CHAPTER 144: CHAPTER 144

’Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!’

Sasuke’s hands blurred through seals before he exhaled a massive wave of flames. Chakra-fed fire swelled into a blazing sphere, heat rippling through the air.

Hinata halted mid-step, her movement as graceful as a cat’s, and slipped left to evade.

Sasuke’s wrists snapped, and six shuriken fanned out toward her.

Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!

Hinata’s response was instantaneous. Her pale palms shimmered with chakra, each strike knocking a shuriken far out of range. Even if Sasuke had them tethered with wires, the distance made retrieval impossible. By the time he could pull, she was already gone from her original spot.

"Tch. Byakugan and Gentle Fist... what a pain," Sasuke muttered, eyes narrowing. His mind churned, searching for a window to unleash Genjutsu: Bubble.

The problem? Hinata knew his Fire Release patterns. She knew his genjutsu tells. She wasn’t going to fall for the same tricks that worked on Neji.

And he absolutely could not let her get close.

First—his taijutsu wasn’t enough to match Gentle Fist.

Second—one well-placed palm to a tenketsu point meant instant defeat.

So he was stuck keeping her at bay with fire and throwing weapons, knowing full well his chakra reserves wouldn’t last.

Grinding his teeth, Sasuke decided to gamble.

Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!

A dozen small fireballs burst outward like a meteor shower, boxing Hinata in from multiple angles.

Again, she met them head-on, advancing through the flames with precise, destructive palms.

Sasuke gauged the gap. Close enough.

Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!

Three serpentine dragons of fire roared into being, twisting together to wall off her path entirely.

Hinata’s pupils contracted. With her front sealed, she was forced to sidestep right, watching for the dragons’ movements.

Then—without warning—they split apart.

Her instincts flared. The moment she hesitated, her gaze locked with Sasuke’s Sharingan.

"It worked," Sasuke breathed, flooding the link with Genjutsu: Bubble.

But Hinata’s lips curved slightly. This was her moment.

The opening Sasuke created to snare her also left nothing between them.

Leaf Body Flicker!

Her body scattered into fluttering leaves.

Sasuke blinked—his target gone. He snapped his head left, then right—

Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!

Hinata reappeared at his flank, her strikes rapid and merciless. Chakra stuttered to a halt inside his body.

The first ten palms were all she needed.

Sasuke staggered, then dropped.

No... impossible. He had awakened his Sharingan, crushed Neji, and now—lost to Hinata?

He tried to force his chakra to flow again. A spark. A pulse.

"Ahhh!"

He pushed to his feet—

—only for Hinata to hit ten different points.

This time, the shutdown was complete. Blood rushed to his head, his vision swam, and darkness claimed him.

"Sasuke?!" Hinata’s fierce focus cracked into panic.

Kitazawa stepped forward, but Sakura beat him there.

"Sasuke-kun!" She caught him, forming healing seals before pressing her hands to his chest.

"He’s fine," Kitazawa assured, patting Hinata’s head. "Just overheated... literally and emotionally."

The truth? Sasuke had been on the brink of unlocking a surge of power—until Hinata’s palms yanked him right back down. If it had been anyone else, he might’ve turned the fight.

"Winner—Hyuga Hinata!" Kitazawa announced.

Hinata blinked, then smiled faintly. She’d beaten Sasuke. Luck had played its part, but the true edge was the Leaf Body Flicker Kitazawa had taught her.

[Mission Complete: Help Hinata defeat Sasuke.]

[Reward: Genjutsu – Bubble]

Kitazawa smirked as the message appeared in his vision.

Sasuke wasn’t out for long.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked.

"..." Sasuke didn’t answer. He rose without a word and left the arena.

He’d been thrilled to awaken his Sharingan. Thrilled to defeat Neji. So why did two victories add up to this?

"Don’t sweat it, Sasuke! Just win next time!" Naruto called after him.

"You don’t understand the Uchiha," Sasuke muttered.

"True," Naruto grinned, "but I do know persistence wins. Join me on the Path of Youth! We’ll train till we drop!"

"I refuse." Sasuke actually recoiled, shaking his head.

"Why not? You looked so happy in that green jumpsuit—"

"...?" Sasuke stared. ’Which eye did you use to see that?’

Still... the interruption had cooled his frustration. Losing was done. What mattered now was learning more—more fire techniques, more genjutsu.

He’d lost because he didn’t know Hinata could use Leaf Body flicker. That wouldn’t happen again.

From the stands, Tsunade’s eyes narrowed. "The Uchiha really did breed two prodigies. His Sharingan power just spiked again."

"He only awakened his eyes recently... and he’s already improved?" Shizune asked, stunned. "At seven?"

Tsunade smiled. "Geniuses are unreasonable. But Sasuke’s case is... unusual."

Kitazawa nodded. "Very."

"Number two, step into the arena!" Iruka’s voice carried over the crowd.

Naruto bounded in opposite Yakumo.

"This’ll be a tough one," Shizune murmured.

"Not just tough—impossible," Tsunade replied. She knew Yakumo’s genjutsu too well; even jōnin could fall to it unprepared.

Kitazawa’s lips quirked. "Care to make a bet?"

