14 The battle
"Okay. Let's get started!" Tsunade shouted, her voice cutting through the air and snapping everyone to attention. The tension that had been building finally broke. The spectacle was about to begin.
The battlefield was set.
Konoha 10 moved quickly, taking positions that suited their strengths. Three teams, plus Sakura, forming a ten-man unit. Naruto stood alone across from them, calm and unmoving.
Shikamaru positioned himself at the rear, already calculating. Sakura stood to his right, Ino to his left, ready to support. Tenten took the forward center position, scrolls at the ready. Shino guarded the front line with quiet precision. The outer ring was formed by Neji, Rock Lee, Kiba, and Hinata, creating a tight perimeter. Choji stood slightly behind them, the final shield.
Naruto faced them without so much as shifting his stance.
The fact that he hadn't reacted, even a little, irritated everyone. Kiba, unable to keep his mouth shut as usual, barked out a laugh.
"Come on, Naruto. Just beg for mercy and say sorry. There's no way you're beating all of us."
None of them said it aloud, but most of them agreed.
On the sidelines, Kurenai frowned slightly. "Kiba's not wrong. If Naruto backs down now, this ends without anyone getting hurt."
Asuma, Kakashi, and Guy exchanged glances and nodded. "There's nothing wrong with apologizing," Asuma muttered.
Jiraiya sighed deeply. "You four should really stay quiet."
"But Lord Jiraiya—" Kakashi began.
"He's an Uzumaki," Jiraiya interrupted. "Once he says something, he doesn't take it back. You all know that. Especially you, Kakashi."
The focus snapped back to the battlefield.
Naruto cracked his neck slowly, eyes sweeping over the formation. A faint smirk crossed his face.
"If you're going to bore me with speeches," he said casually, "I'll just take the first hit."
He closed his fist, bending his arms slightly.
The next second, a shockwave of chakra exploded outward.
The ground shattered beneath him, dust and debris blasting into the air. Naruto's chakra flared violently, dense and overwhelming. Even the sensory ninja on the sidelines stiffened in shock.
Only Jiraiya and Tsunada remained composed.
Temari's eyes widened. The chakra burned like an azure flame, climbing skyward, wild and relentless.
Before the dust had even settled, Naruto moved.
Shikamaru felt it first.
A crushing impact slammed into his stomach. His eyes widened as blood sprayed from his mouth. Naruto's fist was buried deep. The guard completely bypassed.
"It doesn't matter how good your defense is," Naruto said coldly, "if you're not fast enough to use it."
Shikamaru was launched backward, skidding across the ground and collapsing.
"So much for the brain," Naruto muttered. "Who's next?"
"You've gone too far!" Sakura screamed, charging in.
Naruto sidestepped effortlessly. His heel snapped backward, striking Sakura cleanly on the side of the head. She flew in the same direction as Shikamaru, unconscious before she hit the ground.
Two down in seconds.
Kiba snarled and lunged forward with Akamaru, Shino moving in behind them to support.
Naruto met them head-on.
His fist smashed into Kiba's face mid-attack. The impact sent Kiba flying backward, crashing straight into Shino. Both went down hard.
"Four," Naruto said flatly.
"Expansion Jutsu!" Choji roared, growing to a massive size as he raised his fist. "This is for Shikamaru!"
"Being bigger doesn't mean being stronger," Naruto replied. "It just makes you easier to hit."
"Oodama Rasengan."
The massive sphere slammed into Choji's chest armor and detonated. Choji collapsed with a thunderous crash, smoke rising from the impact.
"Five left."
Lee was already moving.
He appeared in front of Naruto in a blur, spinning into a Leaf Whirlwind aimed straight at his face.
Naruto caught Lee's ankle with one hand.
"You're still wearing weights," Naruto noted calmly.
He spun Lee through the air and hurled him backward. Lee flipped and landed on his feet, skidding to a stop near Neji.
"Leave him to me," Tenten shouted.
She leapt into the air, unfurling a massive scroll. Weapons poured out in a storm.
"Dragon Weapon Barrage!"
Thousands of blades screamed toward Naruto.
"It doesn't matter how many weapons you throw," Naruto said, forming a Rasengan in his left hand, "if you can't hit the target."
He thrust the Rasengan forward. The chakra spiraled violently, creating a blast wave that scattered the weapons in all directions. Several clanged uselessly into the ground. Others flew back toward the battlefield.
Tenten landed, wide-eyed. Her scroll was empty.
"So," Naruto continued, "a weapons master without weapons."
