"Man, y'all would be a lot stronger if you were capable of actually working together." Naruto remarked with a grin, staring down at Sasuke who was currently being restrained by Shikamaru's shadow. "You couldn't even tell that I was just a decoy for Shika... 'Rookie of the Year' for what? What a waste of talent."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders with a smirk as he stepped out of Sasuke's line of sight, revealing a crouching Shikamaru who's face was wrought with concentration. Sasuke on the other hand, only gnashed his teeth angrily, glaring at Naruto.
"You get angry way to fast, you're arrogant and you're incapable of working with those who you deem as 'weak.'" Naruto muttered with a grin. He walked closer to Sasuke before crouching beside the teen, antagonizing him. "What kinda Shinobi isn't able to work with his teammates? Shino and Ino could have easily restrained Hinata-chan with your help but, like always, you think you're the best." Shaking his head in disappointment, Naruto stood to his full height before glancing towards their respective Sensei's and fellow teammates. "I don't know what you're Sensei is teaching you, but it clearly ain't enough if you can't see the value of working together as a unit. I'd go so far to say that he's proving to be... incompetent." The little grin on his face was a bit too mischievous but who could blame him? He needed to take shots at everyone.
Tsune was stood next to Kakashi and Asuma, arms crossed against her chest with an annoyed frown. "Alright, ya little shit, that's enough." She knew what Naruto was doing and while she didn't necessarily approve, it wasn't like she didn't ultimately disagree with him.
Kakashi, unfortunately, had a lot on his plate in regards to the Uchiha brat. She had known little about Sasuke and his issues, only hearing about it from others but being a witness to them today...
She was incredibly disappointed by his childish display. He seemed to lack any control in regards to his anger. It hadn't taken long for Naruto to work his way under Sasuke's skin. Once that happened, any hope of team cohesion went out the window.
Her team was dangerous, she knew that from the start. They were adaptable, held plenty of tools and had a wild card in Naruto. Shikamaru didn't need to play support for Hinata and Naruto but it worked in their favor most often than not.
What a shit show for Kakashi.
Glancing towards the man, she saw the disappointment in his eyes. She didn't blame the man nor did she envy him. He had his work cut out for him.
"Come over here." Tsume demanded, staring straight at Naruto. He obliged immediately, not questioning the woman or her annoyed tone.
Upon getting close enough, she immediately smacked the blond on the back of his head. "Knock it off. You can criticize without bein' an asshole and you know it."
Naruto took the blow with a smile having grown used to Tsume's odd way of disciplining him. "Some people need to hear the truth, Tsume-sensei. Sasuke is one of those people. He'll get himself killed if not. I'd be pretty sad if that happened."
That was a lie and she wasn't going to bother calling him out on it.
"You two." Tsume pointed with a clawed finger towards her other students. "C'mere." She pointed that same finger towards her feet.
Hinata nodded her head submissively before turning towards a downed Ino and bowing to the girl. "I a-apologize for being so rough, Yamanaka-san." Not waiting for a response, Hinata scurried away towards her Sensei.
Shikamaru released a sigh before deactivating his jutsu and walking away without offering Sasuke or Shino a word.
Once her students lined up side by side, she again, smacked Naruto on the back of his head. With a glare, she spoke in her casual brash and vulgar way.
"You two need to take more initiative." She growled, staring directly at Shikamaru and Hinata. "Naruto isn't always goin' to be around nor is he your designated Team Leader." She rose a clawed digit before stabbing Shikamaru with it, ignoring his grunt of annoyance. "You are Team Leader Shikamaru and you need to start actin' like it. Got it?!" She emphasized her words by digging her clawed digit further into the boy's forehead.
Shikamaru grunted in annoyance once more before muttering out a quiet, "Troublesome..."
Nodding her head, Tsume turned her gaze on Hinata who only slightly quailed at her glare. "You need to stop holdin' back, Hinata. What's gonna happen when you hesitate outside?! Yer willin' to risk yer own health and safety cus ya don't wanna hurt someone?!" Her glare intensified and Hinata's head only fell further.
"N-No, Tsume-sensei..." She nervously muttered.
"Speak up!" Tsume howled with a fierce glare.
