We'll Get Home, I Promise
Chapter 12: Up the Ante – Part 2
Sarada was walking down the streets of Konoha, looking down at slips of tags in her hands. These were none other than Shinachiku's Iyashi-satsu (Healing Tags) that she was given by the blonde yesterday. Although, they are a very kind gesture, what he did say when giving them to her pretty much… very much unnerved her.
"Now listen, training with Tsunade-sobo-chan and kaa-chan is going to be one hell of an experience. You're gonna feel a lot of fatigue and a lot more… soreness. So to speak. I'm handing you these so you can… well, I'll blunt here, walk properly, dattebaro. Don't forget them before you leave the house, got it?" Shinachiku's words echoed within her head, causing Sarada to groan with a worried frown.
"Please let him be exaggerating." Sarada begged to whatever deity was listening right now. If any were with her right now.
"Hey, Sarada!" A female called out to her, making her turn to see Chocho, along with Team 15, waving to her.
"Oh. Hey girls." Sarada greeted them as they walked over.
"What's with you? You sound like Boruto did something stupid again." Wasabi said.
"No. I just sound worried over something else. See, I'm going to be training with my mama and Tsunade-sama today." Sarada explained.
"Tsunade of the Sannin? You're going to be training with her?!" Wasabi questioned as she and the others were shocked.
"Wow. You're so lucky!" Namida said with shock and awe.
"Wait, how is that a problem exactly?" Chocho asked with confusion.
"Well, let's just say, someone that I know who has had experience with her and mama's training methods told me that I better be prepared for my bed to become my best friend when I get back home. If I'm able to get back home with my own two feet." Sarada said with slumped shoulders.
"The path to true strength isn't an easy one, so it's not hard to believe." Tsubaki said with her eyes closed and arms crossed.
"She's right about that." Wasabi agreed. "Tsunade-sama went through three wars before becoming Hokage and fought in the fourth while being the Godaime Hokage. Not to mention she is literally the strongest kunoichi there was until your mother surpassed her Sarada, and now you're going to be training with the both of them! You can't imagine the jealousy I'm feeling right now!"
"Yup. Your road to becoming Hokage starts today." Chocho said with a smile as she patted her best female friend on the back in support.
"Thanks guys. That does raise my spirits." Sarada said with a smile. She then looked to the tags in her hand as she then gained a determined gleam in her eyes before pocketing them. "Right! I don't care how intense this training becomes! I'll take it and surpass every expectation with flying colors!"
"That a girl!" Chocho said with a grin as she gave Sarada one more slap on the back, almost sending her friend fall forward.
"Ow. Still sore from yesterday." Sarada said with a pained frown as she rubbed her back.
"Sorry." Chocho apologized.
"Are you alright?" Namida asked with concern.
"Yeah. Just trained with Shinachiku-onii-chan yesterday. He does not hold back when it comes to training and improvement. Especially when it comes to his own." Sarada said with a minor dull expression, remembering the craziness that is Shinachiku's Super-Duper Secret Intense Training Regime For Superbly Youthful People.
"Onii-chan?" Wasabi questioned as she and the rest of her team looked to Sarada with confusion, causing the young Uchiha to flinch in realization.
"I mean, uh… well, what's wrong with calling him that?!" Sarada quickly retorted with a bit of an annoyed front.
"Nothing. Sorry." Wasabi said with her hands up in defense, not wanting to get on the superhumanly strong Uchiha's bad side.
"So, his training regime really did a number on you?" Namida questioned.
"Not his personal regime, but one he gave to me. It's all about increasing my reserves, muscle mass and strength, and most importantly, perfectly efficient chakra control." Sarada explained.
"He prioritizes chakra control the most?" Wasabi asked.
"That's right. Believe it or not, chakra control goes a long way. Shinachiku-onii-chan believes that strength is only truly worthwhile so long as you know how to properly control it." Sarada said with a proud smile.
"He is correct." Tsubaki agreed with a nod.
"He's definitely a far cry from Boruto." Chocho said with a bit of a cocky smile and her head raised high as she had her arms crossed.
"True." Wasabi agreed with a nod. "But why him specifically?" Wasabi asked, now causing Chocho to flinch.
"Oh you know, because Shinachiku is so strong yet humble and Boruto… isn't." Chocho said, trying to keep what she knew a secret from the rest of her female friends.
"Boruto is plenty strong." Sarada said, defending her original blonde teammate. "Although, being humble on the other hand wouldn't be so bad for him to learn." Sarada admitted with a frown.
"Speaking of strong and humble, how about Arata-kun? You're training under him too, right?" Chocho asked, showing clear excitement when discussing Sarada's paternal half-brother.
"Yeah, I am. The other day, he was not only teaching me more lightning release techniques and to use them more efficiently, but he also is teaching Kesshōton!" Sarada said, having difficulty containing her own excitement.
"I'm sorry, what?!" Wasabi questioned with shock.
"Kesshōton? What is that? I've never heard of it." Namida asked with shock.
"Oh, well, I guess it's something Arata-onii-chan created. It combines both fire release and lightning release, kind of how earth release and wind release make Jiton. You know, which is what Shinki uses." Sarada explained.
"Seriously? He can do that?!" Wasabi questioned with shock.
"He's more impressive than I thought." Tsubaki commented.
"Well, actually, so far, he's only got one jutsu that uses Kesshōton. The reason being is that it's so destructive that it can also work as a double-edged sword. If he trained more in it, he could even create a Kesshōton Chakura Mōdo, but it would be more dangerous to pull off than any of his other modes." Sarada said.
"I'm sorry, other modes?! And he's able to infuse these two destructive chakras together for a super powerful jutsu?! How strong is this guy?!" Wasabi questioned as she and her team members were in shock at this knowledge.
"Shouldn't it be obvious? Arata-kun is the strongest shinobi alive! The only people that come off the top of my head who I can see outmatching him would be Nanadaime-sama and Sarada's father! Other than that, no one could ever hope to come close to Arata-kun's level of power! He's just that amazing! A true genius, and a handsome one to boot!" Chocho proclaimed with a lit smile as she gushed over how impressive the Uchiha-Hyūga was, in both skill and looks.
"Hey, Shinachiku-onii-chan is just as strong. If not, he might just be stronger than Arata-onii-chan." Sarada interjected.
"Okay, maybe he might come close, but I don't see how he could be stronger than Arata-kun, who is already super powerful." Chocho said, shrugging as she retained a smile.
"What's with you? Do you have a crush on him now, Chocho?" Wasabi questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"A crush? Please! My feelings for him are more genuine than that of a simple crush! I love him!" Chocho proclaimed with utter pride, shocking her friends. "Ee~k! I can't believe I confessed my feelings for him out loud! I am so embarrassed!" Chocho said as she held her now blushing cheeks.
"Safe to say I've never heard the L word come out of her mouth like that." Wasabi said with a look of shock.
"Me either." Sarada said as she too had a shocked expression from Chocho's proclamation.
"Aw, dammit! Where is he?!" A boy's voice caught their attention, making them turn to see Boruto looking all over the streets for someone.
"Oh, look. Here comes the strong and not-so-humble Boruto." Chocho said.
"Grr~, where is he?!" Boruto exclaimed as he scratched the sides of his head in frustration.
"Boruto!" Sarada called out to him, earning the golden blonde's attention. "Who are you looking for?"
"Oh, hey Sarada. Say by any chance, have you seen Kakashi-sensei?" Boruto asked as he walked over towards the group of girls.
"Rokudaime-sama? No, not at all." Sarada answered, much to Boruto' annoyance.
"Dammit~! How hard is it to find a guy with silver hair and a mask on?! He's like the only one who looks like that here!" Boruto complained with annoyance.
"Why are you looking for him anyway?" Wasabi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"So he can train me! I've been training with both Shinachiku and Arata, and now thanks to them, my chakra reserves and control have increased to where I can do an even stronger Rasengan, but I need Kakashi-sensei's guidance to really help me with it, dattebasa!" Boruto explained.
"You've both been training with Shinachiku and Arata?" Namida asked with mild surprise as she looked between the Uchiha and Uzumaki of the group.
"Yeah. Sarada and I have been alternating between them, but today and tomorrow, we're going to be training with other people, that way we can expand our own training and allow them to get back to their own in peace." Boruto explained.
"Their own training, huh? I wonder what their training is like since they're so powerful already." Chocho wondered aloud as she tapped her chin with her index finger.
"It involves a lot of self-harm for the both of them. I'd say they're insane, which they are, but I'll admit there does seem to be method to the madness, dattebasa." Boruto said.
"Say what?! No way Arata-kun would ever do something to damage that gorgeous face of his! I mean, his gorgeous body! His gorgeous self!" Chocho quickly said in disbelief that Arata would put himself in such a position.
"I wouldn't say it like that, but I agree with what Chocho said. I can't see Arata-onii-chan doing such a thing." Sarada said.
"Well, he does. I told my tou-chan about it yesterday and he explained that the reason for what he does is that he's trying to shorten the gap between his mental and physical reaction speed." Boruto said.
"Say what?" Sarada questioned as she and the others were in shock and confusion.
Tsubaki blinked her eyes in surprise and confusion at this, but also intrigue.
"Please, explain this." Tsubaki requested.
"See, Shinachiku uses his fūinjutsu to make these seals around the arms and legs that increases your own gravity by several times. He did it with me before then he did it to Arata. All Arata does is just kneel in a position with his hand on his chokuto, allowing hazards like falling logs and raging fires to come at him. His mind is able to know when to react, but since his body is weighed down, he's unable to react properly, so he just lets them hit him. It's about remembering the pain or something so it can help him advance." Boruto explained. "What I don't get is why doesn't he just try anyway? If he doesn't move his body, then how does he expect to reach that speed?"
"Because it is not just his body that he is training in that moment." Tsubaki said, catching everyone's attention. "I must go." Tsubaki said as she turned and started to leave.
"Huh? But we were off to Lightning Burger! Didn't you want your fries?" Wasabi called out to her samurai teammate.
"There's always time for fries. Ja ne." Tsubaki said as she continued on her way, confusing the others.
"Tsubaki rejecting a chance to get fries? Okay, now something's going on here." Wasabi said with a bit of a worried frown.
"Should we follow her and see if she's alright?" Namida asked with concern.
"… Nah. Let her be." Wasabi answered. "Our time as teammates has been pretty brief, but we know her enough to know that she'll be fine doing her own thing."
"She said that he's not just training his body… but isn't that what his training has been about?" Boruto wondered aloud.
"Look underneath the underneath." A male voice spoke, catching everyone's attention, making them all turn to see none other than the Rokudaime himself, Kakashi.
"Rokudaime-sama!" Wasabi, Namida and Sarada spoke in surprise.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Boruto was surprised to see the man he was looking for right beside him.
"From the sounds of it, it isn't just how fast he is physically that matters, but also how long he can keep his instincts in check right before collision." Kakashi said, rubbing his chin.
"Keeping his instincts in check?" Chocho questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Wait… now I get it! It makes sense now!" Sarada said in realization.
"Huh? I still don't get it!" Boruto complained with a frown as he was slumping forward with his arms dangling. "But that doesn't matter right now! Kaka-sensei, I need your help!"
"With your Rasengan. Yes, I've heard." Kakashi said with his arms crossed.
"Wait, really? From who?" Boruto asked with surprise and confusion.
"Why from your father and Shinachiku, of course." Kakashi answered.
"You met Shinachiku-onii-chan?" Sarada asked with mild surprise.
"Mm hmm. And he told me how much the both of you have progressed under his and Arata's training. Like how Boruto hear might just have enough chakra to make a Fūton: Rasengan and just might be able to start making two Rasengans at the same time, which I've heard you need to achieve this super powerful jutsu you want to do." Kakashi said, looking to Boruto.
"Yeah! He hasn't told me what it is yet, but he said I'm already halfway there! I just need to make stronger Rasengans!" Boruto said.
"Well, considering you had to deal with these gravity weights that assist in your chakra build up and control, you just might. I doubt you would have been able to pull it off properly without the help you received." Kakashi said.
"Glad I won't have to find out." Boruto said as he looked to his hand. "So, you'll help me?" Boruto asked with excitement and a hopeful expression.
"Yes, but only as a favor to Shinachiku." Kakashi said with her arms crossed.
"Huh?! But you just met him!" Boruto complained.
"And I already like him. He kind of reminds me of my sensei, and I really liked him." Kakashi said.
"And what about me?" Boruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"How about we get started?" Kakashi suggested, not bothering to answer as he started walking away. "Come along, Boruto." Kakashi said, gesturing for the golden blonde Uzumaki to follow without turning back to him.
"Oi! Hold it! You didn't answer my question! Kaka-sensei~!" Boruto called out as he ran after the silver haired Jonin.
"Wow. First taught by Shinachiku and Arata, now Rokudaime-sama. You and Boruto sure are hitting a gold mine." Wasabi said with some awe.
"Yeah. With the amount of training you both are getting, you're both going to be the strongest in our generation. Even though your kind of already are." Namida said with a supportive smile.
"Yeah… I guess that's true." Sarada said as she looked to her hand. 'More of a reason to give my all.' Sarada though with a determined glare and tightening her fist.
"Yeah, that is great, but that can't replace the delightful sensation of sitting down and eating with your friends. Come join us, Sarada." Chocho offered.
"I'd like to, but someone told me that it isn't wise to keep Tsunade-sama and mama waiting or else they'll make me regret it. I'll regret it even more if I decide to eat before getting there." Sarada said with a frown.
"We gotcha. Go ahead and learn to kick butt even harder." Wasabi said with a smirk.
"Thanks guys. I'll catch you later." Sarada said with a smile as she hurried off.
"We'll save something for you!" Chocho called out.
"And we'll make sure Chocho doesn't eat." Wasabi called out as well as she gestured to herself and Namida when she said so.
Sarada smiled back at them before facing forward and picking up the pace.
The three girls smiled as they watched the Uchiha run off, but then Wasabi gained a thinking pose.
"You know, I'm starting to wonder something about these two guys: Shinachiku and Arata." Wasabi spoke out loud, earning Chocho and Namida's attention. "They're really strong and they're around our age, and they came from some nomadic tribe, right?"
"Yeah." Chocho answered, feeling like she was not going to like where this was going.
"So, wouldn't that mean that people from their tribe are stronger? Or if not, wouldn't two kids this strong already have been known? It's just really odd how we've never heard of a tribe of nomads this strong before." Wasabi wondered as she rubbed her chin.
"Well, it's because of that reason why they weren't attacked for so long. When they were known was when they became part of our village." Chocho answered.
"That makes sense." Namida said.
'Don't you worry, Sarada, I'll make sure they're secret safe. Nothing will harm Shinachiku and Arata-kun! Not so long as Chocho is on the job!' Chocho thought proudly with an equally proud smile.
"Chocho, why are you smiling like that?" Wasabi questioned, noticing her friend's confident demeanor.
.
.
Within Naruto's office, the Hokage and his top advisor, Shikamaru, were scanning through several booklets containing sealing formulas of all kinds with little notes on the side written about them and their uses.
"I can't believe he actually made all this in like half an hour." Naruto said with awe.
"Yeah, and most of that time was writing down notes for how we can use these. I get this stuff is locked in his head, but to actually write these formulas, so complex that even a master would need time to even process them, so fast that it looks like he simply strokes the brush ones... that kid is astounding." Shikamaru commented.
"Yeah. He sure is." Naruto said with a proud smile as he recalled this morning.
.
.
A knock came at Naruto's office door, alerting both him and Shikamaru.
"Enter." Naruto announced as Shinachiku then entered.
"I'm here. Sorry to keep you waiting." Shinachiku said as he closed the door behind himself. "Is this about the Oni Zetsu and my skills in fūinjutsu skills?" Shinachiku asked.
"Sharp kid." Shikamaru commented.
"Well, after what happened on the last mission, no way Konohamaru-sensei was going to leave that out. Plus, Arata told me to expect to lend this kind of aide really soon." Shinachiku said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"We've read through the entire book you gave us on these Oni Zetsu and safe to say we're very worried about what's to come. In fact, all the Five Nations are in disarray over this. There have been multiple reports from within each land. Sights of Tengu flying throughout the mountainous regions of Kaminari no Kuni (Land of Lightning), fisherman in Mizu no Kuni (Land of Water) swore they saw the glowing eyes of Umibozus, and people from both Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind) and Iwa no Kuni (Land of Earth) are too scared to leave the villages in fear of being eaten by Tsuchigumos. These things are officially an infestation. Thankfully there hasn't been many sightings, but it doesn't deter the fact that they are now all over the world and that their presence is still being known." Shikamaru explained.
"I'm sorry about that. We never meant to bring this much trouble with us." Shinachiku apologized with a guilt-ridden frown.
"It's not your fault that they were brought here. That's the cult's doing." Naruto said.
"Yeah, but if we had managed to stop them then none of this would have happened and innocent people wouldn't be losing their lives." Shinachiku retorted, still feeling guilty.
"Given how powerful these Nana Deshi (Seven Disciples) are from both your account and Konohamaru's detailed report on their unique abilities and skill, I would say, you both did your best. Even better than any Jonin out there." Shikamaru said.
"On that subject, not only have you had experience with them, but also the Oni Zetsu. You already explained before that your world has used fūinjutsu to not only combat against these creatures, but also used to protect villages from being invaded by them." Naruto said.
"Yeah. My tou-chan had actually decided to share fūinjutsu like a year before these things came to be. Once they infested the planet, one of tou-chan's first actions as a kage was to not only teach people of Konohagakure how to do these seals, create a team of fūinjutsu experts, and put it into the academy's curriculum, but also send shinobi skilled in the art to other villages, not just the Five Hidden Villages, but also smaller ones. He even had those shinobi bring clones of himself sealed in scrolls so he could provide some added assistance and help with their defenses." Shinachiku explained.
"Your dad was smart." Shikamaru commented.
"Bet you didn't expect to say that out loud, huh, ojisan?" Shinachiku said with a humorous smile and rubbing the back of his head, only to flinch in realization that he had not only called this Shikamaru uncle, but also unintentionally insulted this world's version of his father by proxy. "I mean-" Before Shinachiku could apologize, he was interrupted by Shikamaru, who was laughing out loud.
"You're right. Somewhere out there, pigs must be flying!" Shikamaru said as he continued to laugh with Shinachiku joining him, all the while Naruto was pouting.
It didn't help the Orange Hokage that Kurama was laughing from within as well.
"This kid clearly has his mother's humor! I like it!" Kurama said as he continued to laugh loudly.
'Some respect for the Hokage you all have, dattebayo.' Naruto thought as his eyes glanced to the side while he continued to pout. He then cleared his throat, earing everyone's attention. "Well, as you can guess, we want to do the same on our end. Despite the sightings and clear and present danger there now is in this world, the problem is still minor for now as there have been no serious threats to villages. At least, not to a number of them." Naruto said, causing Shinachiku to frown at knowing that people were suffering out there by the hands of those beasts. "We want to get a head start on this, so will you please help us, Shinachiku?" Naruto asked.
"I came here for that reason, didn't I?" Shinachiku said, earning an appreciative smile from Naruto. The younger blonde then took out a scroll from within his jacket, unfurled it onto the ground to reveal a sealing formula and undid it to bring out several booklets with a brush and some ink on the side that were sealed within it. "I'll start with the easier ones and work myself up to the hardest." Shinachiku said as he sat down in lotus position, grabbed a booklet and the brush, dabbed the latter in ink and once he opened the booklet up, he swiped it down. "There's one. A very simple one that is." Shinachiku said, showing off the sealing formula he had just made.
'He made that in just one swipe?!' Shikamaru thought with shock as he and Naruto had flabbergasted expressions on their faces. 'No… he's been doing this for so long, it only looked like he did. His speed in penmanship is just that fast!'
"Just letting you know, it's gonna take some time and they will not be as simple as this. I'm gonna have to write some notes for these as well so you can get a better understanding, dattebaro." Shinachiku said as he readied himself to write more.
At speed that only the Sharingan would have an easier time seeing, Shinachiku furiously wrote down more sealing formulas upon the papers of the booklet.
Naruto and Shikamaru watched in awe as Shinachiku was writing and flipping through the pages so fast it looked like he was doing both exactly at the same time.
'So this… is what a true Uzumaki sealing master is capable of?' Shikamaru thought with awe.
'Sugoi.' Naruto thought with awe.
"Good thing he's on our side." Kurama said, amazed by Shinachiku's skills, but also a bit scared given the fact that biju are, like all other things, vulnerable to fūinjutsu and this kid harnesses them to a frightening degree.
"Done with book one." Shinachiku said as he placed the booklet onto the side.
"That didn't even take you a minute!" Shikamaru exclaimed as he and Naruto were further shocked.
"Well, those are the easier ones. See?" Shinachiku said as he showed off the pages on the booklets of all the 'easy' sealing formulas he made.
"Those are… the easy ones?" Shikamaru questioned with shock.
"They look easier than the one that sealed Kurama inside of me." Naruto said as he rubbed his chin.
"I'll keep going now. Once I'm done, I'll add in the notes." Shinachiku said as he moved on to booklet two and started writing furiously again.
"If only this kid was around for the end of the war against Madara and Kaguya." Shikamaru whispered to Naruto.
"If only he was around for the Chunin Exams. Can you imagine how easy it would have been to handle Momoshiki and those other two with that skill? I wish I had that level of skill, dattebayo." Naruto responded, still in shock and awe at Shinachiku's fūinjutsu skills.
In the span of ten to fifteen minutes, Shinachiku had managed to fill in thirty booklets filled with sealing formulas.
Both Shikamaru and Naruto stared at all the booklets with wide eyes as they watched Shinachiku place another neatly atop of the pile, making it thirty-one booklets.
"Are you writing down every sealing formula in existence?" Shikamaru questioned.
"No. Just the ones I know by heart. I'm pretty sure the really good ones are either still hidden in Uzushiogakure and Uzu no Kuni (Land of Whirlpools) somewhere or now lost to time." Shinachiku said as he continued onto the thirty second booklet.
"To think, all these are in his head, and he might not even be scratching the surface just yet." Shikamaru whispered with awe.
"He really is something." A new male voice spoke, earning everyone's attention, causing them to see Kakashi by the window. "Hello." Kakashi greeted the trio with a wave and eye smiles.
"Hello, Kakashi-san." Naruto greeted his former team instructor.
"Kaka-ojisan?" Shinachiku was surprised to see the silver haired Jonin appearance. "Oh! I'm sorry, I mean, Kakashi-san. Gomen." Shinachiku apologized as he rubbed the back of his head.
"So, you are Shinachiku. Nice to finally meet you." Kakashi as he now appeared within the office.
"Face to face that is." Shinachiku said with a smirk.
"Oh, right. Sorry about that. Hope I didn't make you feel uneasy." Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head with embarrassed eye smiles.
"Nah, it's good. Although, Arata was getting kind of tired of having your eyes on us. He expected you already knew we had detected you long ago, so he just didn't see why you decided to prolong things. Unless you were doing it just for fun." Shinachiku said with dull expression, causing Kakashi to chuckle a bit nervously.
"Came to report anything, Rokudaime-sama?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yes. Thanks to the help of my ninken and assistance from several other shinobi with tracking skills, we were able to map out any of these Oni Zetsu that are near the village. They're not as close as we expected them to be, but the distance is still too narrow for our liking." Kakashi said as he pulled out a map and rolled it out onto the Hokage's desk, revealing a map of Hi no Kuni with several red circle of varying sizes litter throughout it.
"Troublesome all the same." Shikamaru said with a frown.
"Did any of those trackers check for any of them beneath the ground? Because they like to do that, and it can get pretty annoying trying to find them in there since they're made up of Mokuton (Wood Release) and Nature Chakra." Shinachiku said as he was finishing up his thirty second booklet.
"We asked some Aburame clan members to assist with that. They use special burrowing beetles to search the grounds. These things are still made of chakra so it will still be possible to find them. Just might take some time though." Kakashi answered.
"Speaking of the nature chakra aspect, the fact that there are Oni Zetsu out there that can not only manipulate it from the earth itself, but also use it akin to senjutsu, really takes things to an even more troublesome degree." Shikamaru said with annoyance as he rubbed the top of his head.
"First thing that comes to mind are the Oni themselves, I'm guessing." Shinachiku said, causing Shikamaru to groan with a frown.
"The fact that they can not only just make weapons with Mokuton and infuse them with nature chakra is already a drag enough, but to learn there are variants with one of them using senjutsu as their primary art takes things to a whole new level of troublesome." Shikamaru responded with a frown.
"Yeah, I know. Being hit with one of those attacks is annoying. It's like trying to match tou-chan's frog kata and that stuff really hurts, right down to the bone, dattebaro." Shinachiku said with a frown as he finished the thirty second booklet and moved onto the next one.
"You fought one of these senjutsu users one on one?" Kakashi asked.
"Not one on one. I'm tough, but I don't think I'm ready to take a green Oni with just raw strength. I tried matching a maxed-out punch with one of its nature energy enhanced palm strikes, all I did was push it back while I felt my whole right arm vibrating, along with having my sleeve torn to shred by the force in the process. I definitely needed to use the Hachimon and my chakra cloak to keep up. Even mixing them both together to finish the job. Man, now that was a pain, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said as he quickly wrote more seals into the thirty third booklet.
"Mixing them?" Naruto asked as he, Shikamaru and Kakashi looked to Shinachiku with surprised expressions.
"Oh, yeah, uh… that's a thing. Kind of sounds like I'm boasting, huh? Sorry." Shinachiku said as he looked to the side with a bit of an embarrassed blush and rubbing the back of his head.
Kakashi suddenly sighed as he had a calmer expression.
"Humility. Bet your mother taught you that." Kakashi said, pointing to Shinachiku.
"Yeah, pretty much. Tou-chan taught me a little bit of that as well, but let's not kid ourselves. We all know who was better at that lesson." Shinachiku said as he chuckled and continued to rub the back of his head.
"Isn't that the truth." Kakashi said as he chuckled as well, along with Shikamaru.
'They're all laughing at my expense.' Naruto thought with a pout, which Shinachiku noticed.
"Oh. Sorry. I forget when I make a comment about my tou-chan, I'm technically making one about you too, I guess. Gomen." Shinachiku said as he gave a small apologetic bow to Naruto.
"Don't worry about it." Naruto said with a dismissive wave.
"Still though, I wish Boruto learned more of that. He's… relatively a good kid, but he can be just as much as a handful like his own father used to be. Actually, I think even more so, just a different way." Kakashi said, showing clear disapproval for the Uzumaki-Hyūga boy.
"I know he can be… a little much, but he is a promising shinobi with a good heart. You shouldn't be too hard on him, Kakashi-o-, uh, san." Shinachiku said.
"Little hard not to be a little critical on the boy after he used one of your signature techniques through the means of a scientific ninja tool to win in the final rounds of the Chunin Exams." Kakashi retorted with a nonchalant tone.
"He Did What?!" Shinachiku exclaimed with shock and a sign of annoyance.
"Yeah… Boruto, pretty much cheated his way through the Chunin Exams with the help of Katasuke Tōno's scientific breakthroughs. A gauntlet that uses cartridges packed with jutsus that the wielder can utilize without the use of their own chakra." Shikamaru explained.
"That Little Knucklehead! I Ought To Punch Him Six Feet Under For Even Thinking That Was Okay!" Shinachiku shouted with a clear look of anger as he then growled with a pissed anime look and bringing up a shaking fist, not unlike his mother's angered demeanor.
"There's that look again." Naruto said in a low tone as he had a nervous expression complete with a nervous smile and eye smiles.
"Can't really blame him." Shikamaru responded in a low tone as well as he rubbed the back of his neck.
'The boy can be so much like his mother.' Kakashi thought as he a pair of nervous eye smiles as he silently chuckled.
"Well, whatever. Past is the past, and Boruto seems to have changed for the better, dattebaro." Shinachiku said as he calmed down, closing his eyes as he still possessed a frown. "Actually, on the subject of scientific ninja tools and Katasuke-san, are you gonna ask for his help on this as well?" Shinachiku asked.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"In my world, when he introduced his scientific breakthrough with that gauntlet of his, he was hoping it to be used in the Chunin Exams for the whole world to see, but tou-chan denied it since it would take away anyone's ability to strive for building up the strength within themselves. I'm guessing from what I just heard the same happened here as well." Shinachiku said.
"Yet your father came up with a compromise, didn't he?" Shikamaru questioned, rhetorically more than genuinely.
"That's right." Shinachiku said with a nod. "Tou-chan and Shikamaru-ojisan realized that though it would send a wrong message if used during the exams, against the Oni Zetsu would be a different story. Let's admit it, fūinjutsu isn't really a skill just about anyone can do. It's the most difficult art to master in a shinobi's arsenal, and even then, it can take a little too much time than necessary to perform. They both realized that if they could use those cartridges that the gauntlet to utilized fūinjutsu-"
"I see where you're getting at. That could actually really help us with our own Oni Zetsu problem." Shikamaru said, seeing the bigger picture. "Katasuke, for his actions regarding Boruto and the Chunin Exams, was put on suspension. Perhaps now would be a good time to lift it. See if he's in his right of mind now."
"I'll have to send a message then." Naruto said.
"Or you could just flash there and talk to him." Shinachiku suggested.
"Flash?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, you know, with Minato-Ojīchan's Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique). Well, technically the Nidaime's, but you know what I mean." Shinachiku elaborated.
Naruto blinked his eyes in surprise.
"Your father… knows tou-chan's jutsu too?" Naruto asked with surprise.
"Wait, you mean you don't?" Shinachiku asked, surprised as well. "Excuse me if I sound rude right now, but why the hell don't you know it?"
"Well, I never really got around to it, I guess." Naruto said with an embarrassed grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
"But you can make thousands of clones who can transfer knowledge back to you. Why didn't you ever asked one of the few people who know how to use it. If I remember correctly, there's like three people in the village who can do, albeit not alone." Shinachiku said, lightly scratching his cheek with his finger.
"Genma Shiranui, Raidō Namiashi and Iwashi Tatami. They're part of the Hokage Guard Platoon. Minato-sensei taught them the Hiraishin, however, they are only able to do it in cooperation, calling it the Hiraijin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder Formation Technique)." Kakashi answered. "If I recall, they marked you as well, correct, Naruto?"
