A/N: Regarding update schedule, since next week marks the start of my final exams I may not be able to update on time...again, I'll be doing my best to try and reach it though.

Chapter 36: Unpredictable

Fine, he would give it to the guy.

Uzumaki Naruto could hold his own. Far more than his reputation led to believe, those reports turned out not to be so reliable after all. Miroku's deductions were, unsurprisingly, straight on. With the character of his teammates, there was no chance someone weak would be coddled. It was more likely that the blond was in the same league as the other two...

...meaning it would have been great if they'd managed to get a decent idea of just how talented they were during the last two weeks.

He'd have to be fucking blind to not notice the Konoha clan heirs had been holding back in every single one of those stupid training sessions. The only thing Inuyasha got out of that was frustration and a new collection of bruises since the Uchiha would speed up at the most random times and place a sudden burst of strength behind his hits for just those instants. A speed he couldn't quite match since the silver-haired Taisho was also trying to hold back. Seriously, what had been the purpose of those sessions?

The teen shook his head, forcing his mind to focus on the opponent in front of him. There was a slight tugging on his lips; the boy was crafty in a unique way. Unlike the careful, methodical planning that went into Miroku's plans or the stupidly roundabout way the matriarch preferred, the blond's trap had been...unpredictable, chaotic even.

"Heh, fine," he grinned. "Let's have a proper match, give those idiots over there something to see."

With a fluid, familiar motion, his sword was out, the blade resting on his shoulder. This was, after all, a Konoha genin. Using the actual blade would put him in a difficult position with all the political stuff he didn't care about, but if this guy managed to get a hit in, then a weapon would be necessary. The back of his katana would have to do.

"Oh, they'll see something, alright."

Smoke covered the field, and it was only years of training that had him jumping back the moment he recognized the sound of an exploding tag beginning to ignite at his right...and his left...and in front of him.

Shit.

His ears were ringing.

Just how many more tags was the boy carrying with him?

Now that he thought about it, the girl also used her fair bit of smokescreens and explosions during her fight. Clearly, their fighting styles had blended somewhat during the years. Even if the blond's aim wasn't anywhere close to the scary precision of the Higurashi heiress, he'd need to keep an eye out for any other sort of traps.

A fast flicker within the smoke was all the warning he got before another band of clones were racing at him. Crap, his hearing really took a beating. Somehow, he'd missed the sound of steps rushing towards him, just like he'd missed the echo of a second and third set until they were closing in from the sides. There was a grin on his face as his hand closed around the hilt of his katana.

Fine then.

He never liked retreating anyway.

The prankster seemed to be attempting to overwhelm him. Clones were jumping at him. There was barely a second after the back of his blade hit the bodies before another took its place. Damn, this brat had a lot of chakra, didn't he? Even with the absurd amount of bunshins he made, their quality didn't seem to be slipping. They moved just as fast, acting with the same kind of intelligence.

Not as fast as Koga, though.

And certainly, not as smart as Miroku.

"Nice warm up!" His yell rose through the noise of the clones' constant pops as they vanished. "But this is getting boring here!"

Seriously, though, this kid's chakra had to be off the chart; even if they weren't lasting all that long, the Uzumaki brat should've passed out cold, at least a doze bunshins ago. Hell, his sword was beginning to feel just a little heavier in his hands. All these non-stop slicing motions and jumps were starting to tire him. Inuyasha had to find the real one before he got tired enough that his performance began to show a decline or his bastard of a half-brother would have his head. Jumping inside the cloud of smoke was his best option then.

Because Inuyasha had the sinking feeling a stamina contest would not end well for him...maybe not even the ice-jerk himself would be able to properly keep up.

"This better then?!" All the clones called out at the same time.

More tags were sent his way, uncaring of the bunshins caught in the blasts that just had to be randomly thrown all over the stadium. Fuck, the blond probably knew there were few people capable of matching that stupid stamina of his.

"If you can't aim for shit, then stop trying!"

Had he flinched during his sparring matches with the Higurashi girl when she used her explosives?

The Taisho didn't think so, but either he slipped up, and she passed on the info, or the brat got lucky enough to be constantly making his ears rings by filling the place with stupidly loud explosions. Maybe they just assumed that one hit from the Oto guy, back during the forest exam, had managed to do some permanent damage? Not like it made much difference; his ears were still hurting like hell.

"If you're getting tired, just stop dodging!"

