42: I can match him

"I can match him," Naruto said and Sakura widened her eyes, but Naruto didn't leave her the time to be impressed.

"I just don't have the same experience that he does. If I did then we could take him on easily," Naruto said while Sakura widened her eyes again. What training did Naruto do to become like this?

"So what do we do?" Sakura asked and Naruto smiled a bit.

"Well let's see. My taijutsu is about equal to his thanks to my mother's training. He's better at using ninjutsu than any of us. He's smarter than Shikamaru. His sense of smell is better than Kiba's. He has the sharingan and a lot more experience than we do. Frankly the only thing we have more than him is your medical ninjutsu and my chakra reserves," Naruto assessed before Sakura pointed.

"What about your sword? Are you better than him at that?" Sakura asked and Naruto looked at his sword for a few minutes.

"Well Kaa-san told me that Kakashi-sensei did know kenjutsu at one point. I'd say I'm better than him since we haven't seen him pick up a sword in who knows how long," Naruto said and Sakura sighed.

"When you sound like that it's like we can't win," Sakura told the blonde, but Naruto's grin got bigger.

"Now I didn't say that Sakura. I might've been a goofball when we were younger, but thanks to Ero-sennin and Kaa-san I've learned a few things," Naruto said and whispered into Sakura's ear. The pink kunoichi widened her eyes before she stood to her feet and smiled at the blonde.

"Naruto, you really are the number one hyperactive, knucklehead ninja," Sakura said and Naruto stood to his feet. He quickly sheathed his sword and patted Sakura on the shoulder.

"Let's go get those bells," Naruto said and Sakura nodded.

Meanwhile hose watching were very impressed with Naruto and Sakura.

"They've really learned a lot. Still think he's a genin?" Jiraiya asked and Tsunade scoffed before turning to him.

"Genin? The brat could be jonin if he had the experience down. Whether he gets the bells or not he's all ready the best chunin by far," Tsunade said while Kushina shushed them.

"It's going to get good now dattebane," Kushina said and everyone turned their attention back to the woods.

Kakashi sighed as he rested near a tree. His outfit was worse for wear and he was tired. The jonin had overused the sharingan and he was losing chakra fast. He then went into his pouch, but shook his head.

"No I can't. It's not easy to read and stop them like last time, but I'm dying to see what it happens," Kakashi said as he sat in the forest. He stayed there for a few more minutes before his smelled Sakura and Naruto coming at him.

"Great, looks like the fights back on," Kakashi said as Naruto came out of the trees with Sakura right behind him. Naruto charged at Kakashi and tried to punch him, but Kakashi dodged the hit and tried to hit Naruto, but the blonde grabbed his fist and held it tight while Sakura held his other hand. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at why it was like this before Naruto grinned.

"You Kakashi-sensei, the boss like to start cool and end things with...a bang," the blonde said and Kakashi widened his eyes.

"Naruto? He wouldn't dare!" Kakashi said before he heard a sound.

"Kai," Naruto yelled and a massive explosion came across the forest making Kushina smile while Jiraiya sighed. Tsunade would really have some work to do when it was all over.

Naruto and Sakura walked up to a passed out Kakashi and smiled. This was a good day indeed.

***

1 hour later

Kakashi groaned and rubbed his head as he came to. He had a splitting headache and turned to see Naruto and Sakura grinning at him. Kakashi checked his side and saw that the bells were gone. Naruto and Sakura held the two and smiled.

"That's your defeat Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said and Sakura nodded with him.

"Naruto that was a nice trick. To mask us with clones to get close to Kakashi-sensei then have them explode. That was amazing. I can't believe you thought of that on the spot," Sakura said and Naruto grinned while Kakashi slowly got up.

"Bakudan Bunshin( Explosion Clone). I never would've suspected that. Not since Itachi anyway," Kakashi said keeping the last part to himself.

"Well I can honestly tell you that it worked out quite well," Naruto said as the others joined in.

"only cause I taught it to you sochi and you performed it magnificently," Kushina said wrapping Naruto in a hug that made the blonde blush from his mother's touch while Tsunade and Shizune tended to everyone's wounds.

"So Kakashi in your opinion how did they do?" Tsunade asked while Kakashi looked from Naruto to Sakura and back.

"They performed very well. I can honestly see their growth. Sakura is very unique and Naruto was amazing. With experience these two will go far. I honestly think that Naruto should be chunin mid-jonin if he had the experience," Kakashi said and Tsunade nodded. It was just as she thought.

Kushina was really training her son, but Tsunade, Kakashi and Jiraiya were still wondering how she was back and they would ask her or Naruto sometime, but now wasn't that time for that.

"Sakura that was a marvelous job as my apprentice. You performed nicely and made me proud," Tsunade said and Sakura bowed with her thanks. While Tsunade turned to Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto. You're still a brat, but I'm impressed with that fight. You really had been training for those two years. Now based on a lot of things that I've seen I know you're no genin. Heck, your almost hardly a chunin expect for the lack of experience so until you gain more I'd like to promote you from Genin to Chunin as of today. Congratulations brat," Tsunade said and the blonde's eyes gleamed. He then jumped up and down while everyone else smiled at him. It was then that Kushina got a gleam in her eyes before she snaked her arm around Naruto's neck.

"It's time to celebrate dattebane. We're all going out for ramen and Jiraiya's paying!" Kushina yelled while Jiraiya widened his eyes and dropped his jaw.

"I'll attend that party!" Tsunade said laughing as did everyone else in the field as Naruto looked at the starry sky.

"How was that Shin?" Naruto asked as he walked off the field with everyone else. Meanwhile the Shinigami made a small appearance as he watched Naruto and the others leave.

"Very interesting Naruto-sama, but you still have a lot to learn. Still I'm decently impressed," Shin said as he disappeared from view. Still no one knew what happened in Suna nor how it would spread the name of Naruto Uzumaki around the entire world.