"Oh yeah. I guess I do have some people who can teach me. This job has gotten easier with clones, so I might as well have them teach me while I leave some here. Would make getting to places much easier, 'ttebayo." Naruto said as he lightly scratched his cheek with his finger.
"Best part is whatever's been marked with the seal it never vanishes. It's forever on there until it no longer exists. I'm sure there's still some Hiraishin kunai out there that Ojīchan, hell maybe even the Nidaime, have used that you can still teleport to. It even helps with sending projectile jutsu as big as a Bijūdama away by teleporting it to that specific area." Shinachiku said with a smile.
"And you never got around to learning such a versatile jutsu before because you didn't have time, even with the number of clones you can make?" Shikamaru questioned as he looked to Naruto, who was chuckling nervously.
"Well, um, I mean… you know… uh… heh…" Naruto couldn't find the words to respond.
"Man, what a drag." Shikamaru said as he scratched the top of his head. "Well, we'll just send the message the usual way then."
"Are you also going to be assigning licenses too?" Shinachiku asked.
"Licenses?" Shikamaru questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. Seeing as there are so many Oni Zetsu in the world- erm, my world, and seeing as not everyone utilizes chakra for jutsu and stuff, there was a law decreed that anyone be it shinobi or even civilian who leaves the confine of their village, they have the right to wield one of these scientific ninja tools. However, seeing as it's a delicate piece of machinery and you still need to have to be calm under pressure of a threat, you need to take an exam to qualify for a license to wield them. This way it's to make sure that not only can anybody use one for their own safety and for the safety of others, but that it will be properly used by qualified people. After all, you can't just let anyone use those, even if it is for their own safety or the benefit of others. There are some people who shouldn't have that power in their hands." Shinachiku explained.
"Not a bad system. At least when handling these creatures. However, such a thing would lead to a high chance of a missing-nin taking it for themselves or selling it on the black market." Shikamaru said.
"Well, that's where a specific sealing formula is involved." Shinachiku said as he placed the thirty third booklet atop the neat pile, then looked for a specific one before taking it out, scanning through the pages, finding what he was looking for and showed it to three adults. "This one! It's used to identify someone specific chakra signature, making it a seal that only that specific person can use, along with whatever it is marked to. After completing their exam, they are given a contract with this specific seal on it that they sign in ink mixed with a drop of their blood, which when done, the graduate adds their own chakra onto the contract causing it to morph completely into the sealing formula. Once added into their ninja tool, it makes it their own tool, nobody else's. If someone of a different chakra signature and DNA tries to use the tool or tamper with it in any sort of way, it will retaliate, usually by effecting the foreign chakra source, making it heavier, causing the owner of that foreign source to be sealed in place in a sense, unable to move or retaliate. The only way to use this bad boy is to not only have the original user's chakra signature and DNA, but also a password complete with several specific hand seals." Shinachiku explained with a smile.
The three adults blinked their eyes in surprise at this.
"That's uh… wow." Shikamaru was flabbergasted in awe at this system.
"Pretty complex, I know. They really wanted to make these super hard for anyone outside of the user to use. Makes it easier for us to retrieve it, harder for someone of less reputable intent to have it for themselves." Shinachiku said with a grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Your father helped come up with the system?" Kakashi asked.
"Well, it was a team effort. He needed a committee to be made, authorization by members of his council, the cooperation and approval by the Five Kage and the Daimyos of their respective regions, but in the end, it passed, and it worked well so far." Shinachiku explained.
"His council?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. See the old ones who made up the original council… well they're no more, so when my tou-chan took the reins, he made his own filled with those he trusted the most, and made a decree that every Hokage is allowed to hand pick their own members for their own personal council, while every Hokage who has finished their term has their own council disbanded for a new one to be formed by the following Hokage's." Shinachiku elaborated.
"Not a bad idea actually." Shikamaru said, actually impressed, as he rubbed his chin in thought.
'Man, it sounds like his dad has thought things over better than I have. I really got to put in more effort into my own job as Hokage.' Naruto thought to himself with a small frown as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"You put in a lot already, kit. Don't sell yourself too short." Kurama said.
'Thanks, Kurama.' Naruto thanked the fox spirit for his comforting words with a smile now on his face.
"Anyway, I'll write the notes after I'm done with probably book number fifty." Shinachiku said.
"Fifty?!" Shikamaru questioned with surprise.
"I want to add cooperation fūinjutsu just in case, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said as he quickly got to writing into the thirty fourth booklet at blinding speed. "Speaking of cooperation, Kaka-oj- I mean, Kakashi-san… I can tell you're not a fan of Boruto, but you mind at least cooperating with him for something, as a favor to me?" Shinachiku asked the silver haired Jonin.
"Well, it depends on what that would be." Kakashi said.
"Rasengan training. He wants to make his own stronger." Shinachiku answered.
"You know, that's not going to so simple." Kakashi said with his arms crossed.
"I know, but lately I've been training him and recently I applied these special gravity seals that not only forced him to work on his chakra control to even move, but it also built up his chakra. He can already make an Ōdama Rasengan with the help of a clone, but now even after two days with them on and I think under your guidance he might just be able to not only pull it off alone, but also make something even stronger, dattebaro." Shinachiku explained as he finished up the thirty fourth booklet.
Kakashi stared at Shinachiku for a moment in silence.
"You really have a lot of faith in him, don't you?" Kakashi questioned, rhetorically that is. Shinachiku answered regardless with a nod, causing Kakashi to smile underneath his mask. "You really are Minato-sensei's grandson." Kakashi said with a pair of eye smiles, surprising Shinachiku.
"You really think so? Everyone keeps saying that." Shinachiku said with a bit of a bashful grin and rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, it's not that hard to see why." Kakashi said with a wider smile underneath his mask. "Alright. As a favor to you. I'll trust in that belief you have in him."
"Thank you." Shinachiku said with a thankful smile.
Naruto couldn't help, but smile at not just the scene before him, but to the young blonde boy who was not just helping him and their village, but his own son as well, along with Sarada.
'Thank you, Shinachiku.'
.
.
Naruto continued to smile proudly as he scanned through the notes and sealing formulas.
"Won't lie, I think I'm understanding Boruto's feelings of jealousy when it came to Shinachiku. Just with this other me that is." Naruto shared.
"Well, just as with Shinachiku, different circumstance can change so much." Shikamaru said in response as he scanned through the notes and sealing formulas.
"I wonder how different your counterpart is." Naruto commented.
"I'm sure we're not that different." Shikamaru retorted.
"Considering that it's still you we're talking about, can't say there's room for argument." Naruto said with a cheeky grin, causing Shikamaru's eyes to roll. There was then a knock at the office door. "Enter." Naruto announced as then came in the Suna-nin of Shinki's team.
"Hokage-dono." Shinki greeted Naruto as he and his team bowed to him.
"It's good to see you three are up and about again." Naruto said with a smile.
"It's thanks to that kid, Shinachiku. He wouldn't leave the hospital until we were all fixed up. Thanks to him, I'm no longer in the threat of going deaf." Yodo said with a smile. "Although, speaking of the guy, there's something we wanted to ask you."
"That being?" Naruto asked.
"On our mission to get here, we heard from Boruto that, well…"
"Shinachiku and Arata… how are they related to him in that manner?" Shinki asked.
"Oh… that." Naruto said with a mild look of surprise.
"GODDAMMIT!" A voice screamed out, causing Shinki's team to flinch in surprise at this new presence, while Naruto just sighed and made a ram seal, causing a silencer sealing formula to appear on his office doors for a second before disappearing. Squirming out of Naruto's jacket and hopping onto his desk, Kyoto revealed herself to the trio of Suna-nin. "Can no one in this damn dimension keep a reality breaking secret?!" Kyoto complained with utter annoyance.
'Here we go again.' Naruto thought with a pout and his eyes closed as he rubbed the back of his head, while Shikamaru just sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"What the heck is that? I heard there were talking frogs out there, but how come this one has a jewel attached to its back?" Araya questioned, shocked and a bit freaked out by this occurrence.
"I'm tired of having to repeat this crap all the time, so I'll just make this as quick as possible. I am the gatekeeper of this dimension. The jewel on my back is a door that can lead you to other worlds, but it's primarily focused on my sister's world, which is where Shinachiku and Arata are from. Shina is the son of that world's Naruto and Sakura, and Arata is the son of that world's Sasuke and Hinata, or in layman's terms, in that world Boruto and Sarada's parents ended up with the other's spouse and had them. Along with several others, but you get the gist now, correct?" Kyoto explained as brief as she could.
Shinki, Yodo, and Araya (behind his mask) had wide eyes as they stared at the celestial amphibian with flabbergasted expression.
"Uh… I'm… I'm sorry, that's just… a lot to process." Araya said as he grasped the top of his now aching head.
"Makes sense to me." Yodo said.
"Say what?!" Araya looked to Yodo in shock.
"From the stories I've heard from my chichi (father), I doubt the Hokage would ever consider dabbling in such affairs to begin with. This makes the logical sense, despite its ridiculous sounding premise." Shinki said.
"How can you both be so calm about this?! Two super powered shinobi from another universe and our world's gatekeeper is a talking blue frog! How is no one else freaking out over this?!" Araya questioned, still flabbergasted.
"After the stuff we witnessed on our mission and knowing our planet's greatest enemies can come from the stars, I'm willing to believe anything at this point." Yodo said with a stoic expression.
"This Is Still The Craziest One So Far!" Araya retorted.
"Hokage-sama, those two were very familiar with these new enemies we faced. Are they from this alternate reality as well?" Shinki asked.
"I'm afraid so." Naruto said.
"Oh… well, that explains a lot. Really it does." Araya said, not even sure himself if he was being sarcastic or not.
"Apparently, these new foes our world faces are known as the Nana Deshi. They are the original seven disciples of Jashin himself, and the reason for their being here is because their targets are five separate scrolls, each trust to a hidden village, with the scroll you delivered being one of them. For some reason, they cannot attain it in their world, so they siphoned the power from Kyoto's sister in their world to gain access into ours to retrieved them. At the moment, what the scrolls contain is unknown, but with the lengths they are going through to obtain them, it's clear that it will present a danger to both our worlds." Shikamaru explained.
"And… what about those monsters along the way? The Yōkai?" Yodo asked.
"Those creatures are called the Oni Zetsu. They are beings made up of Mokuton and the chakra from the earth itself, both nature energy and the lingering chakra of fallen individuals; not unlike the White Zetsus from the Fourth Shinobi World War. When killed they disperse into spores that if let loose will create more Oni Zetsu, so it is best to either burn them and the spores or seal them away to keep them from spreading. They also come from this other world. No doubt used as both extra muscle and a distraction to keep us from properly interfering with their goal." Shikamaru elaborated.
"Great… so our world went from dealing with aliens to now having to handle immortal cultists with an army of beasts that take the form ancient boogeymen. I'd hate to guess what would be next." Araya said as he was feeling exhausted from all this overwhelming information.
"So, since we delivered the scroll to you guys, does that mean that their focus will no longer be on Suna?" Yodo asked.
"Now that the scroll is in our possession, Suna is safe from them. For now at least." Shikamaru answered.
"We'd best return." Shinki said.
"I'm afraid we're not obligated to allow that." Naruto said, surprising and confusing the three.
"Why not?" Araya asked.
"We had actually received a message from Kankuro some time ago." Shikamaru answered as Naruto took out a scroll with the Sunagakure emblem on it.
"He requests that you three remain here for the time being. While Suna is spared from further threats from the cult, Oni Zetsu have been trying to worm their way in. Luckily the village's natural defenses and still active shinobi are keeping them from getting too far into the village where the civilians and injured residents are. However, with their presence now lingering between both Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni, and in great number, the path back home for you three will be too dangerous. For your safety, Kankuro has requested we house you until we have measures to handle these beasts." Naruto explained.
"Man…" Araya said with a frown hidden under his mask.
"I can't believe things have gotten this bad." Yodo said with her own frown and somber eyes.
"What of my chichi?" Shinki asked, worried about his father's safety.
The moment he and his teammates say the difficult looks on Naruto and Shikamaru's faces, they knew things were not looking so well for the Kazekage.
"Gaara still lives, but he is now in a coma as a result of his battle with the one known as Kana." Naruto said, causing the Suna-nin to gain shocked and even horrified expression.
"Gaara-sama…" Yodo spoke the Kazekage's name with shock and worry for his safety.
'Otōsan…' (Father) Shinki mentally spoke with wide eyes as he was now feeling worried for his adoptive father's health and guilt for now standing and fighting with him. Even though he was given a mission from him personally, he still wished he could have been there to aid him in any way, even if his efforts would have been in vain regardless.
For Shinki, that was a line of thinking he would never have. Only in such extremely rare circumstances when he felt greatly damaged emotionally.
"Kankuro will be keeping us informed on Gaara's condition." Naruto added. He noticed the troubled looks on the three Suna-nins' faces. "Don't worry. Gaara's a strong guy. Madara Uchiha didn't keep him down for long, so not even this Kana woman would be able to keep him down either. Just have faith that he will pull through. He is your Kazekage after all. Even more than that, dattebayo." Naruto said, offering a smile with his last words being for Shinki.
After a moment, the three Suna-nin regained a strong composure.
"Hai!" The three said in unison.
"Arigato, Hokage-sama." Yodo thanked the elder blonde with a small bow.
"We'll focus on finding you three a place before the day's end-"
"Actually, I'm willing to offer you three to stay at my residence for the time being. If that's okay with you." Shikamaru offered, surprising Yodo and Araya, while Shinki remained unaffected.
"So long as it is not a problem for you, ojisan." Shinki said to his uncle.
"I wouldn't offer if it was." Shikamaru said with a slight smile.
"We are honored, Shikamaru-sama." Yodo said, giving the Hokage's head advisor a bow. "Although, I don't see your son finding this arrangement with the same comforting attitude as you." She added, remember her personal experience with the Nara heir back during the Chunin Exams.
"Yeah, well, hopefully he won't find it too much of a drag." Shikamaru said with a bit of an embarrassed smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. 'She may not be abrasive as her and her wording is a bit nicer, but I can actually see a little bit of Temari in this girl.'
"Now with that taken care of, I hope you three don't mind me asking for your assistance from time to time to help around Konoha." Naruto said.
"Suna and Konoha are still allies. We will gladly assist during our stay." Shinki answered.
"Arigato." Naruto thanked the trio with a smile. "You three are dismissed."
"Arigato, Hokage-sama." The Suna trio thanked Naruto with bows before heading out of the office.
"Now you need to discuss things with Shikadai and Temari." Naruto said to his advisor.
"I already discussed it with her last night. In fact, it was Temari's idea. Shinki is family after all, and she didn't find it fair to only offer him up residence and not his teammates. Shikadai on the other hand, I figured it would have been too troublesome and left him in a mood for a while. Better to tell him after they took me up on this arrangement." Shikamaru explained.
"Doesn't make it any less troublesome though, am I right?" Naruto said with a teasing smile.
"Don't ask questions you know the answer to." Shikamaru said with a sigh.
Naruto chuckled with a small grin as he resumed scanning through the notes Shinachiku gave them. With his focus back on Shinachiku's accomplishment, a thought came to Naruto's mind.
"Hmm… I wonder… how far he's able to go." Naruto said aloud, confusing Shikamaru.
"I know how far he can't go with certain things. Like keeping secrets." Kyoto said as she hopped onto Naruto and made her way back into the now nervously chuckling Hokage's jacket.
.
.
"CHANARA!" Sarada and Sakura screamed out as they rocketed towards each other with their fists cocked back. They slammed their fists against the others, unleashing a powerful shockwave that formed a crater beneath them.
Sarada grunted as she tried to match her mother's power, while the elder Haruno remained strong with a calm expression. After a moment, Sarada was sent back, but the girl managed to keep her feet on the ground, albeit still skidding back. She managed to halt herself after a few feet, but after a moment, the girl fell onto her hands and feet, panting a bit.
"Not bad." Tsunade said as she was standing at the side with a smirk and her arms crossed.
"I'll say." Sakura said with her own smirk as she rubbed her wrist to actually alleviate some pain.
"Damn… after all that training, I thought I would have handled that better." Sarada said with a frown as she rose to her feet, continuing to pant as she had her hands on her knees.
"You did wonderfully, Sarada. Trust me. You've gotten so much better with your chakra control in just a week and a half. Not even." Sakura said with a proud smile.
"It's been a long… productive twelve days." Sarada responded as she stood up straight.
"Twelve days… I can't believe they've been here that long." Sakura said with a frown, causing Sarada and Tsunade to frown as well.
"They have done a lot of good during their stay here from what I've heard, and they're already making names for themselves." Tsunade said.
"Yeah… but I can't help but feel bad." Sakura said.
"Considering their circumstances, that's very understandable." Tsunade said.
"Actually… I was referring to… the other me." Sakura said, surprising Sarada while Tsunade nodded in understanding.
"I see… I haven't really thought of that…" Sarada confessed as she was now feeling just as bad as her mother. 'I've been so focused on Shinachiku and Arata, that I keep forgetting that their parents must be feeling the same pain. Maybe feeling worse.' Sarada thought to herself with a frown. She suddenly felt a light flick on her hitai-ate covered forehead, causing her to flinch a bit. "Ow." Well, light by her mother's standards.
"Let's not think about that. Right now, you are the only child of Sakura Haruno we're focusing on today." Sakura said as she offered her daughter a smile.
"Alright." Sarada said as she used her finger to rub the spot on her hitai-ate that her mother flicked.
"I've come to notice from that last clash that you were actually holding back their young lady." Sakura said with a smirk.
"You could tell, huh? Of course you can." Sarada said to herself in a low tone with an embarrassed smile as she had her hands behind her back.
"Would this have to do with the extension of my taijutsu that Shinachiku created?" Tsunade asked, surprising Sarada.
"I hope you don't mind, but I told Tsunade-sama before you got here. She is the progenitor of this fighting style after all." Sakura explained to her daughter.
"Mind showing me this expansion, Sarada?" Tsunade asked the young Uchiha.
"Oh! Of course!" Sarada said as she stood up straight and faced her mother's old mentor. She turned towards a perfect object to use the technique on. She decided on a nearby tree to truly show its strength, instead of just relying on a large stone structure. Sarada got into position, bending her knees and cocking her fist back. She took a calm breath in as she focused her chakra into her fist, causing a momentary minor flash of chakra. After a moment of proper focus, she rocketed her way towards the tree. "CHANARA!" Sarada screamed out as she slammed her fist into the tree.
Tsunade and Sakura watched as after a moment or two, they noticed cracks appear around the tree's bark, before it shattered apart into many pieces, like a shattered marble statue.
Tsunade walked over towards the shattered tree and inspected them to examine the damage.
"Impressive." Tsunade said as she took two pieces that clearly seemed to be together before Sarada's attack, examining the cracks where they were once connected, noticing the gaps between them were wider than what one would normally expect from that super enhanced collision. "I see… instead of unleashing all your chakra upon impact like normal, you transfer chakra right into the target, creating fissures from within that double as new passageways for your chakra to leak into, focusing it through and then unleashing the impact which travels through them, allowing that same force to be felt within the body instead of externally like normal. Genius, but to achieve this would require a high skill and pitch perfect efficiency in chakra control." Tsunade said in awe.
"To be perfectly honest, I'm still not doing it exactly right. Shinachiku-onii-chan is able to do damage like this in an instant. It still takes me a moment to actually unleash it as intended." Sarada said.
"Even still, the shock presented by the blow gives you enough time to do so. This is astounding! I can't believe I never thought of something like this before. It would have been perfect against Hanzo's summoning back in the day, if I had faced him one on one that is." Tsunade said as she stared at the broken tree pieces in her hand, still in awe. She then noticed Sarada flinching a bit and holding her fist. "Something wrong with your hand?" Tsunade asked.
"Is it a side effect of the jutsu?" Sakura asked with concern for her daughter's health.
"No. I'm just still feeling the effect of that last blow we had." Sarada said.
"Oh. Sorry." Sakura said with an embarrassed smile. "Here, I'll heal it." Sakura said as she reached for her daughter's hand.
"Don't worry. I got this covered." Sarada said as she reached into her pouch and took out several paper tag.
"Hmm?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow in confusion as her second apprentice's daughter. She watched as Sarada placed four tags around her right arm as green chakra started to emanate from them. 'That's… medical ninjutsu!' Tsunade thought with shock and awe.
"There! I'm already feeling much better!" Sarada said with a smile as she brought up her right fist.
"Sarada… what are those?" Tsunade asked with pure curiosity.
"Oh, these are Shinachiku-onii-chan's Iyashi-satsu. He's also an expert on fūinjutsu. He actually combined the two arts of fūinjutsu and medical ninjutsu to create these. I guess they're kind of like super band-aids that heal you up quickly when you don't have time or chakra to spare. They're super useful, especially on the missions we've been having." Sarada explained, smiling at the tags with pride in the sunshine blonde she called her brother.
Tsunade gently grabbed Sarada's right arm, surprising the girl, as the elder medic brought it up a bit towards herself.
"I can't believe… I never thought of these before." Tsunade said with somber expression, surprising and confusing Sarada and Sakura. "I could have made these long ago with Jiraiya's help… maybe then… so many lives would have been saved when I was on active duty. Maybe if Dan and Jiraiya had these then-"
"Tsunade-sama." Sakura spoke her former mentor's name, causing the blonde to look to her to see a look of concern and sympathy on the pink-haired woman's face.
"Sorry… I didn't mean to bring down the mood. We're here to train, after all." Tsunade said, putting on a smile.
'Tsunade-sama…' Sakura continued to stare at her predecessor with a sympathetic expression.
"I'm sorry you didn't have these." Sarada said, earning both elder medics' attention. "I never experienced what you have… but I was pretty close. Recently, actually." Sarada confessed with a somber expression, surprising the elder woman.
"… But you had these when it did, correct?" Tsunade asked, earning a nod from the younger kunoichi. "Then don't feel so blue. Now's not the time for that. No need to dwell on the past. We're here to train to make sure it never happens again." Tsunade said with a soft, encouraging smile.
"Hai." Sarada said with a soft smile of her own.
"So, are you only able to do this new fighting style with your fist so far?" Tsunade asked as she released Sarada's arm.
"I only just recently started working in kicks with Shinachiku-onii-chan, but I am able to take what I've learned from both him and Arata-onii-chan to make my blows even more powerful and deadly!" Sarada answered, showing excitement.
"Care to show me what you mean?" Tsunade asked.
"Right!" Sarada gained a determined and excited expression as she hopped over towards across from another tree. She got into her previous stance, but started to summon lightning chakra to her fist, surprising both Tsunade and Sakura. "CHANARA!" Sarada screamed out as she rocketed forward and slammed her fist into the tree, doing as she did before, but this time, causing the tree to shatter apart in an instance and into tinier pieces with a good amount of itself being broken into oblivion.
'Sugoi.' Tsunade thought with shock and awe.
'Sarada…' Sakura stared at her daughter with utter shock with amazement reflected in her eyes.
"Arata-onii-chan told me that by utilizing lightning chakra I strengthen the muscles in my body and therefore the power of my physical strength and jutsu. Combined that with the chakra control training, improvement in my jutsu and the various ways to utilize my strength from Shinachiku-onii-chan, he said I can surpass the likes of the Sandaime Raikage, who was able to battle the Hachibi in a stalemate and defeat ten thousand shinobi in a single night! I know that sounds a bit much, but if Arata-onii-chan says it and Shinachiku-onii-chan genuinely believes it, then I know it's the truth! I'll be that strong and more!" Sarada said, smiling brightly as she looked to her right fist.
Tsunade blinked her eyes as she then smiled.
"I do believe they are right." Tsunade agreed.
"Yeah." Sakura said with a nod and a smile on her face as well. 'Shinachiku, Arata, thank you so much. Not only is Sarada so much stronger thanks to you both, but I've never seen her more confident in herself. I'm glad we got the chance to meet you both.' Sakura thought as her smile widen. "Well, I think that's enough time showing off. It's time we got back to your training. You can't reach those expectations without reviewing the basics after all." Sakura said, still smiling with her arms crossed.
"Funny. Shinachiku-onii-chan says the same thing." Sarada said with a bit of a teasing smile and her hands behind her back.
"I'm glad he does." Sakura responded, causing Sarada's smile to widen.
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"Rasengan!" Boruto screamed out as he slammed his Rasengan into the side of a cliff, drilling right into it right before it burst, forcing the golden blonde leaped back, landing beside Kakashi.
"Well, would you look at that." Kakashi said as he and Boruto stared at a crater made by Boruto's Rasengan, which was twice the Uzumaki boy's size.
"WHOA! Awesome~! And's that's just after two days! Arigato, onii-san!" Boruto exclaimed with utter joy as he had a huge grin on his face.
"Onii-san? You've gotten that comfortable with Shinachiku?" Kakashi asked with a hidden smirk.
"Uh… yeah… same with Arata, I guess." Boruto said, looking with an embarrassed smile and rubbing the back of his head.
'I'm glad.' Kakashi thought with a pleasant smile underneath his mask. "Well, thanks to your training, which was no doubt intense yet very effective from the looks of it, I'd say your Rasengan has gotten several times as powerful."
"Yes!" Boruto cheered with a grin and pair of fist pumps.
"In fact…" Kakashi walked over towards the crater as he noticed something within the crater. "I'd say it's evolved to a new point." Kakashi said as he leaned closer to
"Evolved?" Boruto questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Come here." Kakashi gestured for Boruto to come closer. Once the genin made it over, Kakashi pointed to the center of the crater. "See that?"
"Uh~…" Boruto narrowed his eyes as he leaned in closer. "It's… deeper?"
"Mainly in the center. Like it was hit by a drill." Kakashi said as he put his finger into the center, showing it was much deeper in the center. "You must have subconsciously extended more chakra into the center upon impact, causing the Rasengan's power to divert to the center within the last moments, putting all its strength into a single point."
"A single point…" Boruto said to himself in thought.
"Now that I examine this crater, it's layered with ridges." Kakashi said as he brushed his hands against the crater's layered surface. "You've effectively turned your Rasengan into a Kussaku Rasengan (Drilling Spiraling Sphere)."
"Kussaku Rasengan?" Boruto questioned with surprised as he looked to Kakashi. His eyes then went back to the center where his jutsu did the most damage. "A single point… wait a minute…"
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Boruto was standing within a creek where fish were swimming. He remained focus on his objective. He stayed in place with a focus stare. After some more moments of silence, Boruto snapped his arm into the creek and pulled out a fish by its tail.
"Yes! I got another one!" Boruto cheered with a grin.
"Good work." Arata said as he was leaning against a tree.
"Okay, back you go little guy." Boruto said as he gently placed the fish back into the water, letting it swim away.
"You striking speed has improved. That's good. Now, to move on to an important factor in the Jūken (Gentle Fist). Actually using it." Arata said.
"Huh?" Boruto looked to his maternal half-brother in confusion.
"I've noticed something when it comes to your Jūken. You don't focus chakra into them like others within our clan do to block one's tenketsu (chakra points)." Arata pointed out.
"Yeah, but that's because I don't have the Byakugan." Boruto said.
"Neither does my sister and she can do it perfectly." Arata countered, causing Boruto to groan with a frown.
Arata pulled out a scroll and unfurled it to reveal a sealing formula. Once making a ram seal, a puff of smoke appeared and when it dissipated, it revealed a humanoid wooden puppet with dots littered throughout its form in the colors blue, purple, green and red.
"What is that?" Boruto asked, staring at the puppet with wide eyes.
"This is a special puppet used for those who practice the Jūken without the Byakugan." Arata answered. "I asked Tenten-san to make this and Shinachiku helped with these dots."
"Which are supposed to represent tenketsu, I'm guessing."
"Correct. They're painted nails with each color representing the placement of their respective tenketsu. The blue is your average tenketsu, the purple is supposed to represent the tenketsu that are over muscles that can deter a person's physical capabilities, and the red is supposed to represent organs." Arata explained.
"And the green? What's that supposed to represent?" Boruto asked with curiosity.
"Those tenketsu are very special." Arata said. "Have you ever noticed that there has never been a Hyūga that has been a medic?" Arata questioned, causing Boruto's eyes to blink in surprise.
"You know, now that you mention it… I never had. That's pretty weird in hindsight." Boruto said as he lightly scratched his cheek and eyes looked up in thought.
"It is because the clan had discovered there was a special style of the Jūken that can be used for medical purposes." Arata answered.
"Whoa, wait, seriously?! Why weren't there any medics from the clan then?" Boruto asked.
"The Jūken is meant to be a secret technique. Despite everyone knowing how it works, they don't know how to properly use it. The clan was worried that if the secret of specific tenketsu were able to release enzymes and trigger certain other functions within the body just from having certain tenketsu in the body struck with medical chakra introduced, then other people would try to discover these tenketsu themselves, especially enemies of the village." Arata explained.
"But that knowledge could have saved people, right?" Boruto questioned, earning a nod from the blunette. "Then shouldn't that have been enough to risk it?"
"Not to the clan. Secrets and tradition were of major importance to them back in the day, even if it was a detriment to others and by proxy the village." Arata clarified.
"What the hell kind of logic is that?!" Boruto exclaimed with shock in the old ways of the Hyūga.
"Different times, Boruto. Though stubborn in their ideals, their reasons back in the day were not unfounded." Arata said, making the blonde groan with a saddened frown.
"So, I can heal people if I strike these spots?" Boruto asked, deciding to not dwell on the Hyūga clan's old ways.
"Don't be confused. It's not necessarily healing the body itself with your own means. You're just triggering parts of the body to force them to work harder in providing the body an easier time to activate it's flow of adrenaline, forcing it and their chakra to increase the body's natural healing factor, increase one's physical capabilities along with their tolerance for pain, albeit it all would be temporary, but in the end, it will help them from being as helpless as they were before, even after the effects wear off." Arata clarified.
"Oh… so it's more like a boost than actual healing." Boruto summarized.
"Exactly. Although, it does help healing them with medical ninjutsu much easier. In fact, my sister has done this method before on Shina, making it easier for him and Mamoru to heal himself much faster." Arata added.
"Wow. This actually sounds super helpful." Boruto said with an impressed smile as he looked to his own hands. "I can't believe the Jūken can be used in more ways than just blocking a person's chakra pathways."
"A strength can be used in more than one way, just the same as any muscle can in the body." Arata said.
"Thanks for going all old wise teacher on me there." Boruto 'complained' with a teasing smirk.
