After awakening his two-tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Sasuke had basically turned into a monster of raw stats and cracked mechanics. But he ran into someone who outclassed him on both fronts: Kurama Yakumo.
The moment the fight began, Sasuke cast Genjutsu: Unknown Fire with his Sharingan. Yakumo skipped right past "Genjutsu: True Illusion Creation" and went straight to a Nightmare Domain.
An invisible dreamscape unfurled.
Yakumo looked a little surprised—because, just like before, Sasuke was dragged straight into her illusion. He had definitely gotten stronger, but in genjutsu he still hadn't surpassed her.
Time ticked by.
Yakumo dispelled the illusion. Sasuke, face pale, plopped down on the ground. Inside the illusion he'd been forced into an endless series of battles until he was wrung completely dry, and only then was he released.
He stared blankly at Yakumo.
Hadn't he awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan? So why couldn't he beat her? Where did it go wrong?
The thrill of his new Sharingan vanished without a trace. The confident words he'd boasted before the match turned into blades stabbing him now. Shame burned; he wanted to run. He had no idea how his father or brother would look at him after this.
Proud as an Uchiha, he'd just lost twice in a row in the practical exams.
Sasuke shut down. He stood up, said nothing, and walked off the field.
"Winner: Kurama Yakumo," Kitazawa announced.
Front row of the stands.
"Yakumo's bloodline limit is downright scary," Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "At such a young age, her genjutsu is already on par with a genjutsu jōnin."
"She's still got room to grow," Tsunade said offhandedly. She knew Yakumo better than Hiruzen—after all, she was Yakumo's attending medical-nin.
"When she matures, maybe she'll…" Hiruzen paused, not saying "Mangekyō Sharingan" out loud. Plenty of shinobi were within earshot. He didn't fear the Uchiha as a clan, but the Mangekyō was full of unknowns.
Back when he learned Uchiha Shisui's eye technique—Kotoamatsukami—could alter a target's subconscious without a trace, even he couldn't help but harbor doubts. Would Shisui use it on them?
"Tsunade, good thing you came back to the village. Otherwise Konoha would've lost a powerful genjutsu user," Hiruzen said, relieved. There was no doubt that, down the line, Yakumo could reach Mangekyō-level genjutsu.
More importantly, compared to the Uchiha, she was emotionally steadier—and easier to rely on. Add in her ties to Kitazawa and Tsunade, and even if she wouldn't obey every word, she'd be deeply loyal to Konoha.
"Don't credit me," Tsunade shook her head. She'd returned for the psychological-medical program and the funding Konoha was allocating to it.
"It's fine—Kitazawa's credit is your credit," Hiruzen chuckled. "Besides, you're the one who fixed Yakumo's body."
In the shinobi world, teacher-student bonds are a big deal; their honor and shame are shared.
"Say what you mean and quit circling," Tsunade huffed, displeased. She heard the subtext loud and clear—he was nudging her to accept Kitazawa as her student.
"I'm only speaking the truth," Hiruzen said, unfazed.
Not far away—
"No wonder the Kurama clan used to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Uchiha," Uchiha Fugaku murmured. Sasuke had mentioned Yakumo before, but he hadn't paid it much mind. Seeing her now far exceeded his expectations.
"There are pros and cons, though," Uchiha Itachi nodded. "The Kurama bloodline is so strong early that it's hard to awaken in the first place."
"That's why the Uchiha are Konoha's premier shinobi clan," Fugaku said with a faint, proud smile. Unlike the Kurama, the Sharingan can grow step by step all the way to the Mangekyō.
Body and mind keep pace along the way, which makes cases like Yakumo's—spiritual power outstripping the body and causing frailty—much rarer.
"Why are there so many prodigies in Class 1-A?" Uchiha Mikoto's heart ached as she watched the withdrawn Sasuke. With his strength, he ought to be taking first place at the academy without breaking a sweat.
"Because Kitazawa-san teaches well," Itachi thought for a moment and said. "Even Sasuke's been improving at a breakneck pace since meeting him."
"Good," Fugaku said evenly. "Pressure creates drive." He wasn't disappointed by Sasuke's two losses.
They were understandable—and Sasuke had awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan at seven. With a future that bright, what was there to be unhappy about?
"Round three, match three: Aburame Shino versus Inuzuka Kiba," Kitazawa called after Sasuke and Yakumo left the field. The Student Council selection matches weren't over, so he wasn't going to chase after Sasuke yet.
"Kiba, huh?" Shino adjusted his glasses, thinking. His first thought was to use explosive beetles to counter Kiba's shadow clone—no clone, no fusing into the Hellhound.
