CHAPTER 145: CHAPTER 145

"Is that... even human?"

Kiba couldn’t help blurting out the question, his eyes wide.

"None of them are," Shikamaru muttered, lips twitching in reluctant agreement.

The clash between Naruto and Yakumo had reached a realm they could barely comprehend.

Yakumo’s Bloodline Limit, Genjutsu Creation, brought her paintings to life—each stroke manifesting in reality. From lightning and fire to roaring gales, her artwork wasn’t just vivid; it was devastating.

And Naruto was bearing the brunt of it.

His Shadow Clones were being erased at a brutal pace—one every second—yet just as quickly, he replaced them.

"How can they both have so much chakra?" Ino’s voice carried a mix of awe and envy.

For shinobi, strength came from two pillars: mastery of techniques and bloodline abilities—and the chakra to fuel them. Theoretically, the more chakra you had, the greater your potential.

"This... is what genius looks like," Shino Aburame said quietly, his thoughts drifting to Torune—his cousin and a prodigy cursed by talent. Torune’s nano-sized venomous insects had caught the attention of Danzo Shimura, who dragged him into Root. Everyone knew what that meant. The Aburame clan hadn’t dared resist the Hokage’s ruthless adviser. Torune had even volunteered to join in Shino’s place.

"..." Sakura’s gaze flickered toward Sasuke. Even in her lovestruck haze, she knew there were gaps talent and determination alone couldn’t bridge.

Sasuke ignored her. His Sharingan spun, tracking every movement of Naruto’s real body amidst the chaos. If it were a one-on-one fight, he was confident he could win—but with that many clones and such absurd chakra reserves? The thought was laughable.

A cold realization settled in him. Since learning the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, Naruto’s strength had shot into uncharted territory. The pride Sasuke felt in unlocking the Sharingan evaporated.

"This kind of battle has no place in the Academy," Shizune muttered. It looked less like a class exam and more like a Chunin match.

"Yakumo’s stockpile of paintings will run dry eventually," Kitazawa observed. "Then she’ll have to resort to the other side of her Bloodline Limit."

"Naruto can’t rely on clones forever," Tsunade replied with a shake of her head. "Once she drags him fully into her Genjutsu world, they’ll be useless."

Kitazawa had no counter. Neither of them could predict what would happen next.

"Naruto’s strong," Shizune sighed, "but Yakumo is his worst possible matchup." Genjutsu was still his Achilles’ heel.

Just then, the tide shifted. Yakumo reached for a fresh painting—only to find her hand grasping at nothing. For the first time, she was empty-handed.

Even in her match against Neji, she’d used less than a third of her works. But Naruto had forced her to expend them all—through sheer persistence, endless chakra, and that unyielding gaze that refused to dim.

Her lips curved faintly. Time to end this.

A chilling, invisible pressure radiated from her as the world’s colors bled away. The battlefield twisted into a starlit void.

"What the—?" Naruto blinked, momentarily captivated by the beauty—before sensing the threat coiled within it.

With a wave of her hand, lightning rained down from the heavens. His clones shrieked as they were obliterated.

Genjutsu Creation made her paintings real. Terrifying Illusion created an entire world where she was god. Here, she could shape wonders—or horrors—at will.

She hadn’t yet mastered Demonic Illusion: Five Senses, which could make Genjutsu injuries real. But like Itachi’s Tsukuyomi, her current technique could still inflict unbearable mental agony.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto barked, summoning twenty more clones.

"Dynamic Entry!" they roared in unison, flying at her with synchronized kicks.

"Pointless."

In this world, Yakumo’s frail body was unshackled. She moved like the wind, slipping past every strike. With another gesture, thorned vines erupted from the void, seizing half the clones and erasing them instantly.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

"Extreme Leaf Violent Whirlwind!"

The survivors pressed on, undeterred. Yakumo answered with another wave of vines, then casually called down a meteor to crush the next attacker.

Outside, both combatants stood motionless—Naruto still producing clones, Yakumo calmly snaring them into her illusion the instant they formed.

"Naruto’s going to run dry soon," Tsunade murmured. The Jutsu was a chakra hog, and no reservoir lasted forever.

"Unless," Kitazawa said lightly, "Yakumo runs out first."

Unlikely. Her Yin Release reserves were so vast Tsunade had once compared them to a Jinchuriki’s.

And Naruto... was an actual Jinchuriki. But at his age, Nine-Tails’ power was out of reach.

Minutes stretched into half an hour.

"Why hasn’t he given up yet?" Tsunade’s voice edged with frustration. "The pain in there must be—" She stopped herself, rubbing her forehead.

"Giving up isn’t in his vocabulary," Kitazawa replied.

"But if he already knows the outcome—"

"It’s the process that matters," Kitazawa interrupted softly. "And sometimes, the outcome isn’t decided until you try."

Before Tsunade could answer, the air itself split apart. The void peeled back, revealing the glittering expanse of the Genjutsu world—its horrors and beauty spilling into reality.

"Is the Genjutsu world starting to collapse?"

Tsunade’s pupils narrowed, uncertainty flickering across her face.

"No," Kitazawa replied, his gaze settling on Yakumo Kurama’s pale face. "Her body simply can’t withstand combat of this intensity."

Tsunade’s lips parted slightly, the realization hitting her. She had miscalculated.

Yakumo might possess an impressive reserve of Yin Release chakra, but physically, she was only marginally stronger than an ordinary person. The more power she poured out, the heavier the toll on her body.