"Hn." Arata smirked back before he lifted his hands up with lightning sparking at his fingertips. "Raiden." (Lightning Transmission) Arata announced as bolts of electricity fired from his fingertips and struck the puppet.
Boruto watched as the puppet started moving and waving to him.
"Whoa! You know puppet jutsu?!" Boruto questioned with shock.
"No, not really. See, this puppet is special. It possesses joints and other inner mechanisms beneath its wooden exterior that is sensitive to electricity. I just use my lightning release technique to move them from within, which is easier thanks to the nails surrounding its shell. Think of these bolts as my version of chakra threads." Arata explained as the puppet then got into a Jūken stance. "Just without the need to move my fingers."
"So… I'm supposed to fight this thing?" Boruto questioned, pointing the puppet.
"As you fight, the tenketsu will move with their owner's body, making it difficult to strike without a Byakugan as you are only able to strike them upon intuition. As you fight this puppet, your mind shall get a clear picture on where the tenketsu shall be. Once done, we'll move onto the next step. Now get in your stance." Arata said, earning Boruto's cooperation as the blonde got into his own Jūken stance. "Hajime!" Arata exclaimed as Boruto, and the puppet dashed towards one another.
The puppet sent a palm strike, which Boruto was able to dodge. The genin then slammed his own palm upon one of the blue spots of the puppet.
"Nailed ya!" Boruto cheered with a grin as the puppet stepped back from the sensation.
"Hold on." Arata said, causing Boruto to raise an eyebrow. "Let me see that strike again, but this time, make your chakra more visible."
"Okay." Boruto said, confused on what was going on. He rushed over and slammed another palm strike upon one of the dummy's blue tenketsu, as a splash of Boruto's chakra was more visible this time.
"I see… you're not doing it quite right." Arata said, surprising Boruto.
"What do you mean?" Boruto asked, confused on what he was doing wrong.
"You're just surrounding your entire palm with chakra and unleashing upon impact, which is more like the fighting style Shina and Sarada use. The Jūken works with your chakra drilling into the tenketsu, instead of just leaving an impact on them." Arata said.
"Drilling?" Boruto questioned.
Arata walked over to Boruto and raised up his palm to Boruto. He focused his chakra into the center of the palm.
"Instead of surrounding your whole palm in chakra, focus on putting it in a single point at the center. Not only will you expend less chakra, but you will be able to apply more power into this one focused spot." Arata explained. He then walked over to a nearby tree and slammed his palm upon against the trunk of the tree. Once pulling it back, he gestured for Boruto to take a look himself, which he did to find a small hole drilled into the tree trunk. "This is what you did." Arata said as he raised a palm, surrounded it entirely in chakra and slammed it into the tree, then pulled back to reveal no real damage. "Remember, you're striking a single point, not an entire part of someone's body. By focusing your chakra into one point, you're able to maintain better control and able to apply more power into that single point since you're not forcing it to cover an entire area, as doing so uses up more chakra and more focus to spread the chakra out evenly, which in battle is not something you can afford. You'll just tire yourself out quicker and not even get the proper results you are looking for. Understand?"
"Yeah. I think I do." Boruto said, both genuinely surprised and amazed by the logic.
"Good. Let's hold off on the puppet for now then. We'll practice against the trees until you make thirty of these exact size holes in a row." Arata said, gesturing to the small hole he drilled into the trunk of the tree moments ago.
"Thirty in a row?! And with these gravity seals on?!" Boruto questioned with shock.
"You want to surpass Shina and I as soon as you can, correct?" Arata rhetorically asked, causing Boruto to groan in defeat and annoyance as he got into position.
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"And that's pretty much where I learned that from." Boruto said, finishing telling Kakashi his story on how he made his Rasengan more like a drill.
"I see. So you subconsciously put in what you learned from Arata in your Jūken training into your Rasengan. I have to admit, that's quite impressive. By taking what you've learned from both of those two, you've accomplished a jutsu that is not only more powerful than the Rasengan but can even end a fight much quicker. The Rasengan in powerful as it is, but with the dangers surrounding our land, this jutsu will guarantee a stronger chance at victory, especially against those Oni Zetsu." Kakashi said, impressed by this development.
Boruto then stared at the right palm of his hand.
"I can't believe that… I've learned so much from the both of them, taking it to this extent without even knowing it." Boruto said as he stared at not just his palm, but also the Kāma. He grabbed his right arm, recalling that event. 'Arigato… onii-chans.' Boruto thanked the pair of kōdona genin.
"Although, that's not enough for you, is it?" Kakashi asked, rhetorically, causing Boruto to smile.
"Hell no! Now that I know I can do this with my Rasengan, it's just motivating me more to take it even further! I'm gonna take my jutsu and strength to a whole new level! Soon enough, it's gonna be Shinachiku and Arata who have to work to catch up to me, dattebasa!" Boruto exclaimed with a huge grin.
"You really want them to acknowledge you, huh?" Kakashi said with a hidden smirk. "You really are your father's son." He added with a pair of eye smiles.
"Oi don't say something like that Kakashi-sensei! So lame!" Boruto complained with an embarrassed blush.
"With a bit of a tsundere attitude to it. How is it that you can act more like Sakura used to be when it comes to your father than the one who actually has her blood within him?" Kakashi teased, making Boruto groaned with a frown and his blush deepening.
"Whatever! Let's just get back to it, dattebasa!" Boruto quickly said as he started forming another Rasengan.
Kakashi stared at the golden blonde as he focused on forming his jutsu.
'Two weeks ago I wouldn't have had the patience to deal with you, but because of them, you have already changed so much into more of what a shinobi should be like. What I expect a shinobi related to Naruto and Minato-sensei should be. Even though they are far from home thanks to our new foes, I am actually glad those two are around. It feels like they're bringing out the truly best of you, and out of others from what I've been hearing. Thanks to them, I feel I don't have to worry about the ones who will take over when it's Naruto's time to step down.' Kakashi thought with a calm smile under his mask.
"Hmm? What's with that look, Kaka-sensei?" Boruto asked, noticing how Kakashi was staring at him.
"Oh, nothing. Just lost in thought. Thinking about the path of life and such." Kakashi said with a nonchalant tone and dismissive wave.
"The what?" Boruto questioned with confusion.
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Arata grunted as he sent slash upon slash against a large stone. After a moment, he sheathed his chokuto back its scabbard. He panted as he stared at the grazes upon the surface of the stone.
"Better… but more practice is needed." Arata said as he got into his iaijutsu stance again, but just as he was prepared to unsheathe his weapon, he sensed a new presence in the area. "Something I can help you with, Tsubaki-san?" Arata asked, greeting the young samurai as she stopped across from his back.
"I came to see your progress." Tsubaki informed.
"How much of it do you know of?" Arata asked as he stood up straight.
"Boruto told me what you have been training in yesterday. He didn't understand the full reason though. He thinks it was just your body you were training in, but you were also training your mind. Not only are you trying to build up your physical strength, but also your instincts. You were trying to time your mental reactions at the last moment before impact. A very dangerous game, but I can see you pulling it off." Tsubaki said with her eyes closed and arms crossed.
"So… why visit me while I train?" Arata 'asked'.
"I'm sure you already know." Tsubaki said, keeping her eyes closed and arms crossed.
"Hn." Arata smirked with his eyes closed. He then turned to her, hand resting on the hilt of his chokuto and bringing his other hand into the seal of confrontation.
Tsubaki opened her eyes and mirrored Arata's posture.
After a moment of silence, the wind blew, unleashing a whistle, becoming the signal as the two kenjutsu specialists dashed forward and clashed their blades against one another.
They pushed off against one another before unleashing a flurry of slashes that collided against one another's blades, creating sparks.
Tsubaki made a feint slash, causing Arata to send a rising diagonal slash, which she ducked under as she dashed to Arata's side and sent an iaijutsu slash, only to be blocked by Arata's scabbard, shocking the samurai, who's eyes went wide.
Arata smirked as he pushed Tsubaki's blade away and used the momentum to spin to deliver a two-hundred seventy-degree angle back slash, forcing Tsubaki to jump back.
The two sheathed their blades before dashing forward and clashing swords again, pushing against one another.
'I missed this.' Arata mentally commented with a smirk.
"Hmph." Tsubaki couldn't help but smirk back.
Tsubaki quickly stepped back with her katana back in its scabbard, causing Arata to stumble forward a bit, giving her the opportunity to strike with an iaijutsu strike, but Arata anticipated this move after noticing the slightest movement of her legs before stepping back.
The Uchiha-Hyūga had managed to re-sheathe his chokuto into his scabbard as he managed to readjust his stance. Right as Tsubaki sent her strike, Arata brought up his chokuto and unsheathe it a bit, using the fraction of his revealed blade to block her katana's blade, then quickly pulled his scabbard out from under his blade and quickly spun it in hand and thrust it towards Tsubaki.
The samurai managed to leap back, but she still felt the tip of Arata's scabbard managing to poke her in the stomach a bit before she managed to dodge.
'Such hard material!' Tsubaki thought with slightly gritted teeth.
Arata brought his scabbard back, causing it to collide against the blade of his chokuto, before he dashed forward. He started sending strikes with both his chokuto and scabbard.
Tsubaki grunted as she was forced to increase her striking speed to parry both blade and scabbard.
Arata threw his scabbard towards Tsubaki like a spear, clashing against Tsubaki's blade as she only had time to block, pushing her back from both the force thrown and strength of the material of the scabbard. Arata dashed forward and delivered a rising, pushing Tsubaki's blade upward, leaving herself open. Using the momentum, Arata leaped up into the air, managing to grab his chokuto in the process. The blue-haired swordsman spun in the air, spun his scabbard in hand and threw it downward toward Tsubaki, forcing the brunette to step back as the tip of it got impaled into the ground.
Tsubaki stumbled back a bit from being forced to quickly dodge the scabbard, allowing Arata the opportunity to land upon the ground.
Arata then dashed forward, releasing a battle cry as he raised his chokuto up high with both hands, positioned in a kendo strike, as he brought it down against her katana.
Because of the strong rising strike before and losing her footing to avoid the scabbard, Arata's downward strike managed to not only bring Tsubaki's katana down but caused her to hunch over as she lost her grip on her hilt.
Arata reached his hand back, grabbing the end of his scabbard and quickly pulled it out from the ground and sent a horizontal strike towards Tsubaki's face.
At that moment, Tsubaki gained a spike of adrenaline, managing to notice the oncoming strike as everything almost went in slow motion. She grabbed the hilt of her katana with her other hand as she forcefully fought against the momentum and spun to the side to both avoid the strike and deliver a rising diagonal slash.
In that moment, both combatants had managed to graze the other.
Tsubaki earned a graze across the bridge of her nose from the force of the scabbard's swing and Arata's jacket got cut into as the samurai managed to graze his torso underneath.
The two gained some distance from one another, panting with beads of sweat coming down their brows.
They managed to get back into their battle stances before dashing forward and colliding their blades against one another again.
"To think, even when being weighed down, you are still this strong and agile. I'm actually impressed." Tsubaki said with a smirking grin.
"You should try it yourself sometime." Arata said with a smirk.
"Make it easier for you that way if I was tied down as well?" Tsubaki questioned in a teasing manner.
"Not at all. I just figured it's normal to want someone you respect to match you in certain ways, such as strength in what they're most passionate about." Arata clarified making Tsubaki smirk as she and Arata pushed one another back.
The two smirked at one another as they sheathed their blades, ready for the next assault. They unleashed battle cries as they met blade for blade again.
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Shinachiku let out a loud battle cry as he sprinted through the plains of one of Konoha's largest training fields. Tied to his back was a boulder six times his size, wrapped in chains, with iron wrist and ankle weights with stones wrapped around them in weights, and all the weights and stones had sealing formulas written throughout them.
Shinachiku's teeth were gritted as he ran forward with his body leaning forward.
"How is it that you aren't crippled yet from this sort of crap again, even with my help?" Mamoru asked within Shinachiku.
'Shut up! I need full concentration! I'm only halfway through lap five!' Shinachiku mentally shouted in response.
"… Again, how are you not crippled?" Mamoru questioned with a frown.
Shinachiku let out another battle cry as bent forward and leaped into the air. He gritted his teeth hard as he landed upon a tree branch, then pushed off of it into another leap onto another branch, leaving a small imprint and fissures from where his foot one was for the moment on the previous branch. Shinachiku focused on hopping from branch to branch. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the pressure and pain of what was weighing him down was getting to him.
'I will not fail!' Shinachiku mentally cried out as he fought against his squinting eyes. 'I will not fail!' Shinachiku mentally cried out louder as he continued to fight on against the pain and his body's detrimental actions. 'I will make it to five! I will not fail!' Shinachiku mentally shouted out as he managed to open his eyes more. 'I WILL FIGHT ON LIKE LEE-SENSEI! I WILL NOT LET HIM DOWN!' Shinachiku mentally screamed out as he let out an intense physical battle cry.
"Look Out!" A male voice called out as just then Shinachiku collided with another person.
"Eh?" Shinachiku squeaked out as he had wide anime eyes with anime tears and a saddened open mouth smile before he rocketed towards the ground, creating a mushroom cloud in the process that was a few feet taller than the surrounding trees.
After some time, the dust finally began to settle as Shina groaned in pain with his eyes shut tight. Luckily the young shinobi was lying on a whole cluster of pillows with all that weighed him down now gone.
"You're welcome." Mamoru spoke up with a small frown and half-lidded eyes. "Although, I couldn't really do much when it came to force you dropped from thanks to those kill-me weights you had. I just flashed over as many pillows as I could. Hopefully, you only gained bruises and muscles damage from that instead of broken bones." Mamoru added.
'Thank you…' Shinachiku mentally responded as he panted from exhaustion and pain. 'Dammit though… I failed…' Shinachiku mentally complained with a dampened spirit.
"At least you're alive. Which means you'll have plenty more chances, followed by plenty of more times to fail." Mamoru said, teasing his host at the end.
'Your confidence in me is inspiring, damn fox.' Shinachiku mentally retorted with sarcasm. "Dammit though… what would Lee-sensei say to this…" Shinachiku complained with a tone of evident self-disappointment.
"He would say, never let this fall weigh you down." The male voice from before spoke, causing Shinachiku to crack open his eyes to see a figure over him, surrounded by the sunlight. After a moment, his vision cleared to see none other than Rock Lee himself. "There is always time to get back up and try again, for this is never the end!" Lee said with a thumbs up.
"… Lee… sensei?" Shinachiku spoke the bowl cut-nin's name as he stared at him with wide, shocked eyes.
"So, you are Shinachiku. It is very nice to finally meet you!" Lee said with a smile as he offered the boy his hand.
Shinachiku blinked his eyes before he slowly started to raise his arm up. It shook some in pain, but the young Uzumaki managed to raise it up and grab his sensei's counterpart's hand, allowing Lee to help him back up to his feet. Shinachiku panted a bit, feeling his muscles aching just from standing.
"You look like you have gone through one youthful workout." Lee commented.
Shinachiku groaned with annoyance as he then fell onto his hands and feet, followed by placing his right arm behind his back and started doing one arm push-ups, grunting in pain as he did.
"He's looking at you with confusion." Mamoru said to Shinachiku, referring to Lee, who was blinking his eyes as he watched Shinachiku.
"I failed at finishing my fifth and final lap around the walls of the village with all my super weighted gear on, so now I have to do ten thousand push-ups with each hand, then ten thousand leg raises on each leg with a boulder on top of each foot and finally pushing up a boulder over my head ten thousand times while doing the splits over an open flame." Shinachiku said to Lee without looking up.
"I see! I am proud of your enthusiasm, but I doubt there is a need for an open flame." Lee said, giving his own opinion.
"I can already accomplish that feat without one, so I need the added incentive. Plus, if I don't push myself as such, I will fail to break any of the limits put upon me at this moment and time. I cannot falter, dattebaro!" Shinachiku said as he continued his one-armed push-up, shaking a bit while doing so.
'Tenten did mention this to me.' Lee thought as he stared at Shinachiku.
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Lee had decided to pay Tenten a visit and possibly get his son Metal some new weights for training. The kunoichi of what was once Team Guy had informed Lee of 'his other student' and what he does to get stronger, as shared to her by Sarada.
"He does all that?! Impressive!" Lee said with amazement.
"And stupid! He's more reckless than you and Gai-sensei! I didn't even think that was possible!" Tenten complained. "Lee, I'm kind of worried. He might end up killing himself."
"You must have faith, Tenten. If this is the kind of pressure he can handle normally, then you shouldn't believe he will destroy himself in the process. Only he knows his limits, just as I know my own." Lee retorted.
"Yeah, and how many times have you slept within a training field for the night as a result of pushing yourself?" Tenten rhetorically questioned with a frown and dull expression.
"Your concern was founded, but if he is pushing himself to that degree, then I believe it is necessary if it means he can use what I believe he possesses." Lee said.
"He possesses?" Tenten questioned with blinking eyes. She then silently gasped with her eyes widening in shock at realization at what Lee was suggesting. "Lee… you don't mean that he-"
"I can't think of any other reason as to why he would push himself so far. To a normal shinobi it would make them stronger… but to a taijutsu specialist in the same class as Gai-sensei and I… it definitely makes me curious on how far along he is in his pursuit." Lee said as he rubbed his chin in thought.
He then heard Tenten chuckle, causing him to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Apparently far along that he is proudly wearing those green tights you always wear. And unfortunately, I do mean proudly." Tenten said with a slight amused smile.
Lee silently gasped with a gaped mouth before bursting into anime tears.
'Gai-sensei… it may be in another reality, but I have found another student who holds the same amount of passionate youth as us!' Lee thought with pride as the rivers of tears continued to flood from his eyes.
'Oh boy. I can already tell what he's thinking there.' Tenten thought with a tired frown before sighing. "Lee… if you see him doing something extreme… try to… I don't know, not have him go too hard? He's only off for a few more days." Tenten said.
"Though he is not my own, I shall do what is best as if he were my own student!" Lee said as he gave Tenten a nice guy pose.
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'I didn't expect him to push himself so far though. Despite it being quick, from both the sight of what I saw in that split second and the feeling of collision while I was on my morning routine, he definitely pushed himself to the point of breaking his body. Tenten was not exaggerating… and yet look at him. His drive is palpable. So many, even I and perhaps Gai-sensei would fall right here and now, but he is fighting on, despite the clear pain to his muscles.' Lee thought as he stared at Shinachiku continued to do push-ups.
Shinachiku suddenly stopped then started to laugh a bit, confusing Lee.
"Sorry. I know you're not him, but… it really does feel like I never left home. Just having you watch my progress like this while I push myself as my body screams for mercy… if feels… right, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said with a smile as he felt teary eyed.
Lee blinked his eyes in surprise. He closed his eyes as he took in what Shinachiku said to heart. He can now tell that Shinachiku, and the Lee of this other world hold a close bond. Perhaps, not unlike his own bond with Gai-sensei. And like his sensei did for him, he should do for Shinachiku all that he can. Not just in his training, but also in his recovery after going so intensely.
"You should rest for an hour." Lee said, surprising Shinachiku.
"Huh?" Shinachiku looked to Lee with widen eyes.
"It is admirable that you are going through such extreme lengths to gain the strength you desire to display your youth to its maximum but resting for a brief time is just as important." Lee said.
"But I can't rest! I have to train in order to overcome the enemies' assault when they arrive soon!" Shinachiku argued.
"There is always something or someone to overcome, but that drive should not take priority over everything else that is necessary. I can tell that you believe in yourself very much… so believe that you are strong enough to take a small rest without losing anything in the process." Lee said, shocking Shinachiku.
Shinachiku looked down with somber eyes.
"I just… I'm worried that if I falter-"
"You will not. Not with that spirit." Lee said, causing Shinachiku's eyes to widen.
Shinachiku's lip started to quiver as he felt teary eyed again. After a moment of silence, Shinachiku pushed off of his hand and got on his knees as he stared at the ground. He slowly started to rise to his feet. He faced Lee but had his head hanging. He did not wish to show him his tears and quivering lip. Yet despite that, he walked over and rest his forehead against Lee's abdomen.
Lee stared at Shinachiku for a moment, before raising his hand and resting it atop of the blonde's head.
"Thank you, Lee-sensei." Shinachiku said as he sobbed.
Lee couldn't help but smile in response as he let the boy continue to sob. Sobs that were not out of sadness, but gratitude.
.
.
Mitsuki was walking down a hallway of a sizeable facility. He remained quite as he headed down the passageway. He passed by rooms filled with scientific equipment. In fact, he had just passed by a room where there were several tanks containing beings inside that didn't have a full form, except for one, which was a being that looked just like him.
Mitsuki paid it no mind. It technically had nothing to do with him, despite the exact similarities.
"Well, look who came for a visit." A male voice spoke as they stood across from the approaching Mitsuki.
"Hello, Suigetsu." Mitsuki greeted the white-haired ex-Kiri-nin.
"What brings you here? Wait, let me guess. You came to see your papa." Suigetsu said with a knowing sharp-toothed grin.
"Parent, but yes." Mitsuki answered.
"Well, he's kind of in the middle of something with Karin's help. Don't know why he wants her help, even if it is because it's her clan they're researching. She still knows as little as the rest of us." Suigetsu said, looking to the side with a small frown. "At least, I think. You never know with that woman."
"The Uzumaki clan? What for?" Mitsuki asked.
"Something about helping Sasuke with something. She couldn't help but jump at the chance." Suigetsu said with a shrug.
'Helping Sasuke? Could it be…' Mitsuki blinked his eyes in thought over this new information. "May I please see them?" Mitsuki asked.
"What? You know something about this?" Suigetsu asked.
"It's a theory, but I'm pretty sure I know what it is they are researching. So please, take me to them." Mitsuki said.
"Alright. I know you enough to know you'd do it anyway. That Boruto really made you the kind of brat to do whatever he wants when he wants." Suigetsu said as he lightly scratched the back of his head.
"He is my Sun." Mitsuki said with a genuine smile.
Suigetsu guided Mitsuki deeper into the base to a room where inside Orochimaru and Karin were going through old scrolls.
"Dammit! Why did my clan have to make everything so cryptic?!" Karin shouted with annoyance as she scanned through the scrolls.
"The Uzumaki clan possessed so many secrets that could lead any village into becoming the ultimate superpower. They believed that no one nation should have so much power, and before the time of the villages, no one clan during the warring states. So they took it upon themselves to keep their most dangerous and powerful techniques sealed away so as never to bring about chaos upon the world. Considering it was even difficult for me to find some of the lower-level techniques or even the one to reverse the affects Sarutobi-sensei had done to my arms, I'd say they did a very good job at that." Orochimaru explained as he continued to look through what he had collected from the ruins of Uzushiogakure.
"If only I had some kekkei genkai or something that allowed me to read these sealing formulas." Karin said with an annoyed pout, only for Orochimaru to chuckle in response. "What's with that laugh?" Karin asked with narrowed eyes.
"Oh, nothing. Just finding the idea so humorous." Orochimaru said with a smirk.
"Yet you know it exists." A new voice spoke, causing the pair to turn to find Mitsuki with Suigetsu. "That is why you chuckled in such a way. You know that it exists within Shinachiku." Mitsuki answered.
"Shinachiku?" Karin questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Who's that?" Suigetsu asked.
"One of two new additions to Team 7." Mitsuki answered.
"Wait, so that's the name of one of those two Sasuke mentioned?" Suigetsu questioned.
"So, he did mention Shinachiku and Arata. Just not by name, I'm guessing." Mitsuki stated.
"Shinachiku Uzumaki… Arata Uchiha… those sound like perfect names for those two." Orochimaru said with a small smile. "Especially considering how fitting. One named after an ingredient in ramen like his father and the other in reference to a fresh new start for his clan. I'd say they're more fitting names than the ones of Boruto and Sarada."
"I'm still confused on what possessed Sasuke to name his daughter after a salad. Is it because it has tomatoes in them?" Suigetsu wondered out loud with a confused frown.
"It doesn't matter. It's a perfect name." Karin said with her arms crossed, frowning at Suigetsu.
'Of course you'd say that.' Suigetsu mentally retorted as he turned his head to the side to hide his dull expression and frown.
"And Arata is an equally perfect name! It's beautiful! I bet Sasuke came up with that one too!" Karin said, gushing over Arata's name with a dopey smile and holding her now cheeks reddened.
'And of course you'd say that.' Suigetsu mentally added, rolling his eyes with a sweat-drop down the side of his head.
"You know, on the subject of names, if I had a daughter, I think I would name her Risu or Akari and a son I would likely name him Minku or Ryuunosuke. Something along those lines." Karin said aloud as she held her chin in thought.
'Nobody asked.' Suigetsu mentally commented again. "Speaking of which, who did the other Sasuke and Naruto shack up with to make them?" Suigetsu asked Mitsuki.
"The short answer. The other's wife. Although in that reality, there were no prior relationships with the other from my understanding." Mitsuki answered, shocking the three adults in the room.
"Whoa, whoa, seriously?!" Suigetsu questioned with shock and surprise.
'Dammit!' Karin mentally cursed that she wasn't Arata's mother, even though she knew there was a chance she wasn't.
"Hmm. I'm honestly quite surprised. At least, regarding Arata-kun. Naruto-kun and Sakura having a child in another reality is not surprising in the least." Orochimaru said as he continued to scan through the files.
'What bull crap! After Sakura, I spent more time with Sasuke than any other woman and this Hyūga woman got lucky enough to be with him while I'm not? How unfair life can be!' Karin mentally complained as she bit into the scroll in her hand.
"Please, don't go chewing on the scrolls. They're precious treasures." Orochimaru said to the Uzumaki woman.
"These are my clan's secrets, which means I have more of a right to do with them as I please than you do! Back off!" Karin shouted at the snake sannin with a pissed anime look, causing Suigetsu to look at her in shock that she had done so, while Orochimaru and Mitsuki blinked their eyes in surprise.
"Speaking of the Uzumaki clan, is whatever you're researching have to do with what our enemies are trying to attain?" Mitsuki asked his parent.
"It does. There was a story I had heard once when I was younger, back when the Uzumaki were still around, that they had given five specific treasures that had immense power within them. Seeing as they are after five scrolls within each village, I put two and two together. That is why we are here scanning through what I had managed to acquire from the ruins of Uzushiogakure. To see if there is any mention at all of these five scrolls." Orochimaru explained to his child.
"How long have you been going through them?" Mitsuki asked.
"Since Sasuke-kun had come by two days ago." Orochimaru answered.
"And you found nothing?" Mitsuki asked, surprised by this news.
"There is this one keepsake I had managed to attain. However, it is locked by a sealing formula not even I can make heads or tails of. Considering the effort of secrecy between is and the scrolls, I figured it had to contain something about them, but with its complexing sealing, I'm afraid all it's good for is to be a paperweight." Orochimaru explained.
"Perhaps Shinachiku can undo it. He has a kekkei genkai that allows him to see fūinjutsu as puzzles and he has unlocked complex sealing formulas before, so he just might be able to make that book useful." Mitsuki shared.
"Is that so? It's worth a shot." Orochimaru said with intrigue. "Now, what is it that you came here for, my child?" Orochimaru asked his son.
"I wish to get stronger. Please help me." Mitsuki requested.
"Is that so? I heard your last mission was very difficult. In fact, it almost cost you your life, correct?"
"Yes." Mitsuki answered with a nod. "I'm sure you know of the Oni Zetsu by now. However, the enemies that really pushed us to the brink were members of the Cult of Jashin. The most dangerous one being the one who caused the massacre at Suna. She forced me to use my Senninka (Sage Transformation) … with just one blow, she completely diffused my transformation and proceeded to repeatedly slam me into the ground. I did not last five seconds against her." Mitsuki informed, surprising Orochimaru while Karin and Suigetsu looked in shock.
"Cult of Jashin? The same group that Hidan was a part of? How unexpected. By any chance, were they immortal like he was?" Orochimaru asked with curiosity.
"Yes. In fact, they were also able to manipulate their bodies independently. Once of them was able to separate his body into multiple pieces that were filled with blades, and if he managed to wound us, he would have used a technique that reflected the damage he sustained onto others." Mitsuki informed.
"Jujutsu: Shiji Hyōketsu (Cursed Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood). That was Hidan's favorite technique." Orochimaru said, recalling Hidan's self-mutilating jutsu.
"Apparently, that same one was the progenitor of that technique."
"The progenitor? How old as these cult members?" Orochimaru asked, now very curious on their shared foe.
"They are known as the Nana Deshi. They are Jashin's seven original disciples, which means they've been around since the beginning of the cult's days." Mitsuki answered.
Orochimaru blinked his eyes in surprise.
"I looked into the religion that was known as Jashinism. Apparently, though the records are scarce, I did come across the knowledge that it has actually been around before the beginning of the Warring States Period. In fact, it might be possible that Jashin himself was around near the Rikudō Sennin time." Orochimaru shared.
"Whoa, wait, seriously?! These guys are that old?!" Suigetsu questioned in shock.
"Where exactly have they been?" Karin asked.
"They're from Shinachiku and Arata's world. They're very big on fūinjutsu in that world and considering the Uzumaki clan in that reality possessing this kekkei genkai, I'm willing to bet they've been sealed away for a very long time. Apparently, fūinjutsu is the only thing they are weak against." Mitsuki explained.
"Is that so?" Orochimaru questioned as he started to wonder over things. "That treasure I mentioned… I'll bring it over to Konoha once I retrieve it. For now, you wish for me to train you so as to stand by Boruto and the others, correct?"
"Yes. Everyone is working hard to prepare for their inevitable assault. I cannot be the only one to hinder everyone else." Mitsuki said as he gained a determined expression.
"Very well then. Suigetsu, you help Karin with scanning through the remaining information. I need to assist my child here." Orochimaru said as he placed the scroll that was in his hand down and started walking away with Mitsuki in tow.
"Try not to get anything wet." Karin said to the white-haired shinobi with a frown.
"I'll be more careful than you were just now, treating those scrolls like they were your chew toys." Suigetsu retorted with a smirk.
"Why you~…" Karin said with a growl as she gritted her teeth and glared at the ex-Kiri-nin.
.
.
Back in Konoha, Shinachiku, now with his beanie off, and Lee were sitting upon a stone as the blonde of the two told the bowl cut haired Jonin stories of his own adventures back in his own world.