"Mind control Jutsu!" Ino shouted.
"Nice try, But Mind control does not work on me". He said before
He vanished.
Ino felt a sharp strike at the back of her neck and collapsed instantly. Naruto appeared behind her, already forming a shadow clone.
"Take her somewhere safe," he ordered.
The clone lifted Ino and flashed to Tsunade's side. "Dropping her here, Auntie Tsunade."
Poof.
The clone disappeared.
Naruto turned back to the battlefield.
"Two Hyuga. A guy who can only use taijutsu. And a weapon specialist with nothing left," he said calmly. "You already know what happened to your teams."
He rolled his shoulders, chakra still burning around him.
"So let's end this here."
"What are you trying to say, Naruto?"
Tenten's composure cracked. Her voice rose, sharp with anger. "I'm a proud kunoichi of the Leaf. Even without weapons, I'll still fight."
Naruto shrugged, almost tired. "Tenten, this isn't a war. And honestly, you don't know any real jutsu. That's not an insult, it's a fact. Without your weapons, you're done."
Her fists clenched.
"I don't want to hurt you," Naruto continued, his tone calm. "Or Hinata. You can't fight without weapons, and she won't fight me seriously. I already knocked Shino out using the minimum force. So don't be stubborn. Step aside. No one here will doubt you."
"There's no way I'm backing down," Tenten snapped.
Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but Tenten cut her off immediately. She already knew what Hinata was about to say, and she refused to be the only one standing without her primary weapon.
Naruto closed his eyes and sighed.
"Fine," he said quietly. "Have it your way."
He vanished.
Tenten's eyes widened as Naruto reappeared in front of her, fist driving straight toward her face.
Before the blow could land, a body slammed into Naruto's path.
Lee.
He crossed his arms, blocking the strike head-on, boots skidding across the ground from the force. In the same motion, Lee grabbed Naruto's wrist, locking it in place.
"I couldn't let you do that," Lee said, teeth clenched.
Naruto glanced at him. "Against you, I have to."
"Neji," Lee called out.
"I understand," Neji replied instantly. "Hinata sama, with me."
They moved together.
The Byakugan flared.
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms!"
Neji struck first, Hinata following without hesitation. Their combined assault hammered into Naruto's chakra network, sealing point after point. The ground cracked as Naruto was driven backward and slammed into it, dust exploding outward.
On the sidelines, Temari gasped. "Oh no… Naruto."
Kurenai turned sharply toward Tsunade and Jiraiya. "He's down. Should we stop this?"
"Let the dust settle," Jiraiya said calmly. "He's been hit by the Sixty Four Palms before and still won."
"But Jiraiya sama," Kurenai insisted, "this time it was Neji and Hinata together. That's one hundred twenty-eight strikes. There's no way anyone can survive that."
Jiraiya didn't look worried.
"When it comes to Uzumaki Naruto," he said, "never bet against him. No matter how good the odds look, they always end up in his favor."
Before he could say more, Naruto's voice echoed from the dust cloud.
"Honestly… did you learn anything new?"
The dust parted.
Naruto stood there, breathing steadily.
"Trapping someone and hitting them from behind?" he continued. "That's one of the worst habits you can build. Sure, it works in real combat. But this was a spar. Or was it?"
"Say that to everyone you just knocked out!" Tenten shouted.
Naruto's eyes hardened slightly. "I could've killed every one of them."
Silence fell.
"I didn't," he went on. "The Oodama Rasengan could've taken Choji's head. I hit his chest. Sakura's skull could've been crushed. I held back. Ino was completely defenseless. I knocked her out and carried her away safely. I even gave you a chance to surrender."
His gaze swept over them.
"It's not my fault you chose pride over survival."
The air shifted.
"But now," Naruto said quietly, "you've proven you can land a hit."
His chakra surged again, heavier, colder.
"So I'm done holding back."
Naruto's eyes turned icy.
On the sidelines, everyone felt it.
Shizune exhaled slowly. "He's not wrong," she admitted. "They cornered him. That means he wasn't even using his full power before."
"This team," Jiraiya said, voice steady, "is high B-rank at best."
He smiled faintly. "Naruto? He's high A-rank. Borderline S-rank."
"The only real problem he's facing," Tsunade added, "is the one standing in front of him now."
"He told me that last night," Temari said quietly.
Tsunade folded her arms. "Then let's watch."
Nearby, Asuma's cigarette slipped from his fingers and hit the ground.
Guy's grin vanished.