"Who the hell would do that?!" Was he letting his opponent get to him? Yes...but right about now, the silver-haired Taisho couldn't say he cared.

Tch, he had to focus and find the real one, and there was only one place where that idiot could hide. A clone had to be constantly using smoke bombs while the real Uzumaki Naruto kept up with the bunshin production. Two bodies, at the very least, had to be in the cloud at all times. As long as he could find them before his stamina ran out, the fight was his.

Something that would be way easier to do if those stupid clones stopped reappearing so fucking quickly.

Fine, he'd up the level a little.

Gathering chakra on the sole of his feet, the teen jumped. High far out the reach of the moving orange mass. His respite wouldn't last long; he had to try and see something through the smokescreen. And he did; Inuyasha could see the slight movement within the smoke. Clones were still running out of the cloud, leaving swirling trails as they moved...and there, right in the center...the smoke was swirling in unnatural patterns. This fight was as good as over now.

He scoffed; the brat wasn't bad for a village genin, but his form wasn't anything to brag about, and his physical strength was leagues beneath what Inuyasha was used to handle with the Ice Bastard as his instructor.

Yes, this was his win.

His blade was already slicing through the fakes before his feet touched the floor. Chakra pooled at his feet once more, allowing him to soar through the air, this time, with a proper direction in mind. White filled his vision as he moved inside the cloud, well-honed instincts helping him dispatch off of the odd clone he found on his way.

Huh?

The smoke seemed to be clearing around him. As if the bombs were being thrown in a perimeter...was there something else to this whole thing then?

No, it didn't matter; Inuyasha could already see the blond in the center of the smoke-free zone. Frustration gnawed at him. The blond looked a bit tired but not nearly as exhausted as anyone else he knew would be after so much wasted chakra. Oh well, it wasn't like it mattered.

"Found ya." Victory was in his hands, but the Taisho wouldn't deny this had been amusing. "Now, what's the brilliant plan? Or are you finally running out of chakra?"

"Ha, like I would get tired from something like this!"

A scoff left him when he saw the exact same seal formed in his opponent's hands. Really, this was all Uzumaki Naruto could do?

Maybe he had overestimated him.

Smoke filled the clear zone. They were far more than just a dozen this time, the bunshins surrounding him from every direction. Great, if this was the way the blond wanted to go about, then the Taisho would just get rid of all of them at once and...

Like one, all the clones rose, hands forming a different seal, one that tugged somewhat familiarly at his memory before another puff of smoke filled his vision again. Shit, was there a strategy after all?

Golden eyes strained to see beyond the few meters in front of him, trying to find the clones hidden, glaring straight at the bare flesh of...of...

Blood rushed to his face, the heat almost unbearable. His grip slackened around his katana's hilt, eyes wide as he fought the impulse to look away, to keep looking at his opponent's movements. Because there, in front of him, behind him, all around him were...were...

The punch knocked him to the ground, his blade slipping through his fingers. Fuck, he had to...golden eyes widened as he attempted to see where his sword landed. Skin, bare skin was everywhere. The heat was growing worse, eyes closing in a reaction he couldn't quite stop.

Inuyasha could hear his skull hitting the ground, the pain somehow less mortifying than the thought of opening his eyes and risk seeing...that. His train of thought was slipping and fuck, Sesshoumaru was going to kill him, and the bitch of his mother would never let him live it down, but he was losing consciousness, and fuck it, he would not fight to reopen his eyes right now...

Shit, his mom planted new flowers before they left, hadn't she?

He was...

He was going to kill him...

"Please, tell me I did not see what I think I saw?"

Kagome's voice was muffled against his chest where she was hiding. Mortification bled through her words, and Sasuke was going to strangle that idiot because he could not believe the moron dared use that stupid jutsu that the Uchiha had almost succeeded in forgetting.

Oh, but as if that wasn't enough, stupid Naruto failed to time the effect of his smoke bombs correctly so every single person had gotten an eyeful of that idiotic harem no jutsu and the heat Sasuke could feel on his cheeks was there from anger and second-hand embarrassment, and he was going to pummel him to the ground if it was the last thing he did in this gods-forsaken exam. He could hear one distinctive feminine laugh echo around the silent arena. It seemed to be what the proctor needed to recover his wits and declare the moron as the winner.

"...you did..." He would not lie.

"O-oh my..." The Taisho's fake monk eyes were glued in the places the idiot's clones had been. "Now that is a...ahem...a novel technique for sure. I wonder..."