"And that's pretty much how our Chunin Exams ended. Pretty crazy, huh?" Shinachiku said.
"I'd say it would be the same amount of crazy as it were here. The Ōtsutsuki invaded as well in the end. However, things were much different during the exams before they had shown up." Lee said.
"Let me guess, one of those things would be Boruto cheating with a scientific ninja tool." Shinachiku stated more than asked as he had a dull and annoyed expression on his face.
"So, you have heard of that, and very much disapprove of it." Lee said with a small smile.
"More like pissed. I can't believe someone with tou-chan's blood in their veins actually pulled this crap. If I or any of my siblings did that bull crap, kaa-chan would kill us! Hell, if Boruto was actually an official part of my family unit, kaa-chan, Hanami and I would beat the hell out of him for even thinking of such a dumbass thing to do, dattebaro!" Shinachiku complained with clear aggravation.
"It is a good thing he is not then, because I doubt that he would have been able to survive the wrath of all three of you." Lee said with a nervous smile, eye smiles and sweat drop.
"Damn straight!" Shinachiku agreed with a fist pump and grabbing hold of his bicep, not unlike his mother would.
"Personally, I am very proud that you had made it to the finals with your skills and ingenuity." Lee said with a smile before his lip started to quiver as tears started to pour from his eyes. "I'm also for proud and grateful that you swore to only fight Shinki with taijutsu only!" Lee said as he brought up a shaking, passionate fist.
"Well, it was a tribute to you, 'ttebaro. Even if you are a counterpart, it doesn't change that fact." Shinachiku said, giving Lee a compassionate smile.
"Arigato, Shina!" Lee exclaimed as he suddenly hugged Shinachiku.
"N-No problem, Lee-sensei." Shinachiku said with a bit of an embarrassed smile as he patted Lee's arm in response, before giving in and hugging the man back.
"You're enjoying this too much." Mamoru said within Shinachiku.
'Don't ruin the moment.' Shinachiku responded.
"Speaking of your efforts in making the finals, your final match was the first time you used the Hachimon outside of training, correct?" Lee asked as he pulled back from Shinachiku.
"Well, first time after properly learning it from you, uh, the other Lee-sensei. Before, Mamoru just opened up the first three gates without me knowing what they truly were. I only managed to truly grasp and master them thanks to you. Well, the other you." Shinachiku explained.
"How many can you open?" Lee asked.
"Usually, I go up to five, but with enough effort I can activate the sixth gate. My final match against Arata was the first time I ever opened the Keimon (Gate of View), but now it's much easier, at least." Shinachiku answered.
"Six gates, and at your age as well, that is impressive." Lee said as he then got up from the stone they were sitting on, walking ahead before stopping across from Shinachiku, followed by turning and getting into his Gōken (Strong Fist) stance. "Show me." Lee ordered, shocking Shinachiku.
"For real? You want to spar?" Shinachiku asked with building excitement.
"I wish to see your strength when it comes to my teaching at their fullest!" Lee ordered with a smile.
Shinachiku's eyes widened at hearing this before he gained a huge, excited grin on his face.
"Hai, Lee-sensei!" Shinachiku exclaimed with gusto and dare I say, youth, as he stood up and gave the Jonin taijutsu specialist a salute. Shinachiku then got into his own Gōken as he now had a determined expression, causing Lee to smirk.
"Go!" Lee called out as Shinachiku bulleted forward and slammed his fist forward, with Lee blocking the blow with his palm, but the force behind it was so powerful, Lee instinctively activated the third gate, Seimon (Gate of Life). Even then, the force behind Shinachiku's punch had Lee skidding back and flinching from the pain to his palm. 'So, this is how hard he can hit. Extraordinary.' Lee thought with amazement at Shinachiku's might.
'Lee-sensei is already at the third gate! So, I must react in kind! Seimon! Kai!' Shinachiku mentally cried as his chakra burst, colliding with Lee's, which in turn create a crater beneath them.
The two now red-skinned fighters grinned at one another before they started delivering blow for blow to one another, met with blocks and parries. Neither were giving way or were willing to dodge as they wanted to meet the other with every blow.
They met punches, they met with their forearms, and they met with their knees, before both letting out battle cries as they slammed a pair of palms into the others', causing them to skid back a bit.
"Konoha Senpū!" (Leaf Whirlwind) Both Lee and Shinachiku screamed out as they delivered powerful roundhouse kicks that once slamming into one another, created a shockwave that created fissures within the ground beneath them with wind picking up and blowing intensely through the grass.
Shinachiku and Lee gritted their teeth as they fought against the force of one another. Shina may have power, but Lee's experience in using the Hachimon was slowly starting to supersede Shinachiku attack.
With another battle cry, Lee released a strong surge of chakra from his leg, overpowering Shinachiku's own, sending him spiraling away.
Shinachiku slammed his hands into the ground, digging his fingers into the earth below before leaping away with clumps of stone now in his hands and crushing them into smaller bits. Once landing on his feet he flicked two at Lee, with one a moment delayed before the first, forcing Lee to dodge the first and punch the second into oblivion. Shinachiku had used them as a diversion as he managed to appear in the air behind Lee, shooting two more, forcing Lee to bend his body a bit to dodge, which was what Shinachiku was counting on as once he landed on the ground, he dashed forward to deliver a hard knee.
"Konoha Yama-Kurasshu!" (Leaf Mountain-Crash) Shinachiku shouted as he rocketed forward, delivering a flying knee aimed at Lee's torso.
"Konoha Kaiganshō!" (Leaf Rock-Destroying Rise) Lee quickly retaliated by slamming his elbow into Shinachiku's knee.
This clash of techniques created another shockwave and brief power struggle, before they both unleashed battle cries and surges of chakra that sent them both flying away. They spiraled in the air before landing on their feet, with the blonde of the two firing more pieces of earth at Lee, forcing him to swerve around them.
"Shōmon (Gate of Pain)! Kai!" Shinachiku shouted as his body burst with greater chakra and started firing the rocks at Lee in rapid succession, forcing Lee to run away.
No matter what angle Lee tried, he couldn't get close to Shinachiku, and even when he tried making so distance to make a new angle for himself, Shinachiku just appeared near wherever he was to keep him on his feet, giving him less time to come up with a counter strategy.
'He has to run out of ammo eventually.' Lee thought, hoping to take that as an opportunity to strike, but Shinachiku suddenly stopped the ground, breaking it apart with pieces of earth rising into the air. After firing the last of his ammo from his left hand, he quickly grabbed airborne debris with his left while his right-hand continued firing, giving him time to break them into pieces before repeating the process with his other hand. 'Impressive.' Lee thought with an impressed and proud smile. 'Then I will have to go further! Shōmon! Kai!' Lee mentally shouted as his body surged with a greater force of chakra.
Lee dashed forward, parrying and kicking every shot into tinier pieces as he was getting closer to Shinachiku.
Shinachiku grunted with narrowed eyes as he released his hold on the remaining debris and got into position with his left foot back as Lee was right in front of him.
"Shakenetsu…" (Scorching) Shinachiku said as his left foot burst with reddish flames orange, surprising Lee. "Konoha Senpū!" (Leaf Whirlwind) Shinachiku screamed out as he sent a flaming roundhouse kick.
'Tomon (Gate of Limit)! Kai!' Lee mentally shouted as he activated the next gate, giving him the speed to halt himself before impact, tearing some of his leg muscles in the process as he leaped back to avoid Shinachiku delivering a spin kick that created a small tornado of flames around himself.
Lee then dashed forward just as Shinachiku stopped. Shinachiku brought his arms up in a cross-block, but Lee delivered an uppercut that completely broke through his guard and nailed him in the chin, bringing him up off his feet and into the air right in front of Lee, who delivered a side kick to Shinachiku's abdomen, sending him flying and slamming into the stone they were sitting on earlier, creating a small dust cloud as debris shot everywhere.
'That was a good attack he pulled there, surging so much chakra into his leg, increasing its striking power and heat. Had I not activated the next gate, I would have been struck by that. However, it did not come without a minor performance cost.' Lee thought to himself as he lightly placed his hand on his leg, flinching a bit in the process.
Suddenly a huge burst of chakra was felt by Lee, as he looked to find it was coming from Shinachiku.
'Tomon… Kai." Shinachiku said as had his right arm cocked back into a fist while his left was raised up with his clenched index and middle finger raised up as well.
"Hmph." Lee grinned as he mirrored Shinachiku's stance.
The two rocketed towards one another, slamming their forearms against one another before rocketing back and bulleting back towards one another, delivering and slamming their knees against one another's. They bulleted back and forth throughout the field, creating shockwaves, along with fissures and craters along the ground. Pieces of debris were rising into the air as a result of their collisions breaking apart the ground.
The two let out battle cries as they continued clashing.
Just as they were about to make one more clash, Shinachiku took his chance.
'Now!' Shinachiku had actually kept a piece of debris hidden within his fist and flicked it. Lee had noticed it and tried to dodge it, but because of the close distance between them, his leg was still grazed in the process, messing with his momentum. Shinachiku brought his fist back with steam starting to surround it, catching Lee's attention.
'Wait… is that?!' Lee thought in shock as Shinachiku let out a battle cry and thrust his fist forward as it burst into flames. Lee quickly regained himself and brought his own fist back. 'Keimon (Gate of View)! Kai!' Lee mentally shouted out as his body burst with more chakra with a green aura surrounding him just as he then sent his own burning fist forward at Shinachiku.
"Asa Kujaku!" (Morning Peacock) Shinachiku screamed out as he and a screaming Lee slammed their flaming fists into one another's creating a shockwave of fire as a large crater formed beneath them.
The two gritted their teeth as they fought against the force the other was emitting from their fists. They then unleashed loud battle cries as they delivered a barrage of rapidly thrown punches that burst with flames from the friction of them thrown in the first place.
Flames were spreading throughout the area with the grass starting to burn from the heat.
Lee and Shinachiku did not let up as they continued their barrage of blows.
Shinachiku growled as the veins within the sides of his head bulged. Despite having more physical power, Lee did not let up, managing to equal him blow for blow. As he felt him close to the limit of his jutsu, he let out a battle cry as he increased his punches and force, only for the flames and range of his fists to start narrowing, surprising Lee as he noticed that all the power was being condensed into one space.
"Pekku!" (Peck) Shinachiku screamed out as he delivered a dual pair of punches, otherwise known as a morote-tsuki (pair of hands punch) blow, which had all the built-up speed, power and force from the constant and increasing friction of the Asa Kujaku condensed into one area of attack.
Lee quickly canceled out his own technique and brought his arms into a crossed block, feeling the full force of Shinachiku's technique, which he not only felt against his arms, but it actually felt like the force travelled through his body and shot out from behind him, creating a tunnel of force behind him, scattering away any debris in the air behind him. Lee's eyes widened greatly into pain as he felt like there was a hole right through him.
Shinachiku gritted his teeth hard as his fists shook from the pain of having to build up and unleash such a force. After a moment, he let out a battle cry as he quickly leaped into the air and delivered a Konoha Senpū to Lee's face, sending him flying away.
Lee hit the ground, bouncing off of it. His eyes were wide, and mouth fully opened from the pain, but suddenly he grinned. Lee managed to flip and landed upon his feet as he fought through the pain and crossed his arms back over in front of him.
"Kyōmon (Gate of Wonder)! Kai!" Lee screamed out as a large amount of chakra burst from his body with a new blue aura surrounding him. He bulleted back forward, breaking the ground apart into many chunks as he reached Shinachiku just as the blonde landed and slammed his fist into his abdomen, causing Shinachiku's cheeks to puff up as he spat out saliva and some blood before being sent flying away, rocketing straight into several rows of trees and creating a large rut in the process. Lee brought his fist back and stared at the large rut and rows of broken trees. "Your efforts have given rise to true fruition. I've never had anyone your age push me to this level. Congratulations… but show me what you are fully made of! Show me the true extent of your youth! Show me the strength only belonging to you, Shinachiku Uzumaki!" Lee shouted out to the young blonde.
Soon after, the ground started to shake a bit and the trees were rapidly moving from the force being built up underneath.
Shinachiku's voice was started to be heard as his battle cry started to grow louder and louder as chakra seeped through the trees. He then screamed out an audible battle cry as the ruined trees were sent rocketing off of him and broken into more pieces, with the blonde now free, screaming and with his fists thrust up as his chakra rose into the air. Shinachiku brought his arms back down and bent as he was now in a horse stance. The air around him was getting heavier and heavier as his chakra grew more and more. Markings in the form of outlines started to appear from under his hitai-ate, spreading throughout his body as they not only started to glow green, but streams of green light start to come from his forehead and spreading around, with some curling around Shinachiku's form. Shinachiku gritted his teeth as the veins around his head bulged with a green aura starting to gleam around his body.
"Tomon~… KAI!" Shinachiku screamed out as green light shined from his form and an incredible force of chakra exploded from his body, creating an immense force of chakra that blew a torrent of wind throughout his body with the ground shattering apart into chunks and trees being uprooted leaves being blown off from the branches.
Lee couldn't help, but smirk at the sight, proud of what he was seeing in this boy. A boy who had an abundance of chakra and could perform ninjutsu of any kind and magnitude but focused on his taijutsu above so much else. Lee could not help but be both proud of this boy and jealous that his counterpart had such a student.
"That is the kind of youth in one such as yourself that I wished to see. Now! Come! Show me the full strength of your youth, Shinachiku!" Lee exclaimed as he got into his Gōken.
"Hai! Lee-sensei!" Shinachiku screamed out as he got into his own fighting stance.
The two rocketed towards one another, breaking apart the ground more from the force, and letting out audible battle cries as they met one another in the center, creating a shockwave that unleashed a vast torrent of the wind and shattering the ground of the field completely in the process.
.
.
It was now evening. The sun was close to settling on the horizon, soon about to leave for nighttime to take hold.
Currently, at Lightning Burger, Tsubaki, now covered in scrapes, bruises and minor bandages, was happily enjoying her fries as she sat across from Arata, who also had some minor injuries.
The two were having a meal after a job well done in their sparring.
"Isn't it odd?" Arata questioned.
"Hmm?" Tsubaki looked to him.
"We went through a lot of effort in our training, and yet we still find it okay to have something made with so much sodium and grease afterwards. Human nature can be an oddity." Arata said as he grabbed and ate his own fry.
"Maybe so, but could one really blame themselves for rewarding themselves for a job well done?" Tsubaki said with her head held high.
"I suppose not. Still doesn't mean it's the sensible call." Arata responded as he had another fry.
"Hmph. It's sensible enough to me." Tsubaki said, turning her head to the side with a small pout, causing Arata to chuckle and give her a smile and eye smiles.
Nearby on the streets, Sarada was groaning as she was walking down the streets with her arms hanging like noodles. She managed to meet up with Chocho on the way, who was walking beside her friend while eating a bag of chips as usual.
"Man, you look like you went through the wringer." Chocho said with a frown, feeling very sympathetic for her friend.
"Shinachiku-onii-chan said that mama and Tsunade-sama would be tough in their training. Should have known he wasn't exaggerating." Sarada said with a long-tired frown as she was hunched over from exhaustion.
"Speaking of the guy, how's he doing? You said he was pushing himself really hard in his training, right?" Chocho asked.
"'Really hard' isn't enough to describe it. In fact, I dare say it's an understatement." Sarada said with a small frown.
"That intense, huh? You know, you would never tell from those looks of his. He doesn't look like the intense training kind of guy." Chocho said, surprised by what Sarada said.
"Yeah, well… look underneath the underneath." Sarada said with a tired smirk.
"That's a pretty famous saying with you guys now, isn't it?" Chocho questioned as she bit into another chip.
"I guess so. It is very accurate." Sarada said with a smile. "You know, given how far he's pushing himself, I wonder if there's a way for me to advance my training even farther? Even though I'm really tired from today, I'm still shocked that I'm able to walk."
"Don't push yourself too far. Just because you are able to walk after training with a kage and their apprentice doesn't mean you should push it any further just yet." Chocho put in her two cents.
"I know. Still though… given the threats that we're bound to face sooner or later, holding off on the idea for too long might not be one of the better moves." Sarada said as she managed to raise her left hand and stare at it.
"I'm sure so long as you're under the care of not just your parents and Tsunade-sama, but Shinachiku, and especially Arata-kun, you'll be just fine and kicking ass of all kinds soon enough." Chocho said with a smile as she waved a chip in hand before popping it into her mouth. "Speaking of Arata-kun, I wonder how he's doing?" Chocho wondered out loud.
"Hey guys!" The pair looked to up ahead Wasabi and Namida making their way over. "By any chance, have any of you seen Tsubaki?" Wasabi asked.
"We're getting kind of worried. We haven't seen her all day." Namida said.
"Sorry, can't say that we have." Sarada said, not noticing Chocho noticing something to the side, causing her to flinch.
"Oh, almost forgot." Wasabi pulled out a small scroll and handed it to Sarada. "Saved some food from Lightning Burger for you. Had to seal it away to keep it from getting cold, and to keep the aroma from tempting Chocho into taking some for herself." Wasabi said to the Uchiha with a smile.
"Thanks guys." Sarada thanked the pair with a smile.
"We also saved Tsubaki some too. If only we can find it to give it to her." Wasabi said with her arms crossed as she had a look of concern on her face.
"Uh… what's with Chocho?" Namida questioned as they all looked to the Akimichi, who was staring intensely at a certain spot. They followed her line of sight to see none other than Tsubaki inside of Lightning Burger, sitting down and having a meal with Arata.
"Arata-onii-chan? And Tsubaki?" Sarada blinked her eyes in surprise.
"Is this… are they on… a date?" Wasabi wonder out loud, causing something in Chocho to snap as she suddenly dashed towards the window by the booth Arata and Tsubaki were sitting in and slamming into it.
"Hn?" Arata and Tsubaki turned their heads towards the window to see Chocho, pressing her hands and face against the glass and letting out steam from her flaring nostrils. All the Akimichi got in response from them was a wave from Arata, while Tsubaki returned to enjoying her meal deal.
Chocho then dashed towards the entrance, creating a dust trail, as she then ran inside and stopped beside their booth.
"What is going on here?!" Chocho demanded answers, not hiding her unnerved and jealous expression.
"We're eating." Tsubaki answered.
"I can see that, but why?!"
"Because we were hungry after training." Tsubaki retorted.
"Training?" Chocho questioned with surprise.
"Tsubaki here assisted me in my training today by being my sparring partner." Arata explained.
"It's not enough that you train yourself with a steady regime. You need a partner to assist you in your development. His training wouldn't have borne proper fruit if he did not have someone to match his skill. There's always a difference in both solo training and assisted training that could greatly affect your strength and what it might become." Tsubaki explained.
"Treating her at her favorite establishment is my way of thanking her." Arata added.
"I see." Chocho said, but she still didn't sound convince as her eyes remained squarely on Tsubaki, who just blissfully enjoyed her meal deal, ignoring the look the Akimichi was giving her.
"I'm done with my meal. There's still some leftover if you want, Chocho. Only if you're okay with it." Arata offered, knowing the Akimichi girl full well to pass up finishing a delicious meal, no matter what was left or who had it first.
"Would I? Yes, of course!" Chocho said with sparkling eyes as she clamped her hands together. She quickly scooted beside Arata, smiling at him before grabbing his unfinished burger. She gave Tsubaki one last look, which the samurai either failed to notice or just ignored, before looking down at the burger in her hands as a thought came to mind. 'Wait… this was Arata-kun's and he took a bite, which means… if I took a bite then… it'll be… an indirect kiss!' Chocho realized as it looked like steam sprayed out of her ears as her cheeks reddened. After a moment, she gulped before managing to find the strength to slowly bring the burger to her lips. She slowly opened her mouth and then after a moment of hesitation, she bit into it. Her eyes suddenly shot open as she felt sparks throughout her body with it feeling like a grand surge of electricity go throughout her whole body as her eyes almost became blank. 'It tastes… so good~! I can almost taste his lips! If this is what they taste like, then I could live on that flavor for all eternity!' Chocho mentally exclaimed with delight as she enjoyed the burger more.
'Same old Chocho. I just wish she didn't have an expression that exuberant.' Arata mentally commented as he watched the Akimichi heiress continue to enjoy what was left of Arata's burger.
Outside, Sarada, Wasabi and Namida chuckled with humorous and uncomfortable smiles on their faces.
"Quite the love triangle there." Wasabi joked.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Chocho is the only one putting in any effort." Sarada said with an amused smile.
"No, no, Ichiraku Ramen is down this way." A new voice spoke, catching Sarada's attention, who turned to see Shinachiku, with his green beanie back on, and Rock Lee, with the blonde of the two supporting the bowl cut shinobi.
"Are you sure?" Lee asked.
"I've memorized every route that leads to the good place. I know where I'm walking even before I realize it." Shinachiku said with a proud smile.
"Shinachiku-onii-chan!" Sarada greeted the blonde with a smile, earning his and Lee's attention.
"Oh, yo, Sarada. How goes it?" Shinachiku greeted his younger half-sister.
"Fine. Just came back from training with mama and Tsunade-sama." Sarada answered.
"And you're still on your feet? Damn. You're even more impressive than I thought." Shinachiku complimented with a smile, making Sarada smile in return with a blush on her cheeks.
"Hey." Wasabi greeted the boy.
"How's it going, Wasabi, Namida? Day treating you great?" Shinachiku greeted the pair of brunettes.
"Just fine, actually." Namida said with a smile.
"We were a little worried about Tsubaki for a bit, but it looks like she's alright. For the most part, at least." Wasabi said with a smirk and half-lidded eyes as she gestured to Lightning Burger where Chocho, Arata and Tsubaki were in.
"Oh. Well, look at that." Shinachiku said, nonchalantly.
"Yeah. Chocho couldn't help but interrupt their date." Wasabi said with an amused smirk.
"Ha! Arata on a date! Good one!" Shinachiku said, laughing out loud and wiping an imaginary tear, not noticing the looks of confusion and slightly unamused expressions on Wasabi and Namida's faces, not actually knowing why Shinachiku found the concept so amusing.
"Hello, Lee-sensei." Sarada greeted the taijutsu specialist with a small bow.
"Hello, Sarada-san. How are you today?" Lee greeted the dark-haired kunoichi with a smile.
"Fine. A little exhausted, but still fine." Sarada said with a smile. "Anyway, onii-chan, where are you and Lee-sensei headed off to?" Sarada asked.
"We're heading to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate a job well done on our training." Shinachiku said.
"Training? With Lee-sensei?" Sarada questioned with surprise. 'Oh boy, that must have been something.' Sarada mentally commented as she had heard stories on how intense Lee can be.
"You guys are pretty banged up." Wasabi pointed out, noticing the multitude of injuries throughout both Shinachiku and Lee's bodies.
"We held nothing back!" Shinachiku cheered with a bright smile and fist pump.
"As we should!" Lee agreed with a bright smile and fist pump of his own.
"We Are Two Youthful Shinobi!" Shinachiku and Lee with pride and huge grins.
'Oh, Kami-sama.' Sarada mentally said as she, along with Wasabi and Namida, gained sweat drops down the sides of their heads. Pushing the slightly embarrassing sight out of her mind, Sarada regained a thought she had earlier. "Hey, onii-chan."
"Hmm?" Shinachiku looked to the half Uchiha.
"I was wondering… do you know any way for me to advance my strength further?" Sarada asked.
"Did Boruto tell you about the gravity seals I put on him?"
.
.
Meanwhile, at the top of the Hokage tower, Naruto was having a conversation with his old teammate, Sasuke.
"You sure you want to do this?" Sasuke questioned.
"I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one curious on the topic." Naruto said with a smile. "So, are you in or not?" Naruto asked.
"Hn." Sasuke responded with his eyes closed.
"I knew that you would."
.
.
The next morning, the Sun rose up pass the horizon and started to shine it's light over the village of Konoha.
Shinachiku slept in his room, quietly snoring as he dreamed. That is until the light of the Sun's rays shined through his window and hit him right in the face, making him flinch with his face scrunched up in the process. He let out a small groan as he opened his eyes. He sat up and stretched his arms up and arched his back. After doing so, he rubbed the back of his neck and scratched his tailbone, only for when he glanced to the side at his window, he noticed a small toad sitting on the windowsill. Shinachiku blinked his eyes in surprise as the toad then croaked before bursting into a puff of smoke to then be replaced by a note with the Uzumaki insignia on it. He grabbed it and read what was on it, only to blink his eyes in surprise.
"Seriously?" Shinachiku questioned with a look of shock before then hearing a knock at his door.
Walking over, Shinachiku opened it to reveal Arata on the other side.
"Did you get one of these too?" Arata asked, showing a note of his own, but with the Uchiha insignia on it.
"Yeah, just did." Shinachiku said as he showed off his note. "Got mine from a toad. You?"
"A hawk." Arata answered as he brought his note down.
"Are they serious about this?" Shinachiku asked as he re-read his note.
"They wouldn't have sent these if they weren't." Arata said.
"I guess… we shouldn't keep them waiting." Shinachiku said, still in shock by this development. "She would be bother taking showers?" Shinachiku asked.
"I still plan on it. I might get dirty again, but I don't like starting the day walking around in my own filth." Arata said as he headed off towards the bathroom to shower.
.
.
After showering and getting properly dressed for the day, Shinachiku and Arata were walking side by side as they headed for a certain spot for whatever it was that they were invited to. The two decided to take off their headgear once making it out of the village, away from public eyes.
"So, uh… you ready for this?" Shinachiku asked.
"Whether I am or not, it won't stop me from giving it my all." Arata answered.
"Hey, look at you, sounding just like Lee-sensei." Shinachiku said with a proud and teasing smile.
"Hn." Arata couldn't help, but smirk in amusement as a response. "Speaking of sensei, I'm surprised you didn't wear the jumpsuit he gave you." Arata pointed out, noticing Shinachiku was back to wearing his red shirt and grey pants.
"Given what we're going to be doing today, I figured it was best to leave it at home. It's meant for intense training anyway, and though this'll get intense, it won't needed for this situation. Plus, it's kind of a mess anyway thanks to my spar with Lee-sensei yesterday." Shinachiku said with a smile and sweat drop.
"That'll do it." Arata said as he looked ahead.
The two made it to the spot, which was a sizeable training ground, and there standing within the center were none other than Sasuke and Naruto.
"Glad you came." Naruto said with a smile.
"As sudden and kind of daunting as it is, this isn't a challenged I'd skip on, dattebaro." Shinachiku said with a smile.
"Hi, onii-chans!" A young female voice called out, causing both Arata and Shinachiku to turn their heads to see Himawari waving to them, along with Hinata, Boruto, Sarada, Sakura, and even Lee, Gai and Kakashi, on the sidelines.
"Huh?! Why are they here?!" Shinachiku questioned with surprise.
"I told Boruto what we planned to do today because I figured he would want to see what you both are fully made of. Then Himawari heard and told her mother, and I figured Lee would want to see as well, which led to him telling Gai-sensei who told Kakashi-sensei-"
"I think we can fill in the rest." Arata said.
"Hey, guys~." Shinachiku greeted the group with a wave.
"Do your best, Shinachiku-kun! You as well, Arata-kun!" Lee exclaimed with a grin and thumbs up, doing his nice guy pose, with Gai doing the same thing.
"Hai! Lee-sensei!" Shinachiku said, standing up straight with a salute.
"Hn." Arata nodded in response.
"Oh, crap! I should have worn my jumpsuit today after all!" Shinachiku said as he looked down to his lack of jumpsuit attire.
"You said it was in tatters." Arata pointed out.
"Yeah, but Lee-sensei and Gai-sensei are here. I should have worn it as a sign of my gratitude for their support of being here, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said with a pout as he tapped his index fingers together, feeling somewhat ashamed and embarrassed.
"Yare yare." Arata said with his eyes closed before opening them and looking to the Hokage and his supporting 'shadow'. "So, I take it this will be one on one. Best way to analyze our separate strengths and keeping the impending damage to the area to a lesser degree." Arata deduced.
"That's correct." Sasuke said with a nod.
"So, who should go first?" Shinachiku asked. "Oh, I know!" He then turned to Arata and brought his fist up to him. "Janken!" Shinachiku suggested with a smile.
"I think I should go first. When you go all out, things tend to break easier. Or do I have to remind you of the damage done back in Iwa?" Arata said, causing Shinachiku to flinch.
"Okay, yeah, you got a point there. I'll go after." Shinachiku said with an embarrassed smile and eye smiles as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Back in Iwa?" Sarada questioned with blinking eyes. 'I guess we're not the only ones who made a trip there.' Sarada thought to herself as she looked to Boruto, to see an intense look upon his face, causing her to chuckle a bit, nervously. 'He's clearly just as ready as they are.'
"Best to save the best for last anyway." Naruto said with a grin.
"Well, I wouldn't put it that way, but thanks for the compliment." Shinachiku said with a bit of a bashful grin as he thankful wave, continuing to rub the back of his head. "Have fun out there, buddy!" Shinachiku said as he lightly slapped Arata's shoulder, giving the Uchiha-Hyūga a supportive smile.
"Hn." Arata nodded in response.
"Good luck, Sasuke. Something tells me that you'll might need it." Naruto said, smiling to his friend.
"Hn." Sasuke responded as he kept his eyes on Arata.
'Likes fathers, like sons.' Kakashi thought with a pair of eye smiles.
Shinachiku leaped away to join the others beside Lee and Gai, while Naruto just appeared beside his family.
"So, you are Shinachiku. Nice to meet you." Gai greeted the boy with a smile.
"Hello, Gai-sensei! It is an honor as always!" Shinachiku said as he gave the wheel-chaired bound taijutsu specialist a bow.
"The honor is all mine! I cannot wait for it to be your turn!" Gai said with a grin and giving the boy a thumbs up.
"Well, believe me, you'll enjoy seeing Arata's battle as well. He's a member of Team Lee as well after all, and a relative of your old student Neji. You won't be disappointed by what you see, 'ttebaro!" Shinachiku said with a smile.
Hinata felt a pang in her heart as she heard her cousin/elder brother figure's name. Her eyes went to Arata, who was standing across from Sasuke.
'Good luck, Arata-kun.' Hinata wished the young Uchiha-Hyūga luck.
"I expect this to be different from the last time we clashed." Sasuke said.
"Don't worry. This time, I'm not aiming to hide anything." Arata responded.
"Hn." Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.
"And~ Go!" Naruto called out.
Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of Arata with his chokuto pulled out and bringing it down towards Arata.
As if in slow motion, Arata could feel the movement of the blade coming closer and closer to his form, as if his instinct had just gone into overdrive.
In that instant, Sasuke's chokuto met Arata's own as lightning coursed through the younger Uchiha's blade.
"Hn." Arata let out as bolts of lightning coursed through his body, giving him the strength to push Sasuke away.
Arata sped over and started delivering slashes at Sasuke, who was block and parrying them with his own blade. The two were moving at a high speed that it was hard to keep track on who was having the upper hand.
"Whoa! So fast!" Himawari said with awe.
Sarada activated her two-tomoe Sharingan to try and keep up, but even then, she was having a hard time keeping up with both her father and half-brother's movements.
"He's using the Raiton: Ōbādoraibu (Lightning Release: Overdrive), but even then, he's still so fast. Faster than he was before. Even without it, I can tell he's faster than he was days before." Sarada said with awe.
"Considering what was waiting for him, he figured it was best to take those gravity weights off." Shinachiku explained with a smile.
"And what about you?" Sarada asked.
"Oh. Still have mine."
"Even though you're going to take it off later." Sarada stated more than asked with a dull expression.
"Yeah, but… I just kind of feel naked without having them in the morning, dattebaro." Shinachiku said with an embarrassed grin as he looked to the side while rubbing the back of his head.
Arata and Sasuke continued to clash blades.
Sasuke managed to push Arata's blade away and went in for a stab, but Arata quickly grabbed his scabbard and thrust it, sheathing Sasuke's chokuto into it and went for a slash. Sasuke released the hilt of his blade and moved back in time.
'Banshō Ten'in.' (Heavenly Attraction of All Creation) Sasuke extended his left hand, using an invisible force to pull his chokuto back into his hand. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) Sasuke fired out a large ball of fire towards Arata.
'Hakke Kūshō.' (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm) Arata mentally said as he tossed his chokuto up and slammed his palm into the pommel, delivering a force of invisible chakra that went right through the fire, bulleting his chokuto towards Sasuke, who simply moved to the side, dodging it.
Arata tossed a pair of shuriken as he ran through the opening in the fire, forcing Sasuke to parry them, noticing small sparks of lightning in the process, as Arata made a one-handed ram seal. The chokuto he launched earlier spun in the air and rocketed back at high speed.
Sasuke heard the sound of the wind being cut behind him, alerting him to the oncoming chokuto's presence, forcing him to move his body to the side, barely dodging the blade as his cloak was pierced through, as the blade went right back into Arata's scabbard.
Arata quickly grabbed the hilt of his chokuto and delivered a slash at Sasuke, forcing him to jump up high. Arata spun his chokuto in hand and stabbed it into the ground, alerting Sasuke as he had just noticed that the shuriken he had parried were still in the air. Arata quickly made a ram then snake hand seal as the shuriken were then coated in lightning and fired a pair of bolts towards Sasuke.
Sasuke quickly tossed his chokuto, as the bolts of lightning curved away from Sasuke and struck the tossed blade.
"Whoa, what?!" Boruto exclaimed with shock.
'Oh. I see. Very impressive.' Kakashi thought, impressed by Arata's quick thinking.
'He booby trapped my blade the moment he sheathed it. Must be made of some impressive material if he was able to course his lightning chakra right into it like that.' Sasuke thought as he landed upon the ground, looking to his chokuto, which was floating in the air along with the pair of shuriken, all covered and connected by bolts of lightning. 'Well then, if I can't use my blade…' Sasuke looked to Arata with his Sharingan now active and his locks of hair moving, revealing his Rinnegan, as Arata's chokuto was suddenly switched in an instant with a long stick.
"Hn?" Arata looked down with slightly widened eyes once feeling something different in place of his weapon. "Well, can't say I didn't see that coming." Arata said with his eyes closed.
He dashed forward, swinging the long stick towards Sasuke, forcing the elder Uchiha to dodge to the side before having to dodge more precise swings.
Sasuke quickly leaped away to the side to avoid a vertical swing. Once landing, it was revealed that Arata managed to cut the front of his collar, causing his cloak to fall off.
"Wow~!" Himawari said as she, Boruto, Sarada, Hinata and Sakura were in awe at this.
"Still though, it doesn't matter whether it's a sword, a stick, or even something like a nail or rice spoon. In my hands, anything can become a blade." Arata said in his usual calm manner.
Arata swung his other hand, as Sasuke then dodged to the side, noticing that Arata had sent senbon made of lightning chakra faster than any regular eye could see. Taking his opportunity, Arata dashed and leaped, swinging down his stick.
'Raikiri.' (Lightning Cutter) Sasuke quickly brought his right hand up, intending to cut the stick in half, but Arata had already planned ahead and coated the stick in lightning chakra as well.
Both Sasuke's hand and Arata's stick coursed with lightning chakra as both combatants fought for dominance
Sasuke noticed Arata extending his left index finger, alerting him as he sensed him focusing his chakra into the end of it.
"Shinra Tensei!" (Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God) Sasuke shouted as an invisible force propelled from Sasuke's being, sending Arata flying back.
Luckily the young shinobi had managed to push away in time to lessen the blow as he flipped into the air, but once landing, was forced to duck as Sasuke had sprinted forward and sent a horizontal slash with his Raikiri. Arata retaliated by coating his hands in lightning chakra and delivering a pair of finger jabs to Sasuke's midsection, only to be blocked by a human-sized skeletal arm of Sasuke's Susano'o.
Arata narrowed his eyes at this as he forced to go further in his skills.
'Raiton Chakura Mōdo!' (Lightning Release Chakra Mode) Arata mentally called out as his whole body burst with lightning chakra (his completely spiking back in the process), forcing Sasuke back as the elder Uchiha jumped away.
Himawari, Boruto and Sarada let out noises of awe as they saw Arata summoning his niche technique.
"There it is." Naruto said with a smile.
"The same technique that only a Raikage would know." Kakashi said, surprised by this development.
"Incredible!" Gai exclaimed as he and Lee looked on in amazement.
'Now things are starting to get serious.' Shinachiku thought to himself, knowing how things were going to go down.
Arata got into his Jūken stance and activated his dōjutsu all the way to the Tōmeigan (Transparent Eye), as he then dashed towards Sasuke, who quickly coated his Susano'o arm in lightning chakra as well, before meeting Arata's strikes.
Sasuke blocked as many strikes as he could from Arata. He tried to gain some distance, but Arata was always on him. He narrowed his eyes as he felt himself slowly getting overwhelmed. Facing a Hyūga in taijutsu isn't the best move, even for him, and he's dealing with one who was using lightning release and has both the eyes of a Hyūga and Uchiha.
'Shinra Tensei!' Having no choice, Sasuke summoned an invisible force again to get him some distance.
However, Arata noticed his build up in chakra within his Rinnegan that then course throughout his body. Right before it was unleashed, Arata moved back and quickly spun in place.
'Raiton: Hakkeshō Kaiten!' (Lightning Release: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven) Arata mentally shouted as he spun in place at high speed, creating a large dome of lightning chakra that collided with Sasuke's invisible force.
Hinata grabbed Himawari, Sakura grabbed Sarada, and Naruto grabbed Boruto just as both forces met, creating a large shockwave the spread out throughout the area. The children, minus Shinachiku, let out screams as they felt the force and wind created trying to blow them away, with their parents keeping them from flying away.
Hinata stared in awe at the collision. She was amazed that Arata was managing so well, fighting against the same technique that had been used to destroy Konoha so long ago.
Once both attacks dispersed, Arata had already formed several hand seals.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique) Arata unleashed several balls of fire towards Sasuke, forcing the Uchiha to dodge them, by Arata had actual sped right through one with his left hand cocked back. "Jū Chidori!" (Gentle One Thousand Birds) Arata shouted as he thrust him palm to Sasuke's abdomen, but Sasuke grabbed his arm before contact, then used his Susano'o arm to Arata's right arm to keep him from doing anything.
The tomoe of Arata's eyes suddenly shifted to form something akin to a four-pointed air sabre shuriken as a white human sized Susano'o arm came out from Arata's left shoulder and sent a punch to Sasuke's head.
Sasuke managed to summon another Susano'o arm from his right shoulder, grabbing Arata's own to spare his head, but Arata summoned another one Susano'o arm from his right shoulder, raised up high as it conjured a sword made of lightning chakra into its grasp, shocking Sasuke, as it then came down. The adult Uchiha's Rinnegan shined bright as Sasuke quickly replaced himself with a large stone that was then struck by the lightning sword, creating a dust cloud.
Arata turned his head a bit to notice Sasuke a good distance behind him and closing. He spun on his heel, dispersing his Susano'o arms and sped towards him.
Both had their hands cocked back (hand in Sasuke's case), but the moment Sasuke thrust his hand forward, Arata quickly leaped up over it with his leg cocked back.
'Wait, is that-?'
'Go for it!' Shinachiku mentally cheered with a grin as Lee, Gai and Kakashi were shocked to see the familiar pose.
'Raiton: Dainamikku Entorī!' (Lightning Release: Dynamic Entry) Arata mentally shouted as he thrust his leg downward, only to be met with a hard surface as Sasuke had quickly managed to summon the ribcage of his Susano'o to defend him. 'Mada mada.' Arata thought as he quickly spun in the air at his speed with lightning chakra surrounding him in a sphere. 'Raiton: Hakkeshō Kaiten!' Arata mentally announced as his attack was digging into Sasuke's Susano'o, soon creating fissures in the process. Sasuke decided to leap away from the attack, leaving his Susano'o ribcage behind as it then shattered to pieces. Arata landed onto the ground and as he reared both his arms back. "Raiton: Hakke Kūhekishō!" (Lightning Release: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm) Arata shouted as he thrust his hands forward, releasing a large wave of lightning towards Sasuke.
"Enough!" Sasuke shouted as his Rinnegan and Mangekyō Sharingan shined brightly in their respective colors as he exploded with a force of power, which dispersed Arata's jutsu.
Arata tightened his stance and glared ahead as his Tōmeigan noticed Sasuke's chakra taking a very familiar form.
Everyone watched in awe as Sasuke's Susano'o took its upper half humanoid form with a purple sword made of chakra in its right hand, taking the form of an Ōdachi.
"Papa's Susano'o." Sarada said with shock and awe.
"Guess he's getting serious now." Kakashi said.
Arata stood up straight and reached into his jacket and took out his eye drops. After opening the lid and apply the drops into his eyes, rejuvenating them a bit, he closed his eyes as he put in away and released his cloak of lightning chakra.
"Why is he releasing his cloak?" Sarada asked with genuine confusion.
"The Raiton Chakura Mōdo also can affect the Susano'o performance as well. Guess he wants to match ojisan properly." Shinachiku said with a smile and his arms crossed.
After taking a deep breath through his nose, Arata snapped open his eyes, now shining bright white as Arata's own humanoid upper bodied Susano'o with its own sword completely made of lightning chakra readied in hand.
"He has the Mangekyō as well?!" Gai questioned as he, Gai and Lee were in shock.
"Wow. Onii-chan's looks so nice." Himawari said with an amazed smile and sparkling eyes.
'It… reminds me of Neji-nii-san.' Hinata thought as she stared at Arata's Susano'o with awe as she saw an image of her cousin over the long haired Susano'o visage.
Sasuke and Arata glared at one another before then charging forward as both their Susano'os clashed their weapons, emitting a shockwave, before meeting one another slash for slash.
'Impressive. Show me more.' Sasuke mentally commanded as he kept matching Arata's Susano'o's blade work, only for the lightning sword to dispersed, surprising Sasuke.
"Susano'o: Hakkeshō Kaiten!" Arata shouted as he and his Susano'o spun in place, creating a large dome of chakra that struck Sasuke's Susano'o.
Sasuke's Susano'o grinded against the oversized jutsu, starting to crack as it was feeling it full force. Sasuke grunted as he was forced to jump away before his Susano'o was completely shattered.
The giant dome of chakra ceased once Sasuke's Susano'o was destroyed with Arata's own being the only Susano'o remaining now.
"Incredible." Sakura said breathlessly.
"Astounding! So this is what the strength of the Uchiha and Hyūga in one is like! Remarkable!" Gai said with awe.
"So cool!" Himawari said with awe. She then felt something land on her face. She touched it, feeling that it was clear liquid. Thinking it was rain, she looked up only to see her mother was shedding tears. "Mama?" Himawari addressed her mother with concern.
"Neji-nii-san…" Hinata spoke, surprising both her children and catching everyone else's attention, with Gai and Lee both shedding rivers of tears as witnessing what was before them and hearing their deceased teammate's name got them in the feels, greatly.
Indeed in that moment, they saw the closest thing to Neji's spirit within the land of the living.
Arata and his Susano'o got into their Jūken as they were prepared to fight on.
"I think that's enough holding back from the both of us." Sasuke said as purple chakra surrounded him again, taking shape of his Susano'o, but this time, Sasuke was continuing its development into perfect form.
"Papa?" Sarada spoke her father's name in shock.
"Oh no." Sakura said with a worried frown as her husband finished powering up.
Everyone looked up as Sasuke's complete Susano'o was now formed, staring down at Arata.
"No more holding back. It's clear that continuing to hold back will just lead to a lengthy back and forth. Show me your full strength now, Arata Uchiha." Sasuke said, glaring down at his 'son'.
Arata stared back with a stoic expression for a few moments, before he sighed.
"Yare yare." Arata said as he released his Susano'o, shocking everyone. "No more holding back, eh? Alright. If me at my best is what everyone wants to see… then I might as well not keep you all waiting any longer." Arata said with his eyes closed as sparks of lightning appeared around his body as he made several hand seals before ending on a pair of bird seals and re-entered his Raiton Chakura Mōdo. "Man Boruto." (Ten Thousand Volts) Arata said as more lightning coursed throughout his being and his hair spiking all the way back again in the process.
"Hmm?" Hinata blinked her eyes as she then activated her Byakugan as she took noticed of Arata's form and his increase in chakra and lightning nature.
"Go Man Boruto." (Fifty Thousand Volts) Arata said as his lightning cloak increased in size with sparks starting to fly out.
"His chakra is increasing along with his nature." Hinata shared, surprised by what she was witnessing.
"He's charging up." Shinachiku said. "We might want to get some more distance, dattebaro." He added, just as bolts of electricity fired from Arata's body and scorched the ground and grass around him. "Like right now." Shinachiku said as he and everyone else started walking back away to gain some more distance.
"Jū Man Boruto~." (One Hundred Thousand Volts) Arata said as more bolts of lightning fired from his form as his lightning cloak was growing in size. The group watched as many bolts of lightning fired from Arata's form and scorched the area around him.
"Sugoi." Sarada said breathlessly with amazement but was forced to shield her eyes as Arata's chakra cloak was glowing brighter as it grew in size and potency.
"I can barely see, dattebasa." Boruto said as he too shielded his eyes along with Himawari, Hinata and Sakura.
"You're gonna have a harder time with what's to come, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said as he kept his arms crossed.
Arata was letting out a long audible bellowing sound as he focused his chakra and lightning nature to increase as many more bolts of electricity were firing out from his cloaked body.
"Go Jū Man Boruto~!" (Five Hundred Thousand Volts) Arata let out as his voice almost echoed throughout the area as his lightning chakra cloak grew in size, glowing even brighter and unleashing many more bolts of electricity that were striking the ground with the earth beneath Arata's feet now being charred with the grass already burnt away.
'I know the ground isn't shaking, but just seeing all this… it feels like an earthquake is happening, 'ttebasa!' Boruto mentally said as he was in awe at the amount of power Arata was unleashing.
Arata's body shook as he poured more and more power throughout his body. He furrowed his brow as the lightning around him started to change color from its normal bluish hue to becoming white in color. His hair suddenly started to glow a bright cobalt blue and his eyes turned completely white as well. The veins within Arata's forehead bulged as his brow furrowed and his body quaked from the constant buildup of power.
'Here it comes.' Shinachiku thought with a smirk.
"Raiton Chakura Mōdo: Ka Fuka!" (Lightning Release Chakura Mode: Overload) Arata's body exploded with white lightning that spread throughout the area and enveloped it into a vast array of white light, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.
Once the light receded, everyone uncovered their eyes to see Arata, now with his spiked back hair glowing bright cobalt, his eyes completely white and instead of a cloak of lightning surrounding him, bolts of lightning appeared around his body, coiling around his body like snakes made of lightning and firing out a to both a close proximity and a far distance away.
"Sugoi…" Sarada said breathlessly as she and the rest of the group stared at Arata's new form in awe, minus Shinachiku, who had already seen this form before.
"Whoa, wait, that's it? But he just said 'overload', right? Shouldn't he have an even larger coat of lightning or something?" Boruto questioned.
"I… think he does." Hinata said, surprising and confusing her son and the others. "My Byakugan can see an aura of electricity surrounding him, but I'm also noticing that the lightning in his body is literally now within his body. His whole system is like it's being made up of lightning chakra." Hinata said, shocked by what she was seeing.
"That explains the internal damage from his last mission." Sakura said as she looked back to the young Uchiha-Hyūga.
"Now it starts… the final round." Shinachiku said with a knowing smile as he kept his arms crossed.
"So, this is your strength at its fullest, is it? Then show me what you're made of." Sasuke said, staring at Arata's new form. "Jā kite." (Come on then) Sasuke ordered.
However, before he realized it, Arata had already moved and no appeared before his Susano'o's abdomen, shocking Sasuke, as Arata then slammed his palm into the Susano'o.
"Jū Chidori." Arata said as his palm exploded with bolts of lightning that coursed through the Susano'o frontal region, creating fissures in the process, shocking everyone.
"Arienai!" (No way) Sarada exclaimed in shock.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted her husband's name in worry.
"Shinra Tensei!" Sasuke quickly said as he thrust his left hand forward, but Arata already vanished before the invisible force shot out to strike him.
Arata appeared back onto the ground, hunching over a bit as many bolts of white lightning fired from out his back before a plume of white chakra erupted from his form and took the shape of his humanoid Susano'o, however this time not only did he manage to form legs for his Susano'o, but its long 'hair' took the form of a mane made of white lightning chakra and coils of lightning coursed throughout its arms and bolts flying from its legs and torso. Arata grunted as he and his Susano'o took a Jūken stance.
Arata and his Susano'o dashed forward at such a high speed that to everyone else, minus Sasuke and Naruto, who still saw him moving extremely fast, high kage level fast (hell, even higher than that), he seemed to have just appeared in front of Sasuke's Susano'o.
"Two palms." Arata said as his Susano'o jabbed a pair of finger strikes into Sasuke's Susano'o's abdomen, creating holes in the armor, shocking Sasuke and the onlookers, minus Shinachiku. "Four palm!" Arata shouted out as he delivered more strikes, creating new holes in the Susano'o. "Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms! Susano'o: Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!" (Susano'o: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) Arata's Susano'o, faster than the eye could see, riddled Sasuke's entire Susano'o with cracks and holes, shocking both the elder Uchiha and the others. However, Arata was not done, as his Susano'o brought both its arms back as the ends of them suddenly burst with white lightning that actually roared as they took the form of a pair of lion heads, causing Hinata to gasp in shock. "Susano'o: Raiton: Jūho Sōshiken!" (Susano'o: Lightning Release: Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists) Arata screamed out as he slammed both lightning lion heads straight into Sasuke's Susano'o, causing an immense surge of white lightning throughout it, followed by an explosion that completely decimated the Susano'o, shattering it to pieces.
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock at what he just witnessed. His perfect Susano'o, completely destroyed, by a less developed Susano'o, using lightning release and the fighting style of the Hyūga clan. He was speechless at the power before him. His eyes widened more as his eyes managed to notice Arata was already in front of him, readying to end this with a white Chidori ready to strike him.
Sasuke silently gasped as his Rinnegan shined brightly just before impact.
"Jū Chidori." Arata announced as in one lightning-fast striking motion, he thrust his lightning encased palm into Sasuke's abdomen.
However, he felt nothing as he noticed Sasuke had disappeared via a rift in space. Arata was surprised by this development, but he supposed that this indicated this as a sign that his match with his father's counterpart had concluded.
Everyone watched as Arata landed upon the ground, still coursing with lightning. After a moment, Arata closed his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose, before the bolts and coils of white lightning dispersed from his body and his hair stopped glowing and feel back into place. Once he returned to normal, he fell back, only to be caught by Shinachiku.
"Guess that's the match." Shinachiku said with a smile.
Sarada blinked her eyes in shock at this.
"Wait… that's it? Where's papa?" Sarada asked in confusion.
"I don't sense him anywhere in the area or nearby." Naruto informed.
"Well, that was an interesting bout." A new female voice spoke, causing everyone to turn to see Tsunade. "Glad I made it to see the end." She said with her arms crossed.
"Tsunade-sama! You made it!" Sakura said with a surprised smile.
"Hi, Sobo-chan." Shinachiku greeted the elder blonde as he carried Arata back towards the rest of the group. "What are you doing here?" Shinachiku asked, surprised to see his grandmother figure's counterpart's arrival.
"Sakura told me earlier about this. I had to finish up some work back at the hospital though but looks like I made it just in time for the finale." Tsunade said as she walked over the blonde boy, still carrying the blue-haired boy. "May I?" Tsunade asked, gesturing to the unconscious Arata.
"Yeah, sure." Shinachiku said as he laid Arata down but helped him sit up, acting as his support. "Most of the damage is actually within his brain and nervous system. See, every time he uses that Overload technique of his, it puts his mentality into high gear. His perception, reaction speed, reflexes, instincts, etc. are all greatly enhanced as the electrical signals emitted from his brain are delivered at a radical speed, but as you can imagine or see in this case, it burns him out super quickly once it's over." Shinachiku explained as Tsunade got to work on healing Arata's head.
"I see what you mean. The signals in his brain are moving at a much slower pace than the average. Poor boy wouldn't know what was going on right now if he was awake." Tsunade said with a frown.
"Will he be… alright?" Hinata asked, clearly showing worry for Arata's safety.
"Yeah, he will. It's just burnout. He's been through this before. It takes him about a few minutes to regain himself. Ten at the most but seeing as he didn't hold that form for its maximum of five minutes, then he'll probably just need like around five, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku shared.
"A perfect double-edged sword." Sarada said breathlessly as she was still in shock and awe at what she had just witnessed. Her eyes then went from Arata to Shinachiku. 'So then… what are you capable of, Shinachiku-onii-chan?'
Boruto was thinking the same thing as his wide, shocked eyes had also gone from Arata to Shinachiku. The golden blonde stared at the sunshine blonde for a bit as now that he knows Arata's limit… what is Shinachiku's?
"How is he?" A new male voice spoke, surprising everyone as they all turned to see Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun! Where did you go?" Sakura asked with surprise and concern.
"I… had teleported myself into another dimension." Sasuke answered, shocking everyone.
"Really?" Kakashi questioned, greatly surprised by this news.
"Arata was too fast. My instincts told me that even if I tried switching myself with anything else using Amenotejikara (Heavenly Hand Power), he would have appeared again before me in that instant making it pointless, so I just activated a rift into another world and left." Sasuke said.
"So, you ran away." Naruto teased with a smile.
"My instincts took ahold of me. I did not really have time to actually think of a proper strategy." Sasuke retorted, not wanting to be seen as a coward.
"Regardless, I take that as you forfeited the match. Arata wins." Naruto said with a cheeky grin.
"Hn." Sasuke turned away with an annoyed expression as his eyes were closed and brow furrowed.
Arata suddenly grunted, alerting everybody.
"Arata-kun?" Hinata spoke her 'son's' name with concern.
Arata groaned a bit as he slowly cracked open his eyes a bit. His eyes still felt heavy as he wasn't able to get a grasp on his surroundings.
"He's still dazed. I'd say he hasn't registered yet where he is." Tsunade informed, causing worry and concern to fill Hinata's heart.
"Maybe I can help speed the process." Sakura offered.
"Same." Shinachiku offered as well.
"Speed the process…" Boruto thought over those words as an idea came to mind. "Hey, that's it! Maybe I can help speed the process!" Boruto suggested, confusing everybody.
"You?" Naruto questioned, raising an eyebrow at his son.
"Boruto, you're not a medic." Sarada said with a frown.
"No, but Arata showed me a way to speed up the process of the body's healing." Boruto said.
"He did what?" Sakura questioned with surprise.
"Oh, he showed you that, huh? It could work, but have you memorized those points?" Shinachiku asked.
"Points?" Sarada questioned.
"I remember where they are. Well, mostly, but I remember where the ones on the back are. Trust me, I can do this." Boruto said.
"Alright. I'll trust you." Shinachiku said as he moved a bit, allowing Boruto to kneel behind Arata. As Boruto raised his hands up, he felt a hand on his shoulder as he then felt new chakra flowing into himself, making him turn to see it was Shinachiku, who's hand was glowing with green chakra. "I'm transferring my medical ninjutsu into you. Use it to help him, okay?" Shinachiku informed.
"Oh, right… I need medical chakra for this." Boruto said with an embarrassed smile as he chuckled nervously, while Sarada lightly glared at him with her arms crossed. Boruto looked back to Arata's back and after a moment, recalled all the green points he memorized back onto the puppet Arata used to train him in his Jūken art. 'Here… here, and here… and here and here… and one here too, and some here as well.' Boruto thought to himself as he pressed the certain points on Arata's back.
Once done, it took a moment for Arata to blink his eyes and open them up fully to see Tsunade in front of him, focusing medical chakra into his cranium. He blinked his eyes twice before rubbing his back as he felt certain tenketsu in his body pressed and flowing with medical chakra. After a moment or two, Tsunade ceased applying her medical ninjutsu, allowing Arata to turn to see Boruto smiling at him, along with Shinachiku, who took back his hand and stopped flowing his own medical chakra into it.
"You remembered… good work." Arata said, earning an Uzumaki grin and thumbs up from Boruto. Arata reached into his jacket, still feeling weak, he slowly pulled out his eyedrops and tried to open it, but he stopped when noticing Shinachiku extending his hand to him.
"Allow me. You're still pretty weak after all that exertion, dattebaro." Shinachiku said with a smile.
"Hn." Arata complied, acknowledging that he was still pretty banged up from overloading himself, and handed his eyedrops to Shinachiku. After the sunshine blonde applied several eyedrops within each eye. After blinking his eyes until his sight was clear again, Arata reached into his jacket again and pulled another bottle of eyedrops. "Here." Arata extended his eyedrops to Tsunade, who blinked her eyes in confusion. "These were made by Shinachiku's mother. They possess a healing agent that can rejuvenate one's eyesight. Especially for those who only possess a Mangekyō Sharingan to keep them from going blind by slowing down the process for decades. I'll be in this word for a while, not to mention it can be used to help others, so if you'd please, analyze it and try to recreate it. If you don't mind, Tsunade-sama." Arata said to the slug sannin.
"I see. Quite impressive. I'll do my best." Tsunade said as she took the eyedrops.
"Hn." Arata nodded to her. He then noticed his chokuto back in its scabbard being extended to him. He knew who was handing it to him but looked up regardless to see Sasuke. "Thank you." Arata thanked the elder Uchiha as he took his chokuto back.
"Hn." Sasuke nodded to the younger Uchiha as he handed back his weapon.
"Good job by the way. You actually had the teme running scared." Naruto said, teasing his friend in the process.
"I doubt that. If he wanted to, he could have taken me down." Arata pointed out.
"That would require me going at full force. I'm not aiming to harm you in such a way." Sasuke said.
"Aw~, how sweet." Shinachiku said with a bit of a teasing smile.
"You're just as much of a smartass as your father." Sasuke said to Shinachiku.
"The horror." Arata said with his eyes closed.
"Congratulations on your win, Arata-onii-chan." Himawari said to the older blue-haired Hyūga half-breed with a congratulatory smile.
"Thank you." Arata responded, looking to the younger Hyūga.
"Are you feeling alright?" Hinata asked with concern.
"Better than how I normally am after using my Overload state." Arata answered. He then looked to Shinachiku and extended his hand to him, confusing the sunshine blonde.
"What?" Shinachiku questioned, looking to Arata.
"Tag in." Arata answered, surprising his friend.
After a moment of staring at him with widened eyes, Shinachiku smirked as clapped his hand over Arata's own.
"Alright! It's finally my turn, dattebaro!" Shinachiku exclaimed with a big ol' Uzumaki grin as he stood up straight with his arms cocked back into chamber. "Chanaro!" Shinachiku called out as he leaped up high and landed in the center of the battleground.
"Well, he sure is excited." Tsunade said with an amused smile. "And I see it's not just Naruto's little tick he inherited as well." Tsunade added as she looked to Sakura with a humorous smirk, with the pinkette chuckling and rubbing the back of her neck with embarrassment, with an expression to match her feelings right now.
"Well, you better get in there, old man." Boruto said to his father.
Naruto smirked as he cracked his knuckles before appearing across Shinachiku.
"Hope you're ready for this, Shinachiku." Naruto said, smiling to his 'son'.
"I wouldn't be right here now if I wasn't." Shinachiku said with a ready grin.
"Shina, don't forget your weights." Arata called out.
"Weights?" Gai questioned as he and the others looked to Arata with surprise and confusion.
"Be prepared." Sarada said with a bit of a nervous smile.
"Trust me, I remember. I swear I'm gonna go all out! That's a promise! And we Uzumakis always keep our word, dattebaro!" Shinachiku proclaimed proudly as in one swift motion, he took off his jacket. He pulled up his pant legs and lifted up his shirt, confusing the adults, until sealing formulas appeared around his shins, forearms and abdomen as then puffs of smoke appeared to reveal leg and arm weights with weights wrapped around his abdomen.
"Those weights around his stomach. They look similar to diver weights." Gai pointed out.
"How much is he carrying?" Hinata asked.
"Doesn't look like much." Lee said.
"But it is. Those weight and gravity of them have been increased with fūinjutsu. Unless he used proper chakra control, he wouldn't be able to move his body. Not to mention they also cut off a good portion of Shinachiku's chakra." Arata explained, shocking everybody, minus Boruto and Sarada.
"How… how much do they weigh then?" Sakura asked with evident worry and concern for Shinachiku's health.
"Kai!" Shinachiku shouted out as the weight were unlatched and fired off of his body.
