Naruto vs. Kiba Inuzuka!

Sakura walked up to Neji.

"To wallow in self-pity with the belief that this is fate is nothing but an escape from reality!"

"So, stop looking so gloomy and saying those boring things like 'fate can't be changed'..."

"Neji, you and I are different. I'm just an ordinary person trying to break free from fate. You are the true genius!"

Neji remained silent, not uttering a single word.

He gazed blankly upwards, through the hollow tower he could see the azure sky above, with fluffy white clouds drifting freely, and a giant eagle soaring across his field of vision.

"I lost..." Neji, who had never lost before, admitted his defeat for the first time.

"Indeed, you have broken free from the fate that bound you... while I am still a self-pitying fool defeated by fate." Neji's words of failure may have a deeper meaning.

"You mean the fate of the Hyuga Main Family and Branch Family? I've heard a little about it..." the girl said slowly.

"Caged Bird Seal that has been caught, if clever enough, can peck open the cage door with its beak. Because they... still hold onto hope, the hope of soaring freely in the sky again."

"If it's Neji, as long as that hope remains, he'll surely be able to break free from the shackles of fate, right?"

The girl smiled slightly at Neji.

Neji finally let out a sigh of relief.

"The winner is Sakura Haruno!"

"Yay! Sakura is amazing! She's way cooler than Sasuke!" Naruto shouted excitedly, attracting surprised glances from the people around him. Then, as expected, he was hit hard on the head by the girl who jumped up.

"Stop arguing! Aren't you ashamed at all?!" the girl said with a dark face. Unlike Naruto, she wasn't thick-skinned enough to gloat while everyone around her looked at her like she was an idiot...

"Ouch, that hurts!" "Ah, you dare resist? I'll flip you over!"

"That's right, I, Naruto Uzumaki, will rebel against the fate you've imposed on me!" "Heh heh heh, with your weak fists? You're far from qualified!"

"Nonsense! You monster! I, Naruto Uzumaki, will blast you to smithereens without mercy!" "You bastard! How dare you oppose me! Today you will die a horrible death, the most horrible death imaginable!"

The strange yet impressive lines rang out, drawing the attention of the surrounding ninjas. The stares that had been directed at Naruto as if he were an idiot now fell on the pink-haired girl...

The Neji Genin out to be such a goofball...

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Kakashi's forehead. He subtly moved his feet away, creating some distance.

Why is my team full of these eccentric characters...? Kakashi thought to himself, tears welling up in his eyes.

While Sakura was teaching Naruto lesson with her loving fists, the screen had already updated the lineup for the next round of battles.

"Alright, stop fooling around, you two! Look at the screen!" Kakashi wiped away his cold sweat, turned around, and stopped the two of them from fighting.

The opponents for the sixth round have appeared on the screen.

"Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka!"

Sakura and Naruto immediately fell silent.

"Hehehe, it's finally my turn!" Naruto said smugly, hands on his hips. "The time to show off my skills has come!"

"Hey, don't let your guard down, Ya isn't an easy opponent to deal with--"

Before Sakura could finish speaking, Naruto had already jumped off the stands impatiently. "I'm going to knock you down with a beautiful punch!"

"--So are you even listening to me or not?!"

The girl sighed helplessly.

Sakura genuinely thought Kiba was amazing. Of course, not in comparison to her, since some of Kiba's Ninjutsu was too overpowered.

However, among the Genin, a ninja like Kiba is undoubtedly one Genin the best.

Genin) typically cannot use many Ninjutsu due to limited Chakra, and rely more on Taijutsu. At this stage, Ninjutsu- type ninjas are in a somewhat awkward position, while Taijutsu- type ninjas have a significant advantage.

Ninjutsu ranks are divided into five levels: SAB to D. The ranking is based on the difficulty of performing the Ninjutsu, not on Ninjutsu strength or power. Of course, generally speaking, the higher the difficulty of performing Ninjutsu, the more Chakra it consumes, and the stronger the Ninjutsu is.

However, Ninjutsu rankings are determined by the ninjas themselves, which is quite subjective. It's normal for different ninjas to have different opinions on the same Ninjutsu. Sakura's Water Blade Technique is often questioned for not being an S-rank Ninjutsu because it doesn't consume enough Chakra, but from the perspective of the difficulty of performing the Ninjutsu, this Ninjutsu is indeed more difficult to master than a typical A-rank Ninjutsu.

In short, Genin usually only need to master low-level Ninjutsu such as D-rank, which is sufficient for assisting in battle, but lacks explosive power and endurance. In contrast, Taijutsu- type ninjas are not as limited in combat power due to insufficient Chakra.

