"Is that even human?"
Kiba Inuzuka couldn't help blurting out the question like it was eating away at his soul.
"Not a single one of them is," Shikamaru Nara replied, his mouth twitching.
The fight between Naruto Uzumaki and Yakumo Kurama had spiraled into something way beyond their understanding.
Yakumo's bloodline limit—True Illusion Creation—was turning her paintings into real, physical phenomena.
Lightning, fire, wind—every single painting was absurdly powerful.
And yeah, the damage was very real.
Naruto's shadow clones were dropping like flies—basically one per second.
But he was also creating more just as fast.
"How do they have that much chakra?" Ino Yamanaka muttered, genuinely envious.
A ninja's power comes from two sources: jutsu (and kekkei genkai) and chakra.
And in theory, the more chakra you have, the stronger you are.
"This must be what talent looks like," Shino Aburame commented, suddenly thinking of Torune.
They were the same age, and close friends.
But Torune had a unique gift—nano-scale poisonous bugs inside his body.
In the Aburame clan, your insects defined your talent.
And it was that talent that got Torune noticed by Danzo, which ultimately led him to being forced into Root.
Everyone knew what happened to people who joined Root.
The truth was, Danzo had wanted Shino. Torune had stepped in to take his place.
"…"
Sakura Haruno instinctively glanced at Sasuke.
Even with her massive crush, she wasn't blind—no amount of "I believe in you" could bridge the kind of gap she was seeing now.
Sasuke didn't even look at her.
His Sharingan was already active.
With it, he could read Naruto's movements perfectly.
And yeah, in a one-on-one fight, he was confident he'd win.
But with this many clones and that ridiculous chakra output? Forget it.
That's when Sasuke suddenly realized something terrifying—
Ever since Naruto learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, his power had skyrocketed into something unpredictable.
Sasuke felt like the rug had been yanked out from under him.
The ego boost he'd gotten from awakening his Sharingan? Completely gone now.
"This kind of battle shouldn't be happening at a ninja academy," Shizune said with a frown.
Anyone who walked in would think they were watching the Chūnin Exams, not a first-year monthly test.
"Yakumo still has more paintings, but she'll run out eventually," Kitazawa said after thinking it over. "That's when she'll be forced to use the other half of her bloodline ability."
"And Naruto's only hanging in there because of the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu," Tsunade added, clearly unimpressed. "Once he gets pulled into her genjutsu world, the clones won't mean much."
Kitazawa didn't respond.
Even he couldn't predict how this was going to end.
"Naruto's really strong—but this is the worst kind of matchup for him," Shizune sighed.
Genjutsu was just way too effective against someone like him.
Right then, all the chaotic chakra on the field suddenly stopped.
Yakumo instinctively reached for another painting—only to realize she was out.
That had never happened before.
Back when she fought Neji, she didn't even use a third of her scrolls.
But Naruto kept forcing her hand—his crazy stamina, his endless chakra, and those eyes that never wavered.
Terror Genjutsu.
Yakumo stood still as an invisible, chilling aura pulsed from her body.
In an instant, the whole world flipped—sky, ground, colors, everything.
"What the hell…?"
Naruto suddenly found himself under a glittering star-filled sky, surrounded by surreal scenery.
But behind the beauty, he could feel the danger.
Yakumo casually waved her hand—lightning shot down from the sky.
Naruto's clones were instantly engulfed, their screams echoing in the air.
True Illusion Creation: Life turned paintings into reality.
Terror Genjutsu created a full-blown genjutsu world that Yakumo controlled completely.
Inside it, she could create literally anything she imagined.
But she hadn't mastered the Five Senses Illusion, the technique that makes illusionary damage feel real physically.
Normally, genjutsu only hits your mind—it doesn't hurt your body.
Even Kakashi, under Itachi's Tsukuyomi, only suffered mental damage.
Yakumo's Terror Genjutsu, despite lacking the Five Senses Illusion, was already dangerously close to Tsukuyomi-level.
The damage wouldn't touch Naruto physically—but the mental pain was still brutal.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto's response was simple and to the point.
Twenty more clones appeared around him.
