Konoha, Rear Mountains.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!!"
With a loud shout, Naruto formed hand seals. In a puff of smoke, dozens of clones appeared, surrounding Kakashi. Each clone raised a glowing hand as vast amounts of chakra surged forth.
From the palm of every clone, a violently spinning chakra sphere began to form.
"Rasengan… Barrage!!"
A chorus of voices echoed across the field as dozens of Narutos charged in unison, each wielding a massive Rasengan, swarming Kakashi in a wild flurry of attacks.
Kakashi didn't use Kamui to evade. Instead, his eyes gleamed as he activated the first stage of Susanoo. The skeletal form of the giant avatar wrapped around him, and he stood his ground to take the attack head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
One after another, the Rasengans exploded against Susanoo's ribcage. The chakra structure trembled under the onslaught, but in the end, not a single crack appeared.
"Not bad for sustained attacks… but the individual power still isn't quite enough…"
Just as Kakashi was calmly analyzing the technique,
"Hmm?"
His eyes flickered.
At some point, Naruto's real body had slipped behind him. In his palm, a glowing sphere spun violently, shaped like a shuriken.
"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
Buzz!!
The Rasenshuriken flew through the air and slammed into Kakashi's Susanoo. A deep tremor ran through the avatar's form, and faint cracks began to form on its surface.
Kakashi's gaze sharpened.
"…Impressive."
Shhh!
Massive chakra erupted from his body, and Susanoo instantly evolved to its second stage. The cracks swiftly healed as the stronger form withstood the destructive impact of the Rasenshuriken.
Seeing even the Rasenshuriken fail, Naruto halted his assault, breathing heavily. "As expected… I still can't break through your Susanoo, Kakashi-sensei."
"No."
Kakashi shook his head. "This is already more than enough. You've managed to draw out the full potential of the Uzumaki physique combined with Ashura's mode. Your combat ability has already surpassed Hinata's level during her match with Sasuke."
Naruto gave a small smile at the praise.
But before he could respond, Kakashi continued, "Still… my brother is training Hinata too. At this rate, it won't be enough. Come with me. We still have a little time left."
=============
While Kakashi was conducting Naruto's final training, on the other side, Kaede had just completed Hinata's five-day physical transformation and one day of practical sparring.
On the Moon.
Hinata was covered in a glow of blue chakra, her fists lashing out at Kaede. With each strike, waves of visible chakra shaped like fists surged through the air toward him.
Kaede stood calmly before her, one hand tucked behind his back. With only his left hand, he casually deflected each incoming chakra imprint.
Hinata's Byakugan was active, tracking every movement. Suddenly, she shifted from punches to palm strikes, gathering pale blue chakra in her small hands.
"Eight Trigrams: Four Symbols Vacuum Palms!!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
She first struck forward, creating a massive palm-shaped chakra imprint in the air aimed straight at Kaede. Then her figure flickered, reappearing at his left, unleashing another palm strike. In the blink of an eye, four such strikes erupted from all sides, surrounding him.
Kaede's expression remained unchanged. In the next instant, his figure flickered and vanished from the center of the crossfire. He reappeared directly in front of Hinata.
He didn't punch.
He simply extended his left hand, pressed it gently against her chest, and pushed forward slightly. Chakra surged forth.
Buzz!!
Hinata flew backward like a stone thrown across a pond.
Even with her enhanced Byakugan, strengthened by massive amounts of Hamura's chakra, she still couldn't follow Kaede's movements, unable to react in time.
"So this is her current limit…"
"If I go any faster, she won't be able to follow me at all."
As Kaede watched her sail through the air in an arc, his expression turned contemplative. He had gained a rough sense of the current limits of her visual perception and reaction time.
Despite not using much force, Hinata couldn't stabilize herself midair. She had to continually expel chakra to halt her momentum, finally managing to stop.
She took a deep breath.
Staring at Kaede from afar, she gathered nearly all the chakra in her body, pushing her control to its absolute limit. Then she launched one final punch.
"Eight Trigrams: Divine Sky Strike!!"
Boom!!!
A massive fist-shaped chakra imprint roared through the air, tearing space as it hurtled toward Kaede.
For the first time, Kaede smiled.
Though the technique wasn't powerful enough to challenge a Complete Susanoo, it had already surpassed the Kage level, it had stepped into super-Kage territory!
After completing the foundational training for the Sage Body, Hinata's control over Hamura's chakra had reached nearly one-third.
If she could fully master that chakra, her strength could approach Hashirama Senju's level. But her control was still lacking, so she could only unleash raw, brute-force techniques, barely qualifying as super-Kage tier.
This final move could roughly match the power of Nagato's Super Shinra Tensei.
Bang!!
Kaede raised his left fist and casually punched forward, striking the center of the enormous chakra fist. It collapsed inward instantly, as if the entire construct had been punctured, and then exploded like a burst balloon.
Seeing Hinata gasping, soaked in sweat, yet still preparing to launch another attack, Kaede raised a hand to signal her to stop.
"That's enough."
"Yes… Sensei…"
Hinata exhaled deeply, her body relaxing. She withdrew her chakra and deactivated her Byakugan, then dropped to her knees, panting.
Kaede took a single step forward and instantly vanished, reappearing right in front of her. His Rinne-Tenseigan flashed, and a spatial portal through Yomotsu Hirasaka opened beside them.
"You've completed training in the Sage Body, chakra control, and live combat. Go home, take a bath, and rest well. No matter who you face in tomorrow's Chunin Exam… don't lose."
Kaede looked at her calmly.
Hinata blinked in surprise. She had assumed all this training was in preparation for some critical mission. She hadn't expected it to still be about the Chunin Exam.
Over the past six days, Kaede had barely left her side. Especially during the five days of cultivating the Sage Body, the training was grueling and relentless. Kaede hadn't moved a step the entire time, and his effort was far more intense than the pain she endured.
Even after completing the process, she could sense that Kaede seemed slightly worn down.
All of this, just for the Chunin Exam?
The thought startled her. Her current strength had increased by at least four or five times compared to six days ago. The difference was like night and day.
Even back then, she hadn't found anyone particularly hard to deal with.
"Yes, Kaede-sensei."
Though confused and surprised, Hinata still bowed with utmost respect and stepped into the spatial portal, clenching her tiny fists.
It was clear Kaede took this Chunin Exam very seriously, especially her performance. He had even trained her personally.
She could not disappoint him, no matter who she faced!
After sending Hinata back, Kaede returned home.
To him, the six days of special training had been like reliving the hellish training of his weaker days. For the first time in ages, he felt exhausted. Lacking the energy to interact with Kurenai or the others, he simply went straight to his bedroom and collapsed into sleep,
Awaiting the arrival of tomorrow's Chunin Exam.