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Mid-charge.
Naruto formed hand seals at lightning speed.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Naruto gave a soft shout.
Not only Sakura and Sasuke, who were hidden in the forest—
"Poof!"
Even Kakashi's eyes widened slightly.
A cloud of white smoke suddenly appeared.
It rapidly spread in all directions.
In an instant—
"They're solid?"
Four figures appeared beside Naruto, their forms wavering. Under the bright sunlight, their solid bodies were crystal clear. Inside the forest, Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. This wasn't the basic Clone Technique taught at the Ninja Academy. These were solid clones, created by an advanced technique that even the Byakugan and Sharingan couldn't use to distinguish the original from the clones.
As the son of what had once been the most prestigious clan,
Sasuke had enough discernment to recognize that.
And because of that,
Seeing Naruto use such an advanced technique stirred a wave of emotion deep within Sasuke.
"So it's the Shadow Clone Technique? Looks like I'll have to take this a little more seriously..."
The five figures spread out,
charging from every direction.
Their movements were coordinated, the five of them moving as one.
Even Kakashi couldn't tell which one was the real Naruto at first glance.
His eyes darted rapidly,
tracking the figures charging into view.
Kakashi quickly put away his book.
In one swift motion, he pulled a kunai from the tool pouch on his left thigh, his body bending slightly.
In less than half a second,
the five figures had closed in on Kakashi.
Just before reaching him,
as if they had planned it in advance,
they suddenly accelerated.
"Hm!?"
All at once,
a flash of cold light appeared before him.
Without the slightest hesitation, Naruto thrust viciously toward Kakashi's face.
It was a brief but ferocious attack.
Although Kakashi was momentarily taken aback,
he hadn't expected Naruto to use such a psychological ploy,
accelerating at the last moment.
But he could see it coming,
and still had time to think about it,
so he naturally had time to react.
Naruto was incredibly fast by ordinary standards, and his speed was no worse than that of an average Chunin. But his opponent was Kakashi, after all. From Kakashi's perspective, Naruto's movements seemed almost to be in slow motion.
With a simple downward dip, he easily dodged the strike.
Naruto had clearly expected his first attack to fail so easily.
The kunai missed.
As he turned,
another thrust came in low.
From the other side,
the remaining figures closed in at the same time.
Their blades swept horizontally toward him as well,
all of them aimed straight at Kakashi's vital points.
Before the kunai even reached him,
Kakashi could already feel their keen edges. His peripheral vision was filled with their icy glint. He quickly leaned forward, a murderous aura flashing over him, then sprang up and drove his right leg forward in a fierce kick, slamming it into the first Naruto's chest.
"Ugh!"
Before he could react,
the figure was hurled backward.
In midair,
a pained expression appeared on his face.
"Poof!"
The fatal blow made him vanish in a puff of white smoke.
Kakashi paid no further attention to the first figure he had kicked away. He pivoted to the side, raised an arm, and swept it straight across.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
He effortlessly blocked Naruto's follow-up flurry of attacks.
The attacks were easily held back.
Kakashi swung his arm across,
using his overwhelming strength to force them aside.
"Not good!"
Naruto, who had been pressing in from behind while hidden among the clones, narrowed his eyes.
But before Naruto could change his move,
the next instant—
A tremendous force crashed into him head-on.
"Thud! Thud!"
Like a pile of bodies tumbling together,
several Naruto clones collided with one another,
leaving Naruto himself trapped in the middle, unable to dodge the blow.
"Boom!"
The next instant,
all the figures were sent flying backward.
But in that brief moment,
Naruto's right hand gave a slight twitch.
Kakashi seemed not to notice at all.
All around them,
several thin white strands flashed faintly before spreading out.
"Thump."
He stepped back to brace himself,
holding back the crushing force.
"Poof, poof, poof."
The clones vanished one after another.
"Thud, thud, thud."
Relying on his clones to absorb some of the force,
Naruto finally managed to stop himself from sliding backward.
"Hmm, good resolve, and your attacks are sharp. But Naruto, an attack like that from you alone won't be enough to work."
Some distance away, Kakashi stood ready and smiled lightly, still looking relaxed as he spoke.
"Oh? Is that so, Kakashi-sensei? But my attack has only just begun!"
Naruto let out a short breath. As Kakashi's words reached his ears, Naruto gave a slight smile.
"Oh?"
The next instant,
a faint sound rang out.
"Hm?"
As if in response,
a subtle tremor rippled through the air.
Kakashi's expression changed.
Just as he was about to move—
"Too late, Kakashi-sensei!"
Some distance away, Naruto gave Kakashi no chance to react. He pulled both hands apart, drawing a fierce force in from every direction.
At the center,
Kakashi suddenly felt his body tighten.
His figure was bound fast in an instant.
The white strands looked almost transparent, yet at that moment they were incredibly tough.
"Sasuke! Now!"
Naruto clenched his hands tightly,
then gave a sharp shout.
Sasuke, who had been hiding in the forest all along, saw the perfect opportunity and didn't hesitate. He leapt out in a swift bound, his figure shooting forward as he formed hand seals rapidly in midair.
The next instant—
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Having completed the hand seals in an instant,
Sasuke's chest swelled slightly. With a low shout, he blew hard forward, and a massive fireball appeared out of nowhere, sweeping viciously toward Kakashi in the distance.
In the blink of an eye,
it seemed as though Kakashi had no chance to fight back.
The fireball surged right up to him and swallowed him whole.
And just before and after that,
with less than a second between them,
Naruto also formed hand seals rapidly.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Naruto gave a soft shout,
and a fierce gale suddenly rose.
The wind fed the flames.
The scorching fire surged once more.
The heat all around them soared rapidly.
Feeling the searing heat,
Sasuke and Naruto's perfect combo seemed to leave Kakashi no chance to counterattack.
The deafening roar subsided.
As the flames dissipated,
a huge, charred crater had been blasted into the ground, wisps of scorching white smoke rising from it.
But as they looked at the blackened crater before them,
neither Naruto nor Sasuke showed any joy. Instead, both wore grave expressions.