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Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto franchise or it's characters.
Previously…
Naruto shook his head.
"An ocean."
[—NTLS—]
[Chakra Control has leveled up!]
[Chakra Control has leveled up!]
Training had ended soon after that discovery Naruto had made. Hiruzen seemed gleeful about something, though the blond didn't particularly know what the man was so happy about. The "ocean source" that Naruto made for himself was still present, though maintaining the mental image for a long period of time was more difficult than he thought. It was getting easier every time he used it, though. Now that the actual source was finalized, he needed to find a way to pick and choose the amount of chakra that he used for every technique,
This was a lot tougher due to the sheer size of the ocean. How would you take water from the ocean and for what reason? The cup that Hiruzen used was perfect for him, and ideal for such concise and precise uses of chakra that the old man seemed to love. However, for Naruto, a cup was practically useless. It was like trying to drink water with a spoon. Unfulfilling, inefficient, and entirely useless.
That's a bit annoying….
He decided that a bit more physical training would be suitable for the rest of the day. Physical conditioning was a bit tougher than the rest of the exercise he did. For one, he was limited by the size of his body. He was relatively small and exercise only did so much. It would take some years for him to truly reach his apex in strength and speed—years which he definitely did not have at the present moment.
"Training, training, training…" Naruto repeated continuously as he walked, his hands delved into his pockets. "Do I really have nothing else going on in my life?"
It was true—training had taken over a majority of his life. But he had valid reasons. The Akatsuki were hunting him down, and every bit of strength he gained was crucial for his survival. Similar to Sasuke, who had the sole reason of killing a "certain man". Of course, a reason for training wasn't necessary, but it certainly helped. Naruto hadn't seen the Uchiha since the funeral. At the same time, however, he hadn't seen anyone. Certainly not any member of Team Ten or even Sakura herself.
Right now, all Naruto felt was pure frustration at himself. Another man had died because of him…and he could do nothing but accept it and move on. It wasn't just anyone, though Naruto would have been equally pissed off if it had been a random civilian from the street, but the fact that it was Shikamaru's father only hit him deeper. The Shinobi Commander had died in a mission for his sake.
For the Leaf's sake.
Naruto began to ponder a question that had made its presence known multiple times in the past day.
"What if I…"
He shook his head. Don't get pressured into drastic decisions, Naruto! Think logically before you do anything. You're spelling death for yourself. I've still got a lot to learn h—
"Heya! Is that Naruto?"
He turned his head to face the voice he clearly recognized. "Yo, Lee. What's up?"
The Genin in question was currently in the middle of doing push-ups, and the absurd number he was counting made Naruto blanch in the sheer exhaustion of even thinking of doing something like that. Behind the green-clad Taijutsu specialist was an impassive Neji Hyūga, and a scowling Tenten.
Oh boy…is she really still mad over the Chuunin Exams?
"Nothing, we're just having a team training session! Wanna join?" Lee asked cheerfully.
Tenten nudged him from the side, mumbling something Naruto couldn't hear. She turned her gaze towards the blond, glaring daggers that didn't faze him one bit, daring him to accept the offer.
Naruto raised his hands in surrender. "Nah, it's fine, I wouldn't want to be a bother. I've already taken a lot of help from your physical regime."
"Oh, fine then," Lee said, pouting. "Well, if your decision changes, we're ready!"
[Ding!]
[New Quest "A Humble Challenge" Created]
[Quest Details: Defeat Team Gai in a one-on-three combat.
[Quest Rewards: Exp. 3000. 2 Attribute Points.
[Failure: You lose to Tenten.
[Does Player Accept The Quest?]
[Yes/No]
Naruto coughed embarrassedly. "On second thought…"
[—NTLS—]
Neji has scoffed.
Lee had simply raised an eyebrow, but his wide smile quickly crept back up.
Tenten had stifled a laugh.
Those were all of their reactions to a three-on-one fight issued by Naruto. Persuading them was a bit more than difficult—it was near impossible. The Hyūga believed it to be beneath his stature to fight against someone younger than him. Lee didn't think the fight would be fair but was willing to attempt it if Naruto was so incessant.
The less spoken about Tenten, the better.
Naruto had to quickly remind them that he was a Chuunin, and had defeated both Lee and Neji during the exams. He alluded to the fact that he got stronger during the months time since the exams, and kept on a boastful personality to irk one of them into taking the bait. It wasn't very difficult considering the type of people present in the team before him, something which had worked out in his favor in the end.
Naruto knew that he would win, however. It wasn't because these three weren't particularly strong or anything of that nature…in fact, they were leagues ahead of Team Ten, who were a bit annoying to deal with. What was the deciding factor in fights like this was the unpredictable nature of the ones fighting. Team Gai, for all of their speed and physical capability, were quite straightforward. They had Lee, who punched and kicked. Tenten, who threw weapons. And Neji, who punched and kicked with a few extra steps. Compared to Team Ten, it was easier to predict the next moves of the three he was currently fighting.
