Seeing Sasuke, who had always been so stern, wearing a bizarre, almost feverish smile, Kakashi felt as if the world had changed beyond recognition.
This has to be a dream, right? It must be a dream! Where had the usually aloof, handsome young man gone? Was this some kind of side effect from spending too much time with Naruto? I'm sorry, Sensei!
Nanfeng, however, didn't join in. That was a relief to Kakashi. At least there was still one normal person on the team.
"Then, Kakashi-sensei, how about trying out the poison I mixed myself?" As Kakashi watched him with an approving look, a smoke-bomb-like object appeared in Nanfeng's hand. A huge skull was painted on the outside, so whatever was inside probably wasn't an ordinary poison.
"Do you really think this is going to work?" In the bushes some distance away, Naruto and Sasuke watched the battle site with some concern.
These were all basic traps. They'd used advanced throwing techniques to set them up, but against a Jonin, they still seemed a little inadequate.
"I know we don't have much of a chance, so we should move on to the next plan. Are the Shadow Clones I assigned ready?" Nanfeng asked.
"Ready." Naruto and Sasuke immediately turned serious, waiting for Nanfeng's next command.
"Get ready. It's time for them to make their entrance. Once the battlefield has been changed, it'll be our turn to put on a show!" Nanfeng's eyes shone with confidence. This was the plan he'd worked so hard to prepare the night before!
Nanfeng knew what the test was supposed to involve. He just hadn't expected that a test of teamwork would turn into actual combat training. Still, the outcome wouldn't change much!
He'd made preparations in advance. Under cover of night, he had altered the terrain in a carefully selected area. At first glance, it looked much like usual, but beneath that thin surface, the ground had been transformed into something like a swamp!
That was thanks in part to what he'd learned from the medical ninja. Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld wasn't a particularly advanced technique, but techniques that altered terrain could prove powerful when used unexpectedly.
But the system seems to have enhanced Swamp of the Underworld in its own way. It's supposed to be a terrain-altering technique that requires chakra to maintain, but for me, it's become... something else entirely. In Nanfeng's view, Swamp of the Underworld now had two forms. As long as he didn't change its form, the swamp would last indefinitely and consume almost no chakra. The result thrilled him!
Just imagine: if the system could enhance all his techniques this way, Nanfeng's combat strength—and the bizarre ways his Ninjutsu worked—would give him many more hidden trump cards in future battles.
There was no helping it. The shinobi world was full of schemers. One careless mistake could leave you beyond saving, so it was always best to be cautious!
"Shadow Clones, huh? You used the smoke bomb to block my vision while you performed the jutsu. Not bad. But it doesn't seem to do much against me." Kakashi narrowed his eyes. He easily dodged the first volley of projectiles, then showed little surprise when the three of them suddenly charged out of the woods.
Kakashi already knew that the three of them used the Shadow Clone Jutsu. He would have been more surprised if they hadn't used it in battle!
"Wind Release: Small Breakthrough!" Sasuke chose his moment and used the technique behind Naruto as he charged in. It was a weaker version of the Great Breakthrough Technique, with much less power, but it could still be useful in certain situations.
Like this one: it gave Naruto a little boost of speed. Naruto held a giant shuriken in his hand, and Kakashi immediately leaped aside.
But another Nanfeng appeared in the distance. He formed his hand seals quickly and raised an Earth Wall, completely blocking Kakashi's path. With no way to draw a kunai, Kakashi had no choice but to clash head-on with Naruto's shuriken.
The moment their weapons met, Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly. That's a lot of strength!
Even an ordinary Chunin could probably manage about as much force as Naruto was showing now, and Naruto was only twelve. He must have suffered plenty during training to reach this point.
"Good strength, but your combat experience is still far behind mine!" Kakashi assessed him without mercy. A Shadow Clone rushed in and kicked Naruto in the chest.
But after the kick landed, Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke. Hidden in the cloud, fine white powder clung to Kakashi's skin. There wasn't much of it, but Kakashi noticed.
"Poison? I don't feel anything unusual yet..." Kakashi reacted quickly, covering his mouth and nose. His chakra was normal, and so were his physical reactions. What is this stuff?
He was about to ask when a sudden change beneath his feet interrupted him. Two more Narutos and Sasuke swiftly used Steel Wire, taking advantage of the unusual terrain formed by several Earth Walls to bind Kakashi in place!
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld." Nanfeng went through the motions of forming hand seals. The terrain change he'd prepared in advance finally revealed its true nature. Kakashi stared at him in surprise, not expecting him to have mastered a technique of this caliber!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" A massive fireball shot at Kakashi from another direction. This time, it was the real Sasuke. His Shadow Clones didn't have enough chakra to use the Great Fireball Technique, and at that moment, all of Sasuke's clones vanished.
"We won!" Naruto's Shadow Clone disappeared as well. Breathing heavily, the real Naruto stepped out and shouted excitedly as he watched Kakashi disappear beneath the fireball.
"It's not that easy, is it, Kakashi-sensei?" Nanfeng's body also turned into smoke. He looked toward the corner of the Training Ground.
The Kakashi who had been engulfed by the fireball was now a log. Kakashi himself emerged from the corner, looking thoughtful.
"You worked well together. I'll count this test as passed. I have something to take care of, so I'll head back first. You can do whatever you like with the rest of the day. Meet here tomorrow morning, ready to take on a mission."
Before you continue