Chapter 378: Naruto Uzumaki's Growth!

Under the examiner's command, Naruto Uzumaki slowly walked into the arena. As he entered, a strange force began to spread throughout the examination hall.

It was an inexplicable and unfamiliar chakra. Although the amount was not particularly large, its intensity was extremely high. In Raiden's understanding, it bore some resemblance—about seventy to eighty percent—to Sage Art, yet it was fundamentally different.

Aside from Raiden, no one else in the venue seemed to notice this unusual chakra. The audience remained focused on discussing Naruto's written test results and his Hokage father.

"Am I the only one who noticed? A strange chakra... Who is it coming from?"

Raiden's eyes darkened as he focused on Naruto, frowning as he pondered the situation.

At that moment, the Nine Tails, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly opened its eyes. The fox's pupils were filled with astonishment, its emotions fluctuated wildly, and even its chakra became restless.

The Nine Lamas' unusual reaction caught Raiden's attention. He immediately sank his consciousness into his mindscape, where the Nine Tails resided, and asked,

"Nine Tails, what's wrong? What did you sense?"

The Nine Tails didn't answer immediately. Instead, it carefully perceived the chakra once more, its expression shifting several times before speaking slowly:

"I sense the Old Man's chakra!"

"No... It's more accurate to say that it's a chakra similar to the Old Man's!"

Raiden's pupils shrank upon hearing the Nine Tails' words. He knew exactly who the "Old Man" referred to—there was only one being the Nine Tails would address that way with such familiarity.

The man who split the Ten-Tails and created the nine Tailed Beasts.

The ancestor of the ninja sect.

The Sage of the Six Paths—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo!

"A chakra similar to the Sage of the Six Paths?!" Raiden murmured, his expression growing serious.

He understood the world's secrets well. He had always known that the Sage of the Six Paths' chakra still lingered in this world, overseeing the entire shinobi world in a unique way.

The lingering chakra of the Sage was powerful—so powerful that it had been able to grant Naruto and Sasuke the strength to seal Kaguya during the Fourth Great Ninja War. The chakra of his sons, Ashura and Indra, had also been passed down through reincarnation.

Although Raiden had never actively sought out these powers, he remained cautious about anything capable of shifting the world's balance. Now, from the Nine Tails' words, it seemed that something within Naruto had triggered a dormant, foreign chakra.

After his brief exchange with the Nine Tails, Raiden withdrew from his mindscape. Meanwhile, in the arena, Naruto had already begun his test. His opponent, the examiner, was engaged in battle with him. Naruto's skill level was impressive, and for the moment, he was pressuring the examiner, gaining the upper hand.

Though Naruto wasn't displaying any obvious abnormalities, Raiden had already taken full notice of the fight, his vigilance heightened. If anything unexpected occurred, he would intervene immediately.

"Oh!"

In the arena, Naruto launched a punch, which the examiner blocked with his giant hand. The two then quickly leaped backward, putting some distance between them and locking eyes.

The examiner, who had initially seemed relaxed, was now panting slightly, his expression much more serious. In contrast, Naruto stood in a defensive stance, breathing steadily. He had expended little energy in the short exchange, while the examiner appeared to be struggling.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Naruto formed a cross sign with his hands, channeling chakra. As his voice fell, a cloud of white mist erupted around him. In the next instant, multiple shadow clones burst forth, charging toward the examiner.

Within seconds, seven or eight clones surrounded the examiner, each launching attacks from different angles. The Chunin examiner barely managed to defend himself, drawing a kunai to fend off the onslaught. While counterattacking, he managed to dispel a few clones.

However, even after eliminating several, the situation remained dire—Naruto's clones still encircled him.

"How many clones has this kid created?"

"Is this the end?"

Under siege, the examiner found himself unable to counter everything. A few of Naruto's clones landed hits. Though they didn't cause serious damage, the pain made the examiner anxious.

Realizing that if this continued, he would eventually lose, the examiner took a deep breath to regain his composure. A smile formed on his face as he thought of something.

"The Shadow Clone Technique evenly distributes chakra… How many times can a mere academy student use it?"

"Even if he's the son of the Fifth Hokage, he's still just a twelve-year-old kid."

"If I just hold out, his chakra will eventually run out."

"And once his clones vanish, the accumulated fatigue will return to his body. That'll be my chance to counterattack!"

With this strategy in mind, the examiner shifted his focus entirely to defense. He no longer attacked but instead tried to endure the clones' barrage, while keeping an eye on Naruto's real body.

The intense taijutsu battle left the audience gasping in amazement. No one had expected that the Chunin examiner would be completely overpowered by Naruto in hand-to-hand combat, even with the help of shadow clones.

Naruto's combat skills had already surpassed many of his peers.

Furthermore, for someone his age to be proficient in B-rank ninjutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique was remarkable. Most academy graduates only mastered the basic Three Basic Jutsu, and many couldn't even perform them proficiently.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

As the number of clones dwindled, Naruto suddenly leaped back and performed another seal. More than thirty clones instantly appeared, filling the arena once again.

The examiner's eyes widened in disbelief. He was now drenched in sweat, his breathing heavy. He couldn't understand how Naruto had so much chakra and stamina to sustain such an energy-draining technique.