Hinata's head ducked again but her fists clenched tightly, knuckles coloring white with growing anger. "No, Tsume-sensei!"
"Then fuckin' act like it. Don't make me repeat myself." Tsume demanded, nodding her head in approval at Hinata's growing anger.
"Maaaah, Tsume-sensei..." Naruto eased the tension with a smile. "No need to be so harsh. It was only a friendly sparring match... And we still won."
Tsume's annoyed glare settled on Naruto now as she crossed her arms against her chest. "It ain't bout winnin', ya little shit. It's bout bein' better then you were before. We've been together for two weeks and all three of ya are still repeating the same mistakes we've had since day one! If ya want to stay mediocre then just fuckin' say so but don't waste my fuckin' time! I want to see all three of ya improve and grow. I chose you cus I saw somethin' in ya. Don't waste my fuckin' time with stupid excuses! Do I make myself clear?!"
Team Tsume bowed their heads, all three muttering an affirmation to her question.
Tsume nodded her head before gesturing with her head towards the small lake in the training grounds. "Good. Take a five minute breather and then it's back to our water walkin' exercises." She ignored their quiet groans before shooing them away with a lazy gesture of her hand.
Asuma shifted the cigarette between his lips, watching Tsume's Genin as they made their way towards the lake. "Already pushing 'em to exercises on water? That's pretty advanced training for Genin."
Tsume shrugged her shoulders. "Shikamaru and Hinata have good enough control for it. Naruto on the other hand..."
Kakashi pocketed his hands, watching his own students cool off after their loss. "I imagine he's struggling heavily. He's got more Chakra than everyone in the village combined."
Tsume laughed at that before shaking her head. "Naw, it's not that. Well, a little. It actually works in our favor... Him having so much Chakra just means he's goin' to learn to brute force his way through jutsu. He only needs to have an acceptable grasp of control. Doesn't gotta be perfect. So long as it works, then we can go from there." Shaking her head, she lowered her voice. "He's actually a prodigy... I'd go so far as saying' that he's a generational talent."
Asuma raised an eyebrow, blowing out a plume of smoke. "What makes ya say that?"
Tsume furrowed her brows, glancing back at her team, watching them as they began to strip out of their clothes to jump into the lake. "He can't use jutsu that require precise control of his Chakra. Like, the bunshin for example. It requires a finite degree of control that he just doesn't have... So, I showed 'em the Kage Bunshin. And before ya throw a fit, I went to the Old Man for advice and he told me to teach it to him." Shaking her head, she continued. "All I did was show him the hand sign for it. The next thing I know, fifty solid clones of the little shit pop up. I couldn't fuckin' believe it."
"That is... absurd." Kakashi muttered while shaking his head. "He didn't feel any fatigue?"
"Not even a fuckin' wink." Tsume cursed while shaking her head.
"I mean, it makes sense. He has so much Chakra he can just burn off the excess and not really worry about an exact number needed." Asuma shrugged. "But how does that make him a prodigy? I get that he's an anomaly but..."
"Member how we said he wouldn't be able to use Genjutsu?" She asked with a quirk of her eyebrow.
"It would be physically impossible for him due to how precise he'd have to mold his Chakra." Kakashi intoned lightly.
"Yea, well... He's found a way." She ignored both of the men's disbelieving stares as she stared at the boy. He was perfectly balanced atop the water, slowly and meticulously going through a set of Katas she acquired from Might Gai to aid in the boy's development of Taijutsu. "I don't know how but he has. He refuses to explain no matter how hard I push and I don't wanna take it to Sandaime-sama just yet... I wanna see what he can really do with it."
"Do y'all take what Tsume-sensei says to the heart?" Naruto questioned as he slowly punched, kicked and moved along the water.
Hinata, who's entire face was red, avoided Naruto's gaze, slowly going through her own Katas from the Hyuga Clan. "S-Sometimes... Tsume-sensei can be very harsh."
Shikamaru quietly sighed as he, slowly, maneuvered through a basic Kata, ultimately annoyed that he had to do it in the first place but understanding that it had to be done. "Not really." He grunted out quietly. "Sure, she can be kinda bitchy but I've never seen it as being malevolent... It's just how she is."
Naruto glanced towards the feral woman, noticing that all three of the Jonin were staring at them. "Kinda weird that three adults are watching three half naked teens dance on top of the water."
