Because Naruto's spiritual power had surged recently, it wasn't just that he became immune to genjutsu. His mastery of Observation Haki had also advanced.
He even felt a premonition— as his spiritual power opened wide, some hidden force buried deep in his bloodline was on the verge of awakening.
Couple that with the forest drill: Naruto had been using his sense to the limit every day, and that premonition only drew nearer and nearer.
Then, one night—while Naruto was training his mental energy—
Your understanding of spiritual power deepens! You have an epiphany! You have comprehended the Uzumaki clan bloodline secret: Kagura Heart-Eye! …
Kagura Heart-Eye: The Uzumaki clan's most powerful sensory ability. When activated it can perceive movement within a radius of many tens of kilometers.
In an instant, Naruto felt his perception expand as if to infinity. He instantly perceived the motions throughout the entire forest.
He detected the positions and strength levels of all the remaining teams. He could even sense the Academy instructors hidden in various corners of the woods.
What surprised Naruto even more was this: after awakening the Kagura Heart-Eye, he felt a new understanding of certain things in the surrounding environment— as though he could now perceive things he'd never noticed before.
Exactly what those things were, Naruto couldn't yet say. To seize the feeling, he suddenly wondered whether the Kagura Heart-Eye could be combined with Observation Haki.
So he began to experiment in his head.
You gain a new sense of insight. Combine Kagura Heart-Eye with Observation Haki! You have an epiphany! You create: Kagura Heart-Eye Observation Haki!
Kagura Heart-Eye Observation Haki: Your perception range is greatly increased; your insight can now observe things that were previously unobservable!
Naruto flung his eyes open. Intuitively, he glanced at Hinata, Kiba, and Shino who were resting nearby.
To his astonishment, he could now see through the three of them—like the Byakugan—perceiving their internal meridians, acupuncture points, and the flow of chakra.
He looked down at himself and saw the same: the inner workings of his own body clearly visible.
This is like an enhanced Byakugan, he thought inwardly. But compared to the Byakugan, his Kagura Heart-Eye Observation Haki felt undeniably stronger.
Most importantly, this kind of perception did not consume chakra.
Since he'd reached this level, and it was late at night with everything quiet, Naruto let his imagination run. He suddenly thought of one of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques he had learned—one called Da Luo All-Seeing Insight.
Da Luo All-Seeing Insight was famed as a terrifying ability that could reveal the full picture of all things in the world. If one refined insight to the utmost, could one reach the Da Luo level—see through space itself, down to the level of cells?
If he could perceive the structure of space, might he then master his father's signature move, the Flying Thunder God Technique—the fearsome teleportation jutsu that makes the wielder a force to be reckoned with in the shinobi world?
If he attained the Flying Thunder God Technique, his future plans would certainly become a lot easier.
With that thought, Naruto resolved to put training Da Luo All-Seeing Insight on his schedule.
Days passed. Teams were eliminated one by one. On the final day, only three teams remained: Naruto's team, Sasuke alone, and the Ino-Shika-Chō trio (Shikamaru, Ino, Choji—with one extra random teammate).
At this point it was clear who the strongest students in the class were. In the original timeline, Haruno Sakura had been lucky to get into Naruto and Sasuke's circle—her fate was a matter of chance and connections.
Now, in the final stage, Naruto and his teammates stopped hiding. Sasuke—relentlessly hunting Naruto—finally found him.
"I finally found you, you bastard! " Sasuke stared at Naruto with unblinking intensity. He didn't know how Naruto had eluded him, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was defeating the boy before him.
Just then the Ino-Shika-Chō trio appeared as well. All three remaining teams had gathered—things were getting lively.
When Shikamaru saw Sasuke's attitude toward Naruto, he immediately knew they shouldn't interfere. Sasuke seemed possessed—determined to beat Naruto no matter what.
Sasuke asked Shikamaru and the others to stay out of it and let him and Naruto fight alone. Shikamaru had no objection—this was exactly the kind of situation they wanted: let the two strong ones settle it so the rest could take things easy.
Sasuke looked at Naruto with cold resolve. "Come on, Uzumaki Naruto. It's just you and me. "
Naruto watched Sasuke's confident expression and shook his head inwardly. So he insists on getting a beating, huh?
Kiba, standing beside Naruto, wanted to jump in—he felt humiliated that Sasuke was ignoring him. Shino held Kiba back. He could tell this wasn't their fight. They were a team, but this was an exception.
Hinata looked at Naruto with worry. She knew he was strong and trusted he would beat Sasuke, but she couldn't help feeling anxious at the thought of Naruto getting hurt.
Seeing Hinata's concern, Naruto ruffled her hair and smiled. "Don't worry—just watch, Hinata. I'm going to be the Hokage someday! "
He thought admiringly of his own acting and dedication. Perhaps the Third Hokage was even watching through his crystal ball right now.
Without another word, Sasuke charged. At his speed, he closed the distance to Naruto in a flash.
But Naruto's current level was in a different realm entirely. This wasn't the ordinary academy kid Sasuke could handle. In stamina, chakra reserves, understanding of chakra, and mastery of ninjutsu—Naruto had already surpassed jōnin level and entered the realm of the shadows.
Facing a small-time Sasuke was like bullying a kindergartner.
In the Hokage Office, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, watching through his crystal ball, was astonished to see Naruto's speed.
"So fast! " he muttered. "Has Naruto really grown to this level? "
Sarutobi found it hard to believe. Based on Naruto's end-of-year exam results from the past two years, he had already overestimated Naruto. But seeing him now, Sarutobi realized he had still underestimated the boy's true level of power.
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