Chapter 12 : Dungeon grinding
In the dim light of the underground training dungeon, Haruto Itsuki looked down at the wound slashed across his side, blood trailing lightly down his robes.
"...Still too reckless, huh?" he muttered with a frustrated sigh.
In his analysis, the real advantages among the Konoha Twelve came down to just a few key players—Naruto's Uzumaki bloodline and Sasuke's Sharingan.
The rest... were questionable. The Aburame clan's insect techniques and the Inuzuka clan's beast jutsu had their charm, but unless one truly bonded with their summons or mastered the nuances, they weren't practical.
As for the Hyuga's Byakugan—don't even mention it. In the hands of someone not born into the clan? Using it openly was asking for a silent execution.
The same went for the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara clan techniques. Even though Haruto technically bore the Yamanaka name, his immediate family never once brought up passing down the clan's secret arts.
Haruto had long understood—bloodline techniques were sacred. Any attempt to "borrow" or "replicate" them without permission would lead to unending blood feuds.
After obtaining Murasame, Haruto didn't waste time. He set his sights on a moderately challenging dungeon—Sasuke.
In the real world, Sasuke at the time of graduation was arguably stronger than Naruto. But in dungeon simulations, every character was peak efficiency—their skills and battle instincts honed to perfection.
If Naruto could summon a thousand clones with perfect coordination, fighting him would be suicide unless one was near Jōnin-level or had overwhelming AoE jutsu.
Rock Lee was no joke either—just recalling how he clowned Sasuke during the Chūnin Exams made Haruto avoid that dungeon entirely for now.