The time for exam preparation was coming to an end...
Naruto, Akatsuchi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi...
For them, this stage of the exam was over...
They all passed. Now they sat in the corridor, waiting for the exam to end. There was very little time left.
Finally, a Chunin approached them and told them to follow him, which they did. The Chunin led them to a large hall where two Lightning teams were already standing in formation.
As they approached closer, they saw something that shocked them a little: three Kage were standing before them - the Hokage, the Tsuchikage, and the Raikage. They were alone, with only the ten winners and the three Kage present.
All the teams were in a small state of shock and couldn't say a word, as they didn't expect the Kage to be there. The Kage's eyes were filled with pride for their shinobi.
Finally, the Hokage took a step forward...
"Congratulations, everyone!" These words brought all the participants back to attention, and now they listened attentively to the Hokage. "In this stage, you have shown your strength... as a team. I must say, we, the Kage, are very pleased... You have impressed us. But now... awaits the final and most challenging stage, where you will have to battle each other, showcasing your skills. In one month... the ten of you will face off in battles against each other! And now, we will announce the first pairings!"
When the Hokage said his last words, a panel on the wall behind him started to move, revealing a large black monitor. All three Kage turned towards the monitor. Yellow symbols began running across it, and within seconds, the first pair was formed: Akatsuchi against Naruto. Naruto looked at the big guy, and he looked back at him. Akatsuchi immediately averted his gaze.
Meanwhile, the second pair was formed on the monitor: Karui against Kurotsuchi. The opponents also exchanged glances, and an eye battle ensued between them. Both seemed to say, "I'll crush you!"
The third pair consisted of two girls from the Hidden Cloud: Yugito Nii against Samui. The fourth pair: Omoi against Darui. And the fifth pair: Deidara against Shi.
"What? Why should I fight some idiot from the Cloud?" Deidara began to protest.
"Shut up! Or you'll get it!" Kurotsuchi hit him on the head, but unfortunately, it had no effect.
"Why the hell are you embarrassing me, Kurotsuchi?" Everyone, including the Kage, stood and watched the scene.
"Now!" Deidara's hand reached for his clay pouch, but it was suddenly intercepted by someone. It was Naruto. He was calm and knew what he wanted, so he spoke first.
"If you want to fight me, then defeat him first, and I, in turn, will win against your teammate. And then we'll meet one-on-one," he released Deidara's hand and walked towards the exit.
"Heh, why are you so sure you'll win? Huh?" Deidara asked.
"I just know," Naruto said and slammed the door behind him.
The next day, Naruto sat on a pillar at the training ground, waiting for Kakashi. It was scorching hot outside, and sitting in the sun had clearly gotten tiresome for Naruto, so he went and lay down under a shady tree.
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
"Half an hour," Kakashi replied. "You're confident as ever," Kakashi decided to point out his student's mistakes again.
"The Hokage told me what happened in the tower," Naruto said. "I'm not confident, I just lied. He's strong, but he's afraid. Besides... I have to get stronger to defeat him, so I have to... train."
"Well then..." Kakashi jumped down from the tree. "Let's start with some physical training. 50 pull-ups, 20 laps around the training ground, 50 push-ups, 100 squats, 50 sit-ups. That's it for now, tomorrow the workload will be heavier."
Naruto got up and created a few clones, and they began doing the exercises. Meanwhile, Kakashi lay down under the tree and started reading a book. An hour passed, and Naruto approached Kakashi, exhausted.
"I've done everything!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Good!" Kakashi descended from the tree, stashing the book in his pouch, and assumed a fighting stance. "Attack!"
Naruto rushed forward. A kick swing... Kakashi ducked and performed a sweep. Naruto fell to the ground.
"One more time!" Kakashi commanded. Naruto quickly got up and tried to strike again, this time with a punch, but Kakashi simply moved to the side and counterattacked with a kick to the side. Naruto fell once again.
"What kind of training is this?" Naruto asked.
"I've seen their abilities..." Kakashi began. "In any case, no matter what stage you're at, you may have to fight on the edge. Your chakra will run out, you'll be pushed to your limit... And to prevent that, I'll prepare you. I'll improve your physical condition... And that guy you probably noticed will teach you a new technique..."
The "guy" approached and helped Naruto up. Standing up, Naruto looked at the person who helped him and was shocked. Jiraiya stood before him, in the flesh.
"Well... He's your Jiraiya-sensei," Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the Hermit and Naruto alone.
"Well then..." Jiraiya scratched his head, looking at Naruto. "I know what you want to ask me. And I'll answer... Well, everything is very complicated, so I'll just say it straight... I'm your godfather..."
"And that's the whole reason?" Naruto's surprise was replaced with curiosity, although it wasn't visible on his face as he maintained a serious expression. Naruto didn't let Jiraiya finish speaking.
"Let's get to training. What's this technique?"
"Oooooh," a wide grin appeared on Jiraiya's face. "Here!" he exclaimed excitedly, extending his hand. Naruto started to examine it closely, wondering what was going to happen. Jiraiya began releasing chakra, which slowly started spinning in his palm. Soon, it grew larger and larger, forming a blue sphere in which Naruto noticed that the chakra was moving chaotically in different directions.
"Rasengan!" Jiraiya raised his hand above his head, showcasing the technique in all its glory. "This technique has three stages..."
"What? And what are they?" Naruto interrupted Jiraiya before he could finish speaking. Jiraiya took off his backpack, took out a water balloon, and handed it to Naruto.
"Take this!" he tossed it to Naruto. "You have to explode it."
"Alright! Shadow Clone Jutsu! Two more!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Alright," Jiraiya smiled. "I think this will be quick."
"Hold on, Deidara!"