Tsunade raised a brow. "Oh?"

She was confident. Yakumo was her patient, after all. But Kitazawa had a suspicion. If Sasuke could dig deep, maybe Naruto could too—especially with the Nine-Tails sleeping inside him.

"Whoever loses must grant one request to the winner," Kitazawa said with a faint, knowing smile.

"I have one condition," Tsunade countered, narrowing her eyes. "If the request is truly impossible to fulfill, it can be changed."

Kitazawa blinked in surprise.

’She’s actually thinking ahead while gambling?’

He mulled it over, suspecting this newfound caution was thanks to Hiruzen. After falling for his schemes last time, Tsunade had clearly grown wary.

"Fine," Kitazawa agreed. With Tsunade’s personality, if she wanted to back out, no one could stop her anyway. But this bet could prove valuable—perhaps even enough to push her into accepting treatment for her hemophobia.

Of course, all of that hinged on one thing: Uzumaki Naruto defeating Yakumo Kurama. And right now, Kitazawa wasn’t sure—the odds felt fifty-fifty at best. Still, he’d stacked things slightly in Naruto’s favor, giving him one skill where Tsunade always came up short: in bets, she always lost.

"I don’t think Naruto stands much of a chance," Inuzuka Kiba sighed.

He spoke from experience—his own match against Yakumo in round one had ended without him even throwing a punch. Under the dual Genjutsu of the Therapeutic Words and Mirror Dimension, he’d surrendered without realizing it.

"It does look tough," Ino agreed.

"Just do your best," Shikamaru added lazily, though even he didn’t sound optimistic.

"Sasuke-kun, what about you?" Sakura Haruno turned to the silent Uchiha.

"Yakumo’s stronger," Sasuke said after a pause. "Naruto’s Taijutsu won’t be much help against her Genjutsu."

On the field, both combatants formed the Confrontation Seal.

"Yakumo, let’s have a youthful showdown!" Naruto grinned, giving a confident thumbs-up.

"Alright," Yakumo replied. Once, she’d envied Naruto for having a healthy body. But after a semester of recovery under Tsunade’s care, she never imagined she’d be facing him here.

"Here I come!" Naruto cried, forming hand seals in a blur. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A hundred Narutos burst into existence, filling the field with a cloud of dissipating smoke.

"What the—?"

"How many clones is that?"

"Where’s all that chakra coming from?"

The crowd buzzed in disbelief. Class A’s first-years were struck dumb—same class, same age, and he can do THIS?

"Is he really six?" Shizune gawked. She could manage twenty clones at most. Did this mean Naruto had more chakra than her?

"As expected of the Uzumaki Clan," Tsunade murmured. She’d seen this jutsu before, but it still tugged at her memories—Naruto’s chakra reserves were just like his mother Kushina’s, vast and wild.

Sasuke stood frozen. This was the first time he’d seen Naruto use the technique, and it rattled him. He’d once believed beating Naruto would be easy. Now? He wasn’t so sure. The Sharingan couldn’t tell clone from original, and Genjutsu would be useless against such numbers. Worst of all... if Naruto swarmed him, there’d be no escape from the beating.

’So this is the surprise he mentioned...’ Sasuke clenched his fists. His planned challenge after fighting Hinata would have to wait—two consecutive losses would crush his Uchiha pride. He needed more training—especially Fire Release and Genjutsu that could wipe out groups at once.

"So many clones..." Even Shino Aburame’s stoic expression wavered.

"Can he win?" Kiba asked, excitement creeping back into his voice.

"Hard to say," Shikamaru murmured, now genuinely focused. "We’ll find out soon enough."

"Naruto, you never cease to surprise," Yakumo admitted. She’d never faced so many opponents at once. Worse, both her primary Genjutsu—Therapeutic Words Technique and Mirror Dimension—were designed for single targets.

She quickly pulled out a prepared painting.

"Leaf Whirlwind!" Naruto’s clones surged forward in waves, a living tide of orange. Against their numbers, Yakumo looked like a lone boat in a storm.

Crack!

Dark clouds swirled above, lightning flashing down.

"Move!" Naruto barked.

The clones scattered, but lightning was merciless—two were struck and vanished in smoke.

Yakumo calmly tore another painting. She’d stocked plenty for the exam, though each one drained her chakra. Her Bloodline Limit—Genjutsu Creation—was powerful, but it came at a cost. Only Tsunade’s treatment had made it possible for her to stand here at all.

Flames roared to life, engulfing the front ranks of clones.

"Push through!" Naruto ordered. "Violent Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

A clone charged, its chakra-coated kick parting the fire like a blade through water. Others followed in relay, forcing a narrow path straight to Yakumo.

"Leaf Whirlwind!" The lead clone struck, forcing her to stagger back. She was slower than Hinata—years of frailty had left her without physical training.

Yakumo hurled another painting, conjuring a powerful gust that blew several clones away in an instant.

"Again!" Naruto yelled, sensing her weakness. His clones surged forward once more.

Yakumo’s eyes narrowed. She unfurled another painting—lightning cascaded down in rapid succession. Clones screamed and vanished by the dozen.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto’s hands blurred once more, summoning fifty fresh fighters into the fray.

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