Chapter 38

Title:

...

Takashi took a good look at me before lowering his head in what I would assume to be contemplation.

Moments later, he raised his head to look at me, his previous insecurity and uncertainty no where to be found.

"Sensei, I'll do my best." He said with clenched fists.

"That's good. That's all that matters. That way, you can proudly say you gave it your all." I said with a little pride in the kid. "Now get down there and kick ass."

"Sensei... language." Haruta whispered softly to which I waved off and nodded to Takashi.

Returning my nod, he directly jumped down to the arena where Naruto was already waiting.

...

"Begin." Hayate said.

As soon as Hayate's words fell, Takashi quickly made a handsign and slammed his palms to the ground.

At that moment, crystalline spikes burst out from the ground to ensnare Naruto, but the blond ninja reacted quickly. With a quick step on the ground, Naruto executed Taijutsu moves, his form a blur as he skillfully dodged and weaved through the crystalline onslaught.

[Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.] He made a handsign mid jump as several clones appeared and rushed towards Takashi.

The clones spawned by his Shadow Clone Jutsu added to the spectacle, a mesmerizing dance of movements that disrupted Takashi's calculated offense.

Moments later, Naruto and Takashi came to a halt as all the clones were successfully destroyed by his Jutsu.

"You...is that a Kekkai Genkai?" Naruto asked as he came to a halt.

Takashi squinted his eyes at the blond before releasing his hands and said. "Crystal Release, a Kekkei Genkai from my clan. Why, scared?"

Naruto chuckled as he stood at akimbo and proudly said. "Nope. I've actually fought against someone with a Kekkai Genkai like yours. The Ice Release. He was a frightening opponent, and that was months ago."

"So that's what this is." Kakashi muttered to himself as soon as I came back to their area.

"You sound like you know of this technique." I said and he nodded his head.

"There was once someone with that particular type of Jutsu. I didn't know it was a Kekkai Genkai back then...Guren, I think, was her name." Kakashi said after a short pause

"Oh, then you're right. She's also a member of the clan, however, according to their Bloodline, this kid has more potential... unfortunately...." I shook my head and didn't continue.

"But why is the colour different? Hers was pink, he's is purple."

"What manner of question is that? Why is your hair white while Sakura's is pink?" I asked him and he looked at me dumbly.

"I see..."

"You better." I said and turned to continue watching the match.

The arena was currently filled with Naruto's clones as he employed the shadow clone technique and Taijutsu.

He turned the tide of the battle. Shadow clones executed coordinated strikes, engaging Takashi from multiple angles.

The fluidity of Naruto's movements, coupled with the synchronized attacks of his clones, painted a vivid picture of versatility within simplicity.

'Wow, I didn't know Naruto could be this smart? I'm pretty sure what he's thinking is probably different from what we're all seeing.'

Takashi, despite his crystal prowess, found himself challenged by the sheer unpredictability of Naruto's Taijutsu and the strategic deployment of the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The battle became a dazzling display of speed, precision, and resourcefulness.

Fortunately for Takashi, his mastery over his Crystal Release made it near impossible for Naruto to get near. Unfortunately, he couldn't move from his position.

At his level of mastery, he is unable to directly create crystals from Chakra similar to Guren or Haku's ability to create Ice from chakra alone.

Guren is a Gold Ranker, so hers is understandable, Haku has been on the battlefield since young, he's also understandable.

Looking at Naruto I wondered why he hadn't discovered that simple flaw in Takashi's technique but shrugged as I remembered who I'm looking at.

...

A pivotal moment arrived when Naruto, with a burst of Taijutsu, closed the distance. The Shadow Clones engaged Takashi in a relentless Taijutsu battle which Takashi was slowly losing due to his inexperience.

A short moment later, Naruto's fist made contact with his face, sending him flying straight to the ground a couple feet away.

Takashi, undeterred by the setback, got back on his feet and wiped the blood flowing down his lips.

Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his stance, crystal formations at the ready.

The arena was charged with anticipation as the two shinobi squared off once again. Naruto, relying on the Shadow Clone Jutsu and Taijutsu, prepared for the next phase of the encounter.

In a burst of speed, Naruto unleashed a series of Taijutsu maneuvers, each strike accompanied by the swift appearance of shadow clones.

The clones mirrored his movements seamlessly, creating a mesmerizing dance of combat. Takashi, facing this whirlwind of attacks, deftly manipulated crystalline barriers to shield himself from the onslaught.

"Naruto....When did he get so strong?" Sakura couldn't help but mutter in awe.

"Humph, what do you know? Naruto has always been strong physically." Hinata snorted as she wore a proud smile.

If not for her pure white eyes, one could probably see stars within.

"Shun, I see you trained him well." Guy said with a serious look on his face.

"Yup. Unfortunately he hasn't reached the level of your student. Afterall he still has chakra to rely on sometimes." I replied.

Similar to when I trained both Madara and Hashirama, Naruto and Sasuke both had little gravity seals drawn on them. This would keep their bodies under constant strain until they begin to employ their chakra.

In this way, it would seem as though their strength was brought about by their chakra.

As of now, with every creation and destruction of his clone, his chakra is being activated, allowing him to tap into the full extent of his physical strength.

"He'd make a good rival for Lee." Guy said but Kakashi was the first to retort.

"I doubt that. Naruto hasn't even learnt any Jutsu other than the Shadow Clone, when he does, I doubt just anyone would be his match..."

"Plus, he has that in him..."

He finished and all the Jounins around nodded their heads.

"Sigh. You Leaf Village should be thanking me for creating all these powerhouses for you..." I said.

...

As the battle unfolded, Naruto's resilience began to wear down Takashi's composure.

The unending Shadow Clones with their unpredictable and relentless nature, proved to be a formidable foe.