Naruto spat out some blood to the side, his tongue rolling against the inner side of the cheek that was just subjected to a brutal punch.
He had completely forgotten about how fast Lee was, however.
The Uzumaki eyed the three before him.
He kept his fist forward in a specific stance, before gesturing his fingers towards himself. "Round two!"
Tenten was first to react, unveiling various scrolls from her hands that poofed away into a variety of weapons that launched toward Naruto with blinding speed. The chained blades flew towards the blond with the ominous sound of rattling metal, aiming to cut off his head for good. He ran towards them, jumping between a small gap between the two projectiles and spinning his body at the same time to prevent any contact.
Sleight of Hand!
A kunai appeared in his hand almost like magic, charged with electricity the second they made contact with his chakra. He pushed the kunai through the chains to the side of him all while still midair and using the momentum of his spin, breaking apart the weapons by their stems and rendering them useless.
Naruto grinned. That's what he liked about his seniors. They weren't afraid to kill. They understood the capabilities of their opponent and were able to differentiate between what was necessary for the fight without having a cemented set of rules beforehand.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ten clones appeared to the side of him, eager to take part in the battle with all of their hearts. Naruto didn't have time to issue any specific commands, but he was able to get out one statement. "Don't let Lee open his Gates!"
Was it cowardly? Some would say so. Naruto would disagree. Why would he let his opponent achieve a state of boosted strength and speed just for the heck of it? He needed to win if the quest rewards were to be given to him. He was sure as hell not going to let anything ruin his chances of victory and getting that sweet, sweet experience.
He activated Iron Clones at the same time, trusting the clones to deal with Lee for the time being.
Tenten needed to be taken care of first. While her jutsus weren't really threatening to such a high degree, they were on the other hand, annoying as hell. She wasn't above explosives, either. Explosion seals tagged across sealed kunai planted themselves a few meters ahead of him. The explosion set off a loud bang that clogged his ears and a bright flame that stunned his eyes. A modified explosion? Naruto questioned through the muddled state he found himself in.
Neji burst through the smoke with a cold expression on his face.
The boy had improved. He was even faster, more precise, and seemed calmer than before. Whereas during the exams, every strike he kept out was filled to the brim with a hidden anger that no one could see but everyone could feel. Now, however, in place of that burning fire was a cold and indifferent tundra that refused to back down.
But facing the tundra was a titanic hurricane.
Naruto was quicker.
He didn't even need to activate his Hyūga Clan Taijutsu to see the attacks. It was something he had been noticing for a while. The copied Taijutsu stances that were loaded into his system seemed to be slowly incorporating themselves into his normal memory. That meant he wouldn't need to use MP anymore…but he was getting a bit ahead of himself. With pure memory and instinct alone, he merely had a scarce but accurate idea about the stances, nothing compared to the books of knowledge he wielded while activating his skills.
But he still yearned for the day when his Taijutsu skills become obsolete, however far away that may be.
Naruto dodged the incoming palm with a tilt of his head, responding with a sidekick toward his opponent, trying to create some space and assess the situation around him. He couldn't see Tenten and Lee right now, which was the worst position he could be in. Neji cleverly attacked him from the opposite side of both of them, trying to open Naruto's back for a surprise attack in the future.
Instead of turning his head around, he tried something else.
[Skill: All-Seeing Eye is active!]
Neji's eyes widened. His Byakugan could see the extension of chakra around Naruto, noticing its similarities to a sudden jutsu that he also held. Even though they may have looked similar in structure, their functions were entirely opposite.
Activate Iron Skin!
Tenten's attack from behind, a three-pronged short blade was swatted to the side with a swipe of his hand. Simultaneously, he looked over at how the clones were handling their position, noting with a frown that only four of them remained, fighting valiantly against the much stronger foe.
All right, I'm getting sick of this.
Ignoring Neji for the moment, Naruto dashed towards Tenten.
The girl looked startled for a brief moment before her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Neji was hot on his trail, chasing after Naruto only a few steps behind in pace.
She swung a large fan that appeared out of nowhere at Naruto, who simply grabbed it out of her hands and threw it to the side. In quick succession, he grabbed her wrist and sent some chakra down to the conductive sealing paper that was etched with dark kanji, burning the seals to a crisp with lightning. He pushed Tenten behind him, towards Neji who didn't expect the sudden movement. Naruto kicked at the bend of her knee, making her fall to the ground before kicking once again at the side of her ribs.
I hope that much pressure was enough. I don't have enough time for a proper submission right now.
