Naruto and Sasuke fought. From their very first clash, they displayed strength far beyond Ninja Academy standards.
Their fists and feet struck again and again, leaving the children around them dumbfounded.
"Is that really Naruto?"
"But his grades in everything else are so bad..."
Sakura Haruno and the others could hardly believe it. It was as though they were seeing Naruto for the first time.
Before their eyes, Naruto even gained the upper hand in their Taijutsu exchange.
He was still young, but his fists flew with force and precision.
"How is he so strong?"
Some found it hard to accept. Naruto, who had ranked at the bottom of the class in every exam, loved causing trouble, and seemed to coast through school, was actually pushing Sasuke back?
"Why wouldn't he be strong? Naruto grew up in the Forest of Death!"
"The Forest of Death..."
"Yeah, where Lord Kazan lives. The Ghost God's territory!"
Shikamaru Nara was one of the few who wasn't surprised.
His father had told him a little about Kazan's training. There used to be a mountain behind the Hokage Building, but it had been flattened.
His father had also said it was once Lord Kazan's Training Ground. It wasn't hard to guess why the mountain was gone.
"Even so, reaching this level in his first year is pretty discouraging, isn't it?"
Shikamaru could clearly see that Sasuke and Naruto had already surpassed students their age.
As they spoke, the two kids stopped holding back.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Naruto formed Hand Seals and created more than twenty Shadow Clones. They swarmed Sasuke.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique! Lord Kazan taught Naruto that technique when he's this young?"
Even the teacher was astonished, let alone the students.
Naruto was only five, yet he could create more than twenty