"*Byakugan*!"
Yukina Hyuga's eye meridians extended to her temples, revealing white pupils, while Hirohiko Uchiha's eyes flashed scarlet, opening his Sharingan.
"How is it?" Chiba asked from behind them.
"The Chakra is completely evenly distributed, making it impossible to discern which is the Shadow Clone and which is the real body," Yukina Hyuga said.
At the same time, Hirohiko Uchiha nodded, his Sharingan unable to see through the deception.
Chiba nodded. This was all within his expectations. He began to untie his weights and placed them on the ground carefully to avoid making any noise.
At that moment, the three of them were hiding in a lush bush. It was almost time for Kushina to announce the start of the post-dinner exercise. The three of them had leaped into the bushes simultaneously, moved stealthily, and finally stopped here, concealed.
In the clearing outside the bushes, every three clones were back to back, forming a total of ten teams. Each team was separated by a distance ranging from one to five meters, creating a defensive formation. They monitored all directions, ready to attack anyone who appeared from any angle.
The real Kushina was among them.
This exercise, this challenge, would not end until they encountered Kushina's real body.
"Hirohiko, Yukina, now that we are full and our combat effectiveness is at its peak, if we delay, it will be to our disadvantage. Kushina-Sensei's Chakra is far beyond ours, and even elite Ninja cannot compare. No! Even the Third Hokage cannot compare. We can't afford to delay, we must act quickly," Chiba said, patting them on the shoulder.
The two looked back at Chiba and nodded in agreement.
Hirohiko Uchiha commented, "I can feel the strong life force, the teacher's Chakra."
Yukina Hyuga also nodded in agreement.
'Of course, the vitality of the Uzumaki clan's Chakra could even restrain the Nine-Tails,' Chiba thought to himself, also secretly amazed.
In the original work, there were not many descriptions of Kushina Uzumaki, only in the memories of the battle with the Kyuubi. But at that time, because of childbirth, the seal weakened, the Kyuubi broke free, and she was in a state of mortal fatigue. She couldn't use her full strength.
And now it seemed that Kushina Uzumaki's combat effectiveness must be very strong, beyond what a normal Shinobi could handle.
"Do you have any battle plan?" Yukina Hyuga asked.
Chiba shook his head and said, "I haven't figured it out yet, but this seems to be an 'after-dinner exercise' meant to train us in concealment, sneak attacks, and distinguishing between the Shadow Clone and the real body."
Hearing Chiba's words, both Yukina Hyuga and Hirohiko Uchiha looked at him, noticing that Chiba's eyes were clear, as if he had understood everything.
Looking at Kushina's defensive stance in the field, he suddenly understood.
Yes, this was an exercise designed to train them in sneak attacks and distinguishing between a clone and the real body.
Chiba had realized it immediately...
Hirohiko Uchiha and Yukina Hyuga glanced at each other, a sense of relief emerging, and nodded. Just as Yukina was about to speak, Chiba suddenly said, "Watch out behind!"
At the same time, Chiba turned around with a punch. Before the punch was thrown, the Chakra gates within his body opened rapidly. After the punch was thrown, 100% of his body's muscles burst forth, and the fist struck forward.
"Boom!"
There was a muffled sound as the two fists collided.
While Hirohiko Uchiha and Yukina Hyuga watched intently, it was Kushina Uzumaki who leaped into the air and launched a surprise attack.
Chiba managed to block this punch. After that, the two other geniuses reacted swiftly. Each grabbed a pair of shurikens and threw them with precision.
Kushina Uzumaki was taken aback by the strength of Chiba's hand at that moment. When the four shurikens were thrown, although she reacted, she couldn't completely dodge and was hit by a shuriken. It turned into white mist and slowly dissipated.
"Shadow Clone."
'This Chiba was very alert and sensitive, possessing considerable strength. Hirohiko and Yukina were impressive as well. In that sudden situation, they reacted almost instantly, making a quick judgment to attack, and the angle and execution of the shuriken throw were both exceptional,' the real Kushina Uzumaki thought, smiling as she received the information from the defeated Shadow Clone.
By then, they should have dispersed.
Kushina Uzumaki surmised. She believed that her three genius disciples, upon discovering the Shadow Clone, instinctively knew they were exposed and could not stay in their original location.
At that moment, another of her Shadow Clones approached the trio's hiding spot, pushed aside the bushes, and began searching.
They needed to understand that their response was the correct one, Kushina Uzumaki thought.
However, she hadn't anticipated that while her Shadow Clone was searching, it would be kicked and destroyed. Chiba emerged and charged directly at where the Shadow Clone was, delivering a punch that blew the clone away. Another Shadow Clone from the trio reacted and caught Chiba's second flying kick.
Simultaneously, Shadow Clones from another team rushed to assist, forcing Chiba back into the bushes. The two Shadow Clones nodded to each other and dove in after him.
'Chiba hadn't left?' Kushina Uzumaki was slightly surprised.
As she pondered, Chiba burst out of the bushes again, with the two Shadow Clones closely behind him. Ignoring them, Chiba ran directly towards the Shadow Clones from the other teams. His speed was astonishing, leaving the two Shadow Clones struggling to catch up.
'Is this the speed achievable by a seven-year-old child?' Kushina Uzumaki was taken aback.
As she was still processing this, Chiba had already engaged the three Shadow Clones behind her, totaling nine. During this, he destroyed one Shadow Clone and incapacitated another, rendering it combat ineffective.
'What an ability!' After the initial surprise, Kushina Uzumaki couldn't help but admire.
But... it was too reckless.
At that moment, Chiba was surrounded by nine Shadow Clones, with no escape route. Enclosed on all sides, he was forced into a dead end.
'Where could the other two little ones be?' Kushina Uzumaki's attention briefly shifted elsewhere, scanning the surroundings. Now, there were six Shadow Clones left. The two that had chased Chiba joined the one that had been destroyed and another that had been injured. They moved to the team in front of Kushina Uzumaki's position, at the center of the clearing.
Suddenly, a fireball burst forth from a bush, launching directly at the Shadow Clone teams.
"*Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique*!"
And from the bush from which the fireball had emerged, a sudden whirlwind attack was launched.
The Fireball and the Whirlwind targeted two separate teams of Shadow Clones.
Hirohiko Uchiha and Yukina Hyuga had joined the battle.