Naruto suddenly thought of Kakashi's biggest weakness. If Kakashi's Chakra reached his level, his combat ability would definitely increase rapidly.
Unlike now, where he had to be so meticulous. But Kakashi was still incredibly strong, able to achieve his fame as the Copy Ninja in the ninja world, even with a lack of Chakra.
Look at this.
Facing so many Shadow Clone attacks, Kakashi only fought for a short while before easily using the Substitution Technique to hide on a large tree, under the lock-on of the Shadow Clones.
"As expected of Kakashi."
Naruto sat on the stone tablet, discovered this through sensing, and got up to head towards the area where Kakashi was.
Near the cave.
On a certain large tree.
Watching the chaos below created by the Shadow Clones, Kakashi decided to sit back and enjoy the show, observing their frantic search.
He even leisurely pulled out Make Out Paradise, ready to read, but halfway through, he remembered the "kidney deficiency" explanation and put it away in frustration.
"Naruto's Shadow Clones are really something. That amount of Chakra is truly enviable, but you're still lacking against me. Combat isn't just about Chakra quantity."
Kakashi murmured to himself. He had been fighting the Shadow Clones for five minutes and hadn't found Naruto's main body, so he planned to wait for the clones to dissipate.
After all, at Naruto's age, maintaining so many Shadow Clones couldn't last long.
During this time, he just needed to hide and wait, as those clones definitely wouldn't be able to find him.
That was also the reason he was sitting on a large tree, leisurely preparing to watch the show.
But then...
He'd only been watching for a moment when something unexpected happened.
"He's there!"
A shout came from within the Shadow Clones. Immediately, all the Shadow Clones turned their attention to Kakashi's location. Kakashi was stunned by this unexpected turn of events.
How could this be? I was hiding so well.
Confused, Kakashi didn't want to waste Chakra dealing with the Shadow Clones. With a poof, he vanished again.
"This is a good place to hide."
In the dark cave, Kakashi waited in a corner, planning to wait for Naruto to dispel the Shadow Clones before going out to deal with him.
"In the cave."
"Charge!"
Thump, thump, thump!
A large group of Shadow Clones charged into the cave, and without a word, they swung their fists at Kakashi's head, showing no restraint.
"Damn it, what's going on? How did they find me?"
Kakashi's expression was solemn. He knew there was no point in hiding any longer, so he prepared to fight.
"I can't waste Chakra, but Taijutsu is enough to deal with these weak Shadow Clones."
Kakashi twisted his head and fiercely attacked the numerous Shadow Clones.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
White mist filled the air, and Kakashi's figure flashed like a streak of light.
The formidable strength was on full display at this moment, and under his attacks, the Shadow Clones were rapidly dissipating.
However, as the battle progressed, he discovered that the Shadow Clones' combat skills weren't as weak as he had imagined.
On the contrary, the Shadow Clones' fighting techniques were quite decent, with many aspects that were commendable.
Sometimes, he was even slightly surprised by the combat skills the Shadow Clones occasionally used.
It seems Naruto has put in a lot of effort into Taijutsu. There are some redeeming qualities, but it's still not enough for me.
Kakashi analyzed silently while fighting, simultaneously searching for Naruto's hidden main body.
[Experience Points +2] [Experience Points +2]
At the outermost edge of the countless Shadow Clones, Naruto quietly listened to the increase in experience points, simultaneously absorbing the combat knowledge fed back by the clones.
So many Shadow Clones fighting meant a fresh dose of combat experience with each return. Even if the Shadow Clones' battles were short, every little bit helped.
Moreover, the sheer number of Shadow Clones meant that the combined knowledge they provided was incredibly valuable.
This feeling of accomplishment is great. Experience points, combat techniques – all are excellent gains. In that case, let's do another round. I have plenty of Chakra, anyway.
Naruto felt the vast Chakra within him and raised his hands to form hand seals again.