Hinata only grew more embarrassed, nearly slipping into the water due to his words.
Shikamaru just sighed in annoyance. "Shut up, Naruto."
"I'm just sayin'!" The Jinchuuriki defended with a smile. "It's bad enough we gotta see her walkin' around nearly naked in the compound everyday."
Shikamaru was unable to hold back his blush this time and Hinata finally ended up slipping into the water.
"Haha!" Naruto cackled before his eyes widened, bracing himself as Hinata sent a burst of Chakra induced wind his way, blowing him into the water. "Not cool, but deserved." He reasoned with a small smile, spitting out water while shaking his head.
The embarrassed Hyuga slowly climbed out of the water, resisting the urge to cover her wet body before returning to her Katas. "S-Serves you right, Uzumaki-kun."
Naruto only grinned at the girl, slowly rising out of the water. "I like when you get all feisty, Hinata-chan. Couple more weeks and you'll be just like Tsume-sensei."
Hinata only murmured to herself quietly, not bothering to offer an actual response to the boy's words.
"Ya think we're gonna spar again after this exercise?" Naruto questioned towards the Nara.
"Hopefully not." Shikamaru huffed our quietly, struggling to maintain his control atop the water. "I hate water walking..."
"Me and my big damn mouth..." Shikamaru muttered in annoyance, ignoring Naruto's bark of laughter.
"Aww, c'mon Shika." Naruto piped up with a grin, laying his arm across the boy's shoulder and pulling him close. "Just means we get to show off some more." A mischievous smile adorned his face as he stared directly at Kiba and Sakura. "And 'sides, we're facing K-9 and Forehead... Can't be to hard of a matchup." He very nearly cackled as both Sakura and Kiba growled in frustration at his taunt.
"Y-You're being rude, Uzumaki-kun." Hinata mumbled quietly with a frown.
"Ah..." Naruto mumbled, ignoring Shikamaru's lazy attempts at trying to escape from his grasp. "I am sorry, K-9 and Forehead..." He paused for a moment. "That you're both incompetent."
"You think you're such hot shit, don't you?!" Kiba barked angrily, letting Akamaru jump out of his jacket to stand beside him. "Yer gonna regret it!"
Shikamaru groaned quietly as he finally managed to force Naruto off of him. "Stop riling them up, Naruto. Let's just get this over with... I'm tired and I wanna go lay down."
The Jinchuuriki offered his teammate a smile before directing his gaze to Kiba. "I actually am hot shit. As a matter of fact..." He trailed off for a moment before spreading his arms wide, a devious smile forming on his face. "I can take all three of you on by myself!"
"You're absolutely delusional!" Sakura hissed with a glare. "We may not be the strongest but we can definitely take you on alone!"
Naruto's devious smile only grew larger. "Then bet on it!"
"You're on, dip shit!" Kiba barked back instantly, not bothering to wait for confirmation.
The blond teen then turned towards his Sensei, grin splitting his features. "Oi, Sensei! D'ya mind if I go at it alone?"
Tsume, who was watching the interaction from the sidelines, crossed her arms against her chest with a frown. "Only if you're capable of using it... If not, then absolutely not." She ignored how her fellow Jonins perked up.
"Yeah yeah, I'll be careful, Tsume-sensei." Naruto reassured his teacher with a grin. "All I've got to lose is my dignity."
"Not like ya had any to begin with..." She mumbled with a roll of her eyes. "Hinata. Shikamaru. Let Little Shit do his thing." Tsume ordered while gesturing with her head.
Hinata and Shikamaru offered Naruto a lingering look before ultimately backing away and moving towards their Sensei, confident that Naruto would be just fine.
It took a few minutes for everyone to settle down but once they did, several of the Genin had their own opinions about the potential outcome of Naruto facing off against three Genin by himself.
"He calls me arrogant..." Sasuke muttered with a glare.
Shikamaru, who was seated under a tree, leaning against it lazily, spoke with a raised eyebrow. "That's cus you are, Sasuke." He ignored the boy's vicious glare, not caring about Sasuke's feelings one way or the other. "Naruto can sometimes be an annoying asshole but he's not like you... If anyone of us is gonna take on three Genin alone then it's definitely him."
