"At the same time," Tsunade said, her gaze shifting toward Naruto and Sakura, "I've arranged a special opponent for your evaluation."
Her fingers tapped idly on the desk, lips curling faintly. "To make this possible, I've had to pull him off active missions for several days."
Naruto didn't need to ask. He already knew who she meant. After all, he'd seen this scene before—at least, the version of it from the original timeline.
Still, he said nothing. There was no need to play his hand early.
Sakura, standing beside him, blinked in surprise. She hadn't been informed. "Special opponent?" she echoed, curiosity piqued.
The door creaked open.
Two familiar figures stepped into the office. One wore the standard Konoha flak vest with a slouched posture, hands stuffed in his pockets. The other bore a Sunagakure insignia and a fan strapped to her back.
"Naruto, you're finally back," Shikamaru greeted lazily, though a genuine smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. "You've changed a lot."
Temari followed behind, arms crossed, assessing him with a scrutinizing stare. "So this is that loudmouth kid from before?" she said bluntly. "Huh. You've changed so much, I barely recognized you."
Naruto let out a light chuckle. "Heh. Thanks, I guess."
Temari raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.
The chatter in the room faded as Tsunade stood and gestured toward the window. "Your opponent is already waiting outside."
Naruto stepped forward, glancing through the open window.
In the courtyard below, a silver-haired shinobi crouched calmly in the shade of a tree, his face buried in the familiar orange cover of Icha Icha Tactics.
Kakashi Hatake.
As if sensing their gaze, Kakashi looked up and snapped the book shut. "Yo. Long time no see, Naruto. You've grown."
Naruto smiled. "You too, Kakashi-sensei."
The others exchanged small talk for a few more minutes. Temari, it turned out, was in the village to assist with preparations for the upcoming Chūnin Exams. Shikamaru, now a full-fledged Chūnin, had been assigned to guide the Suna delegation.
After a quick lunch, Tsunade and Jiraiya led the small group to one of the training fields on the outskirts of the village. The familiar clearing brought back memories of Team 7's first real mission. The air was thick with nostalgia—and something else.
Expectation.
Tsunade and Jiraiya stood at the edge of the field, arms crossed, watching intently.
"So," Tsunade muttered, "just how strong is Naruto now?"
Jiraiya gave her a sidelong grin. "Just watch. I won't spoil the surprise."
He kept it vague, but inside, Jiraiya still hadn't fully wrapped his head around Naruto's progress. The boy had achieved perfect Sage Mode—something Jiraiya himself had never managed. And that wasn't even factoring in the Nine-Tails.
But the question was—would Naruto show it?
Across the field, Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate(forehead), revealing the three-tomoe Sharingan in his left eye. He wasn't holding back. Not this time.
He'd watched the two silently from the Hokage's office and had seen it with his eye: they weren't kids anymore.
"You've both come a long way," Kakashi said, walking forward. "But don't expect me to go easy on you."
He looked at Naruto. "Ready?"
Naruto gave a cool nod. "Let's see if we can finally take that bell from you."
No reckless charges, no shouting. Just quiet focus.
Kakashi's brow lifted slightly, pleased. He's matured.
Sakura stepped forward beside Naruto and glanced at him. "Want me to go first?"
Naruto folded his arms. "Be my guest."
Sakura blinked. He's so calm now...
Kakashi tensed as she crouched into her stance. "Kakashi-sensei," she warned, "I'm coming."
He raised a brow. "Since when did I need a warning from my students?"
Sakura leapt into the air and came down fast, her right fist pulled back and glowing with chakra.
Kakashi moved.
A blur of motion—and then—
Boom!
Her fist struck the ground, shattering the earth beneath her. Cracks spiderwebbed across the training field as dust and debris exploded outward. The shockwave knocked several loose stones into the treeline.
Kakashi landed several meters back, stunned. "What the—?"
He glanced at the crater, eyes wide. What kind of monster strength…?
No wonder she warned him. If he'd taken that head-on, he'd be eating hospital food for a month.
"Well," he muttered, "that explains why Tsunade's been bragging about her apprentice."
Naruto gave a slow clap from the sidelines. "Not bad, Sakura."
She shot him a look. "Don't just stand there and watch!"
Kakashi took a slow breath, settling into a combat stance. "I see I can't hold back…"
His eye flicked between them. "Now then, Naruto… show me what you've got."
Naruto stepped forward, his expression unreadable.
The air shifted.
From the edge of the field, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes.
Here we go.
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A/N: Can you all please tell me if you want more Japanese words or English words? Like For Jutsu, Things, And Some Other Stuff.