Even if they did fuse, they'd be fusing with his explosive insects. But on second thought, unnecessary. When a shadow clone explodes and returns to the user, the mental backlash hurts anyway.
"Careful, Shino!" Kiba said, brimming with confidence.
"Let's begin," Shino replied calmly.
"Combine!" Kiba shouted, slamming into his shadow clone. Their chakra merged and, in the smoke, a ferocious two-headed hound appeared.
"Secret Technique: Kikaichū Swarm!" Shino lifted both hands. Countless parasitic insects poured out, clustering in an instant into a dark cloud.
The two-headed hound didn't hesitate—its massive paw came crashing down.
Bang! Half the swarm was squashed or stunned. But the survivors clung to its paw and began crawling up its foreleg. Kiba's scalp prickled. He whipped his foreleg hard, flinging a mass of insects off.
"Secret Technique: Insect Gathering!" Shino formed seals. Every bug nearby answered his call, mixing into the swarm and surging at the hound.
"What a pain!" Kiba gritted his teeth. He couldn't be bothered with these tiny, nimble pests. The hound bounded forward, closing the gap with Shino in a blink. One swipe—claws as sharp as kunai slashed for Shino.
"Secret Technique: Insect Wall!" Shino had expected it. The kikaichū spun into a black shield before him.
Boom!
The wall shuddered twice. The force split it down the middle—but it wasn't a real wall. The instant a gap opened, Shino filled it with more insects.
"Secret Technique: Insect Cocoon!" More kikaichū poured from his body and, under his control, raced up the hound's foreleg.
By the time Kiba reacted, his right foreleg—the hound's right front leg—was completely blanketed in bugs. His heart clenched; just as he tried to shake them off, biting pain flared.
Kiba yelped, eyes wide. The two-headed hound turned into a real dog for a second, thrashing wildly. Plenty of insects were flung off, dazed.
"Secret Technique: Insect Cocoon!"
Shino stood his ground, continuing to feed chakra to the swarm. Kiba had lost the initiative. No matter how the hound struggled, the bugs kept multiplying.
"I forfeit! Get your bugs off me!" Kiba blurted.
At his words, Shino swept his hands and recalled the kikaichū.
"Shino, your bugs are… a nightmare," Kiba said, wiping the cold sweat from his brow after canceling the fusion. He'd wanted to say "disgusting," but they were classmates—no need to be that blunt.
"Your Hellhound is solid. You're just short on finishing options," Shino nodded.
"You're right. I'm asking Kitazawa-sensei for help over winter break," Kiba said, clenching his fist.
"Next term you won't beat me so easily!" He wasn't as laid-back as Nara Shikamaru, but he did love to play around. Naruto's surge in strength had lit a fire under him; if he didn't hurry up and catch up, he'd be treating Naruto to Ichiraku after every monthly exam, and that'd be humiliating.
Shino blinked. Kiba's words reminded him of his kikaichū mutation plan. Maybe he could start over the break…
"Winner: Aburame Shino," Kitazawa announced right on cue.
"Let's go." Kiba slung an arm around Shino, and the two headed off. Kiba was pretty pleased with himself; even though he'd lost, the Hellhound had made a name for him.
"Round three, match four: Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyūga Neji," Kitazawa said, smiling. Neji hadn't triggered a new "mission" in a while.
Kitazawa didn't know whether Naruto could force that growth, but there was no harm in trying.
"I'm fighting Naruto?" Neji couldn't help being surprised. The opponent he wanted most was Sasuke. That careless loss to Sasuke's genjutsu still ate at him. But test after test, their paths hadn't crossed. Even here in round three, still no Sasuke. Naruto would do—he'd just beaten Sasuke, after all.
Neji walked to the center, face grave. He wasn't sure he could beat Naruto. Multiple Shadow Clones and the Rasengan were both serious headaches.
But… there was a chance. If he got in close, Byakugan plus Gentle Fist was unbeatable.
"Who do you think wins?" Yamanaka Ino asked, curious.
"My money's on Naruto," Kiba said, awed. "The Rasengan is the Fourth Hokage's jutsu!"
"Not necessarily. The beauty of Gentle Fist is sealing chakra. Even if Naruto's learned a ton of ninjutsu, he won't be able to use them," Shikamaru said, shaking his head.
"True." Kiba gave up thinking it through and leaned forward, excited. "This one's not gonna be any less exciting than Sasuke's—mmph!"