Ino made a 'tsk' sound, smacking her teeth while crossing her arms against her chest. "What's so special about Naruto, anyway? He's just a dick..."
Hinata spoke up, defending her teammate. "Uzumaki-kun m-may be rude but that doesn't make him a bad person..."
Ino smacked her teeth in annoyance once more, shaking her head while rolling her eyes. "I beg to differ... He's always been a dick and he loves bringing people down."
A frown etched its way onto Hinata's face as she spoke. "That's because you do not know Uzumaki-kun. You have no idea what he's been through... If you did then we wouldn't be having this discussion." She spoke curtly, hands balling into fists.
"Defending your little boyfriend... Who woulda thought?" The Yamanaka snarked with a roll of her eyes. "Always defending his terrible attitude... Whatever you see in him is beyond me."
Hinata's fists clenched tighter, anger boiling beneath the surface at the girl's words. "Stop speaking, Yamanaka-san. I will only ask you politely once." Her Byakugan activated subconsciously, anger seeping into her words as she stared towards Naruto, not bothering to turn around and look at Ino. "You can speak about Uzumaki-kun however you so choose but do not bring up how I may or may not feel about him... That is my business and mine alone."
Ino narrowed her eyes at Hinata, unable to ignore the potential threat and hostility in the shy girl's tone. "And if I don't? Whatcha gonna do about it?"
Hinata slowly shifted her body towards Ino, Byakugan glaring directly into the girl's eyes. "You speak to me as if we're equals, Yamanaka-san. Do not mistake my kindness for weakness... I would break you." She then turned away, focusing her gaze back onto Naruto, ignoring how tense the environment was now.
"Hey now, let's all just calm down, yeah?" Shikamaru mumbled, trying to diffuse the situation. He was proud of Hinata for sticking up for herself though. She was ever so slowly coming out of her shell due to Tsume and while it was kind of terrifying to witness, he was still proud. "Let's not resort to violence. We all got our opinions, so let's just keep it to ourselves, alright?"
Ino looked like she wanted to say more but wisely held her tongue, knowing that regardless of how she felt about Hinata, that the Hyuga was far better than her in terms of Taijutsu. She'd get hers and Ino would make sure of it.
"Uzumaki-san seems awfully confident that he'll win and you two seem to have no doubts in his abilities..." Shino noted quietly, finally deigning to speak up. "It stands to reason that you two know much more than you're letting on. Uzumaki-san has always been a talented individual but it must be deeper than what we've been shown since the academy."
"Naruto is the..." Shikamaru began before abruptly cutting himself off. "Well, you'll just have to ask him yourself. It isn't our place to say."
"That doesn't mean anything." The Uchiha grumbled with a roll of his eyes.
Shikamaru just shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to respond.
Asuma lit up another cigarette, glancing at Tsume with a raised eyebrow. "Should I be worried about what 'it' is, Tsume?"
The feral woman shrugged her shoulders lazily, crossing her arms against her chest. "Probably..."
A few moments of silence passed and when Tsume continued to remain silent, Asuma spoke up.
"Uhh... Ya know, normally this is when you tell me you're joking."
Tsume shrugged her shoulders once more. "I think we should all be worried to be honest." She glanced towards Kakashi, continuing. "D'ya know anything 'bout a shrine dedicated to the Uzumaki Clan on the outskirts of the Village, way past the Monument?"
"Sensei showed me the shrine when I became a Jonin. He was planning on restoring it and then showing it to Kushina as a gift... Sadly, he passed before being able to carry it out." He uttered quietly. "He never told me what was actually inside it... I assume that you found something?"
Tsume shrugged her shoulders. "Wasn't much in the place... 'Cept fer some dust and old relics. What we did find were some... masks." She narrowed her eyes as Naruto made a flourish with his hands, suddenly manifesting an odd-looking mask to his hands. "Them masks ain't a joke. They do some pretty wacky shit, I can't lie."
"Such as?" Asuma asked curiously.
"You'll see." She uttered.
"Wouldn't blame ya if ya decided to drop out now, Naruto." Kiba mocked with a smirk, standing a few yards away from the blond. "Ya ain't winning against us three."
