Chapter 28: Kakashi Was Nearly Blown to Bits—Will the Hokage Grant Him the Flying Thunder God?

Kakashi took off.

Straight into the path of a roaring Dragon Fire Jutsu.

Boom!

He exploded.

A puff of smoke dissipated.

"Oh, what a despicable trick," a voice muttered behind a tree. "Good thing I used a Shadow Clone."

Kakashi exhaled sharply, his heartbeat steadying as the experience transferred from his clone sent chills down his spine.

"But... Shadow Clones mixed in with Illusion Clones... Is that Sasuke's doing?"

He narrowed his eyes.

Fwoosh!

A kunai whistled through the air, an explosive tag wrapped around its hilt.

Kakashi vanished.

Boom! Boom!

The detonations echoed as Kakashi reappeared on open ground, once again surrounded by Naruto's flickering afterimages.

He sighed. "Looks like you've managed to make me take this seriously."

His gaze sharpened as he appraised the Phantom Clones.

"Now, let's see… Naruto, how does your Phantom Flash compare to Shisui's Body Flicker? Perhaps... Konoha will give birth to another Shunshin no Naruto—no, maybe even a new Yellow Flash."

Sasuke smirked faintly and stepped back, silently distancing himself.

Kakashi frowned. Something felt off.

"Why isn't Naruto attacking?"

Then, he noticed it—the subtle distortion in his surroundings.

Genjutsu.

His fingers formed a quick seal. "Kai!"

The illusion was basic—just enough to subtly alter his senses. It was so minor that he hadn't noticed it immediately. That alone made it all the more insidious.

And then he heard it.

A faint, ominous crackling—like raindrops sizzling on fire.

Sakura.

She wasn't just along for the ride. Her chakra control made her adept at casting subtle genjutsu—ones that were easy to overlook in the heat of battle. And right now, she had used that skill to ensure Kakashi never realized what was beneath his feet.

All of Naruto's Phantom Clones grinned.

"Kakashi-sensei, you should be able to handle this, right?"

Explosive tags.

Dozens of them. Under every single clone.

Kakashi's eye twitched. "So that's why your ninja tool pouch looked stuffed… This is just cruel."

He exhaled deeply and raised his hands.

"Alright, alright. You win."

"Yeah! (＾－＾)V"

From her hiding spot, Sakura leaped up excitedly, her flushed face glowing with pride as she glanced at Naruto, clearly seeking his approval.

Sasuke smirked, stepping out from the shadows. "That was unexpected."

"I never thought you guys were this rich. Throwing around explosive tags like they're free."

Naruto grinned. "Kakashi-sensei, don't worry, I can't stop all of them from going off."

Kakashi's smile froze. "Wait, you—"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Sakura shrieked and clung to Naruto's sleeve. "He's not going to die, right?!"

Even Sasuke winced. "Tch. That was… excessive."

Naruto huffed. "If that was enough to kill him, he was only worth that much. Besides, he fought knowing the risks. It's not our fault."

"Yeah, you guys did well."

A voice murmured behind them.

A pale hand clamped onto Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke stiffened.

Slowly, they turned.

A battered and charred Kakashi stood behind them, his white hair blackened and smoking at the tips. If that wasn't a Shadow Clone substitution, he'd probably still be rolling on the ground clutching his burns.

Kakashi exhaled. "That was a thrilling display of teamwork."

His eye curved into a smile.

"Congratulations. You pass."

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Wait! There were only two bells! Does that mean we have to pick someone to eliminate?"

Kakashi blinked. Isn't that supposed to be my line?

Naruto grinned. "Well, that's easy. I'm a lord. My job is to lead a team of Jonin, right?"

Kakashi twitched. You're making up your own rules again, aren't you?

He sighed. "Look, I know you all understand the point of this test, but at least pretend to go through the process properly. Otherwise, it's embarrassing for me."

Sakura stepped forward. "None of us will be eliminated."

She reached out, trying to grab Naruto and Sasuke's hands.

A symbolic gesture.

A declaration of unity.

Neither of them reciprocated.

Naruto casually retracted his hand before she could grasp it.

Sasuke did the same, stepping back.

Silence.

A long, awkward silence.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Ahem. Congratulations, you pass again!"

Sakura blushed, lowering her head.

