Sasuke: (O_O)???
Inwardly, he fumed, "What the heck is Naruto doing? This is so simple—how could he mess it up?"
Naruto: (ΩДΩ)!!!
He was utterly flustered. During practice, he had felt they were doing fine, but doing the Metamoran Fusion Dance with Sasuke for real left him scrambling.
Yet there was no more time for either of them to think— the fusion had already taken effect. Even though their fingers didn't line up perfectly, they still managed to half-execute the Metamoran Fusion Dance.
Boom!
Amid a burst of dazzling white light, Karin exclaimed excitedly, "Senshi, they did it—Naruto and Sasuke succeeded!"
But Senshi wore a startled look. "Karin, it might not be a full success."
In other words, yes, there was a fusion effect, but not in the proper way! The white glow didn't last long before fading.
"Pffft!"
When the glare subsided, Karin saw what Naruto and Sasuke had become—and couldn't help bursting into laughter. She actually clutched her stomach, doubling over.
Senshi gazed at the two in front of him and gave a sigh. Sheesh, he thought, Naruto and Sasuke are trained shinobi, right? He'd demonstrated everything so clearly with his Wood Clones, yet these two still messed it up.
(Though, to be fair, Goten and Trunks in Dragon Ball—despite being Super Saiyans—didn't get it right on the first try, either.)
What now appeared before Senshi and Karin was a plump, balloon-like figure. His body was puffed up like he might float away at any second, and in a muffled, deep tone, he spoke: "Sensei, something feels off…"
Senshi was exasperated: "That's putting it mildly. If the fusion had worked properly, the new ninja's strength would surpass the sum of your individual powers. But right now, the fused ninja is weaker than either of you alone."
Karin was laughing so hard she could scarcely straighten up, tears streaming from her mirth.
This fused "Naruto + Sasuke" had straw-like blond hair and a face that looked like a "bloated version of Sasuke."
Hearing Karin's uproarious laughter, he spoke pitifully to Senshi: "Sensei, maybe I should burn a bunch of chakra right now to undo this and try again?"
Senshi sighed. "Let's just wait out the half-hour fusion limit. If you keep blowing your chakra every time you fail, you might not have enough left to practice again."
So they waited. Half an hour later—poof!—the fusion ended, returning Naruto and Sasuke to normal.
Immediately, Naruto complained, "Sensei, Karin-chan is way out of line! She kept making fun of me and Sasuke!"
Karin promptly denied it: "I did not! You're making that up! You're framing me!"
Naruto insisted, "I could see you laughing the whole time!"
Karin cocked her head thoughtfully. "Well, I was laughing because I thought of something happy. Definitely not at you two. Check my 'serious face' (O_O)!!!"
"Pffft!"
This time, it was Senshi who let out a snicker—just recalling the way Naruto and Sasuke had looked made him want to laugh.
Naruto, clueless, asked, "Sensei, did you think of something happy, too?"
Senshi waved it off. "Not important. Focus on practicing. Next time, make sure you two succeed. If you run into an overwhelming enemy—some unstoppable monster you can't beat— you'll be able to use the Metamoran Fusion Dance, merge into a stronger ninja, and have a fighting chance."
Hearing this, Naruto and Sasuke nodded earnestly. After resting briefly, they attempted the fusion again. Having messed up once already, they tried even harder to get all the steps right this time.
Before they began, Sasuke couldn't resist scolding Naruto, "Naru-to, get serious. Stop making little mistakes near the end!"
Naruto promised, "Sasu-ke, no problem. This time I won't screw up!"
But seeing as Naruto said "I definitely won't screw up," Senshi feared that was exactly what was going to happen. Meanwhile, Karin was still all eyes, curious to see how they fared.
Sure enough, now that they had some experience, Naruto and Sasuke performed the Metamoran dance more smoothly. Everything went fine—until the very last moment, when once again their fingertips failed to line up perfectly. This time, it was off by much less, but it was still off.
Naruto was mortified; he'd been straining to stay calm— yet at the final second, a tiny slip.
Boom!
They barely had time to think when another bright light and gust of wind exploded outward. Senshi and Karin peered into the center of that glare, only for Karin to once again collapse in laughter, while Senshi groaned in frustration. Because this time, while the error was smaller, the resulting "Naru-suke" was a skinny, bony twig.
Not even Nagato in his most emaciated state had been this scrawny. Seeing them swaying on spindly legs, Senshi said resignedly, "Let's wait another half hour. At least it's better than the first time— you'll probably get it right on your next attempt."
So the skeletal version of Naru-suke had to sit and wait out another half-hour. When that time elapsed, they split back into Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke muttered wearily, "Naruto, pay attention at that last moment, please. You always slip up there."
Naruto apologized, "Okay, sorry, sorry—next time I'll get it right!"
Senshi just shook his head. "Take a short breather, then try again. This move will be a huge help in a real crisis, so you need to master it ASAP."
Naruto and Sasuke nodded firmly. After a bit of rest, they tried once more. This time, with two prior attempts' worth of lessons, they executed the dance with extra care. Naruto was especially cautious about that final moment. Then Senshi saw their steps align flawlessly at the end— fingertips perfectly matching.
Boom!
A burst of white light brighter than the previous times flared. A fierce shockwave swept across the training field. Both Senshi and Karin sensed it at once: this time Naruto and Sasuke had truly succeeded. They'd become something stronger than the sum of their parts.
When the brilliant glow receded, there stood a ninja with piercing eyes, fierce aura, blond hair, and a cool, handsome face—like a cross between Naruto's coloration and Sasuke's style.
His chakra signature was markedly more powerful than the two had on their own, easily several times greater. Sure, it wouldn't last longer than half an hour (or even less if the fused entity used too much chakra), but for that duration, "Naru-suke" was a force to be reckoned with.
The newly fused boy raised his chin proudly.
"Teacher, my name is Narusuke!"
Standing there in the Uchiha training ground, Senshi regarded the "live-laugh duo" who had finally fused properly, nodding like a satisfied dad.
Naruto and Sasuke were already formidable, each with vast potential— but now they could fuse, bringing out "1 + 1 > 2" even this early.
The stronger they got, the faster they would complete missions. And Senshi, who was counting on raking in massive commission points to unlock the Advanced Draw, couldn't be happier.
After teaching Naruto and Sasuke the Metamoran Fusion Dance, Senshi didn't stay around. "Narusuke," he teased, feigning a look at the time, "I'm taking Karin back home now. Once you defuse, practice another three hundred times! Next time some monster corners you, don't blow it and turn into a balloon or a beanpole."
"Got it!" The newly fused "Narusuke" snapped to attention, golden hair practically crackling with a mix of the Uchiha's signature aloofness and Naruto's sunny vibe.
Smiling, Senshi nodded and transferred speed energy to Karin, preparing to leave. She waved from afar, calling, "Bye-bye, Garu-suke— I mean Narusuke!"
Then she and Senshi turned into two streaks of golden lightning, vanishing from the Uchiha training ground in an instant. Just as before, they traced brilliant golden lines between Konoha and their Wood Villa, finally arriving outside it.
"Senshi, you're practically a god in the shinobi world now!" said Karin, starry-eyed. "You could already mow down the ninja world, but now it's like you can beat ten Pains at once while sipping tea!"
Senshi ruffled her red hair. "No more buttering me up. We've got to get moving back to the village tomorrow, or the folks in Amegakure might start wondering if you turned into an energy wave to sneak off with the Chūnin Exam trophy."
"Okay!" Karin stuck out her tongue but corrected him, "But I'm recognized as the world's No.1 'genin with actual prowess,' I'll have you know."
They passed the night without further incident. At dawn, the caravan set out. By now, Senshi and his group had been away for quite some time.
Although they didn't really worry something bad would happen, the people back in Amegakure were eagerly awaiting their return.
Thanks to Senshi's teaching, Mūsen & co. had overshadowed shinobi from all four Great Nations and countless minor villages in the Chūnin Exam, winning huge prestige for Amegakure.
The entire village was proud of them, and with good reason. Their homecoming would be a "triumphant return."
Sure enough, about five hundred meters from Amegakure's gate, the Anbu at the entrance did a double-take— huge pupil dilation. They didn't show themselves, though; a few Body Flickers carried them to the "Village Chief's" office to report, "Lord Senshi has returned in victory!"
In Amegakure, Konan and a large crowd had long been preparing a grand welcome. As soon as Senshi and the others approached the gate, they saw it packed full of people. Men, women, children, a ton of shinobi— all brimming with excitement.
"Lord Senshi, bear my babies!"
"Karin the Assistant, please notice me— I've been your fan for ten years!"
"Mūsen-senpai, can I get your autograph? Sign my kunai handle, please!"
The scene was livelier than a New Year festival. Many kids stared at Mūsen and the others in admiration, picturing themselves in that future.
"I declare— Mūsen-bro is my new idol!"
"Sure, maybe go pass your ninja school exams first, huh?"
"Starting tomorrow, I'll run ten laps around the village every day. Lord Senshi will see my hard work eventually!"
Compared to these innocent children, the other villagers just felt overwhelmed by emotion.
Thanks to Senshi, Ame had changed dramatically. Who would have dared dream, back then, that Ame shinobi could go to the Chūnin Exams and outdo all the major villages?
Watching Senshi's group coming closer, many folks exclaimed:
"See that? Talk about 'one man's rise lifts the entire village!'"
"Ain't that the truth. If not for Lord Senshi, we'd still be starvin'— now we have more surplus grain than Ame has raindrops!"
"If my kid could join Lord Senshi's group, I'd go donate ten pounds of incense money at the shrine tomorrow!"
Hearing this chorus of compliments, Senshi kept a calm facade… but inside, he was all smiles.
Yes, yes— keep sending me recruits. My garden of fresh "seedlings" depends on them.
He could practically envision the countless employment points fueling his Infinity Gauntlet dreams. One day, with it fully adorned with Stones, he'd stride through the multiverse, smacking down any Ōtsutsuki who dared to appear.
~~~
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