'How much have you been carrying then, Shinachiku-kun?' Lee mentally asked as then the weights rocketed into the ground, creating massive craters and ginormous dust clouds and surrounded the area, completely covering Shinachiku, as the earth shook from the force.
"HO!" Lee and Gai exclaimed with wide anime eyes and looks of pure awe.
"Sugoi!" Himawari shouted out as she held onto her mother for support to stay on her feet.
All the adults stared with looks of utter shock at the sight with Sakura having her jaw dropped with her eyes bulging anime style.
'THAT LITTLE BAKA!' Sakura mentally screamed with anger at Shinachiku's recklessness.
"Well, he's definitely your student, Lee." Kakashi said, managing to keep his calm, lazy expression.
"No Doubt About That!" Gai proclaimed proudly with a fist pump.
"Sugoi, Shinachiku-kun!" Lee said with awe at Shinachiku's youth.
"I'm Gonna Kill You, Lee!" Sakura screamed with anger at the bowl cut Jonin, who flinched with a look of fear.
Naruto blinked his eyes in shock before smiling with pride as he saw Shinachiku's silhouette within the dust clouds.
"That's much better." Shinachiku said with a smile as his pant legs and shirt were pulled back down and his jacket back on as he started to stretch. "Definitely feel light, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said with a smile as he stretched his legs. He then stood up, hopping from one foot to another before leap at high speed straight up all the way many stories high above the treetops.
"Huh? Where did he go?" Boruto asked with shock.
"Look up." Arata said, causing the blonde and others to do so to see Shinachiku so far up in the air, he looked like a dot.
Shinachiku looked down to see he was very, very high in the air, while Naruto stared up at him with a smile. Once he came back down and landed upon the ground, he delivered a blinding barrage of punches.
'So fast.' Sarada mentally commented with shock and awe.
"Mm hmm. Now for my chakra." Shinachiku said as he then made a ram hand seal. He took in a deep inhale through his nose as he closed his eyes and focused. After a moment, Shinachiku then snapped his eyes open as chakra exploded from his body, unleashing a shockwave so strong that is dissipated the remaining dust clouds.
Everyone, minus Sasuke, Naruto and Arata, were forced to cover their faces as the shockwave was so intense that it created a powerful squall of wind so strong that even nearby trees were violently rustling with a good amount of their leaves coming right off the branches and blowing away.
"No way~!" Himawari screamed out in awe as she held onto her mother tightly.
"He did say that he had locked away two thirds of his chakra. Makes sense that there would be this much now as a result of constant build up." Arata said with a raised voice so the others could here.
"Two Thirds?! He Locked Away Two Thirds Of His Chakra?! Unbelievable!" Gai exclaimed in utter awe as Kakashi quickly got behind him and grabbed his wheelchair to make sure Gai was blown away by the wind, or more precisely his chair since he could jump off and stand on his hands or only working leg.
'You kept so much of this locked away Shinachiku-kun?! And you were still able to match me yesterday?!' Lee thought with awe and he felt immense pride starting to swell in his chest. 'You truly are remarkable.'
'I don't believe this… this kid… he's… definitely his father's son.' Tsunade thought with shock and awe.
'Onii-chan…' Sarada had a look of utter amazement at her elder brother's progress. She knew after all he put himself through that he would become powerful, but she never expected on such a level as this!
'Shina…' Sakura stared at the sunshine blonde with wide eyes as she was stunned and amazed by his full power.
Shinachiku let out a battle cry as his chakra surrounded him in a dome.
In that moment, Sasuke saw an image of Naruto in their days as newly minted members of Team Kakashi. Specifically, the day he had faced Gaara, saving both him and Sakura in the process. He couldn't help, but smirk at the nostalgic sight.
Boruto was just flabbergasted. He stared at Shinachiku with disbelief at what he was witnessing. He felt a bit disheartened at the clear gap between them… but that was soon replace with a drive to surpass this power before.
'Give your all, bro.' Boruto couldn't help but mentally say with a determined expression that also radiated support.
Shinachiku let out a louder battle cry as his chakra exploded again! This time unleashing plume of it that rose up into the sky and started taking the form of multiple tails. With one last battle cry, Shinachiku snapped his arms out to the side as his chakra dispersed, along with the shockwave as the wind soon died out.
"Yup. Feels just about right." Shinachiku said with a smile and a gaze reflecting his determination and excitement.
"Huh… not bad." Naruto commented.
"You actually might have your hands full with this one here, Naruto." Kurama said within his jinchuriki's mind.
"Oi~! Don't think this is just between these two knuckleheads, 'pops'." A new voice spoke within Naruto and Kurama's mindscape, causing both their eyes to widen.
'Wait… was that who I think it was?' Naruto mentally questioned with surprise.
"You bet your ass, Hokage-sama." Mamoru spoke as then Naruto and Kurama were in a white mindscape with Shinachiku and Mamoru across from them, with the green-eyed blonde's biju being its full size, which was about half the size of a house. "Shina's not the only one showing what he's got here." Mamoru said with a grin.
"You both always fight as a team, well so do Mamoru and I! My strength is his, and his is mine! That's how it goes, dattebaro!" Shinachiku said with a determined smile and glare as he gave a fist pump.
"Hope you're ready to see some real teamwork!" Mamoru said, still grinning and pointing one of his sharp finger claws at Kurama and Naruto.
"Heh. Listen to them. Little brats are trying to sport big britches they can't fill. We best show them who wears the pants in this family." Kurama said with an amused yet slightly excited grin.
"Best we keep the wife and daughter out of this, got it?" Mamoru retorted.
"Cheeky little brat. Guess since he's not here I better take on the role and teach you to respect your progenitor. That includes this version right here." Kurama said.
"Bring it, old bones!" Mamoru shot back, ready to show what he and Shina got.
"Hmph. Let's wipe the floor with them." Kurama said to Naruto with his arms crossed.
"You two seem way more into this battle than Shina and I, 'ttebayo." Naruto said with a bit of a nervous smile, while Shinachiku chuckled nervously and with embarrassment at Mamoru's behavior.
On the outside, to the others it just looks like Naruto and Shinachiku were just staring at one another. A stare-down if you will.
"What's with them? Why aren't they making a move?" Boruto asked looking between his dad and Shinachiku in confusion.
"I'm… not sure." Sarada said, confused as well by this turn of events.
"Alright then! Time to start things for real, dattebaro!" Shinachiku said as he got into his Gōken stance.
"Oh… there we go… that was pretty sudden." Sarada said with a surprised expression, blinking her eyes.
"Yeah, that was weird, dattebasa." Boruto said with a dull frown and half-lidded eyes.
Shinachiku then reached into his pouch and pulled out his gloves, only to realize he only had one.
"Oh, right." Shinachiku said with a smirk as he brought up his left glove.
"Huh? Oh, right!" Boruto said as he pulled out Shinachiku's right glove. "Shina-"
"Don't worry about it." Shinachiku said as he brought up his left arm and put on his left glove. "I just need the one." Shinachiku said with a smirk.
Sakura couldn't help but smile at this.
'Go get him, Shina.' Sakura wished her 'son' luck.
"Let's Go!" Kurama shouted out with a roar.
"Let's Do It!" Mamoru shouted with his own roar.
"CHA!" Shinachiku screamed out as he appeared in front of Naruto and sent a punch.
Naruto brought a up hand up and caught the fist, but it unleashed a shockwave as the elder blonde skidded back far and flinched from the force behind the punch. After a good distance, Naruto stopped skidding back.
Shinachiku tossed up a three-pronged kunai over Naruto's head, then flashed above him.
"Konoha Senpū!" Shinachiku shouted out as he delivered a flying roundhouse, forcing Naruto to block it with his right arm. Upon impact, Naruto's arm burst with golden flaming chakra as Shinachiku's blow was very powerful that also unleashed a shockwave.
Naruto groaned with his teeth gritted as he fought back against the force of Shinachiku's kick.
Shinachiku groaned as he tried to increase the force of his blow. After a moment, Shinachiku let out a loud battle cry, as his leg burst with golden flames, increasing his power, finally being enough to push Naruto back a bit.
Naruto quickly leaped back away as fast as he could from Shinachiku.
However, the younger blonde was already on him.
'So fast.' Naruto thought with surprise at Shinachiku's speed, quickly sending golden chakra to his arms to be used to block his blows.
Shinachiku sent a punch towards Naruto, who was forced to block it with one of his chakra-enhanced hand, but then a pair of Shinachiku clones appeared above Naruto, ready to land a pair of blows on Naruto.
Naruto quickly pushed the first Shinachiku's blow back, he quickly blocked the other pair's blows, another punch and a kick, but one of them tossed a kunai behind him as the first Shinachiku appeared behind him and sent a punch, but suddenly a golden arm made of chakra came from Naruto's back and grabbed Shinachiku's fist.
The Shinachiku from behind grinned as he had grabbed the three-pronged kunai that was tossed before and brought it up as several bomb tags appeared from out of the sealing formula around its handle, shocking Naruto, as the two other Shinachikus he was holding onto made several blindingly fast hand seals.
"Fūton: Renkūdan!" (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet) The two Shinachikus shouted as the blew out strong powerful bullets just as bomb tags went off, creating a massive explosion.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called out her husband's name with worry.
"Shinachiku!" Sakura screamed out the younger blonde's name, just as worried as Hinata.
"They're fine. Don't worry." Arata said, just as they something bright dashing out of the explosion.
Naruto had been forced to use his Kyūbi Chakura Mōdo (Nine-Tails Chakra Mode) to get him out of the explosion in time.
'Damn. Either this kid is making sure he doesn't underestimate me or he's trying to kill me for some reason.' Naruto thought to himself.
Naruto noticed a three-pronged kunai launched from the explosion and coming towards him. He was ready to dodge it, but suddenly it multiplied into forty of them, shocking the Hokage as he was forced to parry them with a kunai of his own.
Shinachiku ran out of the explosion with a clone that formed a Rasengan. The first one skidded to a halt and grabbed the hand of the other one that formed the Rasengan, and then quickly spun them both around, taking to form of a cyclone.
"Take This!" The first Shinachiku shouted as he threw the second one, rocketing him towards Naruto.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he finished parrying the kunai, managing to turn his body to dodge the rocketing clone, just as the first Shinachiku appeared in front of him and sent a punch, but Naruto grabbed it and delivered a gut punch to Shinachiku, causing him to hunch over in pain.
"Nice try." Naruto said with a smirk.
However, the Shinachiku that he dodged a second ago bounced off the ground with his free hand, and once he landed on his feet, he turned, reared his arm holding the Rasengan back and with a battle cry, he threw it like a softball.
"What the?!" Lee questioned in shock.
"He Threw It!" Himawari called out with awe.
Naruto's eyes widened as he turned his head to see the Rasengan coming at him at high speed. He tried to jump away, but a claw of golden chakra shot out from Shinachiku's abdomen and grab the arm he gut-punched Shinachiku with another golden claw of chakra appearing from the fist Naruto grabbed a moment ago, grabbing the other arm of the Hokage, keeping him in place.
The best Naruto could do in this situation was take a step back and move his body back to the side enough to dodge the Rasengan by the skin of his teeth, only for Shinachiku to reach his free hand up and grab the Rasengan in hand.
Naruto gasped at this, as Shinachiku then raised up his head.
"Gotcha!" Shinachiku said with a smirk as Naruto's eyes widened. "Cha!" Shinachiku shouted out as he slammed the Rasengan right into Naruto's abdomen.
The golden claws coming from Shinachiku's body dispersed, releasing their hold on Naruto as he was then sent flying.
Shinachiku let out a small chuckle and gave a small grin before he dispersed into a cloud of smoke, revealing himself to be a clone.
The other Shinachiku sighed with momentary relief as he wiped away some sweat from his brow. Suddenly the ground beneath him broke apart as out came another Naruto, who grabbed him by the front of his shirt, with Shinachiku grabbing his arm in reflex.
"Pretty clever. You didn't do half bad with those clones, but you're not the only one who strategizes with them, dattebayo." Naruto said with a smirk.
"Heh… I guess great minds think alike." Shinachiku said with his own smirk as the ground around them broke in several places, creating a ring formation as out of the ground came the upper-halves of more Shinachiku who had one arm raised and holding three-pronged kunai and the other hand making a one-handed seal. "But I also got my kaa-chan's brains too, 'ttebaro!"
"Fūinjutsu: Omoi Tsuchi no Yubiwa!" (Sealing Technique: Heavy Earth Ring) All the Shinachiku shouted out as they stabbed their kunai into the ground as threads of light connected them all together in a ring formation.
Naruto tried jumping away, but when he jumped out of the ring, he suddenly appeared in the center of it again. He turned his head to notice the Shinachiku he grabbed earlier was not outside of the formation where he was, and grinning at the Hokage as a large sealing formula formed underneath Naruto in rays of light.
'Dammit. The brat tagged us.' Kurama thought to himself as he felt a sensation at the palm of his claw, making him look at it to see a sealing formula for the Hiraishin. 'With a little help. I felt his chakra on me when I helped block that punch. I should have been more alert.' Kurama thought with gritted fangs as he could practically see Mamoru giving him a cheeky grin.
Damn vivid imaginations.
Naruto instantly felt his center of gravity increase by a large margin, causing the Hokage to buckle over.
Everyone watched in shock as Naruto was now hunched over, clearly showing signs of struggling.
"Impressive." Kakashi commented.
"When did he find the time to make all those clones?" Gai wondered.
"When he took of those weights. The dust clouds they created made for a perfect cover up." Arata answered, properly deducing Shinachiku's strategy.
'Dammit! I'm gonna be crushed under my own weight! I got to use that now!' Naruto mentally exclaimed as he then fell onto one knee. He summoned as much strength as he could to then unzip his jacket and raise his shirt, revealing his muscular abdominals and chest as a seal appeared around his torso. This one not being his Four Symbols Seal that was used to contain Kurama. "Kai!" Naruto grunted out as the sealing formula shined brightly as bolts of electricity shot from it and struck both the large sealing formula beneath him and the kunai each of the clones had, electrocuting them in the process.
Thanks to Naruto's fūinjutsu, the fūinjutsu the clones created dispersed and the kunai they were all holding burst with energy, sending them all flying away.
Most of the clones dispersed into clouds of smoke, but one managed to survive long enough to roll off against the ground and onto their feet where they pulled out a new kunai.
"Take this!" The clone shouted as it threw the kunai.
After hearing the clone's voice, Naruto quickly grabbed a kunai from his pouch and parried the kunai the Shina clone tossed at him, only to notice a sealing tag wrapped around the handle which then illuminated an explosion of light.
Naruto screamed out in pain as he covered his eyes, feeling his whole cranium ringing as a result.
'My head! I can't… think straight! My ears… can't focus… can't hear! Can't… anything!' Naruto mentally exclaimed the best he could as he grabbed the sides of his head, feeling like his whole brain was spiraling around and slamming against every part of his skull.
'That light was so intense on the ocular nerves that it forced them into overdrive, sending intense electrical signals too much for Naruto's brain to handle!' Kurama deduced with shock at this sudden development.
"Haruno Dangan!" (Haruno Bullet) Shinachiku's voice was heard as he bulleted towards Naruto and then slammed his forehead right into Naruto's forehead, giving the elder blonde an even worse headache.
Naruto let out a scream as he was sent rolling back far until coming to a halt and lying on his back.
Tsunade blinked her eyes in surprise at this.
"Haruno Dangan?" Tsunade questioned, earning a nervous chuckle from her pink-haired student.
"I think it works pretty well." Kakashi said with an amused pair of eye smiles.
After a moment, Naruto finally sat up and let out a pained scream as he held his aching head.
"Ow~! Dammit! What the hell hit me?!" Naruto shouted out in pain.
"The brat came at you like a torpedo and slammed that forehead of his into yours." Kurama informed his tenant.
"Damn~! I always knew a forehead like that could do some serious damage, but holy crap! Thank Kami Sakura-chan never did that to me! Give me a punch to the noggin any day over that, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted out as he rubbed his forehead to relieve himself of the pain.
The adults couldn't help but laugh at this while Sakura looked to the side with half-lidded eyes and a small grin that showed embarrassment, amusement and annoyance at Naruto's claim.
Shinachiku appeared in front of Naruto and slammed an uppercut into Naruto's stomach, sending him rocketing into the air.
"Naruto!" Kurama called out to his host, but he could sense that he wasn't in the right mind. 'Dammit! He's still out of it thanks to that flash bang from earlier!' Kurama thought with gritted teeth.
"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Shinachiku quickly said as he made a cross hand seal, creating fifteen clones who then tossed three-pronged kunai up towards the air around Naruto as they flashed to them and grabbing the kunai with them all now surrounding Naruto in the air.
"Oh, this is gonna hurt." Kurama said with a frown.
One of the Shinachikus threw their kunai to Naruto, allowing him to flash in front of the elder blonde, grabbed the kunai and delivered a Konoha Senpū, sending Naruto flying into another clone who deliver a high kick that sent Naruto flying up where a pair of clones threw their kunai up above him where they clashed against one another, followed by the two flashing to them and delivered a twin heel kick, causing Naruto to bullet downward where another kunai was tossed in his way as another Shinachiku clone flashed to it and slammed his fist into Naruto's abdomen.
The group below watched as the Shinachikus were tossing their kunai, flashing to them and landing blows to Naruto, ricocheting him around with flashes of light surrounding him in that small space in the air.
"Uzumaki Senkō Rendan!" (Uzumaki Flash Combo) A pair of Shinachikus shouted as they flashed underneath Naruto and delivered a pair of uppercuts to his stomach, sending him rocketing upwards where another was tossed towards allowing another Shinachiku to flash above the Hokage with their leg raised up.
"Tsūtenkyaku!" (Heavenly Foot of Pain) Shinachiku shouted out as he slammed a powerful heel strike down onto Naruto, sending him rocketing into the ground where it shattered apart with a dust cloud forming.
The whole group stared in shock at the sight. The ones most shocked were Tsunade from seeing Shinachiku using her own technique in such a way, and Kakashi, who was shocked and amazed from Shinachiku's usage of his sensei's signature jutsu.
'Sensei…' Kakashi's eyes softened as he saw an image of the Yondaime Hokage over Shinachiku for a moment.
The sunshine blonde and his clones landed upon the ground as their eyes were then on the dust cloud where Naruto was in.
"Is… that is?" A Shinachiku asked.
Suddenly, the Shinachiku that had landed the heel before was grabbed by a golden claw of chakra that popped out from the ground, latching onto his leg. Breaking out of the ground was a golden tail of chakra with the end of it being the claw that held onto Shinachiku. The tail swung Shinachiku around and tossed him away. All the Shinachikus got ready only to be shocked to see the golden form of Naruto's Kurama avatar, which then unleashed a bellowing roar that sent all the clones flying and dispersing from the force behind the roar, along with the dust cloud that had covered the area.
Shinachiku groaned as he sat up to see his clones had been defeated by Kurama in his golden chakra form. After a moment, the golden form dispersed to reveal Naruto, now on his feet in his Kurama Chakura Mōdo which he then dispersed after a moment.
"Man… I don't know what hurts worse. My head or my body. Either way, I'm aching." Naruto said as he grabbed and rolled his shoulder.
"What else was I expecting?" Shinachiku said with a small pout as he got to his feet.
"Shina… let's quit it with this. I'm gonna focus on building up my energy. You show him what you can really do." Mamoru said.
"This was inevitable." Shinachiku said as he crossed his arms in front of himself.
"Here we go." Gai said with an excited smile.
"Tomon! Kai!" Shinachiku shouted out as he snapped his arms out and activated the fifth gate, unleashing a powerful shockwave with his hair raised and skin turning red, before he rocketed towards Naruto. "Dainamikku Entorī!" Shinachiku called out as he launched a flying kick to Naruto.
Naruto stood still with his eyes closed as Shinachiku rocketed towards him at high speed. He then raised his hand and blocked the foot with it.
"You know… I always wondered how this mode would work against a user of the Hachimon." Naruto said as he snapped open his eyes to reveal a pair of eyes similar to toads with orange pigment around the eyes, meaning he was now in Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode). "No time like the present."
Shinachiku quickly took out a three-pronged kunai from his jacket and threw it at Naruto, but the toad sage grabbed the kunai by the handle and tossed it away right before Shinachiku flashed to it. Shinachiku landed upon the ground and formed a Rasengan in hand.
"Sokkyū Rasengan!" (Fastball Spiraling Sphere) Shinachiku shouted out as he threw the Rasengan from his hand towards Naruto.
Deciding not to take any chance, Naruto brought his hand up and formed his own Rasengan to counter Shinachiku's tossed one, but he noticed that the younger blonde had taken out a paper bomb ball as then the thrown Rasengan was switched with it.
'Clever little-' Naruto couldn't finish that thought since the paper bomb ball exploded upon impact with his own Rasengan, forcing the Hokage to jump back so as not to be caught in the blast.
Shinachiku quickly rocketed forward with his Rasengan in hand at high speed.
"Cha!" Shinachiku shouted out as he thrust his Rasengan to Naruto, but the Hokage deliver a gut punch before impact. Although it did not make impact, Naruto had sent nature chakra to the end of his fist, extending his range of attack to nail Shinachiku in the stomach.
Right before he was sent flying, Shinachiku managed to toss up his Rasengan over Naruto's head. As he was flying back, Shinachiku quickly made a clone which then flashed above Naruto, surprising the Hokage, as it then delivered a Konoha Senpū onto the spiraling sphere.
Naruto's brow furrowed as he quickly activated his chakra cloak to dash back away in time to avoid having his face caved in by a kicked Rasengan, which then properly burst, creating a dome of spiraling chakra.
The original Shinachiku flipped into the air and made a cross hand seal as he landed on his feet and skidded back.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Shinachiku shouted out as he created thirty clones that then threw three-pronged kunai towards Naruto, then flashed to them and quickly surrounded him.
"Hmph." Naruto turned off his cloak as he then got into his Frog Kata stance.
All the Shinachiku clones dashed at Naruto, trying to land a blow on him, but thanks to a combination of Naruto's experience and the fighting style of Frog Kata, Naruto managed to block and parry their blows, and even managed to nail a pair of them with senjutsu enhanced blows.
Once of them tried to throw a kunai at him and flash over to slam a kick, but Naruto grabbed his leg, swinging him to send a pair flying before slamming the clone in hand into the ground, and then deliver a rising back kick to a clone that tried sucker punching him, causing them all to disperse.
"Doton: Dorojigoku!" (Earth Release: Reverse Antlion) A pair of clones said as they slammed their hands into the ground to summon earth from beneath Naruto's feet to restrain him, but the Hokage leaped up in time, just as another pair of clones tried to commit a pincer attack to his sides.
Naruto delivered a split kick to the clones, nailing them in the faces, causing them to disperse into clouds of smoke.
The rest of the clones ripped out chunks of ground, crushing them in their hands and started firing them all at Naruto in rapid succession.
Once Naruto landed, he was forced to jump away and using his senjutsu to the best of his ability, took out a kunai to parry away every single fragment bulleting towards him.
'Extraordinary! He's using his immense physical strength and the Hachimon in conjunction to create such a rapid barrage! And using his clones as an added bonus no less!' Gai thought with awe at Shinachiku's ingenuity, and he wasn't the only one as the rest were impressed as well.
Naruto grunted as he was forced to parry so many stone fragments that were aiming to pierce his skin.
'Ah, screw it.' Naruto thought as he raised his hand up and formed another of his signatures. "Rasenshuriken!" Naruto shouted out as he launched his large four-pointed jutsu towards the clones, striking one with them before his jutsu went off, taking the rest of them.
"DAMMIT, NARUTO! ONE OF THEM COULD HAVE BEEN THE REAL ONE!" Sakura screamed out with anger and annoyance.
Naruto ignored Sakura's shouted and focus his senjutsu to enhance his sensory techniques. Good thing that he did, because he sensed a new Shinachiku rocketing towards him from behind.
"Dainamikku Entorī!" Shinachiku shouted out, trying to kick Naruto from behind, but the Hokage ducked and delivered a rising palm strike, nailing Shinachiku in the back. However, Shinachiku grinned as it turned out his torso had several bomb tags attached to it. Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the sizzling of the tags being activated, as just then the younger blonde exploded.
Naruto tried to back away before ignition, but he was still close enough to feel the force and fire from the hypocenter of the blast. Naruto had his arm up, the same one he used to attack the clone just now, to take any damage away from his face. He grunted as he held his arm in pain, but then sensed something above him. Looking up, Naruto's eyes widened as he saw multiple large spheres of energy coming down towards him.
"Ryūsei-gun Rasengan!" (Meteor Shower Spiraling Sphere) A whole battalion of Shinachikus screamed out as they rocketed down towards Naruto.
Before Naruto could even think of dodging, a pair of hands broke from the ground, attempting to grab his legs. Naruto managed to sense it and jump out of their reach, but a three-pronged kunai came rocketing over as a new Shinachiku appeared behind him right before it passed by and grabbed the Hokage in place.
"Gotcha!" The clone said as two more clones broke from the ground below and grabbed Naruto as well by his sides and arms, barring himself from movement.
'Crap.' Naruto thought with gritted teeth as the clones from above came down hard on him, ready to nail their massive Rasengans into him.
However, because his options were limited, Naruto was forced to summon an avatar of Kurama from his being, sending the clones flying as the head of the avatar opened its mouth and quickly formed a Bijūdama (Tailed Beast Ball) that took on the barrage of massive Rasengans, initiating a power struggle and creating a powerful shockwave in the process.
Everyone was once again forced to fight against the force of a shockwave to stay on their feet, with Hinata holding her daughter tightly.
Kurama then fired out his attack into the form of a beam that consumed the Shinachikus.
The real Shinachiku took advantage of this by landing on the ground while the power struggle occurred and rocketed toward Naruto with a Rasengan ready. He managed to break through the golden chakra surrounding Naruto, but the blonde kage clashed Shinachiku's Rasengan with one of his own.
Shinachiku groaned with gritted teeth as he fought against Naruto's own, with the Hokage having a calm expression as he fought back against the younger blonde's jutsu. Shinachiku furrowed his brow as he growled a bit, knowing he needed to push his technique even further if he wanted a chance at winning the power struggle.
"Keimon! KAI!" Shinachiku screamed out as his Rasengan grew to massive size in the form of a Chōōdama Rasengan (Ultra-Big Ball Spiraling Sphere).
'He's using the sixth gate to increase his Rasengan's power?!' Lee thought with shock as he was impressed by Shinachiku's ingenuity.
'Impressive, but very risky. You're more susceptible to burnout that way.' Kakashi commented.
'Hmph. Not bad.' Naruto thought with a smirk. "Chōōdama Rasengan." Naruto said as his own Rasengan grew to massive size as well, being a bit bigger than Shinachiku's.
After a moment, Naruto had won the power struggle, sending Shinachiku flying back.
Shinachiku's Hachimon dispersed, returning him to normal as he flew back.
'Mamoru!' Shinachiku mentally called out his partner's name with his teeth grit.
"Alright, alright." Mamoru responded as he gave Shinachiku some of his chakra.
Shinachiku's body burst with golden flame-like chakra as he now was in his own Bijū Chakura Mōdo (Tailed Beast Chakra Mode). He flipped in the air and landed a foot against the surface of a tree.
'Fūton: Hishōkyaku!' (Wind Release: Flight Foot) Shinachiku mentally called out as he instantly surrounded wind chakra around his foot and fired off of it, causing him to rocket back towards Naruto.
Naruto gained a small grin as Shinachiku made it back before him. The two clashed, unleashing a shockwave with golden light enveloping the area around them, forcing the crowd to cover their eyes to keep themselves from being blinded.
Naruto and Shinachiku then started to dash around the field, ricocheting around and clashing with one another.
Shinachiku delivered punches and kicks to Naruto, who was forced to block and parry them the best he could, but despite having more experience, Shinachiku's skills in taijutsu were giving him a hard time. It didn't matter that Mamoru and Shinachiku had less chakra than Kurama and Naruto. Their skills and teamwork were truly something to behold for shinobi their age. Between their fighting skills, tactics and creativity, both the Hokage and fox beast were very much impressed by what they had to offer.
However, just because the pair were very skilled for their age doesn't mean that they were the ones with the upper hand.
Naruto grabbed Shinachiku's arm and leg, then tossed him.
Shinachiku summoned a pair of golden chakra arms that formed Ōdama Rasengans and elongated towards Naruto, who raised his own hand up and made Chōōdama Rasengan that collided with the twin Ōdama Rasengans, creating an explosion of wind and force with Shinachiku being sent flying away.
The younger blonde flipped in the air, only to notice Naruto above him. He quickly brought his arms up in a cross-block as Naruto delivered a kick that sent Shinachiku rocketing downward, slamming into the ground with a dust cloud forming around him.
Naruto landed upon the ground, staring at the dust cloud where Shinachiku now lied, as his Sennin Mōdo timed out.
Sakura bit her lip as she prayed that the young blonde would get up. She would be worried that Shinachiku was hurt, which she is, but she could always heal him back up and he would be able to do the same for himself, also with Mamoru's help. However, she knew how important this match was for the young medic. She could tell very clearly. She didn't want him to go out like this. She knew he deserves better.
'Come on, Shina. Get back up. Rise to your feet and finish this right!' Sakura mentally pleaded to the boy.
Naruto stared ahead at the dust cloud, keeping a calm composure, but inwardly worried and praying for the boy to stand back up.
'Come on… I know there's more within you. The both of you. Get back up… and give it your all, just like you promised… Shinachiku.' Naruto thought, wanting his 'son' to get back up and fight with all his might.
Coughing was then heard as within the dust cloud, Shinachiku, now back into his original form, sat up, holding his gut in pain.
"Shina… I built up enough strength. How about we end this with a bang?" Mamoru said to his host.
"Yeah… let's do this." Shinachiku said with a determined expression and glare as he got back to his feet.
Once the dust settled, everyone saw Shinachiku back onto his feet, ready to go on.
'That's my boy.' Naruto and Sakura thought in unison as they couldn't help but smile at seeing Shinachiku standing up, ready for more.
"Hmm?" Kurama narrowed his eyes as he could sense Mamoru building up chakra from within Shinachiku. 'What are they plotting?' Kurama wondered as he felt now things were going to get very serious.
"Glad you're back up." Naruto said with a smile. "Ready to keep going?"
"Go Shinachiku-kun! Do Not Relent! Unleash Your Full Power! Show Everyone the Absolute Strength of Your Youth!" Lee screamed out with a fist pump and fire in his eyes.