Choji stood off to the side, possessing a small frown on his face. He didn't necessarily get along with Naruto but neither did he dislike the boy. They rarely had interacted in the Academy and if they did, it was cordial at best. But Naruto wasn't a pushover. He knew how to fight and he was far from being weak. Kiba might put on a cocky front but in a straight fist to fist fight, he'd lose nearly every time against the blond.
He didn't even want to fight in the first place in all honesty, but it was mandated and no amount of complaining was going to change that.
"Do you believe in magic, K-9?" Naruto suddenly asked with a smile, interrupting Choji's train of thought.
"Magic? Dude, I've seen people blow fire out of their mouth... The hell you talkin' about?" The feral teen asked confusingly.
Naruto's grin grew a bit dubious, unnerving Choji. "But you've never seen something like..." The blond paused for a moment, making an odd series of hand motions before an object suddenly appeared in his hands. "...This!"
"What... is that?" Sakura asked with furrowed brows, a little confused on how the item seemed to just appear in Naruto's hands.
Choji furrowed his brows as Naruto then proceeded to hold the item up for them to see. What he saw made him pause.
Was that... a mask?
"A mask...?" Sakura questioned with a raised brow. "That's the magic trick? I mean, don't get me wrong, it was weird how it appeared but a mask of all things?"
"Ahh I get it..." Kiba sniffed, wiping his nose with a cocky smirk. "You want some protection fer that ugly mug of yers!" Sakura giggled at the boy's comment but Choji felt a pang of dread, his stomach twisting in a knot.
Something wasn't right with that mask...
The mask, a deep and very dark crimson, possessed the visage of a Tengu with black bushy brows, a menacing frown and a long, pointed nose. Etched into the forehead of the mask was the kanji for Interchange.
It even seemed to radiate negative Chakra ...
Choji couldn't really describe it but it was almost as if anticipating something that had yet to happen. He didn't understand the why but he knew, atleast subconsciously, that the mask was the reason for this sudden feeling of anxiety.
"That's a good one K-9." Naruto chuckled with a smile, slowly moving the mask towards his face "Don't blink." He paused, placing the mask atop his face. "Or you'll miss it."
A small, yet sudden, burst of Chakra spread throughout the area emanating from Naruto. It was incredibly subtle and had the three teens not been directly focusing on Naruto, they'd have completely missed it. They felt the Chakra glide over their skins faintly, softly caressing them before ultimately settling down. There was even a quiet buzzing noise emanating from Naruto but other then that, all was completely silent.
"Did'ja see it?" Naruto's muffled voice questioned, head tilted in an eerie manner. He slowly rose both of his hands, parallel to each other and spread about a foot apart. "No? A shame then..."
"What the hell was that?" Kiba questioned, alarmed at the odd feeling.
"Yeah, what the heck did you-!" Sakura's voice was interrupted as a sudden Clap! resonated from Naruto's hands. Her equilibrium was suddenly, and violently, flipped upside down.
One moment she had been standing near Kiba, staring at Naruto and speaking before she was flipped around and physically moved by an unseen force.
"-Do?!" She screamed in surprise, staring back at her shocked and surprised teammates. Her stomach churned painfully, nausea suddenly spreading throughout the entirety of her body. Vomit nearly spat from her orifice before she doubled over, clutching her mouth to prevent the chunks of leftover lunch from escaping.
"Neat trick, 'ey?" Naruto's voice questioned, surprising the two male members of Asuma's team. He was now standing beside Kiba, having seemingly swapped places with the girl. "I'll bet you a months salary that you won't land a single hit on me."
Kiba snarled as his back hunched over, getting ready to finally strike. "I don't know what the fuck ya just did, but I'm takin' that bet! Don't underestimate me!"
Though Naruto's face was hidden, no one could deny that the boy possessed a smirk upon his face. "I've never expected anything from you, K-9. How can I underestimate something that has no value?"
Kiba saw red.
The feral teen immediately lashed out towards Naruto with a wild haymaker.
Clap!
The Inuzuka played directly into Naruto's hand and his fist connected with flesh. Following the vicious impact was a scream of pain. Though, it wasn't from Naruto and instead, Choji took the full force of Kiba's punch having been caught completely off guard.
As Choji's body sailed through the air, Naruto made a whistling sound. "Nice hit!"
