Chapter 28

Iruka tried to get the attention of the class as we mulled about the taijutsu training field, "Today, we'll be starting practice spars." Naruto's face lit up in excited anticipation at the announcement. I also had the exact same look on my face. The both of us turned to each other simultaneously with huge grins on our faces. Finally, actual taijutsu and not just tedious exercises.

"Yes! Alright!" Naruto started to cheer and pump his fist. I simply continued to grin and waited for Iruka to tell us more. Both of us had been waiting for this day since the beginning of the week when they combined Mizuki's remedial taijutsu students with the experienced students.

Maybe Iruka could feel the atmosphere around me and Naruto. Maybe it was because the two of us were literally on our knees begging in front of the chunin as soon as he began to say "When I call your name..." For whatever reason, Iruka told us, "Uzumaki Naruto, Haru, you can go first."

I gave Naruto a high five and then we scrambled to an appropriate distance from the crowd of students. I heard Ino mutter something about boys to Sakura. Unexpectedly, I could hear Hinata cheering us on along with several other students.

Naruto spoke first, "Just like old times, eh?"

"Not quite. I assure you, I'm much better than you remember," I said confidently. I reached into my sleeves and snapped the release for my training weights. I cast them aside, along with the ones on my ankles. I still had a long ways to go to catch up to Rock Lee, but the massive crash they caused when they hit the ground killed all conversations within the crowd.

"Hey! I've gotten a lot better too. You're going down, Haru!" Naruto said with just as much confidence, taking a fighting stance. His feet were spread apart in an L-shape to minimize his profile and his fists were raised, ready to guard or attack. It was the same stance I had taught him years ago.

"The student believes he has surpassed the master," I said, mirroring Naruto. It was one of the few taijutsu elements from my early days that Ebisu hadn't found fault in. However, Naruto was in for a surprise if he thought I would fight like I did before.

Although the excitement of facing each other after years apart was still there, both our faces grew serious. We stared each other down, fighting with our spirits, what I had long ago described to Naruto as 'Haki'. Exuding waves of pure determination to win, the will to force destiny to yield victory, what people here called 'killing intent', we sent it at each other to crumble the other's mind and soul.

"You've grown powerful, Padawan!" I yelled at Naruto. I could feel his determination invading my bones, tearing down my will to move. Although strong, it wouldn't be enough to defeat my own spirit. I, too, remembered this game fondly and on my side I had the desperate strength of someone with absolutely nothing to lose, unadulterated by hesitation to strike down my enemy. I knew that Naruto could feel it eating away at his own focus just the same as he attacked mine.

I took the first step, expending a burst of chakra to flicker around to Naruto's side, "But you still have much to learn!" My kick launched Naruto bodily several feet away. Although I had surprised him, he had taken the blow well, flipping several times and landing skillfully on his feet. On his face was a feral grin I hadn't seen in years.

He rushed in, trying to blow away my defense with a long string of punches and strikes. I blocked them all with my arms but, having lulled me into a rhythm, Naruto sent me skidding backwards with a sudden side kick. "Fuck, that hurt. I definitely do not want to trade blows with Naruto." I ignored the pain in my chest. He hadn't broken anything. I was sure he had more stamina that I did, and a defensive approach to fighting Naruto was just asking to be slowly worn down. The only way I would win here was quick, decisive moves.

I flickered again behind Naruto, laying into his back with a twisting punch and followed up with a shin to his gut. The last move in the combo was an elbow with my other arm to his neck to drop him while he was doubled over from my kick. I might have won the spar then if Naruto hadn't disappeared a puff of smoke when my elbow connected. While I was off balance from my attack, the real Naruto's fist planted itself in my cheek, sending me into the ground.

I used my arms to spring off the ground and regain my footing. I was slightly disoriented from the sucker punch, but the reason why I was seeing two of Naruto was because he had made a clone. They said simultaneously, "Did you really think I'd fall for the same thing twice, Haru?" I did not dignify that question with an answer.

I was fending off attacks from four copies of Naruto and I couldn't tell which one was the real one. It was impossible to block all of their attacks and he peppered my body with bruises. Every time I managed to counterattack and pop a clone, he would just replace it with another one. Even when I jumped in the air to escape the tight formation of blond fighters that had surrounded me, they doggedly followed after me.

The simple answer was to let my chakra flow out and catch the clones in a genjutsu. Unlike my single target genjutsu, I couldn't stop multiple enemies in their tracks and completely control their perception of reality. The best I could do against multiple opponents was to spread my chakra like a cloud that would modify the senses of anyone caught in it, imparting the same illusion to each of them. Naruto and his clones would still be able to interact with reality until I could lock down the real one.

As I landed, I set a genjutsu on the ground around me and leapt away again. The various Naruto quickly called out "Kai!" as they landed in the illusionary quicksand that would actively pull on their feet. It wasn't meant to fool him but rather disorient him for a moment to let me get some breathing room. I knew better than to assume Naruto couldn't break out of a simple genjutsu. I had taught him, after all. And he had enough chakra to break through multiple layers in a single try.

I stood across from a squad of Naruto. I couldn't charge in and attack because I didn't know which was the real Naruto. The Kage Bunshin really was a piece of work. Nor did I want to get surrounded and pounded on again. Naruto had some legitimate taijutsu and I would definitely feel those bruises later. So I did the only thing I could do.

"Is that all you've got, Naruto? I can't believe that's all you learned in two years. What a waste of time," I taunted the boy. "Didn't Jiraiya teach you anything other than how to hide behind your clones?" That was as cruel as I dared to be. I was fighting a jinchuriki, and more importantly, I still considered Naruto a friend. At least Naruto's eyes were still ocean blue. I started to wonder, "Shouldn't Iruka have stopped us by now?"

Each of the four Naruto began to summon chakra to their hands. "Oh, fuck. Eight Rasengan?!" Immediately, I began fueling my own Rasengans in each of my own hands.

"Multi-Rasengan!" came the simultaneous naming of the technique as each Naruto flung their swirling spheres of chakra at me.

"Rasen-Fireball!" I shouted back, launching my own flaming spheres of fire-natured chakra. As the two techniques collided, my fiery Rasengans consumed Naruto's attacks, growing larger with each Rasengan they enveloped. Once my red orbs of fire had collected all eight Rasengan, I sent them upwards into the sky, releasing the invisible threads that controlled their flight and channeled chakra to fuel the nature transformation. They exploded in a massive spectacle whose heat could be felt even from the ground.

A single Naruto stood across from me, his jaw open as he watched the technique as if admiring summer fireworks. I was bent over trying to catch my breath. One of those was hard to make. Two was my limit. Naruto still looked fresh as a daisy while I just wanted to lie down and not thing about all the hits I had taken. Instead I wondered, "What if those had been Rasenshuriken?"

"NARUTO. HARU. DETENTION."