CHAPTER 48

Kakashi's Shock

Hurrah!

A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, making Kakashi's clothes rattle.

Facing the strong wind that could break branches, Kakashi's face changed slightly, admitting that he had somewhat underestimated Naruto's strength.

With such a scale of ninjutsu, even an ordinary Chunin would not dare to use it recklessly.

After the gust of wind ended, Kakashi turned around to block the fist attack from behind, and was about to grab Naruto's arm and lock him to the ground.

But Naruto was as nimble as a loach, and when he failed in one blow, he quickly opened the distance and launched an attack from another direction, mixing in shuriken and wind-based jutsu.

The high frequency of attacks made Kakashi hard to defend against, so he was forced to stand still and defend. The look in Kakashi's eyes gradually changed from surprise to shock.

Naruto is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, meaning the amount of chakra he possessed must be far more than most people.

But chakra amount is only one factor in a battle. Kakashi was confident that with his rich combat experience, even if his strength were limited to that of a Genin, he could easily defeat Naruto and force him to return to the Ninja Academy.

However, the current situation was beyond Kakashi's expectations.

Naruto's chakra reserves were enormous, but his skill in both ninjutsu and taijutsu was remarkable. It was far beyond what a Ninja Academy student should be capable of, not inferior to an average Chunin.

Kakashi, who had limited his strength to that of a Genin, was truly overwhelmed.

Seeing Kakashi's surprise, Naruto stood still and said, "Why don't you just give up, I'm worried that I might hurt you, uncle. You look a little silly."

"I'm a Jonin, and I'm much stronger than you."

Kakashi's face turned strange, unwilling to admit that he was somewhat hypocritical in front of Naruto.

Naruto nodded, "Then I'm relieved. I haven't used my full strength yet."

Hasn't used all his strength? The corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue fighting.

Kakashi quietly relaxed the restrictions on his strength, and the idea of merely sparring with Naruto shifted to testing Naruto's true strength.

After Naruto performed another combined jutsu, Kakashi clapped his hands to the ground and said in a low voice, "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

In an instant, a large mud wall, carved with the head of a dog, rose from the ground, blocking all the wind and kunai.

Naruto's face in mid-air changed, revealing a flaw. Kakashi stepped forward directly, intending to grab Naruto, who was now off-balance.

But when Kakashi reached out, Naruto transformed into smoke and disappeared.

The technique of Shadow Clones!

Kakashi's brow furrowed instinctively, but when he looked up, he found Naruto standing at a distance, smiling at him. Several shadow clones appeared beside him.

Unable to determine which was the real Naruto, Kakashi could only use the Earth Flow Wall to block the attack again.

After creating three Earth Flow Walls to protect himself, Kakashi was just about to catch his breath when he heard a whistling sound from above. Naruto was coming at him, spinning a Rasengan in his palm.

Sensing the danger, Kakashi no longer suppressed his strength.

He removed his headband, revealing his Sharingan, and evaded the attack from the spinning Rasengan at an awkward angle.

With a crash, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the Earth Flow Wall hit by the Rasengan.

Kakashi stood still, watching Naruto. Dodging the Rasengan wasn't hard for him. What bothered him more was: how did Naruto learn the Rasengan?

If it had been taught by the Third Hokage, that would have been one thing, but if Naruto had developed it himself, that would be terrifying.

Moreover, Naruto's strength now was on par with that of a Chunin.

Naruto's talent in ninjutsu had clearly surpassed Kakashi's, perhaps even surpassing Minato, his own sensei, the Fourth Hokage.

While Minato had been an exceptionally skilled ninja before his graduation, having mastered techniques like the Flying Thunder God Jutsu by age twelve, Naruto was only eight years old, still in the early stages of a ninja's growth.

Kakashi, unable to pinpoint the exact reason, could only attribute Naruto's talent to the powerful genes of his parents and the identity of being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Just then, Kakashi saw Naruto charging again and said with a smile, "Are you still fighting?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'll definitely lose if I stop, but uncle, your strength has already surpassed that of a Genin. I don't believe this is the strength of a Genin."

Kakashi squinted at Naruto and said sarcastically, "You're hiding your strength too. You've already surpassed the capabilities of a ninja school student."

"But I'm still a ninja school student," Naruto replied. "I didn't lie about that. Is it wrong to be excellent?"

"Of course, being excellent is a good thing," Kakashi responded, "but I think you should go back to the Ninja Academy for classes. If you want to become an official ninja, combat skills alone aren't enough; you also need to excel in academics."

Naruto glanced at Kakashi and said, "Uncle, you really did try to send me back to school, but I've already completed the sixth grade in the cultural subjects of the Ninja Academy. It's more than enough for me to become a ninja."

Hearing this, Kakashi was surprised and proceeded to ask a few questions about the cultural subjects.

After Naruto answered them correctly, Kakashi fell silent. He could no longer find a reason to send Naruto back to school. His talent was exceptional, standing out in a way that few others did. But at his age, he should still be in school. The cruel world of ninjas was not something children could bear.

Kakashi, being an early graduate himself, knew all too well how harsh a ninja's life could be. He was used to killing before his peers had even graduated. It was a burden that still haunted him today, just like his old comrade, Uchiha Itachi, who had been forced to carry the weight of a ninja's life at a young age.

After some contemplation, Kakashi asked Naruto, "Why do you want to become a ninja? A ninja's life won't be better than that of a student. You'll kill and be killed. It's far more cruel than you think."

Naruto was silent for a while, then whispered, "Because Grandpa Hokage promised me that if I become a ninja, he would tell me the truth about my life."

Kakashi was taken aback, and his gaze softened.

Previously, Naruto had given Kakashi the impression of a proud little troublemaker, but now he saw a child who was simply seeking the truth about his past.

For a moment, Kakashi considered revealing to Naruto that he was the son of the Fourth Hokage, but then he remembered what the Third Hokage had advised. He abandoned the idea.

The truth about Naruto's heritage could cost him his life. As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto was safe. But the identity of the Fourth Hokage's son would only bring danger.

At that moment, Naruto said again, "Uncle, I actually know your identity. You're one of the ninjas who follows me every day to protect me. Can you tell Grandpa Hokage that I can become a ninja?"

Kakashi widened his eyes and stared at Naruto.

Naruto wasn't surprised by the look, as he had never hidden the fact that he had sensed Kakashi's presence. How had he seen through the disguise of an Anbu ninja?

As if guessing Kakashi's thoughts, Naruto explained, "After I was attacked last time, I gained the ability to sense chakra. I noticed several chakras following me, so I guess they were sent by Grandpa Hokage."

Kakashi thought to himself: Could this be a talent inherited from Kushina, Naruto's mother, who also had a similar ability?

After a moment's reflection, Kakashi agreed, "I can speak to Hokage-sama for you. But even if he approves, you'll need to personally apply to the Ninja Academy for early graduation."

Naruto nodded. "I understand. But it's really great that you're willing to help."

Kakashi sighed softly, then moved to a hidden location to arrange for his subordinates to take over his watch. He then hurried to the Hokage building to report everything that had happened.

After Kakashi left, Naruto gazed toward the Hokage building, smiling.

By showing some of his strength to Kakashi and requesting early graduation, he hoped to gain some freedom, to finally be rid of the Anbu surveillance that followed him every day.

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