Whoooosh—
A violent gust of wind erupted out of nowhere, snapping branches and making Kakashi's clothes flap wildly.
Facing a gale strong enough to break tree limbs, Kakashi's expression shifted slightly.
He had underestimated Naruto.
This level of ninjutsu output… even most chūnin wouldn't dare spam it so casually.
After the wind died down, Kakashi instantly turned and blocked a punch from behind. He moved to grab Naruto's arm, intending to lock him to the ground in one smooth motion.
But Naruto was slippery as a damn loach.
The moment the grab failed, he retreated without hesitation, changing angles and attacking again—mixing taijutsu, shuriken, and Wind Style jutsu like a nonstop combo.
High frequency. No rhythm. Pure harassment.
Even Kakashi found it hard to breathe under the pressure and was forced into a defensive stance.
The surprise in his eyes slowly turned into shock.
Yes, Naruto was a jinchūriki.
His chakra reserves were ridiculous.
But chakra alone didn't decide a fight.
Kakashi had assumed that even if he limited himself to genin level, his experience alone would be enough to casually beat Naruto and drag this truant brat back to the Academy.
Reality, however…
Was slapping him in the face.
Naruto didn't just have chakra.
His ninjutsu and taijutsu were clean, sharp, and efficient.
This wasn't Academy level.
This was solid chūnin territory.
Kakashi, who had restricted himself to genin strength, was genuinely getting overwhelmed.
Seeing Kakashi's expression, Naruto suddenly stopped and grinned.
"Why don't we just call it here? I'm worried I might accidentally hurt you, uncle. You look a little slow."
Kakashi: "…"
"I'm a jōnin," he said stiffly. "Much stronger than you."
Naruto nodded seriously.
"Oh. Good. Then I can stop holding back."
Kakashi's eye twitched.
He hadn't used his full strength yet?!
Fine. Fine. Let's suffer.
He quietly loosened the strength restriction.
This spar had officially changed from "teaching the kid a lesson" to "figure out what the hell this monster is."
After Naruto launched another combination attack—
Kakashi suddenly slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
Boom!
A thick mud wall carved with a dog's head rose instantly, blocking all the wind blades and kunai.
Mid-air, Naruto's posture faltered for just a second.
A flaw.
Kakashi dashed forward to capture him—
But the moment he grabbed Naruto—
Poof!
Smoke.
Shadow Clone.
Kakashi frowned.
Looking up, he saw Naruto standing at a distance, smiling brightly, several shadow clones appearing beside him.
Great.
Now it's a lottery.
Kakashi couldn't tell which one was the real body and could only raise more Earth Walls for defense.
Three walls stacked around him like a bunker.
Just as he relaxed—
Fwoooosh!
A sharp whistling sound came from above.
Naruto descended from the sky, a high-speed spinning sphere of chakra in his palm.
"Rasengan!"
Kakashi's danger instincts exploded.
He immediately stopped suppressing himself.
His headband lifted—
Sharingan revealed.
With precise movement, he barely dodged at a tricky angle.
BOOM!
The Rasengan smashed into the Earth Wall, cracking it like a spider web.
Kakashi landed and stared at Naruto.
Dodging the Rasengan wasn't the problem.
What bothered him was—
How the hell did Naruto know the Rasengan?
If the Third Hokage taught him, fine.
But if this kid developed it himself…
That was straight-up terrifying.
And Naruto's strength right now?
Easily chūnin level.
His talent had already surpassed Kakashi at the same age.
Hell, he might even surpass Minato-sensei.
Minato had jōnin-level skill before graduation, sure—
But he was eleven or twelve back then.
Naruto was only eight.
Eight!
What kind of broken setting was this kid running on?
Kakashi could only blame it on Minato's genes plus jinchūriki cheats.
Looking at Naruto approaching, Kakashi smiled helplessly.
"Still want to continue?"
Naruto shook his head.
"If we keep going, I'll definitely lose. But uncle, you already exceeded genin strength. Don't lie. I don't believe that's genin level."
Kakashi squinted.
"You're hiding strength too. You're way beyond an Academy student."
Naruto shrugged.
"But I am an Academy student. That's not a lie. Is it illegal to be excellent?"
"…No."
"Then why are you trying to arrest me back to school?"
Kakashi coughed awkwardly.
"You still need cultural classes. Being a ninja isn't just fighting."
Naruto rolled his eyes.
"I already finished all sixth-grade coursework. Becoming a ninja is easy."
Kakashi tested him with a few theory questions.
Naruto answered everything instantly.
Correctly.
Silence.
Kakashi: …What exactly am I even supervising?
But…
Kids should still stay in school.
He knew too well how cruel the ninja world was.
He himself graduated early.
While others studied math, he was killing people.
Even now, he hadn't escaped those shadows.
Itachi was the same.
Too much burden, too young.
After a moment, Kakashi asked softly,
"Why do you want to become a ninja so badly? You'll kill and be killed. It's uglier than you think."
Naruto went quiet.
Then said softly,
"Because Grandpa Hokage promised me… if I become a ninja, he'll tell me about my parents."
Kakashi froze.
His gaze softened.
So this wasn't arrogance.
It was just a kid… searching for answers.
For a second, Kakashi almost told him everything.
You're the Fourth Hokage's son.
But the Third Hokage's warning echoed in his head.
Minato's son = dead.
Jinchūriki = protected.
He swallowed the words.
Then Naruto added,
"Also… Uncle Ninja, I already know who you are. You're one of the people secretly protecting me every day. Can you tell Grandpa Hokage I'm ready to become a ninja?"
Kakashi blinked.
"…You knew?"
Naruto nodded.
"After that attack last time, I started sensing chakra. A few signatures follow me all the time. Obviously not civilians."
Kakashi sighed.
Kushina had similar sensing abilities too.
Guess that really was inherited.
After thinking, Kakashi nodded.
"I'll report it to Hokage-sama. But even if he agrees, you still need to apply for early graduation yourself."
Naruto smiled.
"Got it. Thanks. Really."
Kakashi called his ANBU subordinates to take over, then headed toward the Hokage Tower.
After he left—
Naruto looked at the tower and smirked.
Showing strength to Kakashi.
Applying for early graduation.
Less ANBU babysitting.
More freedom.
Step by step…
Everything was going according to plan.
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