Naruto smirked. "Since we passed, shouldn't we get a reward?"

Sakura and Sasuke both turned to Kakashi expectantly.

Kakashi sighed dramatically.

"You kids… really know how to push your luck."

Kakashi wasn't surprised. This kid never wasted an opportunity to grow stronger.

"Sure, what do you want?"

"Ninjutsu—Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Kakashi frowned. "Don't you already know the Shadow Clone Technique?"

"Of course. That was Sasuke's shadow clone just now, wasn't it?"

Kakashi nodded. "That depends on your future performance."

Then, he smiled and said, "Alright, today's mission is over. I'm heading out."

With a flicker, he disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.

As he traveled, Kakashi's thoughts churned.

"Sasuke doesn't have enough chakra to create so many shadow clones."

"That means Naruto must have created a shadow clone and transformed it into Sasuke."

"But… that Transformation Jutsu was so refined that even I didn't notice."

"He wants multiple shadow clones… How does he know about that?"

Pondering for a while, Kakashi realized he had no answers.

"Forget it. The kid obviously wants me to leave some things out when reporting to the Hokage."

A small, relieved smile tugged at his lips.

...

"Alright, I passed the test. I'm heading out."

Shikamaru and the others would be here soon, so Naruto wanted to prepare.

"Wait, Naruto, can I come too?"

"I heard from Ino that everyone's bringing ingredients… I want to go too."

"Please, we're on the same team, aren't we?"

Sakura, recalling the delicious food from last time, swallowed her pride and made her request.

Sasuke, who had planned to leave for training, paused.

"I'll go too. There's something I need to ask you."

Naruto didn't refuse. "Alright, let's go."

They soon arrived at another training ground.

"Congratulations, you passed the test."

"Yeah." x3

"So, let's celebrate with barbecue?"

"No, Asuma-sensei, we have things to do, so we're heading out."

Shikamaru spoke casually while Ino waved goodbye.

Surprisingly, Shikamaru looked motivated.

"Barbecue~!"

Asuma expected Choji to join him for some quality bonding over grilled meat.

Instead, Shikamaru turned around and sprinted away.

"Such a drag… Asuma-sensei, see you tomorrow."

Shikamaru left calmly, but at an unexpectedly fast pace.

"Naruto, let's have barbecue today!"

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened.

They saw a massive figure barreling toward Naruto at full speed, yelling "Be careful!"

To their surprise, it was none other than Choji Akimichi!

"Sure, but let's go grab the grill first."

"Great! I'll go get the ingredients!"

Without hesitation, Choji turned into a rolling ball of excitement and sped away.

"Dear~"

When Ino saw Naruto, she jumped toward him happily.

She didn't notice that he was accompanied by Sasuke and Sakura.

"Seriously, Ino, watch your image."

Shikamaru sighed as he walked out.

Huh?

Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura?

Oh, right. They're on Naruto's team now.

"New faces?"

"I'm heading home. A fresh batch of medicinal herbs just arrived, so I'll bring some along."

He nodded at Sasuke and Sakura before jogging off after Choji.

Sasuke gave a slight nod, while Sakura smiled politely.

"Don't rush, Choji! You'll knock someone over."

Despite his words, Shikamaru's lazy jog ensured he'd never catch up.

After some light conversation, the group made their way to the training ground where Hinata was waiting.

On the way, Ino took a few jabs at Sakura.

Sakura laughed awkwardly, guilt bubbling inside her.

It's over. I barely paid any attention to Sasuke today… My focus was all on Naruto-kun.

...

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office…

"You're saying Naruto wants to learn ninjutsu?"

"Yes. He already excels in clone techniques and has strong combat instincts. Hiding shadow clones among his phantom clones was a brilliant strategy. But what's shocking is that Naruto hasn't even learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu yet."

The Third Hokage took a slow puff from his pipe, unfazed by the revelation.

"I see. You did well not to grant his request immediately."

"Let me review your full report first."

After carefully reading through Kakashi's notes, Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought.

Shisui of the Body Flicker… It's been nearly seven years since he passed.

Perhaps Naruto could master the Flying Thunder God.

Could the Flash Body evolve into the Flying Thunder God?

After all, he's Minato's son. Not only does he have extraordinary talent, but he's also obedient.

It's worth considering.