Teeth are a prime example.

The Ninjutsu he uses— Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu —doesn't consume much Chakra. His Taijutsu, on the other hand, combines power and speed, the kind that results in defeat if hit, and even a glancing blow causes injury. It's difficult to dodge and impossible to defend against, making him a master of offensive warfare.

In the original story, if Naruto hadn't been quick-witted and Kiba and Akamaru hadn't had such poor teamwork, and if it weren't for that unexpected fart, Naruto wouldn't have won that match so easily, and might even have been forced to use his Nine-Tails form.

However, Naruto in this world is a different story.

Under the shadow of Sakura and Sasuke, two towering figures in Team 7, Naruto seemed less conspicuous, but that depends on who you compare him to. Just look at the combination of Shadow Clone and a low-level Wind Release he used against Orochimaru; you could count on one hand the number of genin present Genin could withstand that attack.

Sakura was certain that the tooth didn't take up a single finger.

Note that Naruto could easily overpower Kiba by using a sea of clones and continuously unleashing low-level Ninjutsu, relying on his massive Chakra.

However, as the ninja known for his unpredictability, how could Naruto use such a mundane tactic!

--Or, this hot-blooded idiot, where would he find the time or inclination to think of such things unless it's a crucial moment?

"This brat can't give us a moment's peace! If he just used Ninjutsu honestly, he would have won long ago. Why does he prefer Taijutsu so much!"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she watched Naruto engage in hand-to-hand combat with Kiba on the sidelines.

Kakashi turned around in surprise. "You know that principle too?"

Knowing she was in the wrong, Sakura immediately shut up and stopped her endless nagging.

Meanwhile, in the stands, the battle between Naruto and Kiba presented a completely different and exciting spectacle from the original story.

In the original work, Naruto, who lacked physical strength, repeatedly turned the tide of battle by using his agile clones; however, in this world, through constant sparring with Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto's Taijutsu have far surpassed the level of the original work.

This allowed him to withstand the powerful attacks head-on.

Although his Chakra control is far inferior to Sakura's, Naruto's exaggerated Chakra reserves allow him to unleash tremendous speed and power by freely expending Chakra to enhance his body!

Thud! Thud!

Intense explosions echoed from the sidelines! The already dilapidated arena was further ravaged by Kiba's Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu and Naruto's Chakra burst!

Snap, snap!

With a dull thud, Naruto forcefully blocked the Inuzuka family's signature Ninjutsu, Fang Over Fang, with his bare fist!

"Naruto, who was always the worst student, when did he become so strong?!" Kiba Inuzuka exclaimed in disbelief.

Yes, Naruto didn't even need to use his signature Shadow Clone. He single-handedly withstood the combined attack of Kiba and Akamaru, and even seemed to be turning the tables on them!

In the stands, the two players' exciting duel had already sparked much discussion among the crowd.

Some were amazed by the two players' abilities, while others debated who would win.

"Wow, that's amazing!" "Kiba Inuzuka is one thing, but how did Naruto was always the worst student, become this strong?!" "Both of them are monsters!"

"Kiba will win in the end, right? Naruto is at a disadvantage!" "No, Kiba seems to have the upper hand now, but if the game drags on, Naruto's super stamina will be the key to victory!"

"That's right, Kiba has used all his strength, while Naruto still has some left... Don't forget, Naruto's signature Ninjutsu is Shadow Clone!"

At this moment, Kurenai's heart was filled with turmoil. As Kiba Inuzuka's mentor, she had great confidence in him and thought that facing the underdog Naruto would be a good outcome. However, she never expected that Kiba would be in such a tough fight!

The current situation is already very dangerous for Ya.

Kurenai was well aware of Kiba's true strength. Kiba's performance off the field was near perfect, even exceptional, but he still couldn't overcome Naruto, who wasn't going all out. It was likely that if Kiba's offensive slowed down even slightly, he would immediately fall into a disadvantageous position, or even be defeated outright!

The students in Team 7 are all so amazing!

Kurenai's prediction came true very quickly. After a few more rounds of fighting, Kiba, whose stamina was severely depleted, finally couldn't keep up and revealed a slight opening. Then, Naruto delivered a beautiful punch and knocked him to the ground!

The tide of battle has turned!

After that, the tooth was completely outmatched and had no chance of turning the tide.

"The winner of round six Naruto Uzumaki!"

Finally, Kiba fell to Naruto's fist without any doubt, and Naruto won. This also meant that all three members of Team 7 had entered the final round of the Chunin Ninja Exams!