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A dense swarm of Shadow Clones reappeared, charging towards Kakashi with even greater combat prowess.
Kakashi was still fighting, utilizing his formidable fighting skills to eliminate many Shadow Clones. However, as time passed, he found these Shadow Clones becoming increasingly difficult to handle.
It hadn't been difficult to deal with them before, but after a while, these Shadow Clones had become significantly stronger. Kakashi was incredibly frustrated.
"Looks like I need to use ninjutsu."
Kakashi's figure flashed as he appeared above the cave entrance, his hands swiftly forming seals.
"Water Style: Water Wave!"
A torrent of water, like a waterfall, surged towards the Shadow Clones, instantly engulfing a large area.
Naruto, amidst the crowd of Shadow Clones, had a glint in his eyes. He had been waiting for this moment. If he acted now, then…
"Hmm?"
Naruto suddenly turned his head, looking towards the distance. He sensed unknown individuals approaching; for some reason, they were heading this way.
"Forget it, next time." Naruto didn't continue his actions and turned to walk towards home.
Swish, swish, swish!
Naruto's figure moved rapidly. As he passed the survival exercise site, he saw Sasuke and Sakura waking up from their unconsciousness.
"Naruto, where were you? Sasuke fought with Kakashi-sensei just now. He actually held his own for more than ten seconds before losing. It was so cool! And I… I was defeated by Kakashi-sensei instantly."
Sakura said, looking at Sasuke with a doting gaze.
"Not bad, Sasuke, you've improved," Naruto teased.
[Experience +1]
"Naruto, don't call me Sasuke," Sasuke glared at Naruto with displeasure.
"That's right, Naruto. Sasuke performed very well, much better than the two of us. You can't say that," Sakura chimed in.
"Ten seconds is impressive?" Naruto thought of his Shadow Clones still fighting Kakashi, and spoke with a strange tone.
"Of course, Teacher is a powerful Jonin. Not many Genin can last more than ten seconds against him," Sakura explained proudly.
"Whatever. I'm going home," Naruto shrugged and lazily walked towards his house.
[Experience +1]
"Wait! We haven't finished the training exercise yet!" Sakura called out urgently.
"Don't worry. I'll pass Kakashi," Naruto waved his hand and left without looking back.
Only the puzzled Sasuke and Sakura remained. They couldn't understand why Naruto was leaving.
"Could Naruto have given up? He didn't fight earlier. Is he afraid of Kakashi?" Sakura asked.
"Probably not. He's really strong," Sasuke thought of the arm-wrestling incident.
"What's the use of having strength if you can't fight?"
"Well... let's just wait for the teacher to come back."
"Okay."
Sasuke and Sakura waited quietly. After a few minutes, a somewhat disheveled figure rushed over.
Whoosh!
Kakashi appeared in front of Sasuke and Sakura, his clothes covered in dust, and looked around.
"Sensei, why are you covered in dust? Did something happen?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"It's nothing, just got a little dusty."
Kakashi explained, somewhat annoyed, and then said, "By the way, have you seen Naruto?"
"Naruto? He went home, probably thinking he's too weak and gave up," Sakura said.
"Gave up because he's weak? Impossible. That kid's strong. He fought me for ten minutes using Shadow Clones," Kakashi said, dejected.
"Ten minutes? Naruto's Shadow Clones fought you for ten minutes? That's impossible," Sasuke said, disbelieving.
"Why wouldn't it be possible? His Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is incredibly powerful. The whole mountain was covered in his Shadow Clones. Couldn't even find his real body," Kakashi exhaled a breath.
"Shadow Clones all over the mountain, this..."
Sasuke felt a pang in his heart. He, the top student, the strongest, could only last a few seconds, while Naruto lasted ten minutes. The gap was too wide.
Earlier, when he heard Sakura praising him, he felt pleased, but now it felt incredibly ironic, even stinging.
There was no way around it. The ten-minute statement was too demoralizing.
....
Fully Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Patreon.com/AniFic