Kakashi lifted his headband, the Sharingan spinning to life.
And Kurenai stared at the battlefield, disbelief written across her face.
The real fight had just begun.
On the battlefield, Naruto moved again.
There was no flare of chakra this time. No warning. Just raw speed.
He crossed the distance and slammed straight into Lee's head-on.
Their taijutsu collided instantly. Fists clashed, elbows snapped, knees rose, kicks whipped through the air. The sound of impact echoed across the training ground as both of them pushed their bodies to the limit. Lee fought with everything he had learned. Precision, speed, relentless momentum. Naruto matched him blow for blow.
Naruto had to admit it.
Lee was the only one here who could truly challenge him in close combat.
Lee went for a clinch, trying to lock Naruto in place again. Naruto reacted instantly. He leapt upward, planted his palm on Lee's head, and used it as a springboard. His body flipped cleanly over Lee just as Neji struck from behind.
The strike landed.
But not on Naruto.
Neji's palm slammed into Lee instead.
Lee was knocked sideways, stunned for just a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
Naruto vanished.
He reappeared in front of Tenten and drove his fist into her stomach. Not full force. Just enough. The air burst from her lungs as she collapsed, unconscious before she hit the ground.
Naruto caught her and laid her down gently.
He turned.
Hinata stood frozen, hands trembling.
Naruto looked at her, his expression softening.
"I know you don't want to fight me," he said quietly. "Back there, you were already going to step aside."
Hinata swallowed.
"You've always been kind to me," Naruto continued. "You were kind when most people weren't. You, Choji, and Shikamaru are back in the Academy. That mattered."
He stepped back and lowered his guard.
"So I'm asking you again, Hinata. Please surrender. I don't want to hurt you. No one will judge you. That's my promise."
Hinata's hands shook once more.
Then she dropped her kunai.
"All right, Naruto," she said softly. "I surrender."
She stepped forward, lifted Tenten carefully, and walked off the battlefield.
As Hinata approached the sidelines, Tsunade's expression was hard, unreadable. Shizune moved forward, taking Tenten from her shoulders and sitting her beneath a tree where Ino was already resting, awake now and watching with a small pout.
"You did well, Hinata," Ino said quietly.
Hinata bowed her head, uncertain. "I thought Lady Tsunade might be disappointed."
Tsunade sighed.
"I'm not," she said firmly. "Out of everyone here, I'm proud of you."
Hinata looked up in surprise.
"You chose your teammate's safety over empty pride," Tsunade continued. "When you were given a chance to withdraw without consequences, you took it. That's what a real shinobi does."
She softened slightly.
"Hold your head high, Hinata. You did nothing wrong."
"She's right," Temari added, stepping beside her and linking arms. "You chose survival. Not fake heroics."
Ino nodded. "You did better than most of us."
While they spoke, the battlefield shifted again.
Naruto now faced Lee and Neji together.
They moved as one.
Years of training showed in their coordination. Lee pressured Naruto head-on while Neji controlled space, forcing Naruto to react constantly. Strikes came from every angle. Naruto blocked, twisted, and countered, barely keeping ahead of their rhythm.
After several rapid exchanges, Naruto finally found an opening.
A sharp kick sent Neji sliding backward across the ground.
Naruto turned fully toward Lee.
"Now," Naruto said, rolling his shoulders. "I want to see how far you can really go."
Lee stiffened.
Naruto glanced at the weights still strapped to his legs.
"You dropped these already," Naruto said. "What about the gates?"
Lee hesitated.
"You opened them before," Naruto continued calmly. "Surely you can open them against me."
Before Lee could answer, Guy spoke from the sidelines, his tone unusually serious.
"Naruto is right," Guy said. "I won't always be there to tell you when to open the gates. That choice is yours now."
Lee looked at his sensei.
"If you want to open them, you may," Guy continued. "If you don't, that's also your decision."
Naruto smiled faintly. "You've got permission. Do whatever you want with those gates."
Lee inhaled deeply.
Before he could decide, a roar cut through the air.
"I'M NOT DONE YET!"
Naruto turned.
Kiba came charging in once more, Akamaru spinning with him in a renewed Fang Over Fang. Behind him, Shino advanced, his insects swarming forward in a dark wave.
Naruto frowned.
"Didn't I knock you both out?"
"Yeah," Kiba shouted back, "but Sakura helped us back up!"
Naruto glanced to the side.
Sakura stood there, dried blood along her temple. Shikamaru was beside her, bruised but conscious, eyes sharp despite his injuries.