"Choji?! I didn't mean to-!" Kiba was cut off from speaking as Naruto covered the distance between the two of them in an instant, ramming his fist directly into Kiba's gut. The boy's eyes widened immensely as specks of spit flew from his mouth. Due to Naruto's innate physical strength, Kiba was lifted off his feet, helplessly floating for all of a single second before...
Clap!
Naruto and Kiba's positions were then switched once more as Naruto hovered in the air over a hunched over Kiba with his heel axing down towards the boy's unprotected skull. Not a moment later did Kiba's face smash into the earth, indenting the ground and creating a small crater due to the boy's monstrous strength. Kiba had been rendered unconscious with only two measley strikes from Naruto. Had you blinked, you would have missed it entirely.
"Wait... How is he doing that?" Kakashi questioned in confusion before subtly raising his head band, revealing a matured Sharingan. "Is that... a barrier?" An invisible dome of Chakra was currently sprung up around the training grounds, expanding nearly thirty meters in each direction.
Tsume smirked as she spoke. "Member what I said 'bout them masks? I told ya. They can do some pretty wild shit."
"How is he forcibly swapping positions?" Asuma grunted out in confusion. "If there's an active barrier affecting each individual's Chakra then wouldn't you be able to detect the sensation and just negate it while releasing your Chakra...? Sorta like how you counter Genjutsu?"
Tsume shook her head as she replied. "According to Naruto, the barrier is initially created to detect each individual's Chakra signature. Once detected, each person is then 'locked' into place. You can dip out the barrier and go as far as ya want, but as long as Naruto can sense yer Chakra, he can swap places with ya."
"That is incredibly versatile." Kakashi murmured with a frown, thinking of all the potential uses. "What are the downsides?"
Tsume rolled her eyes with an annoyed frown. "Shit guzzles yer Chakra depending on how often yer swapping positions. Reason is, yer transferring yer own Chakra on top of those around ya. So, the more Chakra ya have, the more Chakra it takes to swap places." She paused for a moment before gesturing towards Naruto with her head. "However, Little Shit doesn't have that problem 'cuz he has so damn much Chakra to begin with. Fucker would have to swap places with multiple Jonin at one time to even feel the drain. Shit was definitely made for the Uzumaki Clan... Can't see a world where us normal clans could utilize it. And I'm sure that that goes double fer all the other masks as well."
Despite having been caugh completely caught off guard by Naruto's unique and odd ability, both Sakura and a slowly recovering Choji immediately sprang forward into action.
"Baika no Jutsu!" Choji shouted as he channeled his Chakra, body expanding in a spherical shape that was nearly as big as a small house. The large and very round teen then tucked his arms and legs together before rapidly spinning in place, building up an incredible amount of speed before suddenly firing forward, becoming a speeding house sized bullet. "Nikudan Sensha!"
As Choji's enlarged body dug a trench through the training ground, Sakura was not idle. She began to sprint in a random direction, digging into one of her pouches that clung to her hip. She began to circle the training ground, running in the opposite direction that Choji was now traveling. Four smoke bombs were clutched between her fingers which she threw towards Naruto's direction with pinpoint accuracy.
Before the bombs went off, Naruto spotted Sakura tying Ninja Wire and some sort of metallic-looking chain together. The bombs exploded not a moment later, ensnaring the Jinchuuriki in a smog of white smoke
Smart... Naruto noted with a hidden smile, his respect for the pink haired girl growing ever so slightly. Does she suspect my mask's ability to work on line of sight and vision? Creating a smoke cloud while having Choji parole the outer edges, waiting to flatten me if I try to step out...
Naruto was honestly impressed. While Kiba had been taken out quickly, it seemed that the Old Man's son's team was actually very cohesive. He'd have to give praise where it was due. They were already performing better than Sasuke's team.
Of course, that isn't how my mask works but they couldn't possibly know that. Naruto surmised to himself. I am curious as to what they'll do next... Even if I can't see them, they should assume that I can still swap places with them regardless if I can see them or not. Perhaps I'm giving them too much credit...
Naruto closed his hands, concentrating on their Chakra signatures while channeling his Chakra, creating a thin layer of visible Chakra that encompassed his body. His Chakra then began to slowly expand outward, circling around him like a small barrier.