"Dynamic Entry!"
He yelled, and every clone launched into the air with a flying kick.
"Pointless."
Yakumo's body surged forward.
Inside her genjutsu world, she was practically a god. Her normally frail body now moved like a high-speed combat machine.
She dodged every attack with ease.
Then—she waved her hand.
A mass of vines erupted from nowhere.
"Ah!"
Before anyone could react, half of Naruto's clones were grabbed and yanked away.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
"Dynamic Entry!"
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
The remaining clones charged in with more taijutsu—but Yakumo just repeated her move.
More vines exploded from the ground, wiping out even more clones.
Calmly, she raised her hand—summoning a massive meteor that crushed another clone flat.
Inside the genjutsu world, chaos reigned.
Outside, both of them stood perfectly still.
Only one thing changed—Naruto kept creating new clones.
But the second they appeared, they were dragged into Yakumo's genjutsu.
"Naruto's going to burn out soon," Tsunade said, shaking her head.
Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu was already a chakra guzzler. No matter how much he had, it would eventually run out.
"Too bad we can't see what's happening in there," Shizune muttered.
Yakumo had only trapped Naruto and his clones. Anyone else would've been too much chakra to handle.
"She might burn out first, though," Kitazawa said offhandedly.
"Yakumo's Yin Release is so intense, I once thought she might actually create a living being with it," Tsunade recalled. "She's practically a Jinchūriki."
Her eyes suddenly narrowed.
Naruto was a real Jinchūriki.
But at his age, there was no way he could consciously access the Nine-Tails' chakra… right?
Kitazawa quietly thought to himself—canon Yakumo did create a creature named Ido.
Not quite a tailed beast, but still terrifying.
In the end, Naruto's hope might just lie with Kurama.
Time kept ticking.
"What's he doing? Why hasn't he given up?" Tsunade groaned, rubbing her forehead.
Thirty minutes of mental combat like this—how was he still standing?
If he collapsed, how could she ever face Minato or Kushina?
"Giving up isn't in Naruto's vocabulary," Kitazawa said, shaking his head.
"But if he knows he's going to lose, why keep going?" Tsunade snapped, frustration bubbling up.
"It's not about winning—it's about fighting through," Kitazawa said quietly. "And how do you know you'll lose if you don't push to the end?"
Suddenly, the space above the arena cracked—half the sky turned into starlight.
They could finally see into the genjutsu, just a little.
"Is the genjutsu breaking apart?" Tsunade frowned.
"No… Yakumo's body can't handle this intensity anymore," Kitazawa said, noting her pale face.
"…"
Tsunade said nothing, but the realization hit her.
Yakumo had the chakra, yeah—but her physical body was barely stronger than an average person.
And the more Yin energy she used, the more her body paid the price.
"But Naruto's not looking great either," Shizune pointed out.
Tsunade glanced over.
Naruto was trembling. Pale. Absolutely drained.
She let out a breath—thank god it was only a genjutsu battle. If it had involved real blood, her phobia might've kicked in.
"Looks like he's going to lose after all," she said, glancing between the two.
"Give up, Naruto," Yakumo said weakly.
"Youth has everything—except giving up!" Naruto shouted. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"If that's how it is, then I'll fight until you run dry," Yakumo said through clenched teeth.
She didn't know why, but seeing Naruto fight so hard made her not want to surrender either.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
One by one, Naruto's clones vanished.
He couldn't keep them up anymore.
"Come on!"
Naruto's voice stayed firm. "You fight till the last second—that's youth!"
With just a few clones left, he charged again.
"Naruto's definitely going to be something special," Shizune whispered.
She was finally convinced.
That determination, paired with his talent—his future was bright.
"His dream isn't just to be strong," Kitazawa added. "It's to become a Hokage greater than all those before him."
"Only idiots want to be Hokage," Tsunade muttered, her hand tightening into a fist.
She suddenly saw someone else in Naruto's place—a young boy named Nawaki, just as dumb and just as passionate.
"Yeah… he is an idiot," Kitazawa agreed.
As Naruto kept pushing forward, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others fell into silence.
They realized they didn't really know Naruto at all.