"Yosh!" Gai shouted out in agreement with a grin and his own fist pump.
'Oh brother.' Boruto thought with an uncomfortable grin and dull eyes as he looked towards Lee.
'So, this is how Metal's father normally is. I see where he gets his enthusiasm.' Sakura thought with a nervous grin and eye smiles as she had a sweat drop down the side of her head.
"Well, guess I got no choice then. I don't want to disappoint, sensei." Shinachiku said to himself with a smile.
"Shina… I hope you got more in you than what I've seen so far. I want no more delays. The only way your gonna come close to victory is by giving me your all, dattebayo!" Naruto said with a smile that was displaying his growing excitement.
"Yeah, I know." Shinachiku said as he then pointed to Naruto. "I told you I'm gonna go all out in this fight, and when I say something, I do it, because I never go back on my word! That's my… no… that's the nindo of the Uzumaki clan! Our ninja way!" Shinachiku announced with pride and a look of determination, causing Naruto's smile to widen.
"Boruto." Arata spoke up, earning the golden blonde's attention. "That was a good thing you did by speeding up my healing process."
"Uh… thanks, but didn't you already tell me I did a good job?" Boruto questioned.
"I did. I just said it was a good thing. Thanks to you, Tsunade-sama has enough chakra to help Sakura-san fix Shina when this is over." Arata said, earning everyone's attention, with the two medical professionals looking to him in confusion and a growing sense of worry. Arata then suddenly unsheathed his chokuto and stabbed it into the ground, surprising everyone further. "Everyone better hold on to something." Arata said, gripping the hilt of his blade tightly, now worrying everyone around him.
'You ready, Mamoru?' Shinachiku asked his partner.
"Let's show them what we can really do, partner." Mamoru said with a grin.
Shinachiku closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath through his nose. He then got into a horse stance and crossed his arms in front of him.
"The Hachimon again?" Sarada questioned with surprise.
"But I thought he reached his limit with it. How will it work now?" Boruto questioned with confusion.
"No… something's different this time. I can feel it." Gai said, rubbing his chin in thought as he closely examined Shinachiku, and failing to notice the looks of surprise he was being given by both the kids and adults.
Naruto blinked his eyes, wondering what Shinachiku was planning.
Everyone just stared at Shinachiku, wondering what he was trying to do. He clearly was smart enough to know that the Hachimon wasn't enough to pose a threat to Naruto, at least not at Shinachiku's current level, so what was his strategy.
Naruto then could have sworn he heard Shinachiku saying something, but he couldn't quite hear what it was clearly because he was saying it in a low tone.
"Drive… Guts… Youth…" Shinachiku said to himself in a low tone. "Drive… Guts… Youth…" Shinachiku said again, clearly being a mantra for the boy. "Drive… Guts… Youth~…" Suddenly the air around Shinachiku was getting heavier, causing Naruto to blink his eyes as he swore that he was seeing the air around Shinachiku started to distort, as if a heatwave was forming around the boy. "Drive… Guts… Youth…" the pebbles and stones started to rise from the ground. "Drive… Guts… Youth!" Shinachiku said as the wind started picking up around him.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked his eyes in surprise at this.
"What… what's going on?" Sarada questioned with surprise and confusion. "I don't see it, but I can somehow… feel it… whatever's coming… I can tell it's-"
"Big. Yeah… I can feel it too." Boruto said with wide eyes focused squarely on Shinachiku.
'He's building up power.' Gai thought with a serious expression.
'What is it all building up to?' Tsunade wondered as she kept her eyes squarely on Shinachiku.
Naruto continued staring ahead at Shinachiku. He then noticed pebbles and stones from the ground around him started to rise. He silently gasped as he could now feel the power coming from Shinachiku. Naruto looked back at Shinachiku, seeing his hair starting to rise as the air around the boy was getting heavier and heavier as it distorted more and more with pebbles and stones rising around him. Naruto blinked his eyes as he watched the boy in awe.
'Show me what you're made of… Shina.' Naruto thought to himself as he started feeling his heartbeat increase with excitement and a bit of nervousness.
Shinachiku's eyes were shadowed as his eyes was all the way raised up. He was letting out a bellowing battle cry that grew louder and louder as cracks started to form under Shinachiku's feet with air getting heavier and heavier, and hotter and hotter.
"Drive!" Shinachiku shouted out as markings from his Fukanzen Byakugō no In (Imperfect Strength of a Hundred Seal) started to spread, forming their outlines as they then started glowing green. Light then spread out from beneath Shinachiku's hitai-ate, spreading out with streams of them spreading throughout and around Shinachiku's body.
"That's… new." Tsunade commented with awe as she stared at Shinachiku in shock.
"Guts!" Shinachiku shouted out as he went into his golden flamed chakra cloak.
"Hold on… Gai…"
"Yes, Kakashi… I do believe that's what he plans! But That's Suicide!" Gai shouted out with urgency as he and Kakashi's eyes widened greatly.
"Huh?! What's suicide?" Boruto asked, confused on what they were talking about.
"What is doing?!" Sarada asked with worry for her elder brother.
"Youth~!" Shinachiku screamed as the flames of his cloak started increasing in size and volume as the slowly started to change color, becoming warmer.
"Now I See!" Lee screamed out with shock and awe but was soon replaced with worry. "Wait, but-"
'That fool.' Sasuke thought with a frown.
"Combined with all that chakra… he might…" Tsunade was so worried she couldn't even finish.
"Might what? What's going to happen? What's he doing?" Himawari asked but got no answer. "Mama?" Himawari looked up to her mother, hoping to get an answer, but her mother was silent with a shocked expression on her face.
Out of all the veterans, Sakura was the most worried, of course. She knew what was coming… and she was wracked with fear over it.
"No…" Sakura said with fear evident in her voice. 'Please no!' Sakura mentally cried as she was about to hurry over, but Sasuke grabbed her by the arm, halting her. "Let Me Go! Sasuke-kun! I Have To Stop Him!" Sakura screamed out as she tried fighting out of her husband's grasp.
"I don't think anyone can stop him at this point." Sasuke said as he refused to release his hold on his wife.
"What's happening?!" Sarada asked with rising fear.
"Here it comes." Arata said as the flames around Shinachiku started growing more and more.
'It drives me… it's where my guts came from… it's what my youth is made out of… it is my will…' Shinachiku thought to himself as he felt his body quake. "THIS IS MY WILL OF FIRE! THREE BY ZERO!" Shinachiku screamed out as he snapped his arms out and shot his body up as an explosion of force and orange flames that created an immense shockwave and massive windstorm.
Naruto brought his arm up to cover his face as he skidded back from the force. Sasuke pulled Sakura in and held her tightly in his arm while summoning a human sized Susano'o arm to pull in Sarada.
Hinata held onto Himawari tightly as the little girl screamed out in shock, before noticing her son going flying as he screamed.
"Boruto!" Hinata called out to her screaming son, but thankfully Arata summoned his own Susano'o arm, this one large enough to grab Boruto.
Kakashi and Lee quickly got behind Gai's wheelchair to make sure the legendary Sublime Green Beast of Prey did get sent away, or, once again, more accurately, make sure the wheelchair didn't go flying as Gai would have just jumped off and stand on his hands or sole leg.
Tsunade had both arms up as she, like everyone else, fought against the force of the windstorm that Shinachiku was emitting.
'So much power! So much chakra! I've never felt anything like this before!' Tsunade thought as she tried to keep her eyes on the boy creating this massive force the best she could.
'Show them what you got, Shina.' Arata wished his best friend luck as he stayed strong against the force of wind.
Boruto, who was still being held by Arata's Susano'o arm, stared at the raging flames with a stunned expression and wide eyes.
"Su… Sugoi…" Boruto said breathlessly as the wind muted his voice from everyone's ears but his own.
Sarada's eyes squinted as despite having eyewear to protect her eyes, the wind was still so damn strong. She instinctively activated her Sharingan to see the massive amount of chakra Shinachiku was creating.
'So much… how…' Sarada then recalled what Shinachiku just screamed out. 'Three by zero… where have I-' And then it dawned on her. She heard those same words on their last mission in their fight against the pink haired she-devil.
"THREE BY ZERO!" Shinachiku's voice from that day echoed in Sarada's head as the image of a giant orange Rasengan be used against Kana flashed into her mind.
'He said that… and that same chakra appeared then too… and then he sent her flying…' Sarada thought with wide eyes. "He's gonna win." Sarada uttered without even thinking.
After a moment or two, the flames raged even further as a plume of orange fire rocketed into the sky.
.
.
Back in the village, the shinobi sensed something afar. They all were on the alert, but at the same time, they were confused. Mainly the elder generation, because they felt that same power before.
"Is that Naruto?" Ino questioned as she was standing outside the flower shop with her husband, Sai.
"No… this feels different." Sai said.
Right by Lightning Burger, Teams 10 and 15 were staring off into the distance.
"What is that feeling?" Namida asked.
"Whatever it is, it feels intense… yet oddly… reassuring." Wasabi said.
"Yeah… I'm getting that feeling too." Chocho said as she actually pulled back a chip from her mouth.
"Same. It's so… I don't know… but I don't feel scared or anything." Inojin said, almost in awe at what he was feeling.
Shikadai blinked his eyes before sighing.
'Man… feels like a drag.' Shikadai thought as he rubbed the back of his neck.
At the Hokage Tower, Shikamaru was staring off into the distance where he sensed this new presence, seeing a tower of orange in the distance.
"That's not Naruto." Shikamaru deduced aloud as he continued to stare at this tower of energy.
.
.
Back at the training field, the flames roared for a few moments before they suddenly stopped, along with the wind.
After such an intense storm of wind and raging inferno, everything instantly became quiet. Almost serene.
After a moment of recovery, everyone looked back to where the roaring fire once was to now see Shinachiku, and as he was now, causing all their eyes to widen, minus Arata.
"Wha…" Tsunade was speechless.
"Incredible…" Gai said with awe.
"Yeah…" Kakashi agreed with widened eyes.
'Sugoi~!' Lee thought with amazement as he gawked.
"So cool…" Himawari said breathlessly while her mother stared with a stunned expression.
"Shina…" Sarada said her half-brother's name as she and her parents stared at him with shock and awe.
"He… kind of looks the same." Boruto pointed out.
Shinachiku's chakra cloak was now made of orange flames with his hair risen up and moving like it was made of fire, his eyes blank like whenever he entered the third gate, and the markings that were similar to Naruto's own in Kyūbi Chakura Mōdo now had the markings of the Fukanzen Byakugō no In into the mix. Embers of orange flames came off of his form, as if his body was having a hard time containing the raw power.
Naruto blinked his eyes in surprise at this new form.
"I… like the color." Naruto said as he tried shaking off his stunned demeanor. 'Hey, Kurama, is there any way we can get this cloak of ours that same color?' Naruto asked his tailed beast through their mental link.
"This isn't the time to discuss anything like that, kit. Don't you feel it? That pressure?" Kurama said, now wary of what was before them.
'Yeah… things just got way harder.' Naruto said as he gained a serious expression, readying himself for anything as he reapplied his Sennin Mōdo.
The area became silent for a moment, before Shinachiku finally spoke.
"Here I go."
In an instant, he vanished from sight as the ground he was on shattered apart with nearby trees being instantly uproot from the ground and gone flying.
Naruto's eyes widened as he instantly sensed danger. Looking down, he noticed Shinachiku already in front of him with his fist cocked back. Naruto gritted his teeth as he quickly dodged to the side just in time to avoid Shinachiku as the orange flame clad shinobi sped pass him, but then in that next instant, Naruto felt extraordinary pain in his stomach.
As it turned out, right after Naruto dodged, Shinachiku flashed in front of him and landed a hard blow to his abdomen.
Naruto's eyes bulged as his cheeks puffed up. The pain was so intense, and what's more, Kurama even felt the blow himself, as if the chakra Shinachiku was using went all the way into the seal he was housed in and nailed him right in the same spot Naruto was hit.
Considering that it was also Mamoru's chakra that was put into the mix of this new form, it wasn't that hard to believe or figure out how.
Naruto vomited out saliva and blood as he was sent rocketing away from impact. He was hit so hard, he bulleted pass everybody watching. They didn't even notice until the force and wind Naruto's momentum picked up struck them, forcing them to hold their ground again as trees were instantly broken through, uprooted and flying.
Naruto rocketed away, but Shinachiku actual dashed over at high speed, making it behind him and landed a Konoha Senpū, right into Naruto's back, causing the older shinobi's eyes to bulge and mouth open wide with pain, before he was rocketing back in the other direction.
He bulleted pass everyone again, causing another force of power and wind, but in the opposite direction, almost sending everyone off their feet as they were hit with a raging whiplash.
Naruto fought against the pain to regain himself, flipping in the air and skidding on his hands and feet after making contact with the ground with Kurama summoning large pairs of golden arms to dig his claws into the ground to help halt them. Naruto tried to breathe, but it was so damn difficult after having the wind punched out of him. His back was in so much agony from the kick, it felt like being struck by a powerful log made of carbon or something!
"Naruto… he's coming back!" Kurama managed to grunt out as he was also in clear pain.
Naruto gritted his teeth as he quickly got to his feet, ignoring the pain the best he could.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto quickly created thirty clones, only for them to be met with three-pronged kunai, stabbing into all of them, except Naruto who managed to dodge in time.
Once all the clones dispersed, they were instantly replaced by clones of Shinachiku.
Not taking any chances, Naruto instantly summoned all nine of Kurama's tails, coiling them around himself and shooting them out in a spiraling motion, smacking away all the clones as then Naruto's Kurama avatar formed.
However, the instant it did, Shinachiku appeared beneath it and with a battle cry thrust his fist up sending a giant orange fist of chakra that delivered an uppercut to Kurama's jaw, not only sending him rocketing into the sky, but the force behind the punch was so powerful it broke the earth apart by several miles along with unleashing a massive shockwave and storm of wind.
Shinachiku let out a roar as he got in a horse stance and summoned a giant amount of orange flaming chakra before rocketing upward in a ball of fire, breaking the ground even further and unleashing an even greater storm of wind.
This almost sent everyone flying away had it not been for Sasuke quickly summoned his Complete Susano'o which now contained his family along with Tsunade, Hinata and Himawari, while Arata summoned in partial humanoid Susano'o, grabbing onto Sasuke's own Susano'o's arm as it held onto Boruto, Kakashi, Lee and Gai.
"Whoa~!" Himawari was in awe at being within the Complete Susano'o as it then flew off of the ground.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called out her husband's name with worry as she noticed both him and Kurama sent rocketing into the air.
"Papa!" Himawari called out as she and the others stared up in shock.
'He summoned Kurama?!' Sakura thought with utter shock, only to notice an orange fireball rocketing after him.
"Kyodaina…!" (Gargantuan…) The fireball suddenly spun upward like a wheel over Naruto and Kurama, before it stopped to reveal a giant orange fox, half the size of Kurama, with its right hind leg raised up high. "Nenshō Tsūtenkyaku!" (Burning Heavenly Foot of Pain) Shinachiku's voice echoed as the orange fox slammed its heel right into Kurama's abdomen area, sending him rocketing straight into the ground, where he and Naruto bounced off of the ground, creating a shockwave that broke apart the training field even further.
'Incredible…' Tsunade thought with a look of utter amazement at seeing her technique used in such a massive way. Literally!
Kurama grunted in pain. He was in actual pain. Suddenly he felt his torso area stabbed into. The orange fox avatar above had stretched its left frontal leg/arm and stabbed its claws into him.
'Not over yet, pops!' Mamoru mentally said as he, the orange fox avatar (duh), grinned as he cocked his right frontal leg/arm back.
'Cheeky little brat.' Kurama mentally replied, gritting his fangs right before he was pulled back up at an intense speed.
'That Position!' Lee thought of with shock.
'No!' Gai thought with shock as well.
Mamoru pulled his elongated limb back, pulling Kurama and Naruto back up into the air, rocking towards them.
"Not so fast!" Kurama shouted as he sent all nine of his tails towards Mamoru with claws generated at the ends of them, but Mamoru's grin just widened at this, alerting Kurama.
"Go, Shina!" Mamoru shouted out as he fired Shinachiku out from his mouth before all nine tails struck him.
'You wanted my best?' Shinachiku mentally questioned as Kurama brought his arms up in an X-block. 'Here It Is! Ni Hyaku Pāsento~…" (Two Hundred Percent) Shinachiku reared both his right fist and leg back just as Naruto and Kurama braced themselves once he was in front of them. "URA RENGE!" (Reverse Lotus) Shinachiku screamed out as he slammed both his right fist and leg into Kurama's block, creating a gigantic shockwave in the process and causing the tailed beast to groan in shock and pain with one widened in agony as he was pushed back a bit from impact.
Sasuke's Susano'o was forced to fight back against the powerful shockwave and windstorm that accompanied it. Everyone stared in shock at not only the power Shinachiku was emitting, but they also noticed Kurama was shaking from the blow as he fought back against Shinachiku's attack.
Shinachiku groaned as he felt his bones crack a bit, but he forced his Fukanzen Byakugō no In to heal it the best it could. Little by little, he pushed Kurama back closer to the floor, but the giant fox spirit relented.
'Kurama…' Naruto mentally spoke his friend's name with worry as he could feel his struggle. The fox spirit didn't want to admit it, but he was putting in a lot of effort to fight against Shinachiku's blow.
Shinachiku was feeling incredible pain radiating within his arm and leg. He knew he could keep this up! He needed to go further if he wanted to win this power struggle. He let out a pained growl as he shut his eyes tight.
'Mada mada…' Shinachiku thought to himself. 'Mada mada~… Mada Mada!' The veins in Shinachiku's forehead bulged as he furrowed his brow greatly. "MADA MADA!" Shinachiku screamed out as he unleashed more force that pushed Kurama further back down.
Kurama let out a pained growl as he was being pressured. Fissures actually started to appear around him, starting from his arms, with chakra leaking through the cracks. He let out a roar as he fought back, pushing Shinachiku back upwards.
"MADA MADA!" Shinachiku screamed out from the top of his lungs. He grunted in pain and gritted his teeth hard. He would not relent! He will not! He will fight back! He will go on! He will give it his all! He will go beyond his own limits and be born a new! "FOUR BY ONE!" Shinachiku screamed out with his very soul behind it.
In an instant, a giant red orange fox tail shot from his back as he suddenly broke through Kurama's guard! Literally! The fox spirit's eyes, along with Naruto's own, widened in utter disbelief as Kurama's arms were blown to oblivion, before the giant beast's torso was struck.
Kurama's let out a roar of agony as he felt his abdomen punched into as the next instant, he and by proxy, Naruto, were sent rocketing into the ground below. Upon impact, there was a moment of silence before suddenly the earth below shattered apart.
The whole entire training field, hell, even more than that! The whole forest surrounding it suffered as for fifty miles the ground shattered apart with trees and chunks of the earth going flying and an intense shockwave completely decimated any nearby trees near its epicenter, while the leaves of trees closer and closer to its hypocenter went flying with the trees following as well.
Sasuke grunted with gritted teeth as he had to put in a hell of a lot of effort into his Susano'o to fight against the shockwave, while everyone screamed out as despite being protected by the ethereal being of chakra, they still felt the power and force of the shockwave created from impact.
'Arata wasn't kidding earlier… so, this is what Shinachiku is fully capable of! I've never seen this much damage done by a taijutsu technique!' Sasuke thought to himself as he continued to fight against the force Shinachiku had created.
Fortunately, after some time, the wind finally settled down, making it easier for Sasuke to control his Susano'o flight. Now with the shockwave's effect subsiding, everyone finally got a chance to see the damage, only to look in shock to see the forest around them broken apart for miles.
"Holy crap…" Boruto said with utter disbelief as he turned his head around to see how far the damage went. "It still goes for… I don't know how long…" Boruto said as he was further stunned.
"From what I can see, I'd calculate fifty miles." Arata said as he faced the damaged horizon with his Mangekyō Tōmeigan.
"Fifty?!" Sarada questioned with a flabbergasted expression.
"Wow! So cool!" Himawari said with awe.
Hinata looked back at the far-reaching damage as well with her Byakugan active, when she gasped as she recalled how the damage was done.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata quickly looked back at where her husband was punched into with Kurama, only to see the fox's form faded away from the impact, leaving only Naruto whose chakra cloak dissipated
Naruto panted as he sat up with his eyes wide and sweat covering his face as he was still feeling the tremendous aftereffects of being punched so hard his fox companion, the biggest tailed beast out there (with the Jubi gone, of course), that doubled as his shield, was punched into oblivion. Well, technically punched back into a seal in a sense, but semantics. I think.
'That… was intense, 'ttebayo.' Naruto thought as he continued to pant, before flinching and holding his abdomen in pain. It felt like every blow Kurama took was reflected back to the same spot right on Naruto's body. What he just experienced was no joke, that's for sure.
Sakura blinked her eyes as though she was still shocked by what she witnessed, she remembered who was the one responsible for it.
"Wait, where's Shinachiku?" Sakura asked with worry as she looked back up into the sky, only for her heart to drop.
There up high in the sky was Shinachiku… and he looked much worse for wear. The right sleeve of his jacket and shirt were not just shredded, but burnt away, revealing his arm which was bruised and burnt above the elbow, but below it, it was charred. Almost like it was pushed and kept into a cauldron of red piping hot coals surrounded by a raging fire for five minutes straight and then washed off with acid. His right pant leg and shinobi sandal-boot were charred black with the pants having burn holes in them. Steam came right off of his arm and leg, obviously from the intense heat produced by the speed and force of the attack. Finally, the right side of his head was a bit burnt with the air on that side pushed all the towards the other side and thanks to the force of the technique that he used, his hitai-ate was gone, completely revealing his forehead with some burn marks on the right side of it, and steam was produced from the right side of his head.
Sakura's eyes were wide with horror as she saw him in this mess. Her body was trembling as she tried to speak, but she was so in shock that her voice was almost mute.
"Mama?" Sarada looked to her mother with confusion and worry, before she followed her line of sight to see the horrifying sight as well. "SHINACHIKU!" Sarada screamed out as everyone finally looked up to notice the injuries the young blonde had.
Up above Shinachiku could have sworn he heard something.
'Huh? Did someone just say my name?' Shinachiku wondered as he cracked opened his eyes. 'I can barely tell… all I hear is ringing, 'ttebaro.'
"Shina! Wake up! It's not over yet!" Mamoru exclaimed within his host.
'Mamoru? Hey… I'm still awake?' Shinachiku asked.
"Yes, and so is the Hokage. We took care of my old man, but now it's time for yours. You still have enough strength to kick his ass with one more attack! Now get your act together and charged forward! I mean… dammit, you know what I mean!" Mamoru quickly said.
'But I can't…. feel… my muscles feel… so much…'
"Yeah, I know, but dammit, is this really okay for you? Are you really okay with letting things end like this?! You still have breath! You're still awake! Are you really just going to remain like this and knock out completely! I thought you wanted to show your all! You promised!" Mamoru shouted, causing Shinachiku's eyes to widen a bit more. "You said you'd go all out, and yet here you are, letting gravity take its toll and about to drop you. Wake up and kick ass, now! You would never do this crap if someone you care about was in danger, so why do it now when you're about to break you word?!" Mamoru shouted more, causing Shinachiku to start gritting his teeth. "Shina! Wake Up And Fight! NOW!" Mamoru screamed out, as then Shinachiku started letting out a loud battle cry, catching everyone's attention with Naruto looking up in surprise.
"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Shinachiku yelled out as he brought his hands together in a cross-hand seal, creating a single clone behind him as Shinachiku then managed to move his body to place his feet on the clone's as he then focused wind chakra at the ends of his feet. 'I made a promise! I swore that I was going to give you my all!' Shinachiku mentally shouted as he fired off of the clone via a tornado of wind, sending the clone flying away and dissipating. 'Well, Here It Is!' Shinachiku mentally screamed out as he brought his left arm back and formed a Rasengan with golden flames starting to surround his hand and forearm.
Naruto quickly got to his feet and made his own Rasengan from his right hand.
"Wait, Naruto, Don't!" Sakura called out with worry
'Taiyo~…' (Sun) Shinachiku mentally spoke as sparks of golden fire were starting to appear more and more throughout his body, causing Naruto's brow to furrow as he tried doing the same. 'Rasengan!' (Spiraling Sphere) Shinachiku mentally shouted as he managed to surround himself in his Bijū Chakura Mōdo. "CHA!" Shinachiku screamed out as he thrust his Rasengan downward with Naruto, now managing to activate his Kyūbi Chakura Mōdo, thrusting his upward, as both Rasengans expanded in size and clashed.
Naruto's Rasengan looked like the average blue one while Shinachiku's was golden and looked similar to a sun.
Both Rasengan's slowly but surely started to grow in size as both Uzumakis were pouring in as much chakra as they could. As one would expect, they were producing a shockwave of wind and force, though not as bad as the one created from their previous clash, yet still intense. However, the collision was also creating sparks as both Rasengans were creating sparks.
Somehow, despite using up so much power beforehand with his body very much injured greatly, Shinachiku, along with Mamoru's assistance, managed to pour in enough chakra to create a gigantic sized Rasengan, otherwise known as a Chōchōōdama Rasengan (Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan), forcing Naruto to do the same.
Everyone was in shock at this sight. However, it wasn't the clash of powers, but that Shinachiku still had so much strength left in him after nearly destroying half of his body.
Everyone had one thing on their mind.
How does he have this much chakra left?
Shinachiku grunted with his teeth grit as he fought against Naruto's own.
Naruto remained strong, and though gritting his teeth as well, wasn't showing the same amount of strain that Shinachiku was experiencing.
Shinachiku grunted in pain as the end of his left sleeve was starting to shred apart.
'I… I can't…' Shinachiku thought as his left sleeve was being shred more and more. 'I-I can't…' Shinachiku's eyes narrowed as his sleeve was shredded up to his elbow. 'I CAN'T LET IT END LIKE THIS!' Shinachiku mentally screamed as his Fukanzen Byakugō no In shined brightly with green chakra. Shinachiku let out a loud screaming battle cry as his whole body exploded with orange fire as his Rasengan grew more in size into a gargantuan red orange Rasengan, instantly overpower Naruto's, causing the Orange Hokage's eyes to wide and let out a shocked grunt before he was slammed into the ground by both his Shinachiku's and his own Rasengan.
Naruto gritted his teeth and widened his eyes in pain as he was starting to be crushed by the combined might of two ginormous Rasengans. Naruto grunted in pain before his pupils took the shape of a plus sign from his Rikudō Sennin Mōdo (Six Paths Sage Mode) as he then gave a loud roaring battle cry as his own Rasengan grew in size, matching Shinachiku's.
The two ginormous Rasengans grinded against one another, creating sparks, before the cracks started to form around them, which shocked everyone, before their shells shattered, then suddenly mixed together as then the chakra they were made of moved sporadically before the combined chakras exploded into a gargantuan tornado made of orange fire.
Sasuke forced his Susano'o to fight back against the windstorm once more created by the conflict.
'Dammit… can't these two idiots control themselves!' Sasuke thought, annoyed at constantly fighting shockwaves and windstorms created by Naruto and Shinachiku's clashes.
After a while, the tornado soon faded away, leaving a gigantic crater in the process with the edges of it and any remaining plant life that survived the previous collisions, what so few that is, now burnt, charred and broken to pieces.
"Well, that's that." Arata said before extending Gai, Kakashi, Lee and Boruto to Sasuke's Susano'o. "Take them." Arata said as he had his Susano'o handed the four into Sasuke's Susano'o arm.
Arata then bit his thumb, made a few hand seals and brought his palm down as he used the chakra his Susano'o was made of as a platform for a seal to form under his hand as then a puff of smoke appeared and out came was the giant hawk, Garuda, screeching as it flew into the sky with Arata on his back.
Up above in the sky, a now fully unconscious Shinachiku was up higher than before courtesy of the tornado he and Naruto had created with his left sleeve not shredded up to the bottom of his shoulder. After a moment, he started to fall, but luckily, Garuda made it in time for the blonde to land on his back.
Sasuke commanded his Susano'o to land where it then placed a hand on the unstable ground and with a hand seal from Sasuke, flattened the ground into a more stable platform, allowing everyone to land upon it safely as he released his Susano'o.
Garuda then landed upon the platform, allowing Arata, carrying Shinachiku, to leap off and place him on the ground.
"Hello, Garuda." Sasuke greeted the large bird as he lightly scratched the side of his neck, earning a pleased noise from the hawk.
"Thank you, Garuda-san." Arata thanked the large hawk, earning a bow before vanishing vis a cloud of smoke.
Arata gently placed Shinachiku's exhausted and partially burnt body onto the even ground Sasuke created.
Sakura quickly ran over, knelt and started applying medical ninjutsu upon Shinachiku. As she scanned his body for damages, she bit the inside of her bottom lips as tears started to form from her somber eyes.
"You… stupid, stupid, idiot." Sakura said with a clearly worried and even scared tone as she focused on healing Shinachiku after reading the damage. She then felt a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to see it was her daughter, who had Iyashi-satsu (Healing Tags) in her hand, and started gently placing them around Shinachiku's body.
"Is… Is he going to be okay?" Himawari asked with worry as he mother gently hugged her close to ease the young Hyūga.
Tsunade came over and started helping out with healing Shinachiku with her own medical ninjutsu. Sarada started applying her own after she finished placing the last Iyashi-satsu on Shinachiku's body.
Arata suddenly summoned a new summon, a normal sized black hawk with a pair of elongated feathers spiked back on the outside sides of the top of its head and a pair of blue eyes. Arata used his Tōmeigan on the hawk, giving him a silent message, as he then flew off.
In the distance, in the center of the crater where the ginormous tornado was formed, Naruto broke out of the ground, standing up straight and panting. His body was in its Rikudō Sennin Mōdo, before it vanished the next moment, leaving a panting, damaged and slightly dirty Hokage, panting with sweat and dirt upon his face. He sensed where everyone was and took some steps toward where they were, but after a while of walking, he almost stumbled forward, but Sasuke suddenly appeared and caught him.
"You look like you've seen better days." Sasuke commented, earning a chuckle and small grin from Naruto.
"Kid knows how to hit hard." Naruto said in response.
"Hn." Sasuke smirked in response with his eyes closed.