Shadow clones consumed an immense amount of chakra. Ordinary shinobi attempting this would collapse from exhaustion.

But Naruto? His clones remained full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue.

"His stamina is bottomless!"

"As expected of an Uzumaki!"

From the stands, Uchiha Fugaku observed the battle, his gaze shifting toward Raiden. Though Naruto's fighting style differed from his uncle's, they shared one common trait—endless stamina and chakra reserves.

Finally, the examiner, unable to endure the relentless taijutsu battle, gritted his teeth and made a decision. After forcefully tanking Naruto's attack, he quickly formed hand seals and inhaled deeply.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

A sharp wind blade shot from the examiner's mouth, instantly striking several nearby shadow clones and turning them into wisps of white smoke.

Naruto's clones swiftly moved to shield him, minimizing the damage.

As the wind attack subsided, Naruto lowered his arms and faced the examiner. He reached into his ninja pouch, withdrawing a kunai.

"Uzumaki Naruto, do you have any more tricks up your sleeve?"

"If so, don't hold back—use everything!"

The examiner's confidence returned as he smirked. However, his body ached from the fight, a painful reminder of Naruto's previous attacks.

Hearing this, Naruto took a deep breath, clenched his kunai, and charged forward.

The examiner, prepared for a direct clash, was caught off guard when Naruto suddenly hurled the kunai instead. As the weapon flew through the air, Naruto's hands blurred through a rapid sequence of seals.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

Although Naruto Uzumaki had thrown a kunai, the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique was not limited to shuriken alone—kunai could be duplicated in the same way. As Naruto spoke, the single kunai he had thrown multiplied into hundreds, instantly filling the air in a dense barrage.

"Finally, I have a chance to use the ninjutsu my father taught me. This time, I have to win!"

Naruto thought to himself. After launching the kunai, he stretched out his right hand and began to condense chakra. A light blue sphere of swirling energy rapidly formed in his palm.

"It's not just the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique… He's even using the Rasengan."

Seeing Naruto perform the technique, Raiden raised his brows, his eyes flashing with surprise.

In the arena, the examiner used Wind Release: Breakthrough to counter the incoming kunai barrage, but he failed to notice the blond boy following closely behind the attack.

By the time he realized it, Naruto was already in front of him, thrusting the blue chakra sphere toward his lower abdomen.

"Rasengan!"

Naruto's eyes gleamed with excitement. After using the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique as a distraction, he had finally found an opening to land the ninjutsu he had only recently learned!

"Damn it!"

"If I get hit by this high-density chakra, I'm dead!"

The examiner instinctively leaned back, trying to evade, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time. At that moment, fear gripped him—his life flashed before his eyes.

[Is this the revolving door of life? Am I really about to die in an exam room? What an irony...]

The examiner shut his eyes, bracing himself for impact.

But after a long moment, there was no pain.

Hesitantly, he opened his eyes, only to realize that the blond boy was no longer the one standing in front of him. Instead, a different figure had appeared—a man with long, bright red hair. The sight of that back made the examiner's tense heart settle.

"Lord Raiden...?" the examiner asked hesitantly.

"Are you alright? My apologies for scaring you. I offer my nephew's apology on his behalf."

"He's still a child—he doesn't understand the severity of his actions yet."

The man in front of him slowly turned, revealing the strikingly handsome face of Raiden, who had been spectating just moments ago. Now, he stood before the examiner, gripping Naruto's wrist with one hand. The blue light from the Rasengan reflected against Raiden's robes.

Directly beneath the technique, a crater nearly a meter deep had formed in the ground. One glance at the damage was enough for the examiner to realize—if that Rasengan had landed, he wouldn't have survived.

"Uncle?!"

"What are you doing? I was about to win!"

Naruto snapped out of his trance, confused as to why his uncle had interfered at the last moment. He had no idea just how powerful the Rasengan was and instead felt frustrated that Raiden had disrupted his exam.

"Boy, if you hit someone with a Rasengan, they will die."

"This technique isn't meant for use against allies—this is only a graduation exam."

Raiden's voice was serious as he reprimanded Naruto. However, his tone was not overly harsh—he knew Naruto wasn't malicious. As long as he understood the severity of the situation, he would learn restraint.

As expected, Naruto froze in realization. His father had never told him how destructive the Rasengan could be when teaching him the technique. Now, he finally understood. His excitement faded into guilt.

Lowering his head, he quickly walked up to the examiner, bowed deeply, and repeatedly apologized.

Of course, it wasn't Minato's fault. He had only just begun teaching Naruto the Rasengan and had never expected his son to master it so quickly!

Although this moment had been a near disaster, the seasoned shinobi in the audience weren't too shaken. Instead, their attention was entirely on Naruto's extraordinary talent.

Many recognized the Rasengan immediately—it was one of the signature techniques of the Fifth Hokage. Additionally, the Shadow Clone and Shuriken Shadow Clone Techniques were not low-level jutsu.

In an instant, Naruto became the center of everyone's discussion.

The word on everyone's lips?

"Genius."

And the person they were describing was none other than Naruto Uzumaki, the same boy who had been dead last in the written exam!

(End of Chapter)