"Don't you dare, Miroku!" Their weapon's specialist seemed to find her voice again.

"You can't deny that the possibilities for its use are..."

"Finish that sentence," Despite the redness in her cheeks, the female Taisho's glare still managed to shut her apparently perverted teammate. "I dare you."

"I know we told him to use all he had to win, but..." For once, it didn't look like she was paying much attention to the people around her.

"Oh, please, don't worry, Kagome-sama." The stupid monk was grinning as he shook his head. "Really, to freeze like that, Inuyasha should know better."

"That fucking..."

He didn't really think before pulling away from the embarrassed girl and jumped over the railing. Because the prankster had to have lost all sense of self-respect. And someone had to pound it back into his head. Wasn't his stupid dream to become Hokage? What kind of Hokage would be proud to say they embarrassed their opponent to unconsciousness?!

Sasuke's fist connected with the back of the blond's head before his brain could stop him by reminding him that they were still inside a stadium full of people.

"Hey!" the moron yelled. "What the hell was that for?!"

"What do you think, moron?!"

"I won, didn't I?"

"Look here, you...little..."Oh, this was grand; the idiot didn't even see why he was angry. "Just...just get your ass back upstairs!"

"Why would I?"Now Naruto was actually getting angry too. "Why are you even here, bastard?!"

"Ahem." An awkward cough from the proctor forced them to stop. "Uchiha-san's match is the next one. So if you could please, vacate the space?"

Right...

Right, his fight was about to start now.

Curses ran in his mind at the realization that he'd just jumped down without any warning to the girl in his haste. Yes, her embarrassment was probably winning against the anxiety that had been following her since last night, but it wouldn't last long. He should've known better than to leave her like that before his match. Kagome would begin to worry as soon as her composure returned to her.

He really was going to knock that moron into next week.

"Oh, right. Hehehehe." The idiot was laughing now, finally feeling some sort of shame. "I sorta forgot."

They would need to have a talk after this. Sure, unlike the Higurashi heiress, Sasuke never cared too much about his reputation (otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to hang out with the village loosed so openly in the first place); there were limits, however. Limits that had just been crossed in one stupidly long jump.

Risking a glance towards the redheaded Suna genin, his only comfort was that his opponent was perhaps the only person in the whole arena NOT overreacting in one way or another.

"Right..." the prankster repeated, this time his anger was no longer there. "Don't lose to a guy like that...we have a fight waiting for us after all."

"Just get yourself back up there." Kagome would probably need the company.

"Gaara, get down here!" The proctor was doing his best to act unaffected, but the red on his face was undeniable.

As if breaking a spell, whispers began to spread throughout the crowd, just like they'd done during the Taisho match. The audience was getting excited. Delirious to see them hurt each other for the amusement of a bunch of civilians who wouldn't know where to stab a kunai if there was a target painted over the vitals. And their so-called leader watched it all from above, not saying a word. Just like he did when it was time for Itachi to become a sacrifice. Forcing those thoughts out of his head, Sasuke took a deep breath. It wouldn't do to let himself get worked up about that, not for now. Mistakes born out of anger could become dangerous with the guy chosen as his opponent. At least, the redhead chose to walk down the stairs, giving him enough time to regain some of his composure.

Truth to be told, the Uchiha was sure even without Kagome's warning, he'd probably still be wary about the Suna genin slowly walking into the arena. Their encounter with the teen during the hospital only confirmed those suspicions.

Unlike the worthless trio from Oto, this guy was used to killing without having to break a sweat. Not even a single scratch gotten from the various high-ranking missions his team had been assigned to; that was what Kabuto told them. While he may not trust the teen, there was no reason for him to give them false info when it was so obvious the older genin was trying to get close to them. The three of them had barely survived their one B-rank, returning covered in bandages; the difference in skill could not be ignored, but even beyond that...There was something seriously wrong with this guy, and his word gave them a decent idea of what it was back in the hospital.

Kakashi-sensei was right; all three of them got troublesome opponents. Somehow though, it would seem like he got an even shorter stick than Naruto. After all, the redhead did not look sane at all.

Hell, he was laughing right now.

Taking one last glance at the participant's balcony before he was forced to focus on the match, the Uchiha frowned. He could clearly see Kagome's form standing close to the remaining Taishos...he could not see Naruto.

And now he really was going to punch the moron without holding back.