The pair then immediately appeared where the others were, where Naruto saw the condition Shinachiku was in.
Naruto's eyes became somber as he stared at the boy. He gently pushed off of Sasuke and knelt next to the young shinobi, now across from Sakura. He looked to Sakura, to see her staring down at Shinachiku with a somber and pained expression.
"Sorry." Naruto said to her.
"A part of me really wishes I could blame you, but he's at fault for his condition. Not you." Sakura said without looking up at her friend.
"Still, I think it's a mess I should help fix, dattebayo." Naruto said as he gently placed his hand onto Shinachiku's chest, over Sakura, Tsunade and Sarada's hands, and then started pouring in his own and Kurama's chakra, emitting a golden illumination of chakra in the process.
Sarada was in awe at the sight. Her eyes looked up to the Hokage, who had a determined, yet somber expression, then to her mother, who gained determination within her somber expression as well, matching his own. After a moment of looking between the two, Sarada gained a determined expression of her own as she worked harder to heal Shinachiku.
The hawk from before came back with Shinachiku's hitai-ate, that he had lost earlier, within its beak.
Arata extended his left arm, allowing the black hawk to land upon it and handed the red clothed hitai-ate into Arata's right hand.
"Thank you, Takahiro." Arata thanked the blue-eyed hawk, gently scratching him on the neck, earning a pleased look from the raptor.
Shinachiku's face scrunched up a bit, alerting the others.
"He's waking up." Tsunade pointed out.
"Shinachiku?" Sarada spoke her elder brother's name with hope and concern.
Shinachiku groaned as he cracked open his eyes. Everything was blurred for a second before he became clear to see everyone's eyes on him.
"Hey… Takahiro… didn't think I'd see him here." Shinachiku said with a tired smile as he raised his right arm and pointed to the hawk on Arata's left arm. Doing so, he noticed the damage done to his right arm. "Huh… not as bad as I thought it would look. First time was definitely the worst… you know, when it was all black until the end of my elbow." Shinachiku pointed out as he stared at his right arm.
"Are you trying to give them heart attacks?" Arata rhetorically asked, gesturing to Sakura and Sarada, who both had worried and very much miffed expressions on their faces.
"Uh… you know what? Never mind. It's not important." Shinachiku said with a nervous smile and eye smiles, only causing Sarada to growl with annoyance while her mother narrowed her eyes. "I mean, I've gotten better at it! That's what matter, 'ttebaro!" Shinachiku quickly said with a nervous grin.
"You're just like you're father, it's annoying." Sakura said with an annoyed expression and her eyes closed, ignoring the surprised, wide eyes from both Shinachiku and Naruto.
"Here." Arata extended Shinachiku's hitai-ate back to the sunshine blonde shinobi.
"Oh, hey, I wondered where that went." Shinachiku said with a relieved smile as he reached for it with his left hand and took it. "Thanks, Arata." Shinachiku thanked his old pal.
"Hn." Arata nodded in response.
"Both your sleeves are shredded and yet that glove of yours is all fine?" Sarada noticed, surprised that Shinachiku's fingerless, studded left glove was fine.
"Yeah, these things are made of some good material, dattebaro." Shinachiku said with a smile as he looked to his trusty left glove. He suddenly heard sobbing, causing him to raise an eyebrow. He grunted as he managed to find the strength to sit up and see Lee and Gai-sensei shedding rivers of tears.
"Careful." Sakura said to the young blonde with a frown.
"Lee-sensei, Gai-sensei… why are you crying?" Shinachiku asked, causing Sakura and the others to notice that the two green clad Jonin were spilling with tears.
"Forgive us… but we just cannot help to express our of pride in such a fashion!" Gai said as he tried wiping away his tears with his right sleeve.
"Pride?" Sarada questioned with confusion.
"Yosh! That whole display! It was unlike anything else I had ever seen! So Beautiful!" Lee exclaimed as he was not afraid to show his tears.
"But extraordinarily risky." Kakashi pointed out.
"Yes, I am well aware." Gai said as he gained a serious expression. "Although, such a display of your skills was incredible, the risk was very high, young Shinachiku-kun, but I am sure you are already aware of this. After all, this clearly wasn't your first time using such a procedure." Gai said to the young medic.
"That's right." Shinachiku nodded in response. "This bad boy makes it easier, but I still feel the hell of pain. It just makes sure I stay all together easier, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku added as he gently pointed his thumb to his Fukanzen Byakugō no In, which was back to being a simple outline of a diamond on the center of this forehead.
"Makes sense." Gai said with his arms crossed.
"What exactly… happened? I know he combined the Hachimon and Mamoru's chakra together to increase his power, but what exactly were the risks?" Sarada asked.
"The risk was that he was pouring way too much chakra into an already sensitive system." Tsunade said, surprising and confusing Sarada.
"Yes, that is correct. See, the Hachimon refers to the eight metaphorical gates within the body that limit the flow of chakra throughout it, making it easier for oneself to utilize it without risk in destroying the body through overexertion. Think of the chakra pathways as an irrigation system. Like one, there are several gates that control the flow of water and prevent damage from inaccurate water pressure. When opening each gate in the body, you increase the flow of chakra in the body, along with pressure, which puts a strain on your chakra pathways as it forces them to expand to accommodate to the increased flow. Now, imagine if you pour in more into the mix, like adding in an extra flow of water from a greater body of water to an irrigation system that hasn't expanded in structure to accommodate for that. In doing so, you run an even greater risk at damaging it to the point where it could never be used like before, leaving fractures within the system that are impossible to fix back into their original form. By pouring in the chakra of his own personal tailed beast, Shinachiku forced his pathways to expand even more to accommodate for the new flow. Such a procedure could lead to dire consequences. One of those being permanent damage to his pathways. Crippling himself and destroying his career as a shinobi in the process." Gai explained with a serious expression, causing Sarada's eyes to widen in horror. "In fact, had it not been for his skills in medical ninjutsu, that would have been the case. Just opening the gates with that amount of chakra alone would have completely destroyed his body. Bust open blood vessels, fracturing his bones, shredding his muscles to bits and causing the pressure to slowly start crushing his organs to the point that they're threatening to burst."
"Okay, Gai, I think that's enough. Sarada looks to be growing paler." Kakashi said to his friend, noticing the look of horror on the young Uchiha girl's expression. 'Not to mention, Sakura is trembling a bit. She may not have been the one to birth and raise Shinachiku, but she is a mother to him, regardless.' He mentally added, noticing Sakura shaking a bit as she focused more medical ninjutsu into the boy, who noticed and felt bad about putting her through so much grief.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi… but I can't help it… I… I'm just amazed is all!" Gai said as he started shedding more anime tears of pride, causing his silver-haired friend to gain a sweat drop.
"So am I, Gai-sensei! It would explain all the training he does." Lee spoke up, wiping away his tears beforehand.
"Huh?" Sarada looked to Lee with surprise.
"The amount of training to put yourself through to even properly activate such a form would be incomprehensible. Not only would you have to put your body through so much physical and mental stress, but you'd have to put so much of that effort into chakra control. Without the proper control over one's chakra and its flow, entering such a mode would be impossible, let alone doing it without ruining your body for life." Gai pointed out as he thought over the kind of training to accomplish the feat he just witnessed.
Sarada lightly gasped at this as her eyes widened.
'So, that's why he pushed himself like that! It's all meant to master that technique!' Sarada thought as she looked to Shinachiku, who was staring at his hitai-ate. However, she then noticed Boruto, who was silent the whole time, staring off into the distance of where the crater was. 'Boruto…' Sarada stared at her teammate with a sympathetic frown.
Boruto was staring at the crater both his father and Shinachiku made. His eyes then looked to the shattered pieces of the earth throughout the whole area that expanded for fifty miles.
'How can I match this?' Boruto wondered to himself with somber, nearly defeated eyes.
"It's not as impressive as you think." Arata said, earning not just Boruto's attention, but also Sarada's. "Remember, he punched a fox spirit equaling the size of Hokage Rock. This amount of damage would be on a much lesser scale if he had punched, say, a Ōtsutsuki. Though it would still be great." Arata pointed out.
"Still though… that was one hell of a punch." Naruto interjected. "You're definitely as strong as your mother. Quite possibly even stronger." Naruto said to Shinachiku with a grin.
"Uh, heh… you'd think, but, uh… no. Not even close. Compared to kaa-chan's normal strength, this still isn't much. She could still punch Kurama-sama miles away, and without the need for the Hachimon, 'ttebaro. Kaa-chan is… super scary strong." Shinachiku said with a nervous smile as he lightly tapped his index fingers together.
"Wait… your mom can use the Hachimon?" Sarada asked as everyone looked to Shinachiku in shock.
"Well, yeah. Things were getting harder, so she wanted to learn a technique that would help her hit harder, dattebaro. Although, after having to housing three tailed-beast within herself while she was pregnant with my siblings and I, which multiplied her strength in the process, she, uh, you know, pretty much surpassed even tou-chan's superhuman physical strength… along with members of the Ōtsutsuki." Shinachiku added with a nervous grin, causing everyone's eyes to widen.
"And your father is okay with living with that underneath his roof?" Naruto questioned, now feeling worried for his counterpart, and ignoring the glare he earned from Sakura.
"Hey, last time I checked, even you entertained the idea at one point!" Shinachiku retorted with a look of minor annoyance, causing Naruto to chuckle with embarrassment and rubbing the back of his head.
Sakura sighed as she rubbed her eyes.
"I'm… surprised… in more ways than one." Sakura said.
"Something's telling me you're not talking about my kaa-chan, are you?" Shinachiku guessed.
"I can't believe you would come up with something like this. Considering how you usually act, I just…" Sakura couldn't even finish her sentence as she pulled her hand back and revealed her somber eyes.
"Sorry for worrying you." Shinachiku said with a frown.
"Is there any way you could promise me-"
"You know I can't do that. Between the Oni Zetsu, Ōtsutsuki, curse mark users, those with powerful Kekkei Genkai, and bio-engineered and modified beings, I can't let up. As much stress as it puts on me, and others, it's the only thing I really have when things get way too dire. In a matter of life and death, I'd rather put myself through that than lose. Especially when losing means it'll cost the lives of others." Shinachiku said with a stern tone and expression, surprising Sakura.
'Curse mark users? Bio-engineered and modified beings?' Sasuke thought to himself, surprised by this new information from Shinachiku's world.
"I'm… not the best medic. I put myself way too often in the front lines, but I can't help it. When I see people, especially those precious to me, in the line of fire and about to meet certain death, I just move. All I want is for their lives to be preserved… even if it costs a part of mine. Physically anyway." Shinachiku said as he looked to his lap with a bit of a somber expression.
"Even if you'd never be able to become a shinobi again?" Tsunade asked, keeping a calm expression.
Shinachiku's brow furrowed as his hands clenched tightly into fists.
"Compared to pain of what would be lost… mine would mean nothing." Shinachiku said as he looked up with a serious expression, surprising Sarada, Boruto, and Himawari, while the adults remained calm.
'Onii-chan… is so cool.' Himawari thought with awe at her paternal half-brother's conviction.
"Hmph. You're right. For an average medic, you would be pretty bad." Tsunade said with an amused smirk, causing Shinachiku to frown, before she then placed a hand atop Shinachiku's head. "It's a good thing you're no average medic then." Tsunade said with a smile, gaining a surprised expression from Shinachiku. "Honestly, you're so much like your parents that it's scary." Tsunade said with a pair of eye smiles, causing Shinachiku to chuckle with embarrassment as he lightly scratched his cheek.
"You really think so?" Shinachiku questioned with a bit of an embarrassed smile.
"Only those two would ever be reckless enough to throw caution into the wind for the sake of others like that." Tsunade said, still smiling.
"Still here." Naruto said as he and Sakura frowned at their predecessor's nonchalant choice of words about them. "Anyway, given what transpired, I'm extending you break by a few days. You'll need time to recover after this."
"Shina more so than me." Arata said, earning an embarrassed chuckle from Shinachiku, who rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, I'll definitely need some time before I'm a hundred percent again." Shinachiku said as he then got up to his feet. "After that, I'll get back to training, dattebaro!" Shinachiku said with a determined grin as he cracked his knuckles, ignoring the pain. What he couldn't ignore was a punch to the top of his skull, given to him by Sarada. "Ow!"
"YOU IDIOT! AFTER ALL THAT YOU STILL CAN'T STOP THINK ABOUT TRAINING?!" Sarada yelled out with a pissed anime expression.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE US HEART ATTACKS OR ARE YOU JUST THAT SUICIDAL?!" Sakura screamed out with an angered anime expression.
Both were doing a good job at scaring Shinachiku as he leaned away from them in fear of their wrath.
"How about focus on something else other than training for now? For everyone's sake. Hey, I know, how about ramen? Nothing beats ramen after a spar, dattebayo." Naruto suggested with a nervous grin and eye smiles.
"T-That is true." Shinachiku agreed, looking to Naruto with his own nervous grin and eye smiles, trying his best to ignore the annoyed anime expressions of his half-sister and mother's counterpart.
"Yes! Nothing beats a meal after bonds of comradeship formed through a mighty meeting of fists!" Lee agreed with a fist pump. "It shall be on me!" Lee offered, placing his hand over his chest, causing Shinachiku and Arata to look to him in surprise.
"Uh… thank you, Lee-sensei, but… is it okay if we have something else instead then?" Shinachiku asked, surprising everyone.
"You're… passing up a chance to have ramen? Really?" Sarada questioned with surprise.
"What the hell?" Boruto asked, equally as shocked.
"It's just… it feels kind of weird, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said with a frown.
"How? We had some last night." Lee reminded the boy.
"Yeah, I know, but… well… it just feels really weird having ramen together without Tsukia." Shinachiku said with a somber expression.
"Hn." Arata agreed with a nod.
"Tsukia?" Lee questioned, tilting his head to the side.
"My sister. She's the third member of our team." Arata answered.
"Ah. I see." Lee said, now understanding the dilemma. He suddenly burst out into anime tears. 'I am so proud of you both!' Lee thought with pride in the two for their level of companionship for their missing member.
"Speaking of Tsukia, after… seeing all of this..." Boruto gestured to the wrecked area. "How strong is she?" He asked, now wondering if she was on the same level as Shinachiku and Arata. "I mean, I know she has to be really strong since she has the Mangekyō Sharingan and all-"
"Your sister has the Mangekyō Sharingan?!" Sarada asked Arata as she and her parents were in shock with wide eyes.
"Hn." Arata nodded in response.
"That's, uh… a story." Shinachiku said, looking down to the ground with somber eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Now isn't the time for things like that. How strong someone is compared to others shouldn't compare to having a meal with friends. At least, not in this moment." Sasuke said with his eyes closed.
'Sasuke-kun?' Sakura looked to her husband in surprise at his words as she watched as he made his way over to the edge of the platform them were on, made a few one-handed seals and then slammed his palm down, shaking the earth as he created a long flat road that extended far.
"That'll take you towards the village." Sasuke informed as he walked away from the path he made.
"Are you both alright with curry?" Lee asked Shinachiku and Arata, who blinked their eyes in thought.
"Curry's fine by me." Shinachiku said with a shrug and smile.
"So long as they have something along the lines of sweet n' sour. I'm not really a big fan of spicy foods." Arata informed.
"Then how about barbeque?" Boruto asked, earning the trio's attention.
"Yeah, I could go for some barbeque. My body needs some protein and iron anyway after this." Shinachiku said as he rubbed his chin in thought.
"Hn." Arata agreed with a nod.
"Yosh! Then let us head out!" Lee proclaimed with a fist pump.
"Hai, Lee-sensei!" Shinachiku said with a bright smile and salute with his left.
"So, you do just do that out of habit now." Arata stated, causing Shinachiku to chuckle with embarrassment and rubbing the back of his head again.
"Well, let's not waste daylight, shall we?" Shinachiku suggested, wanting to move things along so attention would not be focused on him any longer. "Come on, Sarada. You're joining us too." Shinachiku said as he grabbed his sister by the hand.
"Huh? Oh, okay." Sarada said with surprised as she allowed Shinachiku to pull her along as they followed Lee down the road her father made.
"Himawari, you can come too." Shinachiku offered to his younger half-sister.
"Can I?" Himawari asked her mother, earning a nod. "Alright!" Himawari cheered as she hurried after Shinachiku and Sarada.
"I still want to know how strong, Tsukia is." Boruto mumbled to himself with his hands behind his head.
"Don't fall behind, Boruto." Arata said as he headed out with his hawk, Takahiro, vanishing via a puff of smoke.
"Huh?" Boruto flinched.
"Aren't you coming?" Arata 'questioned'.
"Oh. Oh, yeah!" Boruto said as he hurried after them, but after a bit he stopped and stared at Arata and Shinachiku's retreating forms. He stared at their backs as they continued moving forward for a moment, before gaining a determined expression and running after them. "Just letting you both know, this doesn't intimidate me at all, 'ttebasa! I'm going to surpass you both, you hear?!" Boruto said, showing his resolve to the two.
"Good." Arata answered with a nod.
"I expect nothing else." Shinachiku said with a smile. "On the subject of what I was expecting…" He suddenly delivered a punch to the top of Boruto's noggin, shocking everyone.
"Ow~!" Boruto whined as he held the top of his head. "What the hell?!"
"I wasn't expecting you to pull a stunt like 'that' during the Chunin Exams!" Shinachiku said with a look of disapproval as he pointed to the golden-haired blonde.
"Oh… you heard about that?" Boruto questioned with a worried frown.
"No way in hell am I going to have a brother that's known for pulling crap like that! Once I'm all healed up, I'm putting you through the wringer!" Shinachiku said as he grabbed Boruto by the jacket.
"The wringer?" Boruto questioned with a new worried and scared look as Shinachiku then dragged him away.
"When I'm done with you, you're gonna be known far and wide as someone who can take on a Gashadokuro one-on-one, you got that?!" Shinachiku said with a raised, stern voice, showing no room for debate at all.
"H-Hai, o-onii-chan." Boruto said with a worried and scared smile as he was too frightened to talk back.
"That's the spirit!" Lee cheered with a grin and fist pump.
"Shinachiku-onii-chan knows what's best." Himawari said with a grin. "Most of the time, anyway."
"Hey~." Shinachiku whined with a pout.
All the while, Sarada giggled and Arata gave an amused 'hn' as both Uchihas smiled.
Sakura, despite still being a bit worried for Shinachiku's health, couldn't help but smile at the scene.
"Boy…" Naruto spoke, gaining Sakura's attention. "That kid is definitely his mother's son. Scary strong and even scarier attitude at time, dattebayo." Naruto said with an amused smile, gaining a frown from Sakura as she stood up, walked over and smacked him hard on the shoulder. "Ow!"
"Like he's any different from you! All that recklessness only came from one of us, and it sure as hell wasn't me, baka!" Sakura reprimanded the Hokage with an annoyed look.
"You can be reckless too, 'ttebayo." Naruto muttered with pursed lips.
"What was that?!" Sakura questioned with gritted teeth and a furrowed brow.
"N-Nothing, but come on Sakura-chan, I can't be at fault for all this. I mean, you can be a bit… easily excitable." Naruto said with a nervous smile and his hands up in defense.
"Define 'easily excitable'." Sakura said with a frown and her arms crossed.
"Well, you know… you can… bring down the house?" Naruto said, trying to pick his words carefully.
"Is that a crack at what I had down earlier this year?" Sakura questioned with a raised eyebrow, referring to the time Sarada riled her up so much she destroyed their previous home in just one punch.
"No, no! Not what I meant!" Naruto quickly said with his hands up in defense again and having a worried look on his face. "What I mean is, uh… mm~…"
"Take your time~." Sakura said, perfectly fine with waiting for Naruto's next response.
"Uh, well, you know, um… uh… oh boy…"
In the meantime, Sasuke and Hinata stared at their other halves' interaction with small frowns on their faces.
Hinata noticed Sasuke's frown deepen which actually made her giggle a bit.
"It's funny, isn't it?" Hinata asked the Uchiha.
"Hn?" Sasuke looked to her in confusion.
"How easy it is to feel jealous at how natural they can be with each other." Hinata clarified. "If I'm being honest, it does make me feel a bit annoyed."
"'A bit' is not how I would put it." Sasuke said with his eyes closed, making Hinata giggle with an amused smile.
Tsunade, Gai and Kakashi were just staring at the young shinobi interacting and being led back into the village by Lee with Himawari by their side.
"The future sure is looking bright, isn't it?" Tsunade said.
"Yes, I'd do say so." Gai agreed with a grin.
"Yeah." Kakashi agreed with a nod and hidden smile underneath his mask. "Although is it too much to ask for them to do things a little bit cleaner?" Kakashi asked, referring to the damage done today, causing Gai to laugh and Tsunade to chuckle with amusement.
Unknown to everyone else, there was someone who had arrived a bit ago after everything was finished.
It was Konohamaru, who had heard the damage and hurried over. He was staring at Shinachiku's arms, guessing that this damage had to have been done by him.
'So strong… I'm glad… but I need to be just as strong. I have to be… for all of your sakes.' Konohamaru thought as he stared at Shinachiku, Arata, Sarada and Boruto, all the while gripping a familiar three-pronged kunai in his hand. "I promise." He said before vanishing via a flash.
Meanwhile, a thought came to Shinachiku's mind.
"Hey, where's Mitsuki anyway? Isn't he usually with you, Boruto?" Shinachiku asked. "In fact, now that I think about it, I haven't seen Iwabe and his team either lately. What's that about?"
"Mitsuki said he went off to do something important. Don't know what though." Boruto answered.
"As for Team 5, I heard that they went on a mission outside of the village to deliver something." Sarada said.
"I hope they're doing fine. Not that I underestimate them or anything, but it's still a dangerous world out there, especially now with those Oni Zetsu, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said with a small frown. "What am I saying? They'll be fine! Iwabe and Metal are tough as hell and Denki's a supreme genius! They'll be home in no time!" Shinachiku said with confidence and pride in his friends.
.
.
Between the borders of Tsuchi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni was the land that housed Kusagakure.
At this time, Team 5, led by Udon Ise, were travelling through a grassy field.
"Man, this was one hell of a mission!" Iwabe exclaimed with a bit of an exhausted expression. "What the hell did they call those things again? Oni Zetsu?"
"They looked more like Yōkai to me!" Metal said with an anime expression of fear.
'This mission took longer than expected thanks to them. Even though we had time to recover back in Iwagakure, and were given extra supplies, those creatures still put up one hell of a fight and wasted too much of our time. How unfortunate that we only learned about what these things are before we started heading back.' Udon thought with a frown.
"How is it that we never had a clue about them before, sensei? It seemed like they just appeared. Wouldn't the hidden villages have noticed something like them beforehand?" Denki asked.
"A good question. Hopefully, we'll get the answers once we make it back to Konoha." Udon said, but then he sensed something. "Everyone, jump back!" Udon ordered, alerting his students as all of Team 5 then leaped back just in time as giant spikes of earth shot from the ground below.
"The hell?!" Iwabe shouted out with shock.
"That would be 'if' you got back!" A voice called out, causing the team to look up to see a man atop one of the spikes, holding a jō that rested upon his shoulder, as his visage was obscured by the Sun. "Sad to say, the answer will be you won't. Not now, at least." The man said with a grin.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Udon demanded answers as he was ready for the worst.
"Who I am doesn't matter, seeing as that weird old saying goes, dead men tell no tales. What I want though? I need some hostages to bring some old friends over to me. You can see where you guys fit the bill." The man said with a smirk as he pointed his jō at the four.
"Dead men?" Udon questioned, confused and worried on what their assailant meant.
"Who the hell are you?! If you're an enemy of Konoha, then you're gonna regret what's gonna happen, bastard!" Iwabe shouted at the man, taking out his own jō, readying for a battle.
"Oh, I doubt I will regret this… dear old nephew." The man said with a cheeky grin, shocking the four, but none more than Iwabe.
"Nani?" Iwabe questioned with wide eyes, before suddenly he was punched in the gut.
"Iwabe!" Metal shouted out as the rest of the team noticed the man had appeared in front of the tall genin.
The man chuckled with a grin as he pulled his fist back, revealing it to be all black, as Iwabe fell onto his back, unconscious.
Now that he was on ground level, his appearance was in full view of the rest.
He was tall, around seven feet, with light olive skin, black eyes and short black hair with four sizeable locks sticking out of the right side of his head with two of them sticking out from the border, all curved upwards, and on the left was a small, yet long lock of hair that stuck out of the border by the center and hung over the left side of his forehead. He wore a black jacket with the shoulders puffed up and the sleeves rolled halfway up his bicep, and open to reveal his muscular torso. He also wore beige army pants with black shinobi boots that reached up to cover the bottom of them and had the metal plate of an Iwa hitai-ate sewn onto the right side of them, and twin black belts wrapped around his waist. Finally, he had a necklace around his neck with another plate of an Iwa hitai-ate, but this one had a long scar across the symbol.
"Night, night, little Iwabe." The man said with a grin.
"You won't get away with this!" Metal shouted as he charged forward.
"Metal, no!" Udon called out to his student with worry.
Metal leaped up with a battle cry and delivered a heel kick to the top of the man's head, only to feel pain himself. Metal flinched with an eye closed, giving the man opportunity to grab his leg, swing him around and toss him towards Denki.
Luckily, Udon managed to catch Metal before collision.
Udon glared at the man, only to notice that his head was colored black as well, right before it faded to return to his original olive pigment.
'What kind of technique is that? It looked like he hardened himself, but I've never seen a hardening jutsu like that before.' Udon thought with gritted teeth. "Denki, here." Udon handed Metal to his spectacled student. Just before he could move to grab Iwabe, the man quickly grabbed his tallest student.
"Ah, ah, ah. Sorry, but we're not done here." The man said with a grin.
"Put Iwabe down, now." Udon ordered with a glare.
"Okay." The man said as he tossed Iwabe over towards Udon, but then appeared in front of the Jonin with his fist cocked back.
Udon brought up kunai to block just in time as the man's arm turned black as he sent a punch, but despite blocking with a kunai, Udon's guard was broken right through as he was punched in the chest cavity, sending him flying back.
"Sensei!" Denki and Metal called out to Udon with worry, giving the man enough time to slam his jō into the ground and with a swing of it towards them, a large chunk of earth appeared at the end of it, slamming into the pair, sending them flying as well.
"D-Denki… Metal…" Udon spoke his students' names with worry as he saw them on the ground, in pain, while a still unconscious Iwabe lied on the ground. Udon gritted his teeth, before feeling the ground shake as spikes of earth started appeared around them all to form a ring of spikes.
"Just in case you pull off a miracle." The man said with a grin, earning a growl from Udon, who picked at his nose, letting a piece of snot drop to the floor, as the man then appeared above him with his hammerhead-ed jō raised up high, ready to smash him.
"Hanamizuki!" (Nose Water Tree) Udon shouted out as he made a dog hand seal, form a large spiky tree made from his single drop of snot, which slammed into the man, capturing him in the spiky branches and some seeming to have stabbed into him. Udon panted a bit but flinched when he heard chuckling from above.
"Nice try." The man said with a grin as his whole skin was now black. "Wait, is this snot? SICK!" The man shouted with disgust as he made a pair of hand seals with one hand as then the earth beneath Udon shot up in the form of a square pillar. "YOU BASTARD!" The man screamed out as he appeared above Udon with his stone hammer raised up.
The man then slammed it into Udon, and with the combined momentum of the rising pillar the Konoha Jonin was on, sandwich him, causing Udon to vomit out blood and saliva as he rocketed down, breaking right through the rising pillar and breaking the earth once making to the bottom, forming a cracked crater.
Iwabe groaned as he regained consciousness. He weakly turned his head to see the defeated form of his sensei.
"Udon… sensei…" Iwabe managed to choke out. He turned and reached for his jō, only to have the foot of the man slammed into his hand, causing him to scream.
"Now, now, little Iwabe. Let's not make things more difficult than they already are." The man said, grinning down to Iwabe, who glared up at him. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You shouldn't be so worried. Uncle will take good care of you." The man said with his grin widening as he raised his foot and slammed it into Iwabe's face.
Atop of one of the spikes was a young man, looking to be around eighteen with shaggy white hair, magenta eyes, and a soft, fair complexion. He was barefoot and wore a long black cloak that was a bit buttoned down to reveal a portion of his chest and a necklace around his neck with the pendant that had a circle with an outline of an upside-down triangle within it.
The symbol of Jashin.
"Quite exciting he made it." The young man said with a smile. "He really can't wait to see you both. Especially you, Shinachiku Uzumaki." The young man added as he gained a malicious grin.
End of Chapter 12
Voilà! Part 2!
Told you it was long. I hope you enjoyed it. I know I can be very detailed with the action. In fact, one of my best friends says that is a flaw in my writing as I make them so detailed that you wish it could be made into a visual format. Sorry about that.
Aside from that, I hope you at least approved of Arata and Shinachiku's full strength. Granted it's much, and considering what I showed, I'd say they're close to Jigen's strength from the Boruto series. Crazy strong, yes, but considering Boruto is a mess of never-ending power creeps, I think it's alright, especially considering I made some damning drawbacks that weigh out the highlights of the positives about them. So, I dare say that they're more balanced than anything from the Boruto series. Plus, as the guys at Team Four Star say, a drawback makes something cooler in these fighting series. And you got to admit, these double-edged swords are pretty damn cool and appropriate given what they're made of. If someone draws those forms, I wouldn't blame them… also, I would love you very much. I can't help it! I know I made them up, but I so love them so much~! Just saying anything about them or thinking them alone sends shivers throughout my body! They're just that cool!
I mean, who in the fandom hasn't wondered what Eight Gates combined with Kurama's chakra would look like. I mean, honestly!
Anyways, sorry about gushing there. I really wanted to debut them in this story so bad!
Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger there, but I figured it was an appropriate set-up for the next chapter.
Thank you all again for reading and continuing to do so. I really appreciate the attention this story receives. I want this to be my first completed story so bad! I'm not moving on to any of the other stories (except NaruSaku Birthdays) until this is finished. Any of my other fans hoping I'd continue any of the other stories… sorry, but you'll have to wait until this is over. As if you're not used to that already. God, I suck sometimes.
Well, once more, thank you all again so much! Thanks for your continued support of this story! You mean so much to me! Thank you! Have a nice day!
Ja ne!
Takeshi1225, Out!
