Sasuke remained where he was.
Two meters ahead, the ground bore the familiar dog-faced relief of an earth wall. He studied it for a breath, then drew his blade and drove it straight down.
The soil burst into white smoke.
A shadow clone dispersed.
"So you noticed," Kakashi said, appearing beside him with a light clap. "As expected of you, Sasuke."
He had planned to drag Sasuke underground with a sudden earth technique. The trap had lasted less than a second.
Sasuke's mouth twitched.If not for the carving, it wouldn't have been that obvious.
"Sensei," he said evenly, "you only sent shadow clones after them?"
"If I'm testing them," Kakashi replied, smiling, "that should be enough."
The words had barely settled when Kakashi's expression shifted.
One of his clones vanished.
Minutes earlier.
Naruto stood in a forest clearing, facing Kakashi's shadow clone. Leaves stirred. The air felt heavy.
"Your teammates are finished," the clone said calmly. "You're alone now."
Naruto snorted. "Don't try that. They're not losing that easily."
"You trust them," Kakashi said. "Good. So tell me. Your specialty is taijutsu, right? Steel Fist? Uchiha-style? Don't tell me it's Gentle Fist."
Naruto grinned, hands on his hips. "A shinobi protects their intel. You think I'd explain myself?"
He stamped the ground.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
The kick tore forward in a blur. Kakashi dodged, but the impact behind him exploded through a tree, shredding wood into fragments.
Fast. And heavy.
Before Kakashi could counter, Naruto planted a hand and spun again.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Kakashi blocked. The force rattled his frame, chakra destabilizing. The shadow clone wavered.
So this is his power.
He retreated instantly, leaping back through the trees.
Naruto followed, relentless.
Another punch cut the air. The shockwave alone rippled the leaves.
Kakashi vanished in a flash of lightning chakra.
I can't trade blows with him like this, Kakashi decided. Not as a clone.
He searched for an opening.
Naruto frowned. "Running already?"
His hands flew through seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Copies flooded the clearing, closing angles, compressing space.
"Trying to trap me?" Kakashi said lightly, dodging between them. "You already saw how your clones—"
The world shifted.
All around him, the clones transformed at once.
Bright hair. Exaggerated poses. A sudden, overwhelming distraction.
Kakashi froze.
"What—"
"Leaf Rising Wind!"
Naruto's kick struck cleanly, launching Kakashi through the dirt in a cloud of dust.
"Yes!" Naruto pumped his fist. "It worked!"
He laughed, breathless. He'd learned that trick the hard way. Once, even Sasuke had paused for half a heartbeat.
That had been enough.
The dust cleared.
White smoke rose.
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
The clone dispersed.
"…Just a shadow clone."
He scratched his head, then grinned anyway.
Still counts.