The blond should know better than to leave the girl alone at a time like this, but he was still wasting his time somewhere, doing gods know what. The last thing he wanted was for the girl to tey distract herself by getting close to the fake monk who'd managed to put his gentleman mask on. Well, he supposed, at least, the prankster's win was a good thing. Sasuke could hardly see someone getting back whatever previously great reputation after being beaten like that. And he'd take whatever he could take. The Uchiha was getting quite sick of that clan.

The voice of the proctor brought him back to the fight.

He would need to be more careful than usual. Any hesitation on his part could be deadly with this kind of opponent. Bitterness began to rise inside him as a smirk pulled his lips, all the better for him. Any and all practice would be welcomed. His future enemies would all go for the kill; he'd have to get used to doing the same.

Hiding the tension on his body was something Kakashi had grown accustomed to, almost ever since he could remember. So, it was with his usual gait that he walked towards the taijutsu specialist even as he attempted to keep an eye on the match that was about to start. Out of all of his kids' fights, this was likely the most worrisome one. The Taishos would never kill someone from an allied village for the sake of keeping their treaties as spotless as possible. If Kagome's plan had failed, the young heiress was still fast enough and clever enough to either pull a win or admit defeat before things got deadly.

All of what he'd seen and heard about Gaara of the Desert sent warning bells ringing in his ears so loud that he'd become deaf if the jounin tried to ignore them.

"Heya, Gai!" He waved a hand while going down the stairs. "And Lee-kun too! Your body alright now?"

"Kakashi."

The eccentric man and his student were sitting in the middle of a mostly civilian-filled row. Kakashi had debated between making rounds or staying near his students on the balcony before he decided there was only one real logical choice. All of his brats were capable of keeping themselves breathing, and as much as he didn't trust the Taishos, the copy ninja doubted they'd make a move against Kagome at this moment. His kids were surrounded by capable genin and close to the chuunins helping with the exams. In contrast, the only shinobis he could see in this section other than Gai were some of the genins who failed the prelims. They may have their individual talents, but none of them were suited for solo confrontations. His presence would serve better between the audience.

His uncovered eye traveled across the stadium, it took more of an effort to stop himself from frowning than he would like. He could understand (to a certain extent) why the old Hokage had only spared a single team of ANBU for their little excursion to the Higurashi compound. The two heirs were marked targets, yes, but the threat of betrayal had sent a good portion of their forces out. And even more, were needed inside the village. As much as the jounin hated to admit it, his two brats were still just that. Two kids that, while talented, were not indispensable to Konoha. So he'd bitten his tongue and ordered the squadron to keep a wide perimeter and cover the gaps with bunshins.

For an event such as this to only have two small teams, though...

"Eight ANBU for this huge arena." In the end, Kakashi couldn't help but voice his disapproval. "Only two small teams, what's Hokage-sama thinking?"

"No, until we figure out the enemy's plans...they are probably needed on the outside, gathering information." For a second, the copy ninja wondered if Gai's faith in their old leader was admirable or naive.

Was it really necessary to send that many?

Orochimaru was very much still within the village. Sure, the man may be specifically targetting Sasuke, but Kakashi was as sure that the Sannin would not waste a chance to attack them as he was that trees don't grow in Suna. He trusted the Hokage; he truly did. However, something about sending so many of their forces out when an attack could very well be imminent did not sit well with him.

"Begin!"

Sand was out of the redhead's gourd the second the word was out of the proctor's mouth. The copy ninja's attention went back to his student, watching as the Uchiha jumped back. Good, he was paying attention to the warnings he and Kagome spent the better part of last month repeating over and over.

First, he would have to warm up to the right speed, and...

Huh?

Was the Suna boy...mumbling something?

His gaze flickered to find the Higurashi heiress on the balcony. The girl seemed calm; to most people anyway. Elbows lightly resting on the railing as she replied to something the fake monk had said. Hopefully, if Kagome was managing to reign in her worry, it meant that things were still not past the line that would require immediate intervention.

Not like it made the Suna genin's actions any more comforting. The sand that had followed after Lee without rest was now hovering around the boy. A string of indistinguishable words fell from his tongue. Judging from Sasuke's reactions, it wasn't anything reassuring.

Without any sort of trigger, the redhead flinched, arms raising to his head while the sand around him fell. In a second, the indifference he'd shown earlier was back. So the fight was finally starting.

The trio of shurikens send towards him was a standard attack. It was likely the Uchihas's way to get a handle on the speed of the automatic defense. A wise decision since the way the sand morphed in the air to create a clone of the short genin was neither standard nor expected.