Takashi, once confident in his Crystal Release, found himself challenged by the sheer adaptability of Naruto's techniques.

With the extensive use of this Kekkei Genkai, he found that his chakra was being drained by the minute while Naruto didn't seem to be feeling a single strain on his.

In a decisive moment, Naruto, utilizing a burst of speed from his clones, closed the distance with Takashi.

The crystalline defenses wavered under the relentless assault of Taijutsu strikes.

With a final, coordinated effort, Naruto and his clones delivered a barrage of blows, shattering Takashi's crystalline barriers.

The arena fell into a hushed silence as the dust settled. Naruto, breathing heavily, stood victorious once again. Takashi, while acknowledging the skill displayed by his opponent, bore the weight of defeat with grace.

Hayate seeing the results of the battle shishun'd down and announced. "Winner Uzumaki Naruto."

I directly disappeared and appeared behind Takashi who was about to collapse on the floor from exhaustion. "You did well kid."

"...I lost."

"With reason. You fought a spectacular battle. I'm sure everyone knows that. Look at them." I said and Takashi looked up to see everyone actually looking at him with a serious expression.

"If it was anyone, you'd have won. Believe in yourself. That kid is just abnormal." I said as we both looked at Naruto jumping about in jubilation as though his previous exhaustion was an act.

"Don't mind him too, one day, you'd look back on this day and remember he once fought you seriously." I muttered.

"What? Aren't you overpraising him a little too much?"

"Nope, and you see that kid over there?" I said while looking at Gaara.

Takashi followed my eyes and looked at the Sand trio. "You're lucky you didn't right him now."

Saying that, I shook my head at the medical team coming and directly Flashed back to my team.

"Takashi!" Haruta cried in excitement as she saw us appearing.

"I didn't know you were that smart and strong?"

Takashi's face twitched as he didn't know whether he was being praised or mocked.

"You fought well." Masaru said with a nod but then looked at Naruto who was beaming with joy around his fellow Leaf Genins. "But that kid is abnormal."

"I can tell."

The trio then proceeded to discuss between themselves before the next two names appeared on the board,

"Masaru, guess it's finally your turn." I said as we all looked at the names.

Hagane Masaru VS Inuzuka Kiba.

'Hmm, what an interesting match up. Seems like Kiba wasn't really destined to move to the main exams.' I thought before looking at Kiba in pity.

'Well, if he persists like Naruto, he might be able to give Masaru a good fight.' I thought and then said to Masaru. "Good luck, although I don't think you'd need it."

...

"Be careful Kiba, he's strong." Naruto said to Kiba as he walked down to the arena.

"Humph, like I'll let some losers defeat me. Wait for me you bastard. I'll be sure to challenge you after this battle." Kiba said arrogantly before looking at his puppy and asking. "Right Akamaru?"

"Woof."

"See, even Akamaru believes it." Kiba said and left without taking Naruto's warning to heart.

...

"And I'm back..." I said as I appeared behind the three Jounins and Genins.

"Shun-nii!! I won!" Naruto was the first to react and quickly came to my side with a cheeky smile.

"Yup, I saw. It was a beautiful fight, but that's not the end, you know right?"

"Of course! I'm going to win this entire Chunin Exams."

"That's the spirit." I said and looked at the two about to begin their battle. "This will be a short fight."

I immediately noticed a couple displeased emotions aimed at me. Turning around, I saw Kurenai, Asuma, Hinata, Shikamaru and Choji looking at me angrily.

That didn't bother me, what bothered me was... "Hinata-chan, you too?"

"Humph. Are you saying my teammate is weak?" She asked with a glare as her weirdly matured breasts seemed to bounce as she stood akimbo.

"No no no. Your teammates aren't weak, he just got a bad matchup." I hurriedly explained.

"What do you mean?" Kurenai asked and I explained.

"One of my best friends is an Inuzuka, Hana, I'm sure you all know her."

"Yeah. Of course we do." Naruto answered.

"Idiot, not all of us do." Sakura bonked the kid on his head and I didn't see her fault. Naruto had that compelling ability to receive beatings sometimes.

"Hana is Kiba's elder sister and one of my generation's geniuses. Unlike Kiba, she has six dogs under her and is strong enough to enter beast man mode." I explained and the Jounins nodded while the Genins looked confused.

"Beastman mode is when she combines with her ninken and becomes a dog person or a werewolf for short. In that form, her claws can literally destroy most attacks and rip any human to pieces. All her normal Physical ability is increased depending on the ability of the ninken." Kakashi was a dear and explained it to the kids.

"Hana-nee is that strong?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.

"Yup. I personally trained with her when we were young. Those good old days..." I said in reminiscence.

"And what does that have to do with a bad matchup?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well, Kiba hasn't reached that stage, at most, he can perform the Man-Beast transformation, where he gains the claws and teeths of his dog, and Akamaru takes on Kiba's appearance." I said and then looked at Masaru.

"That kid over there possesses the Metal release. That should explain everything right?"

"Metal release? Another Kekkei Genkai?" Sakura and Naruto asked. 'Was Kekkei Genkai now something common?' They were probably thinking.

"Metal release? Like the steel release?" Hinata asked but Shikamaru shook his head.

"Steel is a form of metal that is formed from a small percentage of iron and carbon."

"As expected of Shikaku's son. Yes, steel is a form of metal. Metal Release in itself is one where, as far as he knows the required composition, Masaru can create them with his chakra." I explained.

This was similar to when I had used my creation of All Things to know the composition of Vibranium. With that suit of armour I had fought both Hinami and Ria despite their relentless explosions.

"And not to mention other metals, Kiba won't be able to cut through common steel." I said and turned to the group, watching as realization finally dawned on them.

"Well, fuck…"

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