CH-94. Naruto is now different

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Uchiha Sasuke had the same doubts.

He had already figured out the rules for Iruka to form a battle list.

In his opinion, no one except himself was qualified to be a rival to Shiki.

"Whoever wins will face Shiki," Iruka said bluntly.

"Very good!" Naruto said, his blood boiling. "Sasuke, let's see who will go up against Shiki!"

"Of course, it's me," Sasuke replied confidently. "Last time, you were just lucky."

"Luck? No, it's the power of youth!" Naruto gave a thumbs up, struck a weird pose, and said.

Sasuke twitched his lips, 'I shouldn't have talked to you,' he thought, his face cold with a sign of opposition.

"Sasuke-kun! You can do it!" Sakura cheered from outside the field, waving enthusiastically. Other girls soon joined her.

'So noisy!' Sasuke thought, throwing out four shurikens without hesitation. He targeted Naruto from all directions—up, down, left, and right.

But Naruto dodged them with two quick somersaults.

Sasuke wasn't surprised. His next move was ready.

"Lightning Release: Flash!"

As soon as Naruto regained his footing, he was blinded by a dazzling light, losing his vision.

The next second, he heard the sound of wind.

"Konoha's Great Cyclone!"

Naruto instinctively reacted, spinning his body quickly and kicking out with his right leg.

'It's a kunai.'

Naruto kicked it away and felt a surge of relief as the strong light gradually faded.

The first thing he saw was Iruka and others, looking stunned.

'What's going on?' He wondered. 'Were they so impressed by me kicking that kunai away?'

Suddenly, he heard the crackling sound of thunder.

Naruto turned around and saw Sasuke, a large amount of lightning gathered in his right hand, flashing and releasing a dangerous aura.

"Lightning Release: Thunder Arrow!"

Sasuke shot out the lightning, which condensed into an arrow shape and hurtled towards Naruto with extreme speed.

"Not good!" Iruka took a step forward, but it was too late.

Naruto instinctively raised his elbow.

"Konoha Bad Rock Rise!"

With chakra infused, his arm collided heavily with the lightning arrow.

A sharp pain shot through him. His sleeve was torn, revealing charred skin.

"Ahhhh!" Naruto clenched his right arm tightly with his left hand, bracing his entire body against the pain. His blond hair even stood on end from the electricity.

Iruka sighed in relief. Although Naruto was injured, no one was killed. 'What would have happened if Naruto had died here?' He wondered.

Sasuke's mouth curled into a slight smile. He had won! All his hard work over the past month was worth it.

'Next up, it's Shiki,' he thought. 'If I defeat him, I'll redeem myself from the humiliation.'

But soon, Sasuke sensed something was wrong.

'Why hasn't he fallen yet?'

Naruto continued screaming in pain but seemed to grow more energized.

'Am I caught in an illusion?' Sasuke wondered.

The lightning dissipated. Naruto stood in place, his body leaning slightly to the right, his right arm hanging limp, his eyes full of determination, refusing to admit defeat.

Sasuke took half a step back, shaken by Naruto's intense look.

"N-Naruto," he stammered, but Naruto just smiled, saying, "Come on, Sasuke, let's keep going."

Sasuke couldn't help but tremble. He was a genius, above others, and never understood the passion of Might Guy or Naruto.

Yet here, he felt an inexplicable tremor.

"He's on fire," Kiba said, dumbfounded.

Sakura swallowed. For the first time, Naruto seemed different.

"He's… really something," Shikamaru muttered, stunned.

Naruto, despite his wounds, remained standing, defying all expectations.

Ino clenched her fists. Seeing her friends growing stronger, she realized she'd been too complacent.

"Naruto!" Iruka called out, his voice concerned. "You've done enough. It's time to get treatment."

"Teacher, don't worry," Naruto grinned, baring his teeth. "It's just an arm. Nothing can stop my burning youth!"

He raised his remaining hand with a thumbs up.

"What are you saying?" Iruka glared at him.

"Teacher," Shiki stepped forward, "I can provide emergency treatment."

"No!" Naruto replied firmly. "Getting treatment now would be cheating."

"…" Sasuke fell silent, at a loss for words.

"But..." Iruka hesitated.

"I have an idea." Shiki quickly formed seals, then bit his thumb and pressed it to the ground.

Black markings spread as smoke rose. A slug, about the size of a newborn puppy, appeared.

"This is… Lady Tsunade's slug!" Iruka exclaimed, eyes wide.

"A slug?" Sakura looked at the small creature. "What does it do?"

"It's incredibly useful," Ino said quickly. "At least a third of Lady Tsunade's fame is due to this slug summon."

