"Explosive Tag"

Konoha, Training Ground.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the foliage, scattering sparsely across the open ground of the training ground.

Nawaki was the first to leap into the center of the field, eager and restless as he looked back at Namikaze Yoru, who walked up slowly behind him.

"Yoru! Today, I'll show you what I've learned training under Lord Orochimaru. I'm going to wipe the slate clean and win this time."

Namikaze Yoru followed close behind, his posture somewhat casual. His gaze swept the surroundings with an air of indifference, but in truth, he had quietly activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

Taking in the entire environment through his perception and confirming certain suspicions in his mind, he then used the tip of his toe to poke at the ground in front of him before speaking to Nawaki:

"Come on, let me see how much you've improved."

Nawaki's eyes turned serious as he launched the first attack, his hands forming seals in rapid succession—Boar, Ox, Hare.

"Water Style: Water Turbulent Wave."

A jet of water like a high-pressure hose shot from Nawaki's mouth, streaking straight toward Namikaze Yoru.

Seeing this, Namikaze Yoru remained unfazed. This was Nawaki's usual opening move, one he had long since grown familiar with. He sidestepped, dodging the technique with ease.

The strike missed, but Nawaki didn't lose heart. He was about to continue forming seals for a combo of jutsu when he saw Namikaze Yoru's figure flicker before his eyes.

"Water Style: Water Clone."

In an instant, the Namikaze Yoru before him split into two, charging at him from the left and right.

"Such a fast Clone Technique."

Nawaki's heart tensed. He stopped his hand seals mid-motion and whipped out a kunai, hurling it at one of the Namikaze Yorus.

At the same time, he twisted his body, stepped forward, and swung a heavy fist at the other figure closing in.

"Take this punch!"

Nawaki's fist carried a fierce, overbearing force. Though it couldn't match his sister Tsunade's monstrous strength, it far surpassed that of an ordinary ninja—a classic Senju Clan fighting style, pure stat-check brutality.

On any other day, Namikaze Yoru would have chosen to evade. But this time, he dropped his stance low and threw a punch of his own.

"Boom—"

Their fists collided with a dull thud. Both of them retreated several steps. Nawaki's heart was shaken. He was surprised both that the fist he'd met belonged to the real body and that Namikaze Yoru's strength had grown so much.

Namikaze Yoru's arm tingled slightly. He understood now. The Uzumaki Constitution had boosted his physical abilities, but it still had room to grow—compared to Nawaki standing before him, there was still a gap.

Nawaki had no time to dwell on it. The other clone was already closing in from behind. In a flash of thought, he spun around and threw another heavy punch, smashing the clone into a puddle of water.

At the same time, Namikaze Yoru had no intention of giving Nawaki much breathing room. He shook off the numbness in his arm, recovered his momentum, and immediately spat out a Fire Style technique.

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet."

Blazing heat rushed toward him. Nawaki dared not take it lightly and forced his body to twist.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall."

A wall of earth rose from the ground, just barely blocking the flames. Namikaze Yoru stared at the bare wall—no dog heads carved into it—and silently lamented its impure lineage.

Nawaki seized the chance to counterattack, forming Water Style hand seals again.

"Water Style: Water Turbulent Wave."

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet."

Nawaki tried to exploit the gap in chakra recovery. If this had been the old Namikaze Yoru, he might have been spent. But now, Namikaze Yoru's chakra reserves were no less than his own.

Water and fire clashed, erupting into a cloud of scalding steam. Seeing that Namikaze Yoru wasn't pressing the attack, Nawaki used the collision to retreat, trying to create distance.

Just then, an abrupt round of applause rang out across the training ground.

"Clap, clap~"

Namikaze Yoru walked out of the steam, still clapping, and smiled at the on-guard Nawaki.

"We can stop here. Let's go eat."

"???"

Nawaki was completely lost, having no idea what had just happened. He stared dumbly at Namikaze Yoru, who had already dropped his stance.

Namikaze Yoru pointed at the ground beneath Nawaki's feet. Nawaki looked down.

He realized that the spot he was standing on was exactly where Namikaze Yoru had first stood. Beneath his feet was the shallow hole Yoru had poked with his toe.

A corner of white paper was faintly visible in the hole. He pulled it out and saw three crooked characters scrawled across it: Explosive Tag.

Namikaze Yoru walked over, took the paper from the stunned Nawaki's hand, and waved it in front of him. "Now do you know why it's over?"

Nawaki stared wide-eyed at the ridiculous fake Explosive Tag, then looked at his own position. His expression cycled through colors like a spinning carnival light.

It took him a long moment to snap out of it. He grumbled indignantly, "The spar hadn't even started back then!"

"Battles between ninjas don't run on turn-based rules. Using every means to win is the norm." Namikaze Yoru patted Nawaki on the shoulder and replied calmly.

"Remember, after you graduate from the Academy, every fight could be the last one of your life."

With that, he turned and walked out of the training ground. He hoped this spar would serve as a wake-up call for Nawaki—maybe enough to change this friend's fated end.

Nawaki scratched his hair in some frustration, but still followed helplessly, muttering under his breath in defiance: "Yoru, you're just too all-around... Winning against me and then lecturing me—next time, I'll definitely win it back."

Seeing that Nawaki had caught up and already accepted the reality of his defeat, he continued: "Let's go, third place. A bet's a bet—I want to eat at Yakiniku Q!"

Nawaki naturally had no objection. Even though the Senju Clan had officially disbanded and merged into Konoha, their foundation remained, and Nawaki certainly didn't lack for money.

Earlier, before the fight, when Namikaze Yoru used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to scout, he had detected clan ninjas and figures resembling Anbu following in secret—which was also why he hadn't used too many techniques from the Mist.

For a genin to escape the meat grinder of the Land of Whirlpools alive was already unusual, let alone bringing back a Secret Technique Scroll. If he showed off too many unfamiliar jutsu, it would inevitably invite suspicion.

Inside the barbecue restaurant, smoke and flames filled the air. Namikaze Yoru was feasting voraciously on the grilled meat before him, empty plates stacked high beside him.

Across the table, Nawaki refused to be outdone, as if trying to reclaim his pride, sweeping through his own grill without pause.

Only when his belly bulged prominently did Nawaki finally set down his chopsticks. Looking up, he saw Namikaze Yoru still devouring food like a storm, and his eyes went wide.

"Did you not eat at all while on the mission?"

"Growing body," Namikaze Yoru replied without looking up.

When there was no more room to stack empty plates on the table, Namikaze Yoru finally set down his chopsticks in satisfaction.

He called the owner over to settle the bill. The Yakiniku Q owner beamed as he tallied the count.

"That'll be three thousand three hundred ryo."

Even Nawaki was taken aback by the bill—two people eating barbecue had somehow reached the price of a group feast.

After parting ways with Nawaki, Namikaze Yoru headed straight for the Hokage Building.

He needed to collect the reward for his previous mission. After all, the intelligence and scrolls he'd brought back required time to verify their value before the final bounty could be determined.