"You've already done great—losing isn't the end of the world."
Yamanaka Ino patted Tayuya's shoulder.
"Just fight your fight. None of us can beat him anyway, so don't stress," Haruno Sakura said breezily.
"Making it to the third round already proves yourself," Tenten added, pumping a tiny fist.
"Naruto will definitely go easy," Akimichi Chōji grinned.
Tayuya often snacked with them, so they got along well.
"…"
Tayuya tugged at the corner of her mouth. Not comforting at all.
She knew she couldn't beat Uzumaki Naruto, but the whiplash still stung someone as proud as her. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the field.
Across from her stood Naruto in a green jumpsuit. Without hesitation she bit her thumb and slammed her hand to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Three massive wrathful Doki erupted into being in front of her.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto flashed through seals—smoke cleared, and over a hundred clones lined up beside him.
Tayuya's fingers tightened on her bamboo flute. Watching from the sidelines had been awe-inspiring; facing the wall of clones herself, that awe curdled into pressure.
"Demonic Flute: Illusionary Warriors Manipulating Melody!"
She raised the flute; the three Doki lunged forward at full tilt.
The sea of clones charged to meet them.
Boom!
On the left, an Doki brought its huge wooden club down.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Six or seven clones vanished at once.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
"Dynamic Entry!"
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Unflinching, the nearby clones dove at the Doki's legs and hammered away. With that many strikes focused on its feet, the giant's size turned into a liability. It staggered and crashed to the ground before it could lift its club for a second swing.
"Samehada!"
Naruto shouted. The greatsword leapt up and smashed onto the fallen Doki's head, leaving it reeling. Samehada opened its maw and bit down.
The other two Doki met the same fate—toppled by the clones' "break-the-combo" tactic and then swarmed with kicks and punches.
Tayuya stared, dumbfounded.
This was a first. Everyone else either dodged her three Doki or used ninjutsu against them. Aburame Shino had shown a third path—answer summons with a bigger summon. Naruto had just invented a fourth.
"Savage…" Kiba muttered. Every time he watched Naruto's Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, he discovered something new.
"That's the power of numbers," Shino observed.
"More like a one-man army," Shikamaru said enviously. "With chakra to burn, you can do whatever you want."
Sasuke's mouth twitched. The Uchiha had plenty of chakra—top-tier among ninja thanks to the all-round boost from awakening the Sharingan—but compared to Naruto? Still not enough.
"It's over. Those three Doki won't hold out; once they're seriously hurt they'll unsummon themselves and Tayuya will concede," Tenten said, watching. Summoned beasts had their own smarts—they didn't fight to the death. With a partner contract, not a slave bond, they'd bail when needed. Snakes from Ryūchi Cave were the best example. Of course, a ninja could still be heartless—Sasuke once used Manda to block Deidara's self-destruction, costing Manda his life.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
All three Doki vanished.
Naruto and his clones instinctively looked to Tayuya.
"I… I surrender!" she yelped, terrified that if she hesitated a second she'd be mobbed by a horde of green-jumpsuit weirdos.
"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto," Kitazawa said with a nod.
With that, both of his system tasks were basically done; once the practical wrapped up, he could collect the rewards.
"Round three, match three: Tenten versus Hyūga Neji," Kitazawa called after Tayuya and Naruto cleared the field.
"Huh? Neji?" Tenten groaned.
"It's just a spar," Neji replied evenly.
"Right." Tenten steadied herself and walked to the center. She couldn't beat Neji—but she wasn't going to forfeit, either.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke, and two more Tenten appeared.
The Byakugan couldn't tell clone from original; shadow clones were physical bodies with their own independent chakra systems, and looked identical to the Byakugan.
Smart move—pity she hadn't learned Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu yet; with that, she might even have pulled it off.
"Manipulated Tools: Heavenly Chain Disaster!"
The left Tenten unrolled a summoning scroll and hurled a stream of tools.