If it were any of them, they'd have quit ages ago.
"Am… am I dying?" Naruto collapsed.
Even if it was all mental, the accumulated damage was starting to take a real toll.
He felt weaker now than after Guy-sensei's hell-training.
"Naruto, it's over. You've lost," Yakumo's voice came through, barely a whisper.
"Not that easy." Naruto stood back up, eyes unwavering. "My youth's not over yet!"
"You…"
For the first time in her life, Yakumo thought about giving up.
She'd never felt this exhausted.
Naruto took two steps… then collapsed again.
If this had been a real fight, his physical strength could've carried him.
But genjutsu wasn't about that.
"Why?" Tsunade bit her lip.
"Maybe this is his ninja way," Kitazawa muttered.
Naruto was always that kind of hot-blooded idiot in the original story—but seeing it for real? It hit differently.
And there was something new here too.
Might Guy. The Power of Youth.
That wasn't something canon Naruto had at the start.
Back then, he was scared—of Zabuza, of Orochimaru.
But now, empowered by youth, he skipped the fear entirely.
"…"
Tsunade fell silent.
Then suddenly, her eyes widened.
Naruto stood up again.
Her face twisted into a complicated mess of emotions.
Why were there so many damn idiots in this village?
"Where… am I?"
Naruto, mentally dazed, stumbled from the starry sky into a pitch-black prison.
Suddenly—whoosh!
A massive tail slammed into the bars.
Even blocked, the chakra shockwave blasted through.
"Ow!"
Naruto clutched his head—then realized he was back in the genjutsu world.
CRACK!
The illusion shattered.
Naruto returned to reality.
"Wh-What?!"
Yakumo's eyes flew wide open. Her face turned white, dizziness overwhelming her.
Her genjutsu was broken—and with her body so drained, she nearly collapsed.
"What just happened?" Naruto scratched his head, totally confused.
How had he escaped?
Wait—where did that tail come from?
Kitazawa used Body Flicker to appear beside Yakumo and catch her mid-fall.
He placed a hand on her forehead. Healing chakra glowed soft green.
"Naruto, you okay?"
"I'm good!" Naruto grinned, thumping his chest. "Actually… I feel great!"
"…"
Kitazawa's mouth twitched.
This Uzumaki + Nine-Tails combo was totally cracked.
"K-Kitazawa-sensei…" Yakumo blinked. The healing had helped a lot.
"This sparring match is over," Kitazawa said, standing up. "Naruto wins."
If he had to sum up the fight: two cheat characters, one out-cheated the other. Literal gods throwing hands.
"Yeah," Yakumo nodded. "I admit defeat."
Kitazawa suddenly frowned.
Tsunade and Shizune… had disappeared.
Left in a hurry?
Yeah—she was definitely shaken.
It wasn't as dramatic as canon, but Naruto was still the one stealing the spotlight.
Or maybe… it reminded her too much of Nawaki.
He'd been right to invite her here. Now that her heart was shaken, he could press the advantage—get her to finally treat her fear of blood.
"Take a break. We'll announce the rankings soon."
Kitazawa walked over to Iruka, who was still frozen in place.
Naruto had clearly shaken him too.
Iruka had always held a grudge—his parents were killed by the Nine-Tails.
But now?
Things had changed.
"Iruka, got the rankings?" Kitazawa clapped his shoulder.
"Almost," Iruka snapped out of it, starting to calculate results.
Practical exam scores were easy, but they still had to combine them with theory scores.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto ran over.
"What is it?" Kitazawa asked.
Class 1-A was still buzzing about him, but instead of soaking up the praise, Naruto had come straight to him.
That was unusual.
"Sensei," Naruto said seriously, "I think there's something wrong with my mind."
"Huh? Why?"
"During the fight with Yakumo," Naruto said slowly, "I saw an orange tail. I'm sure it smacked me in the face."
[New Mission: Tell Naruto about the Nine-Tails.]
[Reward: +50% Chakra Cap.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's first reaction: Seriously? This simple a mission gets that big a reward?
Then he thought again.
No… this wasn't going to be simple at all.
~~~
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