"This distance..."
Kakashi stared in disbelief at the scene before him.
They were at the same place where Naruto usually trained, the very spot where they had first met.
Kakashi roughly estimated the distance from the Konoha bookstore to this location—it was at least 500 meters.
And judging by Naruto's expression...
It didn't seem like this was a one-time thing.
The fact that Kakashi, with his Sharingan activated, had detected no chakra fluctuations at all was what really shocked him.
Although Naruto's technique was quite conspicuous, any enemy on the battlefield, if prepared with information beforehand, would undoubtedly focus on countering this move.
However, Kakashi thought that if used properly, Naruto's technique could rival his father's Flying Thunder God technique.
Moreover, this space gate... it could be used for both offense and defense.
"Come on, Kakashi-ossan!"
Naruto, landing with a thud, mimicked Sasuke's signature style—one hand bracing against the ground while his leg swung around in a kick aimed squarely at Kakashi's waist. There was no sign of holding back.
Kakashi's eye twitched, his feet sliding slightly as he easily dodged the short-legged attack. Internally, though, he couldn't help but grumble about Naruto's lack of judgment.
Is this kid really aiming for my kidneys? Does he want to ruin my future?
"Heh, you fell for it, White-Haired Uncle!"
Suddenly, another Naruto appeared behind Kakashi.
'A shadow clone?'
'When did he make it?'
Kakashi was genuinely surprised. They had only just arrived here, so when had Naruto managed to form hand seals?
The shadow clone punched Kakashi in the kidney, but to its surprise, there was no resistance.
Poof—
The Kakashi that was hit turned into a log, revealing that he had used the substitution jutsu.
Naruto blinked in realization, acknowledging the buggy nature of this technique.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
A dozen shurikens sliced through the air, all aimed at Naruto's vital points. Kakashi's precision with shuriken was as good as any member of the Uchiha clan.
Realizing he probably couldn't dodge them all, Naruto braced himself, crossing his arms over his face, and charged straight at Kakashi.
Kakashi was frozen in place for a solid two seconds.
'What the hell is wrong with this kid?'
'Dodge! You should dodge!'
'Who in their right mind would charge toward an enemy's shuriken like this?'
Kakashi's scalp tingled as he watched the scene unfold.
'What kind of reckless beast is this kid?! Just because you heal quickly doesn't mean you can play around like this.'
As expected, Naruto was hit—his arms, legs, back, and shoulders all pierced by shuriken. Blood slowly seeped through his black clothes.
Luckily, Kakashi had held back and didn't throw his entire supply of shuriken, or Naruto would've been turned into a pincushion...
Naruto gritted his teeth, finding the pain surprisingly bearable.
Thanks to Kurama's earlier training in pain endurance, he thought to himself. If not for that, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand Kakashi's attack while charging forward.
In that split second of Kakashi's shock, Naruto whipped out his massive iron gate and swung it toward Kakashi's head, the air whistling with the force of the swing.
Whoosh—
Sensing danger, Kakashi ducked. Had that hit him, he was sure he'd be laid up in the hospital for at least ten days to two weeks.
But Naruto's attack was still too immature, and with a simple dodge, Kakashi took several steps back, putting distance between them.
He had to put some space between them. Now he had a clearer understanding of Naruto's strength.
'That giant iron gate...'
'It must weigh at least 100 pounds, right?'
There was no doubt in his mind that Naruto could seriously injure him.
Plus, Naruto had said he wanted help with his taijutsu, so Kakashi couldn't exactly use ninjutsu to bully the kid.
Naruto, realizing his strike had failed, put the iron gate away and, through gritted teeth, began pulling out the shurikens stuck in his body.
He noticed that the shurikens were preventing his wounds from healing.
Kakashi, watching Naruto tend to his injuries, didn't take advantage of the opportunity to attack. He simply stood there, expression calm, though inside, he was a bit numb.
'What is wrong with this kid?'
He could see Naruto's wounds beginning to heal almost immediately after the shurikens were removed.
'What kind of monster is this?'
Ding, ding, ding—
The shurikens clinked as they hit the ground.
Naruto's expression was guarded, his small face set in concentration as he assumed a combat stance, feet shuffling slightly.
It's time to show White-Haired Uncle what the "Foshan Shadowless Fist" is all about!
"Ah-da!" Naruto let out a war cry as he charged toward Kakashi.
However, Kakashi took one look and immediately saw the lack of form in Naruto's attack. His strikes were full of openings.
With a soft sigh, Kakashi decided to get serious.
In a blink, he used the Body Flicker Technique, disappearing from Naruto's view. Naruto blinked, completely at a loss as to what had just happened.
The next moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Before he knew it, his vision spun, and he was pinned to the ground.
"Naruto, when you're fighting an enemy, you need to analyze their movements. Don't just charge in blindly."
After giving his advice, Kakashi released Naruto and helped him up.
To be honest, Naruto was still a bit dazed.
Even though he had started refining chakra, his combat experience was practically zero. Add to that the sudden Body Flicker Technique from Kakashi, and it had all happened in less than two seconds.
It completely shattered Naruto's previous understanding of combat.
After all, most of Naruto's thinking was still rooted in his past life. He hadn't fully adjusted to the power his current body wielded. He had the physical strength to battle an adult ninja, but his reactions and strategy were still woefully underdeveloped.
Kakashi noticed the dejected look on Naruto's face and couldn't help but offer some comfort.
"Why didn't you use that purple space gate earlier?"
"Huh?"
Naruto froze, scratching his head in regret.
'That's right! Why didn't I think of that?'
It was just like in his past life when, in the heat of a game, he'd forget to use Flash during team fights.
Kakashi rubbed his temples, exasperated. "When I threw the shuriken at you, you could've used that technique too."
"Right!" Naruto's eyes widened, slapping his thigh. "It could reflect all the attacks back! Not just shuriken, but even ninjutsu! You're a genius, Kakashi-ossan!"
"I get it now!"
"Kakashi-ossan, use a ninjutsu on me!"
Kakashi: ??
'Can we not play around like this?'
Shuriken at least can be blocked, but a ninjutsu? If you don't have time to react, it could seriously hurt you!
"Naruto... I know your body is special, but you can't just—"
"Come on, Kakashi-ossan, just use a Fireball Jutsu! You know that one, right?"
'Does this kid even listen to what I'm saying?'
Kakashi sighed and shook his head, but in the end, he relented.
Still, he warned Naruto one last time. "If you don't have time to use your technique, dodge immediately, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, come on already."
Naruto wasn't paying much attention to Kakashi's warning.
After all...
The Fireball Jutsu had never hurt anyone important. If he actually got hit by this, he'd stop calling himself Uzumaki Naruto for the day.
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