This match was promising to become quite interesting if this was just its start.

They were sinking into the sand, the shurikens he'd thrown to test the waters. So, it wasn't entirely solid then.

Not just a simple shield, either.

The blades flew from his fingers in a practiced motion, aimed at the weapons that were sent back his way by the sand clone. It would not be enough to stop his momentum. Sand splattered as his feet connected with the clone, aided by the gravity of his fall.

Not enough.

Pushing himself back into the air was easy. The absorption of his fist into the clone, expected. Neither Kagome nor Kakashi-sensei had been exaggerating; having to deal with this without previous knowledge could've made a stark difference. Sasuke had been properly warned, though, and as his second hit scattered the head of the sand bunshin, he made sure to keep going forward. He smirked as the sand rushed to form a wall in front of the redhead. It wasn't even that fast; if this was all it took for this protection to revert to its basic form, then this was his cue.

It was time to step it up.

A twist on his heel and he was behind his opponent, his fist finally connecting with something solid. Cracks splintering on his face, pieces of sand falling to the ground as the redhead brought himself back on his feet only served to make him look more unsettling.

"So, that's the armor of sand, huh?" His voice was unimpressed, taunting may not work, but there was no harm in trying. "Come one."

Sand began to flow, lifting against gravity in an attempt to reach him, and he could've laughed. Moving to the Suna genin's back, he smiled. The normal shield would no longer be able to keep up from now on. He could feel his foot connect, launching his opponent backward. It was slightly frustrating, the way the sand cushioned the crash against the wall that would've increased the dealt damage.

"What's wrong?" He couldn't become overconfident. Not with how Kagome had been acting. "Is that it?"

The cracks were multiplying on the redhead's body. Good, he'd rip off that armor. It was a conscious technique; Kagome had somehow gotten her hands in that information for him. Which meant keeping this jutsu up would drain his chakra faster...and after that, he could use his own technique.

With a burst, he sprinted.

Sasuke still wasn't as fast as Lee after the older boy had opened the celestial gates.

Still, somewhat slower than the Higurashi heiress. But the Uchiha was most certainly faster than his sand.

His fingers closed around the fabric of Gaara's shirt before his kick could send him flying backward. Right hand already closed in a fist. Sending him flying would only end up with the sand softening the blows. If that was the case, then...

Breathing was getting harder now. The burn within his muscles a warning that maintaining this high speed could mean his loss...Gaara was also panting, though.

Spindly cracks gave the boy a straight-out deranged look as the armor continued to fall. It wouldn't take long now, and he still hadn't used a drop of chakra. His opponent, on the other hand, wouldn't be able to last long. For someone so reliant on his automatic defenses and attacks, chances were the redhead wasn't really accustomed to using taijutsu or any alternative ninjutsu.

Focus on mastering one area, and you risk forgetting everything else.

He could win this...he would win this.

"What kind of training did you do?" Disbelief colored Gai's words. "To come this far in just a month..."

Kakashi supposed he shouldn't be surprised. To anyone looking from the outside, the jump in talent seemed impossible. But this was Uchiha Sasuke and he, along with the rest of team 7, had been consistently pushing his limits from before the moment the copy ninja took them in. Maybe the former ANBU didn't force the boy to wear those nonsensical weights, however, the Uchiha had been training for years in order to pursue someone far more talented than himself.

"Sasuke copied Lee-kun's taijutsu with the sharingan before. That's why during his training, I had him use his copied taijutsu." Which was why he supposed it was only fair to explain things a bit; they did owe the older genin for giving his brat a good demonstration. "BEcause he knew Lee-kun and had seen him in action before, he was able to master the style...well, it was a lot of work, and we had a bit of an edge on this."

"An edge?"

"Kagome." Again, Kakashi granted Gai some more information. "She was in terrible shape during the prelims, exhausted in every possible way...but, Lee-kun's starting speed was something she could already achieve. Of course, copying her style would've been quite useless since Kagome-chan shies away from physical contact, but having someone as fast as her be his sparring partner forced him to learn faster."

"They trained together?" Finally, Lee spoke out.

"There's no way those two would agree to anything else.' Surprise painted not only the genin but the other jounin's face. He couldn't blame them even within teams; it was not common for two members to know so much of their teammates' skills.

His team was not normal, though. As it was, it had been a struggle to have the girl away for a single hour to train her genjutsu. Finally, he'd decided to give her exercises and have her practice them a few meters away from them, relying on his sharingan to keep an eye on both heirs.