Neji opened his Byakugan, slipped through the storm with nimble footwork, and sprinted for her.
"Manipulated Tools: Binding Meteor!"
The right Tenten slapped a palm onto her scroll. A chain shot out, angling to snare Neji.
Neji's answer was simple—one palm strike knocked the chain off-course. A stride later he was in front of the left Tenten.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
On the eighth strike, that Tenten burst into smoke.
A sharp whoosh.
"Manipulated Tools: Heavenly Chain Disaster!"
The last Tenten finished her summoning: a giant scroll unfurled, and a rain of ninja tools poured down like a storm.
Neji snapped around and continued his Thirty-Two Palms—slapping projectiles aside. Spotting an opening, he faced her and struck.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
The invisible blast nailed her. She raised the huge scroll to block, but still went flying.
"The real one," Neji confirmed, darted in, and tapped a flurry of strikes. The other Tenten moved to help, but it was too late.
"I surrender," Tenten said.
Neji released her sealed tenketsu and helped her up.
"Thanks," she smiled.
She dispelled the remaining clone and left the field with Neji.
Round three continued. The third round had about the same number of matches as the second—just two fewer people. Eighteen had advanced to round two; sixteen to round three. Same pool of students, just a reshuffled order.
Time slid by. The eighth and final bout arrived, and Kurama Yakumo easily defeated Inuzuka Hana.
"Round three ends here," Kitazawa announced. "Take ten minutes. When time's up, I'll post the rankings and the teams."
The monthly exam wasn't over—there was still the mission segment. Final rankings would combine theory, the sparring, and mission results. The change was because Kimimaro and company had joined; next month's exam wouldn't be so complicated.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Uchiha Sasuke stood. "I want to challenge Naruto."
"I accept, Sasuke!" Naruto lit up. "At last—another youthful duel!"
"This won't be like last time. The win will be mine," Sasuke said, brimming with confidence. After beating Kimimaro with Chidori Senbon and Chidori Current, he felt inflated—he now had answers for Naruto at both range and close quarters.
"Alright," Kitazawa nodded. "Clear the field and make space."
"Who wins this time?" Ino mused. "Hard to say—they've both improved."
"Sasuke-kun, obviously!" Sakura didn't hesitate. She'd worried about jinxing him before, but after his win over Kimimaro she tossed that concern aside.
"I'm with Naruto!" Kiba said. "He's got too much chakra. The longer it goes, the more it's his game."
"Same," Tayuya added. Her bout with Naruto had left a deep psychological shadow. Compared to him, Sasuke felt less oppressive.
"Judging from their many fights, Naruto has the edge," Shino analyzed.
"Speculation till they clash," Tenten shook her head. "Let's just watch."
"Sasuke really is an Uchiha," Hiruzen chuckled as the two took their places.
Kakashi thought of his dead teammate, Uchiha Obito—very similar in some ways: lose, stand up, fight again, never quit.
"In the Advanced Class, only Sasuke has a real shot at beating Naruto," Maruboshi Kosuke said. "For them, that's a blessing—to have a rival who matches you."
"That's the power of bonds," Hiruzen said, satisfied. When Naruto became the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, he'd worried about the boy fitting in. With Kitazawa and the class, that problem had melted away.
"Naruto, skip the warm-up. Go all out," Sasuke said calmly, gripping the Sword of the Thunder God.
"As expected of my lifelong rival!" Naruto yelled, "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Hundreds of clones formed two ranks.
Sasuke moved first.
Body Flicker!
Chakra burst from his legs and he blitzed into the ranks. He poured Lightning chakra into the Sword of the Thunder God—the sword shuddered and lightning flared, radiating in all directions.
Nearby clones were drenched in lightning and seized up.
Pop, pop, pop!
Some couldn't endure and burst into smoke. Clones who'd been about to use Wind Style: Gale Palm and Wind Style: Vacuum Shuriken stumbled, formation wrecked by the shock.