He quickly went to meet a charging Neji, who looked somewhat pissed off. Aww…I didn't know Neji could feel such loyalty towards his teammates. Good to know everyone can change—or maybe he just hated me specifically. The more he thought about it, and the more he felt like that was the case.
The moment Naruto tried to throw a punch, he felt something tug back at both of his hands. A thick, creeping chain took hold of his body, filled to the brim with chakra and weighing him down. Tenten! He realized with a startled expression. She looked to the side of her holding onto a scroll from the ground with a single hand, the other one grasping onto her injured ribs with a pained expression on her face.
Huh. She can be cool when she wants to be, eh?
"GO, NEJI!" Tenten shouted as loud as she could with her raspy, struggling voice.
Neji, seeing his chance, pounced eagerly to deliver his signature move. "Eight Trigrams, Two Palms!"
Activate Observation Haki!
[Skill: Observation Haki is active!]
Naruto saw.
And he moved.
He dodged the attacks with ease even with his hands tied by the chains. It was inexplicable…he dodged like he knew where the attacks were going beforehand. Neji simply watched with growing shock as his next palm was similarly dodged.
And the next.
The one after that.
Naruto moved his head forward as hard as he could, headbutting the Hyūga with as much force as he could muster. Neji groaned in pain as he fell back. Naruto took the opportunity to break one of his hands free from the tight hold of the iron chains and yanked as hard as he could, pulling a yelping Tenten towards him. He quickly placed a kunai at her throat, asking her to yield.
"I yield," Tenten reluctantly responded with a frown.
Let's get rid of Neji.
He dashed towards the Hyūga who was still reeling from the damage he took straight to the skull from the previous headbut. Naruto didn't blame him—he had always been told since a young age that he had a thick skull. Little did the ones who told him know how dangerous of an asset his so-called thick skull was now.
In response to his threatening push, Neji made the only move he knew for defense.
"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!"
The air hummed with tension as he shifted his stance, feet gliding effortlessly over the grass underneath. A breath, a moment—then he moved. His body spun like a whirlwind, one foot anchoring him while the other guided his momentum. Arms outstretched, palms open, he traced wide arcs through the air, each motion flowing seamlessly into the next. The world around him blurred as he turned, his form a blur of motion.
The ultimate defense.
The impenetrable shield.
Naruto couldn't help but smile widely in anticipation.
What happens when the impenetrable shield meets the unstoppable force?
He stretched his hand forward in the approximation of a blade.
"Black Flash!"
Black and red sparks exploded from his hand as he plunged his fingers into the dome of chakra. Rotating force fought against the movement of Naruto's hand…but it wasn't enough.
A hole had been made in the shield.
Activate Iron Skin!
He reached his other hand into the dome and tore it apart with a roar of strength.
The answer to the age-old question was finally revealed.
The result merely depended on who wielded the weapons.
A shell-shocked Neji stood in the middle of his broken-down jutsu. "I lose."
Naruto blinked. That was easier than he thought it would be.
That meant Lee was remaining.
His clones decided to give up at the moment, the last one dissipating into smoke.
In the end, two remained.
And the fight began.
Their battle was not chaos—it was rhythm, a silent dialogue written in motion. One moved, the other answered, each strike a question, each evasion a whispered reply. Their feet barely touched the ground, gliding like wind over water, yet every movement carried the weight of decades of discipline. Fists met palms, and elbows grazed ribs, but neither found purchase; they flowed, adapted, and transformed. They fought without hesitation, yet without waste, every breath measured, every step purposeful.
Naruto grunted as he felt a fist graze his fist.
He responded with a kick that broke through Lee's guard and hit him straight in the gut.
To the untrained eye, they seemed weightless, their bodies weaving through the air like ink swirling in water—fluid, unpredictable, inevitable. There was no anger, no desperation, only the pursuit of perfection, the test of mastery. A kick became a sweep, a block became a strike, and a retreat became an advance.
Neither faltered, neither relented.
But all things came to an end, good or bad.
And there would only be one left standing.
The deep breathing of one shinobi remained.
Naruto stood victorious, his fists by his side.
There was no elation in his face.
Neither was he emotionless.
No…he was bored.
[—NTLS—]
Yo!
My Pa tre on is back online for those who want to read THREE chapters or THREE WEEKS ahead (chapters 58, 59, 60) and support my endeavor to become an author. So if you can't wait for the next update–check out:
P a treon . com (slash) PaladinKaladin
Hope you liked the chapter! Naruto is getting bored…how is that going to affect him onwards?
On a more serious note, the site currently has a lot of issues. Chapters aren't
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I might upload my fics onto RoyalRoad in the meanwhile in case anything happens to this site, but it's going to be a slow process.
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Chapter 57 is releasing on Tuesday, 4h of March. Around 2 PM Washington DC time.
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