"Shiki's already a true student of Lady Tsunade," Shikamaru noted, surprised.

Being a true student meant becoming a successor, which was a high honor.

"That's one of Konoha's legendary Sannin," Someone whispered in awe.

Ino bit her lip subconsciously.

No way!

If she continued like this, she would only get further and further away from Shiki.

But Hinata, as the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, was a perfect match for him.

"Go ahead and fight."

Shiki looked calm and said, "I'll heal you after the fight."

"...?"

Iruka wondered.

"Like Naruto said, it's not fair to heal now," Shiki explained. "I summoned Lady Slug so that if either of them were in danger, they could be saved in time."

Out of trust in the slug, Iruka finally agreed.

"Come on, Sasuke!"

Naruto looked at the slug and shouted loudly.

"Since you're so determined to be defeated, I'll grant your wish," Sasuke said, regaining his usual cold demeanor.

With a focused look, he took out four kunai and threw them.

Naruto quickly dodged, but the kunai collided with each other mid-air, redirected by Sasuke's wire manipulation to box Naruto in from both sides.

Sasuke formed seals with his hands.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

He decided to end the battle quickly, unleashing a massive fireball that distorted the air with intense heat.

The spectators, including Iruka, watched with tense expressions, unknowingly rooting for Naruto.

"Konoha's Strong Whirlwind!"

Naruto planted a hand on the ground and leapt, dodging both the kunai and the fireball.

In mid-air, he twisted his body and launched a spinning kick with his right leg.

Sasuke barely saw the kick coming before it connected, sending him to the ground and knocking him unconscious.

"The winner... Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka announced after a brief stunned silence.

This time, there was no question—Naruto had won by sheer strength, not by luck.

"How is that possible?" Sakura clutched her head in disbelief.

"Is this even Naruto?" Kiba muttered, breaking into a nervous sweat.

"Hahaha... ow!"

Naruto began laughing but was quickly cut off by pain.

"Save the celebrations for when you actually defeat me," Shiki remarked, stepping forward and extending his hands.

"Palm Healing Technique!"

A green light appeared, and the wound on Naruto's arm started to heal visibly.

"Thanks, Lady Slug," Shiki murmured to his summoned slug.

Watching his wound heal, Naruto smirked. "Guess you've got no excuse now, Sasuke."

Shiki raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Naruto's awareness.

"Go check on Sasuke," Naruto suddenly remembered, looking over at his unconscious teammate.

"He's fine," Shiki replied casually. "Sasuke just fainted. His body can't handle as much damage as yours can."

Sasuke woke up to see Shiki's face framed by light green chakra.

He blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of things.

Naruto's familiar yellow hair came into his view.

"Sasuke," Naruto asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

Sasuke clenched his fists subconsciously. He'd lost again.

And this time, there was no excuse—no slippery ground or anything to blame.

Though he had improved, Naruto had improved even more.

How did the one everyone thought would be last turn out to be a genius?

"I'm fine," Sasuke said quietly, struggling to his feet. Without another word, he walked off.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called after him, following with a worried expression.

"Did I go too far?" Naruto scratched his head.

"It's not your fault," Shiki said thoughtfully. "In fact, this might be good for him."

Naruto looked puzzled.

"There's just one last battle left," Iruka announced.

"Yes!" Naruto's face lit up with excitement. "Shiki, it's finally time for our fight!"

Shiki gave him a brief look, then walked calmly to the center of the playground.

"Shiki, go for it!" Ino cheered, waving her hands.

Hinata hesitated, then raised her hand in support, though she kept quiet, watching Shiki in silence.

"Shiki!"

Naruto raised his thumb with a grin. "For youth! Burn! Konoha Cyclone!"

Naruto accelerated and launched a fierce whirlwind kick at Shiki like a bolt of lightning.

Shiki stood still, reached out, and caught Naruto's ankle mid-kick, then swung him around with ease.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

The Konoha Whirlwind, caught just like that?

He struggled, but Shiki's grip was like an iron clamp.

In the next instant, Naruto felt himself being lifted.

Twisting in mid-air, he managed to spin and land on his feet, wiping cold sweat from his forehead as he looked at Shiki.

Shiki hadn't moved an inch.

Was this his true strength?

Gritting his teeth, Naruto gathered more chakra.

"Konoha's Strong Whirlwind!"

This kick had even more power than the last, as Naruto spun toward Shiki like a green whirlwind.

The force created a gust of wind, kicking up dust.

With a resounding impact, Naruto's leg connected with Shiki's arm, sending a shockwave that blew Shiki's hair back.