Naruto's pupils tightened. He snatched up Samehada, leapt, and brought it down.
Sasuke hopped back.
Boom—Samehada smashed the ground—cracks spidered, rocks flew.
"Leaf-Style: Willow!"
Sasuke rolled his wrist and thrust for Naruto. The genjutsu component landed first—Naruto froze for a heartbeat before Kurama flicked a tail and snapped him out of it. One instant was enough—the Sword of the Thunder God came in from Naruto's blind spot like a thunderbolt.
At the last split second, Samehada's jaws snapped toward Sasuke's arm. If he didn't pull back, he'd be bitten—and drained. Trading blows there would be a huge loss.
Sasuke didn't withdraw—he simply changed the angle in a flash, slipping past Samehada and stabbing at Naruto's thigh.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!"
Almost on instinct, Naruto kicked the Sword of the Thunder God. Blue chakra wrapped his leg—stronger, faster. The impact dragged the sword down and robbed Sasuke of his opening.
Sasuke retreated without hesitation and flicked three kunai. Naruto, moving to chase, had to swat them aside with Samehada.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
The clones, finally recovered from the lightning, regrouped. A gale bloomed from nothing, gathered into a wave, and rolled toward Sasuke.
Naruto halted as well—he couldn't ignore his clones' jutsu.
"Lightning Style: Chidori Senbon!"
Lightning bloomed in Sasuke's left hand. He snapped it wide and filled the air with needles. Like arrowfeathers, they fell and wiped out half the clone line.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto split off fifty more.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Shuriken!"
All fifty hurled shuriken.
Sasuke's face tightened; he Body-Flickered, but there were too many and they were too fast. Fortunately his two-tomoe Sharingan earned its keep—he caught the trajectories and—
"Leaf-ryū Kenjutsu!"
With the Sword of the Thunder God he beat every shuriken off his line.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto suddenly appeared behind him, air rippling around him from Wind Style: Gale Palm's speed boost. Sasuke spun and blocked with the Sword of the Thunder God—but the torque ripped the sword from his grip. He slipped left as Naruto, losing the clash, pitched forward and slammed the Rasengan into the ground.
Birdsong shrieked.
"Chidori!"
Sasuke lunged and pierced Naruto through the waist.
Poof!
A clone.
As expected—if that had been the real Naruto, Kitazawa would have stopped him from using Chidori.
Wind roared. Sasuke turned—two fresh ranks of clones. Gale Palm into Vacuum Shuriken—exactly what Kimimaro had eaten earlier.
"Chidori Senbon!"
Sasuke flooded the air with lightning needles, then went full speed, snatched up the Sword of the Thunder God, and dove into the storm.
Clones packed too tight; the needles tore through them and the wind wall faltered. He shouldered past the remaining Vacuum Shuriken with the Sword of the Thunder God and burst among the clones. Lightning chakra surged into the blade—light flared out, and most of the clones seized up, unable to move.
"Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!"
Naruto seized the moment and kicked—not at Sasuke, but at the Sword of the Thunder God. Sasuke's arm went numb and the sword went flying. Momentum carried Naruto forward.
Chance!
"Chidori!"
Sasuke drove in and struck—only to hit Samehada instead of Naruto. His face changed.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto spun, a chakra sphere forming—smaller than usual. After their last head-to-head, Kitazawa had warned him: Rasengan hit harder than Chidori.
"Not that easy!"
Sasuke raised his left hand—lightning flared—a second Chidori. The two jutsu smashed together. Sasuke grunted; his left hand burned like twisted wire.
Not over yet—his right-hand Chidori jolted and burst outward, spreading into Chidori Current. Lightning engulfed Naruto—
—but Samehada's jaws clamped onto Sasuke. Naruto was blasted back, but his body was sturdy—he bounced to his feet quickly. Sasuke, on the other hand, had most of his chakra sucked out by Samehada and collapsed on the spot.
~~~
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