Chapter 49

Quickly getting ready and casting a slightly displeased glance at the prepared breakfast—Hana had probably taken care of it the night before—I noted once again that the Butler status also had some influence on personality. Not that it was the first time I noticed it, but it didn't make it any more pleasant. It felt like someone had stolen a job from me that actually brought me moral satisfaction. Annoying, you know!

After that, I made my way to the training ground at a leisurely pace. Even though I arrived twenty minutes early, Kiba was already there, impatiently pacing around the clearing. Soon, Sasuke showed up as well, and five minutes ahead of schedule, even Kurenei arrived.

"So, we're just waiting for Naruto," she said after glancing at the gathered team.

On one hand, this was a plus—her perception wasn't sharp enough. On the other hand, it was kind of insulting!

"I've been here from the start, actually!" I protested, peeling myself away from the tree I had been leaning against. And she was supposed to be a decent sensor… I wonder who can even sense me without much effort nowadays, besides the Kage of various villages, the Sannin, and dōjutsu users while they have their eyes activated?

"Alright, then. If everyone's ready, shall we begin?" she asked.

"Yes!" Kiba practically jumped in place, waking the dozing Akamaru on his head.

A moment later, two Kibas were standing there in the Beast Human Clone technique. Eh, I wish I had a ninken too, but Kurama's chakra would kill any animal connected to me. And Cerberus or Hellhound were no longer necessary for me, even if I could find a way to obtain them.

Sasuke and I simultaneously activated our elemental techniques—not only striking the target area but also creating a light mist. Using that cover, Kiba and Akamaru launched their Gatsūga toward Kurenei's presumed location.

However, she appeared to the left, near the forest's edge. My eyes saw it, but my chakra sense said otherwise.

"To the right, thirty degrees!" Nice try, but chakra sensing (which the System didn't even recognize as mine and refused to display in my status) wouldn't be fooled. Her technique clearly wasn't designed for a bijū.

Kurenei was forced to retreat, and her genjutsu faded. For now, she was fighting at a genin's level, even using only weak illusions. Was she deliberately lowering her level to observe our abilities? Or was she lulling us into a false sense of security?

Didn't matter—we all rushed toward her. I added water shuriken just in case, while Sasuke supported me with regular metal ones. Well, I wasn't particularly skilled in this area, so I stuck to chakra-infused projectiles—throwing weapons just didn't feel right in my hands.

Kurenei slightly increased her level, now demonstrating weak chūnin-level abilities, calmly dodging our numerous attacks.

"Behind, ten meters!" Damn, did she even use hand seals for genjutsu, or were those red eyes of hers a disguised Sharingan?

A Great Fireball was sent in that direction, while I signaled Kiba where she had actually moved. He and Akamaru rushed into the bushes—only to be swiftly taken down and eliminated from the fight.

Damn, with that speed and agility, she could have ended this battle already. So now she was showing her real level.

"Careful, she's stopped holding back!" Sasuke and I warned at the same time. Heh, he noticed it too. Though, why was I even surprised? His intelligence was actually a bit higher than mine—not by a catastrophic amount, but the gap was in his favor.

Sasuke exhaled a volley of fireballs, each the size of a soccer ball, sending them toward her at different angles. But this wasn't an attack—it was a way to buy us a brief respite and reorganize. We had considered this scenario… and she knew that, letting us act on it.

Now it was my turn—I entered the imitation state, creating several clones in this form. But they were immediately struck by simple senbon, dispelling them. Unpleasant.

I needed something to counter her speed—everything else would become irrelevant once I got her into close combat.

I hope you can handle this, sensei!

I activated the Fierce Tiger's Forced Mountain Ascent, lunging toward Kurenei at nearly instant speed. Thankfully, one variation of this technique—developed by Li Shuwen—was specifically designed for rapid, aggressive approach… which was evident from its name.

Feeling victorious, I struck at her figure—only for it to shatter into dust.

A tree trunk.

"That was impressive… and a little dangerous. You overdid it for a training match, Naruto-kun," came Kurenai's easily recognizable voice from behind me—practically right next to my ear.

Damn, she even fooled my chakra sense!

I got it now—first, she fought at genin level, which we surpassed. Then, she escalated to chūnin level, probing us further. But a chūnin, no matter how strong, wouldn't stand much chance against three opponents at once. So finally, she revealed her true strength. Even her genjutsu matched the levels she was displaying at each stage.

I had a feeling she originally intended to end this spar at the chūnin level, gently demonstrating a slight gap in skill while still teaching us something. That would have been the best outcome—educational and effective.

But my resistance to genjutsu had forced her to fight more seriously, without holding back her abilities or techniques.

Essentially, we got beaten worse because of me… along with our pride.

All these thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant as I turned toward my opponent.

But I didn'tget the chance to fully turn—she knocked me out before I could.