CHAPTER 10

The moment Naruto completed Sage Mode, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.

Tsunade made a hand gesture of surprise and said, "Fast—remarkably fast. It took only seven or eight seconds for him to enter Sage Mode."

Jiraiya nodded with a knowing grin. "Exactly as I said. That's Perfect Sage Mode. He's refined it to a level I couldn't reach myself."

Tsunade glanced at him, her eyes wide. "So it's true. That's the same perfected form as Grandpa Hashirama's Sage Mode."

"Ha ha…" Jiraiya chuckled, scratching his head. "Not something a teacher likes to admit, but my student's already surpassed me in that area."

Kakashi, hiding behind a tree, could hardly believe his eyes. "No way… That's Sage Mode. And not just any form—it's the perfected one?"

He sighed internally. He'd assumed Naruto was simply holding back some ninjutsu, maybe a trick or two. But this? This was beyond expectation.

"Only a handful of shinobi in history have ever mastered Sage Mode," Kakashi muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "And he did it in seconds…"

He felt his legs weaken. His chakra reserves were dangerously low. There was no point continuing this match.

Just as he was about to concede, Naruto formed a cross-shaped seal—two clones appeared beside him.

"Wait… He's not done yet?" Kakashi muttered, eyes wide.

Naruto raised his right hand, sage chakra surging through him. "Wind Release: Super Rasenshuriken!"

The air howled as the technique expanded rapidly, an ear-splitting screech causing Sakura, Kakashi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya to wince and shield their ears. Even Jiraiya, who had once seen this attack, flinched from the intensity.

The massive Rasenshuriken grew in size until it reached nearly five meters in diameter, its destructive chakra vibrating through the entire training field.

Sakura gasped. "Naruto… Is this really you?"

Just moments ago, he had looked like the same Naruto who once struggled with basic chakra control. But now…

Tsunade shouted, alarmed, "Stop it, Naruto! That's not just a high-density chakra technique—it's suicide at close range!"

Her instincts as a medic-nin screamed at her. "If that detonates near him, the cellular damage… not even I could heal it."

Kakashi quickly raised both hands. "I forfeit! Naruto, I forfeit! You win. Just put that thing away!"

Naruto smirked and replied, "Kakashi-sensei, wouldn't it have been easier to give up earlier?"

"You made me get serious."

Kakashi forced a dry laugh. "If I had a little more energy, I'd throttle you right now…"

Of course, Naruto never intended to use the Rasenshuriken on Kakashi. The point had been to demonstrate overwhelming force—to force Kakashi to surrender without risking anyone's life.

The gigantic Rasenshuriken began to shrink as Naruto released the technique. His clones vanished in puffs of smoke, and with a subtle breath, he exited Sage Mode.

Kakashi sighed with relief, collapsing to one knee. "Thank the Sage…"

Tsunade and Jiraiya approached just as Naruto returned to normal. Tsunade scanned the devastated training ground, eyes narrowing.

She walked toward a half-demolished tree and ran her fingers along the splintered bark.

"Kakashi, Sakura, Jiraiya…" Tsunade turned with a grim expression. "This technique… It's powerful, yes. But also extremely dangerous."

She faced Naruto. "You should only use this sparingly."

Naruto blinked. "Why?"

"That much dense chakra at close range damages your own cells. If overused, you might lose the ability to mold chakra altogether. Even I couldn't heal that."

Jiraiya raised a hand casually. "Don't worry. Naruto fixed that problem. Not long after he created the Rasenshuriken, he found a way to throw it."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "You're serious?"

Jiraiya nodded, proud. "He doesn't need to detonate it from the inside anymore. He can launch it like a projectile—turning a self-destructive technique into long-range devastation."

Naruto grinned. "That's right, Granny Tsunade. Ero-sennin's telling the truth."

Tsunade stared at him in disbelief. "You figured that out… so quickly?"

Seeing the look of raw pride and reassurance in Jiraiya's expression, she smiled faintly. "I see… I really don't need to worry about you anymore, do I?"

Kakashi slowly walked up to Naruto, his hand resting on the younger ninja's shoulder.

"You've surpassed me, Naruto," Kakashi said with a mix of exhaustion and pride. "You've come so far… and I get the feeling you're not done growing."

Sakura joined them, her eyes fixed on Naruto's face. Then suddenly, she reached out and grabbed his cheeks, squeezing hard.

"Is this really you?" she shouted. "You've become ridiculously strong! I thought we were on the same level!"

"I'm not giving up, though," she added, puffing up her chest. "If you can grow that fast, so can I!"

Naruto laughed. "Heh. You're welcome to try, Sakura-chan. Just don't fall too far behind."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Youth really is something."

As the night settled over Konoha, the training ground—scorched, scarred, but alive—stood as a testament to how far Naruto had come.

He wasn't just the unpredictable knucklehead ninja anymore. He was a true shinobi—one capable of carrying the Will of Fire into the next era.