooked smile. "Itachi… I'm not wrong, right?"
Itachi kept his eyes on Naruto. ". This boy uses kekkei genkai the way children toss candy. And the worst part is that my Sharingan didn't see him use a single drop of chakra."
Naruto tilted his head. "Done debating whether I'm a ninja or a monster? Good. Then it's my—"
Shisui raised both hands like a referee calling timeout. "Wait. Time out, time out, Naruto."
Naruto smiled faintly. This fight decides whether your limbs stay attached, and you're asking for a timeout?
Itachi stepped closer, keeping his tone even. "Give us a clue, will you? In child terms… you're cheating."
Naruto tilted his head, eye steady on both ANBU. "I'll humor you. One secret only."
He tapped the cane once. "What you call ninjutsu… I use something different . It's called Magic. The kind that predates all of you combined."
On the benches, the students blinked in confusion. Even Iruka froze mid-breath.
Sakura scoffed. "Magic? Don't take us for fools, Naruto. Magic is for stories."
Naruto answered without looking at her. "Then explain this."
He lifted his cane, wrist twisting in a smooth, practiced arc. "Dragon Crown Ignite… Fira."
He flicked two fingers towards shisui and itachi . "Look out."
Shisui and Itachi stiffened as glowing magic circles unfolded beneath their feet—layer upon layer, complex and rotating, symbols burning with rising heat.
Both ANBU kicked off the ground instantly.
The circles erupted behind them, pillars of fire launching upward with a roar.
Shisui twisted midair, barely avoiding the blast. He's not bluffing… those aren't chakra constructs.
Itachi landed beside him, cloak steaming from residual heat. "No kidding. Every one of those circles is real."
Shisui flickered behind Naruto, gambling on one thing—maybe the kid was terrible at close range.
The instant he appeared in Naruto's blind spot, something in Shisui's instincts screamed. His hand flew to his tanto on reflex, steel clearing its sheath just in time.
Naruto didn't turn. His cane stretched in a smooth ripple of blue fire, lengthening into a four-meter blade—the Masamune, impossibly long yet weightless in his grip. The transformed sword slid behind him effortlessly, intercepting Shisui's tanto, Naruto still facing forward.
Shisui grit his teeth, pushing back. "Your cane turned into a sword… that's magic too?"
Naruto kept the Masamune raised casually, as if defending from behind without looking was routine. "Funny," he said. "This is the first time I've ever been this talky in a fight."
Itachi surged forward, closing distance in a single blur. He assumed the transformed cane meant Naruto couldn't cast.
Naruto watched him approach without concern. "Taking that gamble? That's a misunderstanding. A magician doesn't stop casting just because his staff is occupied."
Itachi slid low. "Won't know until I try."
His hands flashed through seals. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu."
Small fire volleys fired rapid, meant to pressure—meant to subdue.
Naruto's thought sharpened. Weak volley. I expected the big fireball.
He lifted his free hand. "Scintilla."
A honeycomb barrier snapped into place . The fire struck it and scattered harmlessly. The barrier pulsed once—and invisible force hammered Itachi in return.
Itachi was launched across the field, smashing into the benches beside Sasuke.
Sasuke grabbed his brother's shoulder. "Nii-san—are you hurt?"
Itachi winced, dust falling from his clothes. "I'm hurt because I got sucker-punched by a kid"
Shikamaru leaned back with a sigh. "There's no shame in it, Itachi-san. Naruto's just built different."
Kiba threw his hands up. "Built different? Man—he pulled all that off in a single day. That's cheating!"
Shino adjusted his collar. "Or maybe he always had this. And we simply never knew. Or—"
Iruka cut in, voice uneasy. "Or maybe this is something we can't explain with our usual ninja understanding. Magic might actually be real. Look at Naruto—he didn't use a single hand seal. He made winter happen like some old myth. I'm proud of him, sure, but… he changed completely. That part worries me."
Sasuke didn't look away from the field. "Quiet. The climax is starting."