Naruto exhaled slowly.
"So," he said, chakra beginning to rise again, "you all decided to stand up one last time."
As the tension thickened on the battlefield, the sidelines stirred.
Ino turned toward Tsunade, disbelief in her voice. "Wait… we can go back in if we want, right?"
Tenten, now awake thanks to Shizune, looked over as well.
Tsunade gave them a sideways glance. "You can," she said flatly. "But I wouldn't recommend it."
She exhaled and continued, more clinical now. "He's already beaten you. And the fact that your injuries are this light tells me something important."
Her eyes flicked back to Naruto.
"He wasn't trying to hurt you. Not like he did the others. Out of the three of you, only Tenten took a real hit. That alone should tell you how much restraint he's been using."
Before anyone could respond, a loud roar echoed across the field.
Choji pushed himself back to his feet, breathing hard. His chest armor was shattered, scorched where the Oodama Rasengan had struck.
"Ready to lose, Naruto?" Kiba barked again, stepping forward.
Naruto sighed. "Didn't you learn anything last time, Kiba?"
On the sidelines, Kurenai facepalmed without hesitation.
Ino and Hinata both shook their heads. Temari coughed to hide a laugh. Jiraiya simply stared at Kiba, sweat dropping down his temple like everyone else watching.
"Well," Naruto said calmly, "if you're all standing up for one last exchange…"
He brought his hands together.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
A wave of smoke exploded outward.
When it cleared, seven Narutos stood around each one of them, each one calm, steady, and focused.
The original Naruto took a step back.
"I'm going to stand right here and watch," he said casually. "If you can beat those clones, then maybe you can beat me."
Kiba scoffed. "They're just shadow clones!"
Shikamaru, Neji, Shino, and Lee all cursed Kiba silently at the exact same time.
Kiba… why did you open your mouth?
Naruto tilted his head. "But first, a question."
He smiled.
"Do you want them to use jutsu?"
"What?" Kiba snapped. "Are you looking down on us now?"
"Shut up, Kiba," Shikamaru said sharply.
Shino calmly released a swarm of insects that immediately covered Kiba's mouth, muffling him.
Naruto continued, unfazed. "I beat most of you using pure hand-to-hand combat. I used Rasengan twice. Neither was at full power."
He spread his hands slightly.
"So I'll ask again. Do you want me to use other jutsu?"
Sakura, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "Isn't this… unfair, Naruto?"
The field went quiet.
Except Kiba and Lee froze. But Lee looked excited more than anything, but everyone else felt the weight of her words.
On the sidelines, Tsunade and Shizune both looked down, visibly uncomfortable. No one seemed sure how to respond.
Ino shook her head slowly. "That's not true, Sakura."
Naruto turned toward Sakura, expression steady.
"If this is unfair," he said evenly, "then this entire fight was unfair to me from the start."
His gaze swept across them.
"I fought ten of you alone. I didn't complain once."
He pointed toward the edge of the field.
"And even now, you can surrender. You can step out and stand right there. No one is forcing you to keep fighting."
His voice was calm, almost gentle.
"But if you stay… then stay because you choose to."
The clones shifted slightly.
Waiting.
The next move would decide everything.
The field exploded into motion.
Seven Narutos moved at once, each one peeling off toward a different opponent. There was no wasted movement, no dramatic pause. Just pressure. Relentless, coordinated pressure.
With Kiba.
"Akamaru, let's go!" he shouted, spinning into Fang Over Fang without hesitation. The twin vortex tore across the ground toward his assigned clones, dust spiraling violently.
The clones didn't dodge.
They stepped in.
One clone slipped inside the rotation, grabbed Kiba by the vest, and slammed him hard into the ground. Another caught Akamaru mid-spin and sent him tumbling with a sharp kick. Before Kiba could recover, two more clones struck in tandem. A punch to the ribs. A knee to the stomach.
The air rushed out of Kiba's lungs.
He hit the dirt and didn't get back up.
Akamaru whined softly beside him.
"First down," one of the clones said flatly, dispersing in smoke as the fight moved on.
With Sakura.
She didn't hesitate. She never did.
Her fist crashed into the ground, shattering stone and sending debris flying. Two clones were caught in the blast and vanished instantly.
But Sakura overcommitted.
A third clone slipped behind her, catching her wrist mid-swing. The fourth slammed an open palm into her shoulder, disrupting her balance just enough. The fifth drove a clean strike into her diaphragm.
Sakura staggered.
A final kick sent her skidding backward. She tried to rise, teeth clenched, but her arms trembled and gave out.