All I have to do is wait for one of them to enter this barrier. I don't need to actually see them to swap places with them, all I need is their Chakra signature. A small frown then graced the boy's face. Just goes to show that I need to learn some kind of elemental jutsu... Smokescreens are a common tactic among Shinobi. A single mistake could cost me my life while out on an actual mission.
He placed his hands a few inches away from one another, listening to the sounds of grass, dirt and rocks being flung to and fro due to Choji's technique.
Several seconds of tense silence passed by before he felt Choji's Chakra signature suddenly beeline towards his direction. The house sized teen ran a bloody trench through the training grounds, slinging minerals into the air with reckless abandon. A moment later, Naruto felt Choji's Chakra signature pierce his visible barrier.
Clap!
Naruto and Choji suddenly swapped positions, the house sized teen bulldozing through the smokescreen, before abruptly skidding to a halt, revealing several odd looking metal chains wrapped around his body. The heavy set boy seemed to almost resemble some kind of metal ball...
Ahh, so that was what those odd chains were for... Clever.
Naruto pivoted on his heel, sensing Sakura's movement. His eyes narrowed upon seeing another odd looking chain contraption held together by Ninja Wire. The pink haired girl smirked in his direction before tying a kunai on the end of the chain before swinging the heavy looking tool with relative ease.
"Choji! Catch!" She shouted before rearing her arm back and throwing the chain towards Choji. Choji's body began to spin rapidly once more as the Kunai struck one of the chains wrapped around his body.
An ominous CLANK-ing noise emanated from the teen as he continued to rapidly spin in place, tearing large grooves into the earth.
A frown slowly formed on Naruto's face as his eyes noted the razor-like grooves digging into the earth, flinging stone and hardened minerals with ease.
Choji was a rapidly rotating ball of metal death at this point, equipped with Kunais and Ninja stars wrapped around his exterior.
Naruto's eyes slowly followed the metal chain, wondering why Sakura was still holding the... His eyes widened immensely as he pieced it together.
No way?! She doesn't intend to...!
Sakura possessed a large grin on her face as she wrapped the metal chain around her right fist, bracing it with her left hand. She stepped forward, bracing her body while flexing her muscles, an explosion of visible Chakra then covered the entirety of her body, illuminating her like a blue beacon.
"Choji! Go!" The girl screamed, bracing her body as best as she could while trying to control the spinning ball of death that was Choji.
Naruto's eyes widened as Choji's spinning body flung towards the outskirts of the training grounds.
There's no way...! Is she trying to use him as a human Yo-Yo?! She'd have to have strength like Senju Tsunade!
"CHAAAAAAAAAAA!" Sakura roared with all her might, feet cratering the ground beneath her as she whipped the chain up and then down. The momentum from the sudden and unexpected movement caused Choji's spinning body to suddenly lift off the ground. The boy's body then began to spin around in the air, his momentum and speed increasing due to Sakura's manipulation of the chain.
"Now that is impressive..." Kakashi whistled lowly, surprised that a girl like Sakura was even capable of pulling off something this physically demanding. "A girl her size with such little reserves... There's more than meets the eye."
Asuma smirked, a bit of pride seeping into his words. "Sakura has some of the most finite and precise Chakra control I've seen in my life. She doesn't possess a lot of it but the amount she does, is honed to damn-near perfection." He blew out a plume of smoke before continuing. "I initially thought of going to Kurenai-san for pointers on Genjutsu since I'm hopeless with 'em, but then I got to thinking..." He paused with a smile, taking out his cigarette before gesturing vaguely. "Didn't Senju Tsunade have incredibly precise and near-perfect Chakra control? So, I went to Hokage-sama and one thing led to another and I got my hands on one of Tsunade's personal scrolls for teaching Iryo Ninjutsu."
Tsume raised an eyebrow, watching the scene unfold before her with an impressed gaze. "And how does Iryo Ninjutsu lead to... this?" She gestured towards the girl who was flinging Choji around as if he weighed nothing.
