The Puppet Master's Misunderstanding

Kankuro, representing Sunagakure Village, couldn't wait to make his pre-fight declaration. His enthusiasm was met with wild smiles from the Jōnin of other villages. They had been eagerly anticipating the moment someone would finally put the yellow-haired "puppet master" in his place.

Everyone knew Konoha Village was strong, but the idea that it could surpass Sunagakure in puppetry was laughable. The puppet Naruto held was battered and worn, clearly a sign of his exhaustion from the previous rounds. Could the puppet even function properly?

As the anticipation grew, the ninjas from outside Konoha were ready to relish in the spectacle. Meanwhile, the Konoha Jōnin were taken aback by Kankuro's confident assertion.

What on earth was he talking about?

Uzumaki Naruto, a puppet master? Who had started such a ridiculous rumor? The Konoha Jōnin, who had watched Naruto grow up, exchanged puzzled glances. They were well aware of Naruto's unorthodox training methods, but puppetry had never been part of it. This was the kid who broke into the village's barriers as a child and broke one of Kakashi's arms at twelve. They couldn't fathom how anyone could mistake him for a puppet master.

"Two candidates, please prepare!" the proctor, Hayate Gekkō, called out.

Naruto stepped forward, rolling his shoulders, his eyes scanning Kankuro with mild curiosity. His opponent was clearly excited to prove his worth as a puppet master, but Naruto wasn't interested in dissuading him from his misconceptions. With a resigned shrug, Naruto pulled out a large golden statue from seemingly nowhere—a totem as tall as a person.

Kankuro, on the other hand, revealed his own puppet, the crow, its bandages unraveling to reveal the weapon within. The two faced off in the center of the arena, each holding their respective "puppets."

From a distance, it did indeed look like a battle between puppet masters, with both fighters holding objects that seemed to serve as their tools of war. But to the Konoha Jōnin watching, something was clearly off.

"What is that thing?" one of them murmured, pointing at the statue in Naruto's hands.

Kakashi, closing his book with a snap, glanced at Naruto and the statue. "You're overthinking it. That statue... it's probably just his weapon."

The Konoha Jōnin were left speechless. This was the same kid who was notorious for using door panels as weapons. Now he had apparently graduated to wielding statues. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sighed deeply, turning away as he popped a few more pills from his medicine bottle. He couldn't help but think of his grandson Konohamaru and the chaos this new generation might bring.

"Both sides, form the Seal of Confrontation," Hayate instructed.

The battle officially began. Kankuro was quick to attack, sending the crow puppet hurtling towards Naruto with deadly intent. In his mind, the strategy was simple: destroy Naruto's puppet and the battle would be over. The crow's limbs shot forward, loaded with explosive devices aimed directly at the golden statue.

But before Kankuro could register what had happened, Naruto had already closed the gap between them, appearing in front of him with the statue raised high. Kankuro's eyes widened in shock—how had Naruto moved so fast?

"Impossible!" Kankuro thought as he barely dodged the incoming strike. "When did he get so close? And why is he using that puppet as a weapon?"

The crow's explosive parts detonated, shrouding the arena in smoke. When the dust settled, Naruto was still standing, but the strange metallic weights he had been wearing were scattered around him in pieces. As they fell to the ground, they left cracks in the floor, revealing just how heavy they had been.

The Konoha Jōnin exchanged glances, finally understanding. "Those were weights...?"

"Naruto wore those throughout the entire Chūnin Exams?" one of them whispered, incredulous. The realization hit hard: this kid was a monster in human form.

Meanwhile, Kankuro struggled to stand, his face a mix of confusion and disbelief. "What... what happened?"

He recalled the impact of the statue, but nothing made sense. Maybe it was Genjutsu? But before he could dwell on it, he noticed something even more alarming: Naruto was standing before him, completely unharmed and now without his statue.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Kankuro growled, trying to maintain his composure. "What are you going to do now? Your puppet is gone!"

The ninjas from other villages smirked, finally expecting to see the blond troublemaker in a bind. But their satisfaction was short-lived. With a loud shout, Naruto surprised everyone.

"The seal is lifted!" he roared, signaling that this battle was far from over.