She collapsed, breathing hard.
The clone watching her dispersed without another word.
With Shikamaru
Shikamaru exhaled slowly.
"Troublesome… figures it'd come to this."
He clapped his hands together.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu."
Seven shadows snapped outward like living chains, locking onto all seven clones at once. The battlefield froze. Every clone halted mid-motion.
For a moment, Shikamaru allowed himself a thin smile.
Then the clones flared.
Chakra surged outward from all seven at once, dense and overwhelming. The shadows trembled violently. Shikamaru's knees buckled as sweat poured down his face.
"Tch… you've gotta be kidding me…"
The chakra pressure crushed down on him like a weight. His shadow snapped apart as if burned away. Shikamaru was thrown backward, slamming into the ground, vision swimming.
He didn't stand again.
With Shino
Shino moved immediately, insects flooding forward in a black tide, attempting to consume the clones while they were still dispersing chakra.
It didn't work.
The chakra flare repelled the swarm outright. The clones stepped through the insects, untouched. One struck Shino's chest. Another clipped his legs. A third swept him off his feet entirely.
Shino hit the ground hard, glasses cracked.
He didn't rise.
With Neji
Neji stepped forward, calm and focused.
Byakugan activated.
The clones assigned to him attacked immediately, palms precise, movements sharp. Neji met it head-on.
"Eight Trigrams: Heavenly Rotation!"
Chakra spun outward in a perfect dome. The clones was blasted back, its form destabilizing as it hit the ground and dispersed in smoke.
Neji landed smoothly, breathing steady.
"Two down," he said quietly.
With Lee.
"Now it's my turn."
He reached down and loosened the wraps on his arms, eyes burning with resolve. His stance shifted, sharper, more dangerous.
"First Gate… open."
The air around him changed.
"Second Gate… open."
Cracks spread beneath his feet.
"Third Gate… open!"
Lee vanished.
The clones barely had time to react before Lee appeared above it, fist already descending. The impact was explosive. The clones shattered instantly, smoke tearing apart under the sheer force.
Lee landed in a crouch, breath heavy but controlled, eyes locked forward.
Across the battlefield, the remaining clones adjusted their stances.
And from the sidelines, the real Naruto watched silently.
Arms crossed.
Evaluating.
Because now, the fight had finally become interesting.
Only two still stood on the battlefield.
Lee, breathing hard, steam rolling off his skin, the first three Gates still open.
And Naruto.
Not a clone. The real one.
Neji was on one knee nearby, chest rising and falling unevenly. He had taken out three of his clones on his own, but the remaining four had overwhelmed him. He was a strike or two away from collapsing completely.
Lee straightened, fists clenched despite the tremor in his arms. "All right," he said, forcing a grin. "Let's finish this."
Naruto stepped forward.
Before either of them could move—
"Enough."
Tsunade's voice cut through the field like a blade.
"I've seen what I needed to see," she said, standing from her seat. "This battle ends now."
The pressure vanished instantly.
Lee released the Gates. The power drained from him all at once, and his legs gave out. He dropped to one knee, then fully to the ground, gasping for air, completely spent.
Naruto remained standing.
He turned toward Tsunade calmly. "So I win."
"Yes," Tsunade replied without hesitation. "You win."
She swept her gaze across the field. "Does anyone here disagree?"
The four jōnin sensei stayed silent.
They all knew the truth.
Even if Naruto hadn't knocked Lee out, it was only a matter of moments. Lee would have exhausted himself. Naruto wouldn't have. Every other genin was already down.
There was nothing to refute.
Jiraiya stood with his arms crossed, a wide grin on his face. "Told you, guy's" he said proudly.
As Naruto walked back toward the group, Tsunade formed hand signs and created two shadow clones, immediately sending them out to begin healing the injured genin.
Naruto stopped in front of Temari.
"Thanks for holding my jacket."
She smirked. "No problem. You said you'd win. You did. Holding onto it wasn't exactly hard work."
Before Naruto could reply, arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind.
It is Ino.
"You idiot," she said, squeezing him tightly. "Did you really have to go that hard on everyone?"
Naruto coughed, tapping her arm. "Hey—easy. I wasn't that rough."
She pulled back just enough to glare at him. "Maybe not for you. But for all of us? Yeah. You were."
Then she sighed, the edge softening. "Still… they learned something today, didn't they?"
Naruto looked back at the battlefield. At his friends. At the bruises, the exhaustion, the realization was slowly settling in.