After five minutes of thinking, Naruto realized he could only use the Shadow Clone Technique to practice walking on water. Normally, this kind of practice wouldn't be impossible, but seeing Ino's Water Severing Wave leave craters in the Earth Flow Wall, with torrents of water flying everywhere, coupled with the powerful Ninjutsu like Exploding Water Colliding Wave and Water Dragon Bullet he had seen during the bandit subjugation, he was filled with mixed emotions. His classmates had reached this level, but what about him?
Naruto was very disheartened. He dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique, and his gaze happened to fall on Sasuke's clenched fists and unwilling profile. In this situation, Sasuke must also be having a difficult time, right? Naruto felt he understood Sasuke better now; at this moment, their hearts were connected.
He felt he had to do something for Sasuke and for himself.
"I challenge you!" Naruto suddenly jumped in front of Ino, his left hand on his hip, his right hand pointing at her: "My Ninja Way is to speak my mind and follow through! I want to know exactly what the gap is between you and me!"
Naruto was particularly serious. Sakura wanted to go and persuade him, but Sasuke held her back.
Ino was bewildered by Naruto's actions.
I'm practicing Water Severing Wave, what's it to you?
Shikamaru, lying on a tree branch, chuckled. Look, you're pushing me and Choji, pushing Team 8, and now even Team 7 has been stimulated by you!
He jumped down from the tree and went back into the house to call out Choji, who was still eating silently. "Come quickly and watch Naruto get beaten up."
"Are you really going to fight?"
"Yes!"
"Alright..."
Ino and Naruto stood five meters apart, forming the "Confrontation Seal" as per Ninja Academy rules.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto started by bringing his index and middle fingers together, crossing his hands into a cross, forming the "Ren" seal, and using his signature technique!
Two hundred Narutos surrounded Ino.
At this moment, she understood Mizuki's feelings from the original timeline; seeing so many Shadow Clones so suddenly was indeed shocking.
"Naruto, you really have a lot of Chakra..."
Ino's current Chakra could only support her using Shadow Clone. Using Multiple Shadow Clone would be a bit dangerous.
She also formed the "Ren" seal, creating two Shadow Clones. By then, Naruto was already shouting and charging forward.
One of Ino's Shadow Clones quickly formed hand signs.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A water curtain appeared out of nowhere, spinning around the three of them.
"Ahh—!! I won't lose!" Naruto, relying on his continuous stream of Shadow Clones, forcefully charged her Water Formation Wall.
The rotating water wall had immense power, and Naruto's Shadow Clones turned into white smoke one by one. Seeing that he couldn't find a blind spot in the water wall, he simply didn't look for one. He punched, kicked, and some even headbutted it.
Two hundred Narutos used an extremely clumsy but highly effective method to quickly deplete the thickness of Ino's Water Formation Wall.
"Naruto's tactics are pretty good," Asuma commented softly.
It seemed Naruto's Shadow Clones were rapidly being consumed; in just over ten seconds, more than fifty Shadow Clones had been knocked out by the rotating water wall. However, the water wall was undoubtedly thinning. One of Ino's Shadow Clones, who was forming hand signs to prepare a Water Dragon Bullet, had to stop and help the other Shadow Clone reinforce the Water Formation Wall. Her combat rhythm was interrupted.
Kakashi chuckled dryly. Naruto had no conscious tactics; he fought purely by instinct.
One Shadow Clone maintained the Water Formation Wall Jutsu, while another Shadow Clone created clean water to reinforce the rapidly depleting wall.
Ino's main body had not yet made a move; she wanted to use her sensory abilities to find Naruto's main body. The result was obvious: if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, with her "Progenitor's Eyes," couldn't find it, then Ino, with no eye cheats, certainly couldn't find it relying solely on sensory abilities.
Her Water Severing Wave wasn't proficient, and its destructive power was too great. She didn't want to fight one Naruto and end up with the Nine-Tailed, Minato Chakra, Kushina Chakra, Asura Chakra, Six Paths Sage, and so on, all popping out one after another. That would be too embarrassing.
To deal with someone like Naruto, who easily gets hot-headed in a fight, she just needed to make him sober up.
Ino used her usual move.
She took a deep breath, gathering Water Release Chakra in her throat, then forcefully exhaled: "Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
It was as if a large hole suddenly appeared above their heads. A massive current of water, like a tidal wave, appeared out of nowhere, then surged forward with immense power towards Naruto, who had restored his two hundred Shadow Clones.
"Ah! Hold me!"
"I've got you!"
"Hold on!"
The two hundred Narutos acted like they were in a movie, one pulling the other. The leading Naruto clung desperately to a large tree, while the last Naruto was almost falling into the sea. The two hundred Shadow Clones, under the impact of the water current, seemed like they could be scattered at any moment, but he stubbornly held on, forming a veritable "Naruto Bridge."
Tazuna's house was by the sea, so water resources here were incredibly abundant. Ino glanced around, formed hand signs, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet."
A water dragon rose from the seawater. A wave over ten meters high broke trees in front, and the water dragon coiled fiercely behind. With force from both sides, the "Naruto Bridge" lost its support points and finally, like Chiaotzu dropping into the sea, they all plunged into the ocean.
Two minutes later, the last Shadow Clone disappeared. Naruto, like a drowned rat, swam back from the sea. They stood facing each other again and formed the "Reconciliation Seal," completing the match.
Ino looked at her panel. Unfortunately, no achievement like "Crushing the Seventh Hokage" popped up. She shook her head and continued practicing Water Severing Wave.
Naruto quickly cheered up. Ino, who was so much stronger than him, was still diligently training. What right did he have to be lazy? To say he lost and therefore had to be depressed for a few days?
No way!
He gave himself a pep talk, then went back to find Kakashi.
The relationship between a Jonin leader and their subordinates is not a traditional master-disciple relationship. There's no obligation to teach subordinates Ninjutsu. If they like you, they'll teach you a few things; if they don't, you can go cool off somewhere else.
Kakashi was Minato Namikaze's direct disciple, and Naruto was Minato Namikaze's biological son, so their relationship was certainly not ordinary.
Of course, he wanted to teach Naruto everything he knew, but Naruto's foundation was indeed too poor, requiring many remedial lessons. The original plan was to provide lessons little by little during breaks from missions, but now that Ino had pushed Team 7, he couldn't follow the original plan.
To say Naruto's foundation was bad and he couldn't teach him? That would be too damaging to his self-esteem.
Sakura and Sasuke also waited expectantly. Kakashi was in a dilemma, unable to think of an excuse, so he had to go for it!
Kakashi briefly explained the theory of Chakra nature transformation. These things were taught at the Ninja Academy. Sakura and Sasuke had already developed their respective Chakra natures; they understood it. Only Naruto listened in a daze, not knowing what the white-haired teacher was talking about.
Regardless of whether they understood or not, Kakashi gave each of them a Chakra paper to retest their Chakra nature.
The results were not surprising: Sakura was Water Release, Sasuke was Fire and Lightning, and Naruto was Wind.
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