"So, they really are as close as they say." Gai trailed off. "But...will it really be enough?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sand was moving again.

It was different this time.

The huge amount of sand that was rising, almost swirling around the redhead before compressing into a sphere, was not something he'd been warned of. Was this a more advanced version of a total defense?

His legs burned as he ran, straight ahead, towards the rapidly closing opening.

He wasn't going to make it.

Blood dripped to the ground. His fingers stinging as his skin broke after making contact with an entirely solid wall of sand. Some more crimson fell through the places sand spikes had managed to tear open. With a jump, Sasuke gained some distance. He could feel his arm trembling from the aftermath. By using all of the sand to protect himself, the thing might as well have become a piece of steel.

It didn't look like those spikes could travel too far without risking the integrity of the shield.

Was that all?

Had the redhead gotten scared of getting hurt and decided to go for an absolute defense, then?

No.

It would make no sense. His range of attack within that sphere was far too limited and its volume too vast. Gaara's chakra had to be draining fast. Even if Sasuke had no way to breach that thing, simply waiting for his opponent to become depleted was all he'd need. Keeping this technique active with no other plan other than hoping the Uchiha grew restless enough to try and attack was nothing but a sure way to lose.

There had to be something else.

This was most likely some kind of preparation for a stronger jutsu. One that Gaaa felt confident would be enough to defeat him in one go, no matter the price paid.

Sasuke felt his lips turn into a smirk.

Fin, then.

Let the freak take his time...and he would do the same.

After all, his jutsu also required some preparations.

OMAKE

Golden eyes stared at the stadium below...and blinked...slowly.

Then, she blinked again.

There were many qualities the matriarch of the Taisho clan was proud of. Between them was her ability to adapt, to understand a situation at a glance, and make the best of whatever hand she was forced to play with. Kimi felt confident that no matter if she was placed in the middle of an unknown tense political scenario, the noble lady would be able to twist things in her favor after analyzing the situation with just a glance.

And yet, this was likely the first time she felt her words fail her.

So she let her gaze rest on the form of her husband's youngest collapsed on the floor. His face was still beet red.

The blond had dismissed both his clones and his transformation just a second too late.

Glancing at the shocked and flushed faces of the feared Taisho patriarch and admired Sandaime Hokage frozen in shock with blood rushing up, however...well, that was not something she saw every day.

And so, she laughed.

The sound shattering the stunned silence that had fallen over the arena. An unusual sound, if she was being honest since every note was genuine. It was too much though, if only Sesshoumaru had been sitting beside her, she would've had the complete set of reactions.

"I...ahem..." The old Hokage was stumbling through his words. "I apologize for this..."

"Oh no, no, no." Her laughter had lightened up, but she couldn't stop her giggling like a naive teen. "There's hardly a need; that's a fair win if I've ever seen one. That's one ingenious use for a henge, though, wouldn't you agree, Toga?"

"That's...Inuyasha's loss cannot be blamed on anyone but himself." Her husband was making a decent effort of regaining some composure, but there was no hiding the crimson that refused to leave his face.

"I wonder, perhaps there could be more uses to a technique like that..."

She didn't laugh as her husband sputtered, finally losing what little control he'd regained. Oh, this was brilliant, such a fantastic experience, truly. Such a pity Izayoi could not be present; the princess would've certainly shred in her amusement.

Perhaps Kimi could convince Miroku to try and find someone he could con into replicating the jutsu. Neither male in her family would expect to face such a thing back in their estates...and the reaction of any of them was certain to be priceless.

A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay, wish I had a good excuse, but honestly I was just tired and ended up crashing during the weekend and slept most of those days. But well, there we go, better late than never haha.

And yes, the invasion is finally getting close, and from there things only get more chaotic. As for the way Naruto beat Inuyasha, honestly I can see him doing that, at this point he's yet to get the rasengan so most of his wins are still based on some sort of trickery, and he's not ashamed of that , I'm not saying neither Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru could win against Naruto, but since every clone requires a lot of chakra in terms of a pure stamina contest Naruto likely has less of a chance to get tired before them (tho he has no idea how to properly use it or techniques that would deal a decent amount of damage at this point) After all, he couldn't beat Kakashi during the bells test but Kakashi was never shown to create even half of the clones Naruto does even before shippuden, his chakra reserve was supposed to be absurd even at the start of the series. Just wanted to make that a bit clearer.

As always, thanj you guys so much for reading and any review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.