*Crack!*
Satoru's lightning instantly incinerated all the vines and wooden branches, vividly demonstrating the power of his Goro Goro Fruit.
"Wh-what... what is this?!" Senju was stunned. She hadn't expected her technique to be neutralized so easily by the boy.
Minato, standing aside, also froze in amazement. He'd thought the transmigrator would retreat and use the Great Fireball Technique, or apply Armament Haki to withstand Yoshime's attack. But he hadn't expected Satoru to have "Lightning Release" too.
"You have no chance, Yoshime. Even after beating chunin, I was still hiding my true power. If I unleash it fully, even an Elite Jonin probably couldn't stand against me."
Satoru said this with full confidence, but the girl didn't believe him. She formed hand seals again and shouted:
"Who'd believe your nonsense! Wood Style: Birth of the Wood World!"
Satoru paled in horror. This was the First Hokage's signature technique! Was this Yoshime about to turn the whole world upside down? Was this little loli going to destroy all of Konoha?
But soon the System's owner realized he'd gotten too worked up. Yoshime couldn't create a true Wood World, only a miniaturized version.
"Ha, if that's all you're capable of, Yoshime, you've lost," Satoru declared with a light smile and, with a whoosh, vanished.
In the next second, he appeared behind Yoshime. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he whispered:
"Discharge!"
Satoru's entire body was immediately enveloped in lightning discharges—not too strong, but enough to paralyze Yoshime.
*Thud!*
Yoshime started to fall, but Satoru caught her right away.
"You... you're very strong... I'm no match for you," Senju finally acknowledged Satoru's power.
"Satoru, why, when Yoshime used Birth of the Wood World, could you appear behind her instantly?" Namikaze asked curiously.
"Ha, secret!" the Earth native smirked. Yesterday he'd trained all day and finally mastered the Hiraishin mark. Sensing it, he could teleport instantly.
In truth, Satoru shouldn't have mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique so quickly. But don't forget, he could sense the opponent's chakra, making it very easy to pinpoint their location.
By leaving a Hiraishin mark on Yoshime's clothes, Satoru simply teleported to her and won effortlessly.
"If I hadn't mastered Hiraishin yesterday, winning wouldn't have been so easy... This girl's abilities are simply incredible. If she grows up, she'll become a very strong shinobi," Satoru noted.
After this duel, Yoshime came to respect Satoru much more. In turn, he didn't act arrogant or cocky but seriously helped her fully recover.
* * *
At lunch, Satoru treated Minato and Yoshime to food. After a short rest, they finally headed to the training ground. A shinobi was already waiting there.
This man had gray hair, was tall and lean, and his aura was incredibly sharp and piercing. He was definitely a strong warrior. Satoru noticed that though this man's chakra reserves weren't huge, it was incredibly pure.
"Teacher White Fang!" Satoru recognized him immediately. Since he'd taken him as a student, he needed to behave accordingly—very politely.
Hatake Sakumo was straightforward. He pulled out a single bell and tucked it into his pouch.
"You could be sent back to the Ninja Academy for retraining at any moment. Your goal is one—to take this bell from me. Time limit: until sunset."
"Those who can't take the bell will go back to the Ninja Academy to retake exams," White Fang stated very seriously and coldly.
"What?!" Neither Minato nor Yoshime could believe their ears. They were Konoha's pride, the best of the best! It was impossible for them, fresh graduates, to be sent back for retraining immediately!
But the transmigrator was much calmer.
"These Konoha tricks don't change for decades! Always stealing bells! Can't they come up with something else?" Satoru, having lived two lives and knowing the Naruto plot perfectly, understood no one would be expelled before sunset. This fight was just a way to create so-called "bonds."
In simple terms, it was to make them, while trying to steal the bell, get to know each other better, grow closer, and learn teamwork.
"Understood," Satoru nodded. His composure greatly pleased White Fang, though he didn't show it.
"Teacher, are you serious? Just one bell! We just graduated! And you're such an important figure in the village!" the girl immediately objected.
But Hatake was unrelenting.
"You three must fight me with intent to kill. Otherwise, don't dream of taking my bell," White Fang stated bluntly. "Begin!"
With that, he tossed the bell into the air.
"Wood Style: Shinra Tensei! I'll grab the teacher, you two try to take the bell!" Yoshime shouted immediately.
"Not so simple!" White Fang, with an impassive face, drew the sword from his back and wielded it amid the vines.
Countless vines erupted from the ground, about to entangle White Fang. But he sliced them one by one with sword swings.
"Shadow Clone Shuriken Technique!" At that moment, Namikaze used his signature technique too. Countless shuriken flew toward White Fang.
White Fang, dodging vines and deflecting the barrage of shuriken simultaneously, remained utterly calm. He wielded his White Fang effortlessly, neutralizing threats one after another.
The transmigrator, barely suppressing his inner amazement, charged at White Fang swiftly.
He wasn't aiming to grab the bell right away—that was too unrealistic. Satoru's goal was to land a heavy blow on White Fang, weaken him a bit, then try for the bell.
"Armament Haki!" The boy applied Armament Haki immediately and struck with his fist. This blow held not only Haki Hardening but a bit of Tsunade's Monstrous Strength.
*Dong!*
Satoru's fist crashed into White Fang with force. But an incredible thing happened: Sakumo raised his White Fang with one hand and stopped Satoru's entire body with just the sword.
"Your power is immense. This black substance seems to protect you from injury—quite effective. But you're using your power incorrectly," the jonin noted and struck Satoru at incredible speed.
The System's owner was shocked. He'd thought himself nearly invincible, but hadn't expected White Fang's sword to be so fast. It seemed the teacher attacked without a second thought.
"Armament Haki: Hardening!" Satoru used Haki Hardening again to withstand White Fang's attack. But Kakashi's future father was strong not just in swordsmanship.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan