Naruto wiped his mouth and stretched his arms.
"I ate too much," he said. "Now I gotta burn it off."
"You blaming the dumplings, kid?" Anko smirked.
"Yeah! You ate half before I even picked up my chopsticks!" Naruto said as he pointed at her.
"Then prove you're faster, ramen-boy. Let's take it outside!" Anko stood up with a wild grin.
Everyone looked up.
"Oh boy," Kakashi said with a lazy smile.
"Do it," Sasuke said, looking amused.
"Go Naruto!" Sakura shouted.
Outside, Naruto and Anko stood ten feet apart in the training yard.
"No holding back?" Naruto asked.
"No whining when you lose," Anko replied, cracking her knuckles.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto grinned.
Five Naruto rushed Anko from every side.
"Oh?" Anko said as she dodged the first two and swept the legs of another. One clone puffed away.
She flipped backward and threw a smoke bomb. Naruto coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. "Cheap trick!"
"You're wide open!" From behind, Anko tackled him.
Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Gotcha!" came his voice above her.
He dropped down with a Rasengan but stopped just short, laughing. "Scared ya!"
"Brat!" Anko yelled and threw a kunai at his feet. It exploded and knocked him into a tree.
"Ow…" he muttered, upside down in the branches.
Anko's snakes slithered up and tied him in place.
"That's cheating!" he shouted.
"That's enough. Call it a draw before someone loses a limb." Kakashi stopped the fight and looked at Naruto with satisfaction. Naruto at this period is stronger than after the chunin exams in the original plot. Though Sasuke has surpassed him a lot because of me.
"You're just scared I'd win," Naruto said as Anko helped him down.
"Sure, kid. Sure." Anko ruffled his hair.
After that Naruto set his sights on the indifferent Sasuke not far away.
"Come on, Sasuke! Let's spar! Bet I can beat you this time!"
"You're still reckless," Sasuke said as he stood calm in the training yard.
"You're scared, huh?" Naruto pointed at him with a provocative expression on his face.
"Fine. Don't cry after." Sasuke sighed.
Naruto charged first, three shadow clones flanking him. "Let's go!"
The clones jumped at Sasuke from all sides. Sasuke didn't even blink. With a twist of his foot, he ducked under one and punched the second in the stomach. Both popped.
"Too slow," Sasuke said and kicked Naruto straight back.
"That was just a warm-up!" Naruto flipped in the air and landed.
He charged again and threw two kunai. Sasuke dodged them easily, slid forward, and hit Naruto with a clean uppercut. Naruto stumbled back.
"Chidori." Sasuke's hand sparked with lightning.
Naruto's eyes widened. He formed a Rasengan fast. "Take this!"
Their jutsu clashed in the middle, but Sasuke's Chidori cut straight through Naruto's Rasengan. Naruto jumped back just in time, panting.
Sasuke stepped forward, calm and focused. "I already mastered Vanishing Rasengan too. You're behind, Naruto."
Naruto gritted his teeth. "I'll catch up!"
He made more clones and surrounded Sasuke. "Let's go!"
One clone leaped with a Rasengan, another with a punch.
Sasuke closed his eyes. Then in a flash, lightning sparked from his body.
He spun with lightning around him, using Chidori. Every clone popped. Naruto barely blocked in time but got thrown into the dirt.
"Still want more?" Sasuke asked, walking slowly.
Naruto stood up, dirty and breathing hard. "You're fast… but I'm not done!"
He charged again, trying to fake left and hit with a right Rasengan.
Sasuke saw through it. He caught Naruto's wrist, spun him around, and knocked him to the ground hard.
"Ow…" Naruto groaned.
"I win."Sasuke stood over him.
Naruto lay flat, arms spread out.
"Okay, okay… You win…" Naruto said very reluctantly.
"Get up, dobe." Sasuke offered a hand.
Naruto looked up, surprised, then smiled and grabbed it.
"Next time," Naruto said.
"You say that every time," Sasuke smirked.
"All three of you, come at me," Kakashi suddenly said.
"Let's do this."Sasuke cracked his knuckles.
"I won't hold back."Sakura stepped forward too.
"Good. Show me what you've got." Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
Naruto rushed first with a Rasengan. "Let's go!"
Sasuke dashed beside him with lightning in his hand. "Don't get in my way."
Sakura stayed back, forming hand signs. Water bullets shot toward Kakashi.
Kakashi disappeared.
Naruto hit only the air. "Huh?! Where'd he go?"
Suddenly, Kakashi appeared behind Sakura. "Too slow."
Before his hand touched her, Sasuke spun and threw three shuriken with lightning chakra. Kakashi vanished again, dodging them with ease.
From the trees, Naruto created five shadow clones. "Let's go, guys!"
They all charged. Kakashi watched calmly, dodging, blocking, and knocking each one down without effort.
Sakura used Kurenai's illusion jutsu, trapping the image of Kakashi in a swirl of falling feathers. It almost hit—but Kakashi saw through it and appeared beside her again, tapping her forehead.
"Nice try," he said.
Sasuke threw a Vanishing Rasengan. Kakashi saw the air shift and jumped high. "You're getting better, Sasuke."
"Still not good enough." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
Naruto jumped with another Rasengan, shouting. Kakashi caught his wrist and flipped him over his shoulder.
"Ow…" Naruto groaned on the ground.
"That's enough," Kakashi said as he dusted off his gloves.
The three groaned and sat up. Kakashi smiled.
"You've all improved. Sasuke, your chakra control is sharp. Naruto, your power and unpredictability are good. Sakura, your jutsu and awareness are impressive."
"But we still couldn't touch you." Sasuke looked down.
"I've trained for years longer. And I've absorbed a bit of Nine-Tails chakra earlier and I became more stronger. But you're on the right path." Kakashi said.
He looked at all three.
"Next time, try harder."
"We will." Naruto grinned.
"Definitely." Sakura smiled.
Sasuke just nodded, fire in his eyes.