"But Naruto’s not in good shape either," Shizune said gravely.

Tsunade instinctively glanced at the boy. Naruto’s body trembled; his face was ghostly pale, his exhaustion laid bare. And yet... a small, irrational relief stirred in her chest. At least this was happening in a Genjutsu world—there was no blood to trigger her hemophobia.

"It looks like Naruto’s the one on the losing end," she said quietly, scanning the field.

His condition was visibly worse than Yakumo’s.

"Give up, Naruto," Yakumo gasped.

"Youth has everything... except quitting!" Naruto shot back, hands flashing into seals. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Yakumo clenched her teeth. "Fine. I’ll fight until your chakra runs dry."

She didn’t know why, but seeing Naruto’s stubborn grin lit a similar fire in her. She didn’t want to be the first to yield either.

The air rang with the rhythmic thuds of vanishing clones. One after another, they popped out of existence as Naruto struggled to maintain them.

"Again!" Naruto barked, voice unwavering. "Youth means fighting until the very end!"

He and the few remaining clones charged in once more.

"...Naruto will become a formidable ninja one day," Shizune murmured. She had already accepted it—his relentless spirit paired with his talent was a combination that guaranteed greatness.

"His goal isn’t just to be strong," Kitazawa corrected. "He wants to be a Hokage who surpasses every last one before him."

"Only an idiot says that," Tsunade muttered, her fists clenching as an image rose unbidden—a grinning boy named Nawaki, as foolish and fearless as Naruto.

"He is indeed an idiot," Kitazawa agreed.

Sasuke and Shikamaru exchanged glances, silent. They realized they still understood very little about Naruto. In his place, they’d have given up long ago.

"Am I... going to die?" Naruto slumped to the ground.

Even in Genjutsu, accumulated mental trauma could have real consequences. He felt more drained than after any of Gai-sensei’s so-called "youth training."

"Naruto, it’s over," Yakumo’s weak voice came. "You’ve lost."

"As if!" Naruto pushed himself upright again, eyes burning. "My youth isn’t over yet!"

Yakumo’s resolve wavered for the first time. Since birth, she’d never been this exhausted.

Naruto took two shaky steps—then collapsed. In a real fight, his stamina might have carried him through. But in the Genjutsu world, stamina was meaningless.

"Why?" Tsunade demanded through clenched teeth.

"Maybe... this is his Ninja Way," Kitazawa answered, quietly moved. The Naruto in the original story was always hot-blooded, but seeing it firsthand was something else entirely.

He thought about it. Maybe there was another factor—Might Gai’s influence. Naruto had completely skipped the "fear" stage he once had when facing opponents like Zabuza or Orochimaru.

Tsunade said nothing. Then her eyes widened. Naruto was on his feet again.

Her expression darkened. Why were there always so many idiots in Konoha?

Suddenly, the scene around Naruto shifted—from a vast starry void to a dark, dripping chamber.

A whooshing sound—then a massive tail slammed toward him.

It stopped against enormous bars, but the flood of chakra hit him head-on.

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed his head—then found himself back in Yakumo’s Genjutsu world.

With a sharp crack, it shattered. Reality returned.

Yakumo’s eyes widened; her face drained of color. The Genjutsu’s collapse, paired with her physical weakness, left her swaying.

"What... just happened?" Naruto scratched his head, just as confused. "Wait—where did that tail come from?"

Kitazawa appeared beside Yakumo in a blur, catching her before she fell. A pale green glow flowed from his hand into her forehead.

"Naruto, are you alright?" he asked.

Even in that brief instant, he had felt it—an unmistakable, malevolent chakra. The Nine-Tails.

Yakumo’s Bloodline Limit was strong, but in the end, it was still Genjutsu. And there was one sure way to break it—disrupt your own chakra flow. The Nine-Tails had done exactly that.

That was the hidden advantage of being a Jinchuriki—most Genjutsu didn’t stick. Of course, if the caster could control both the host and the beast... then it was over. Like Obito had done with the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.

"I’m fine," Naruto grinned, patting his chest. "Actually, I feel great now!"

Kitazawa’s mouth twitched. Uzumaki stamina plus Nine-Tails chakra... truly unfair.

"This match ends here," Kitazawa announced once Yakumo was stable. "Winner—Naruto."

Yakumo nodded, still breathless. "I accept my loss."

Kitazawa noticed Tsunade and Shizune had slipped away. Good—he was sure Tsunade had wavered. Not as much as in the original timeline, maybe, but Naruto was still the catalyst... along with the memory of Nawaki.

"You two, rest up," Kitazawa said. "We’ll announce the rankings soon."

He strode toward Iruka, who stood frozen in place, clearly affected by what he’d seen. Iruka’s parents had died in the Nine-Tails attack—he’d once resented Naruto deeply. But now... things were shifting.

"Iruka, rankings ready?" Kitazawa asked, patting his shoulder.

"Almost." Iruka blinked, then got to work.

"Kitazawa-sensei!"

Naruto’s voice was unusually serious as he ran up.

"What is it?" Kitazawa asked.

"When I was fighting Yakumo... I saw an orange tail," Naruto said. "I’m sure it hit me."

[Current Mission: Inform Naruto of the Nine-Tails’ existence.]

[Mission Reward: Half the Chakra of Naruto at age 15.]

[Accept?]

Kitazawa froze. A generous reward for such a simple task? No... this was going to be trickier than it looked.

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