"Well, it isn't common knowledge but Tsunade's outrageous strength isn't purely physical. It's more complex than that. She is monstrously strong but because her Chakra control is so precise, she can augment her body and release incredibly devasting bursts of Chakra with each punch and strike. But in order to do that, you have to have damn near perfect control of your Chakra or you risk damaging your body and rupturing your Tenketsu." Asuma explained easily, shrugging his shoulders. "I gave the scrolls to Sakura and planted the idea in her head. Within a week, she was replicating it! I couldn't believe it!" He laughed afterwards, truly proud of the girl.
"No downsides?" Kakashi questions with a raised brow.
Here, Asuma finally dawns a small frown. "Ahh... Well, Sakura doesn't have an immense amount of Chakra like Tsunade does. So, while she can replicate it, she can't utilize it like Tsunade can. She's going to be completely gassed after this. However, we're already working on increasing her Chakra reserves. She has an incredible amount of potential and I think she might be a prodigy... Time will tell."
The two other Jonin nodded their heads, thoroughly impressed by the girl's current display.
"Oi, oi, oi!" Naruto shouted with an excited grin. "Since when did you get so strong, Haruno?!" An almost manic-like laugh left the boy's body as he stared at this insane combination jutsu from his former classmates.
"TAKE THIS!" Sakura roared, ignoring the boy's question as she tugged on the human Yo-Yo, directing the house-sized teen into the air, casting an enormous shadow directly atop of Naruto. "NIKUDAN OKASHO!"
If that hits me...! Naruto thought with widened eyes, a large grin upon his face. I can't believe what I'm seeing! Haha! Should I just let them do it?!
Naruto made up his mind a second later, throwing caution to the wind and augmenting his body with Chakra. He made a unique set of hand seals, laying his left hand flat, palm to the sky. With his right hand, he pressed his thumb, middle and ring finger together, extending his index and pinky finger to the sky. The hand sign resembled a dog's head, similar to what would be created when casting shadows on a wall. He then placed the 'snout' of the dog on the palm of his left hand before smirking, channeling his Chakra.
"...!"
Whatever Naruto said was inaudible as Choji obliterated the earth that Naruto stood upon. A vicious tremor shook the entire training ground, shaking the trees and upsetting the tranquil lake nearly thirty meters away. A dust cloud the size of the Hokage Tower erupted into the air, raining down dirt and rocks.
"Ya almost had me, I won't lie." Naruto grunted quietly, standing over a completely exhausted Sakura. His mask was now positioned on the side of his head, revealing a portion of his face to the exhausted girl. "That was a pretty impressive display, Haruno... Maybe I misjudged you." He grinned at the girl's suspicious gaze, adjusting Choji's unconscious body on his shoulder.
"You're full of it..." Sakura heaved quietly, frowning at the boy. "I was absolutely certain that we had you... How the heck did you stop that?"
Naruto tapped the side of his mask before replying. "Secret." He whispered with a smirk, nearly laughing at her annoyed gaze.
In a show of surprise, he extended his free arm to the girl, offering to help her to her feet. At first, Sakura eyed the boy's appendage with suspicion. But after several seconds, she eventually took his hand.
She was, however, unprepared for the blond teen to immediately haul her to her feet before forcing her arm over his shoulder. He had little issues shouldering her weight and Choji's, smiling to himself as he guided the two of them towards their respective Sensei, Kiba having already been retrieved once their fight had ended.
Sakura... didn't know how to take this. Her and Naruto had a toxic relationship. They both relatively disliked one another, or so Sakura had been led to believe. The boy had constantly messed with her at the academy. From taunting, teasing and outright provoking her for his own amusement, to even goading her into fights with other classmates.
However, Naruto did that with everyone. She didn't know if that was just how he interacted with people or if he was truly ignorant to the distaste of those around him.
One second he's mocking her, telling her that she possessed a forehead that was the size of the Village and now he was being respectful and even helping her?
What changed?
And...
Why did she kinda like it?
Unknown to her, she possessed a feint blush upon her cheeks.
AN : YUR. Chappy donezo. Is that mask's ability familiar? Who knows? I definitely didn't take any inspiration from an anime called Jujutsu Kaisen. This was a completely original idea and trademarked by yours truly. :)
Also, that thing at the end. Spooky, huh? What did Naruto do? How did he escape becoming a pancake? Who knows?! Cus I don't :).
See ya in the next update, ya monkeys.