Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"Since this is supposed to be real combat, naturally there are no rules."

Kakashi casually swept his gaze across the three of them.

His tone sounded lighthearted, yet hidden danger lingered beneath every word.

"I won't restrict your ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu."

"Even ninja tools and consumable items are allowed."

"As long as you brought them with you today, use whatever you want."

Then Kakashi pulled out a prepared alarm clock and showed it to everyone.

"The current time is ten-thirty."

"And this entire training ground is your battlefield."

"As long as none of you are defeated before noon…"

"You pass."

"So we're fighting you?"

Sasuke stared at Kakashi, battle spirit surging instantly.

A chance to fight an elite Konoha Jōnin in real combat—

For the current Sasuke, who desperately wanted to understand exactly how strong he truly was—

This opportunity was incredibly rare.

"Hm?"

Kakashi laughed lightly.

"You misunderstood, Sasuke."

He waved his hand lazily.

"There's no need to take turns."

"You'll be fighting simultaneously."

Smoke exploded outward.

Bang!

Then as the smoke rapidly dispersed, four identical Kakashi appeared before them.

"Shadow Clones?"

"Correct."

Kakashi nodded.

"You'll only need to fight my Shadow Clones."

Then noticing their expressions, he added:

"Looks like all of you already understand how Shadow Clone Technique works."

Kakashi's real body casually sat down nearby while continuing the explanation.

"Shadow Clones are solid entities."

"But once they take enough damage, they disappear."

"So the rules are simple."

"If you avoid being defeated by my Shadow Clones before noon, you pass."

"And if you manage to destroy even one clone…"

"That person wins."

"Of course…"

Kakashi's eye curved into a smile.

"If you destroy all of them, then I lose."

The Shadow Clones walked toward the three Genin and deliberately separated them slightly to avoid interference once the fighting began.

"Oh right."

Kakashi suddenly added.

"To keep things fair, I won't personally announce the start."

"You decide when it begins."

"The moment you attack first…"

"My clones will begin moving."

"That should make things fairer."

"... Just Shadow Clones?"

Sasuke slowly closed his eyes.

A trace of disappointment appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, Hinata assumed her Gentle Fist stance seriously while staring at the Shadow Clone before her.

Only Naruto glanced toward the Kakashi clone approaching him and looked somewhat troubled.

"Hm?"

Kakashi seemed to notice Naruto's issue and thoughtfully bent down toward him.

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

"Well…"

Naruto awkwardly scratched his hair and leaned closer to whisper:

"It's not that I'm bragging, but Hinata and Sasuke know my strength pretty well already."

"So maybe I could lose against the real you…"

"But I don't think they'd easily believe I'd lose to just your Shadow Clone."

"Ohhh…"

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully.

"So that's what's bothering you."

Then he casually suggested:

"How about we add another restriction for you?"

"Hm?"

At that moment, the "real" Kakashi sitting nearby suddenly spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh right, right. Naruto."

"Since this is supposed to simulate actual combat, I should probably add one extra rule specifically for you."

Kakashi's voice wasn't quiet.

Both Sasuke and Hinata instinctively turned their attention toward him.

Then Kakashi stood up and examined the surroundings before drawing his long blade.

Using the sword, he carved a massive circle around Naruto and the Shadow Clone facing him.

"Your Body Flicker Technique is already too famous within the village."

"I understand it well enough already."

"There's no need to test that again."

"This exercise is more about evaluating your other abilities."

Kakashi finished carving the perfect circle and tapped it lightly with his foot.

"So your battle will remain restricted to this area."

"If either you or my clone leaves the circle…"

"That side loses."

"I see."

Naruto slammed his fist into his palm and grinned.

"Then there's no problem now."

"We can start—"

Boom!

The instant Naruto spoke the word "start," overwhelming killing intent exploded from Kakashi's body.

Even the surrounding air froze solid.

Then—

Lightning flashed.

A blade transformed into thunder and descended directly toward Naruto's body!

Seemingly "barely" reacting under the crushing killing intent, Naruto violently twisted backward to evade the strike.

Yet before he fully escaped the front attack—

Another Kakashi Shadow Clone suddenly appeared behind him.

Holding a short blade, the clone stabbed directly toward Naruto's back!

The movement speed was so absurdly fast it looked as though attacks from both the front and back happened simultaneously.

And the pressure behind the strikes resembled overwhelming thunder itself.

Impossible to block.

This…

Was only a Shadow Clone?

"So fast!"

Nearby, Sasuke and Hinata both activated their dōjutsu instinctively.

The sight shocked them completely.

Even one Kakashi Shadow Clone could suppress Naruto—the strongest among them?

Fortunately, Naruto barely managed to evade the deadly pincer attack through his incredible taijutsu instincts.

Yet after losing the initiative, his movements immediately became awkward and defensive.

It looked as though merely dodging Kakashi's attacks already consumed all his strength—

Never mind counterattacking.

Seeing this, Sasuke's expression tightened anxiously.

Instinctively, he prepared to rush over and help Naruto recover the momentum.

Yet the Kakashi clone before him immediately blocked his path.

The white-haired Jōnin still wore that same lazy smile.

"Well then…"

"How about we begin too, Sasuke and Hinata?"

At this moment—

The Kakashi Shadow Clones that previously seemed harmless in Sasuke and Hinata's eyes—

Had already become overwhelmingly dangerous opponents.

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