Before he could finish, Shikamaru clapped a hand over his mouth. Kiba shot him a glare, then understood. Sasuke stood not far away, radiating chill from head to toe—hadn't said a word since leaving the field. No matter how Haruno Sakura tried to talk to him, he ignored her.
"Neji will not lose," Tenten said firmly, cutting off Shino halfway through a sentence. Rock Lee scratched his head, unsure whom to cheer for.
Front row.
"Gentle Fist, huh? That's troublesome," Hiruzen murmured, frowning slightly. He wanted Naruto to win and couldn't help putting himself in the kid's shoes.
"Wouldn't be surprised if Kitazawa gave him a counter," Tsunade said, watching Naruto with interest.
"Mhm." Hiruzen nodded and fell silent, turning his eyes to the match.
"I'm coming, Neji!" Naruto formed a seal. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In a flash, thirty clones popped into being.
Neji slid into his Gentle Fist stance. At once, the thirty clones scattered, splitting into three squads. Neji's pupils tightened—bad sign. He hadn't expected Naruto to open with clones and a kunai barrage.
Whoosh, whoosh—the first squad threw twenty kunai. Neji dodged left without hesitation. The instant he landed, the second squad's kunai were already on him. His hands blurred, batting the blades aside. The moment it worked, he leapt back. The third squad's volley fell short.
Neji drew a steadying breath and burst forward, sprinting straight for Naruto. He didn't know the Shadow Clone Technique and couldn't crack the "three side" assault like Sasuke had, but he had Byakugan and Gentle Fist. The Byakugan gave him all-around vision; Gentle Fist could smack kunai out of the air.
He barreled through the storm of steel, closing on Naruto fast.
"Nice!" Naruto grinned and met him head-on. "Leaf Whirlwind!"
Neji's eyes narrowed. He liked this kind of bull-headed style—it played right into his hands—but he stayed cautious. In the fight with Sasuke, Naruto had shown flashes of real fight IQ.
Neji's palms shot out together and struck Naruto's right leg. The blow wobbled him—Naruto was stronger than expected.
But… it didn't matter. In that instant Neji sealed two tenketsu in Naruto's right leg. Numbness shot through Naruto's calf. He instinctively pulled the leg back; with chakra flow disrupted, he stumbled.
Neji moved to press the advantage, when a rush of air hissed behind him.
"Dynamic Entry!" a Naruto clone cried, leaping in for a kick. Neji whirled and slapped him away.
"Leaf Double Whirlwind!" Two more clones came from left and right.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji muttered "Troublesome," and his hands snapped out—six quick strikes. The three clones went flying.
He barely had time to breathe before more clones swarmed him. Forced to weave between counters and dodges, his bare-handed strikes carried that untouchable Gentle Fist aura. Naruto's clones usually crumpled after two or three hits.
But trying to outlast Naruto in chakra was unwise. Neji swept the field with his Byakugan, hunting the real body. The Byakugan couldn't see through Shadow Clones, but he found the target quickly anyway—Naruto's movements were a hair stiffer after Neji had sealed two points earlier.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" The moment Neji locked on, he sprinted in and unleashed twelve strikes in one breath. Naruto reeled and hit the dirt.
But the horde of clones ruined the opening he'd worked so hard to create. Neji didn't panic. Naruto's tenketsu were sealed; he couldn't make more clones. He just needed one more clean approach. Victory would be his.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto's voice rang out behind him. Neji's head snapped around—Naruto was charging with a whirling sphere in his hand.
What—? Duped? That wasn't the real one just now?
A dozen thoughts flashed through Neji's mind. Too late for Sixty-Four Palms; he could only dodge left. Two clones stepped in and body-blocked him, stealing the split second he needed.
The Rasengan was about to land. Neji froze.
Kitazawa flickered in front of him and gave him a casual shove, bumping him out of the blast path. The Rasengan slammed into the ground and gouged another deep crater.
Neji came to, fists clenching. Was that really Naruto? A loss was a loss; there was no talking his way out of it. Bitterness burned. He'd once relied on talent and hard work and looked down on everyone, earning the title of "genius." Now he was losing to geniuses one after another. The drop was too steep to swallow.
"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto," Kitazawa said, casting Neji a glance. Judging by his expression, the bout had done its job. In truth, Kitazawa had only told Naruto one thing: the Byakugan can't see through Shadow Clones. That was enough for Naruto's little brain to spin up a dozen ideas.
Front row.
"Atta boy, Naruto!" Hiruzen beamed. For the first time, Naruto was showing a bit of Namikaze Minato's flair.
~~~
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