Chapter 43: Naruto Surpasses Kakashi!

Chapter 43: Naruto Surpasses Kakashi!

"What? He still has power hidden away?"

Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed as she asked.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade! Naruto is incredibly powerful now!" Sakura smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"An elite jonin of Konoha, the legendary Copy Ninja... I guess we completely underestimated him!"

Tsunade exclaimed, then cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Naruto! Are you trying to scare us? This level of power is still not enough!"

"Oh? Then I guess I'll have to show you my full strength, Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto punched Kakashi back, his teeth bared in a cheerful grin.

"Hey... are you kidding me?

Naruto, are you still holding back even now? I'm already giving it my all..."

Kakashi held a kunai to his chest and panted lightly, a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

At this moment, he felt a sense of unreality.

It had only been two months since they last met... how had Naruto become so formidable?

"Ah! Earlier, I demonstrated the Six Paths of Chakra, and now I will show you the Wind Style Breathing Technique!

Watch closely, everyone! Hss... whoosh..."

As Naruto spoke, he slowly exhaled a stream of air from his nostrils.

This gust of air was like a fierce wind, stirring up the dust on the ground.

His clothes fluttered, and a gentle breeze enveloped his body, causing his golden hair to dance.

In this moment.

Uzumaki Naruto's aura underwent a profound transformation!

"What's this!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

Through his Sharingan, he saw that Naruto's state had changed. A strange white glow and active wind-attribute chakra enveloped his entire body!

"Watch out, Kakashi-sensei! Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Naruto roared.

"Great Breakthrough? Has Naruto even learned this technique? That's impressive, but a C-rank jutsu like Great Breakthrough won't be enough to take me on head-on!"

Kakashi thought to himself.

He wasn't afraid, though.

After all, Great Breakthrough was just a C-rank ninjutsu, and it required several hand seals. In that time, he could easily dodge the attack.

But the next moment.

He realized how wrong he was!

Naruto simply clapped his hands together and then exhaled.

An incredibly fierce storm surged forth.

The earth was torn apart by this tempest, and dust filled the air!

"How is this possible? This power! This range..."

Kakashi was astonished. He didn't even have time to dodge and was swept away by the gale, flying dozens of meters before crashing to the ground. He picked himself up, bruised and battered.

His eyes widened as he surveyed the surroundings, taking in the stripped terrain, about 150 meters in length, and turned to the young ninja who had once been his student: "Naruto... Your mastery of Wind Style has reached such a high level?

Just a simple Great Breakthrough...

Not only has the power increased exponentially, but you've also reduced the hand seals required... You can already be called a Wind Style master..."

Kakashi's eyes reflected his disbelief.

He thought back to the time on the battlefield when Orochimaru had used the Great Breakthrough jutsu; its power hadn't been comparable to Naruto's, and he had taken longer to perform the hand seals!

"That brat Naruto..." Tsunade, who was observing from a distance, couldn't help but gasp.

This level of ninjutsu

Reminded her of Jiraiya as well...

"Kakashi-sensei! This is the Wind Style Breathing Technique! It enhances the power of corresponding Wind Style jutsu and shortens the hand seals required!

For now, I've only just begun to grasp it, and can only release low-level Wind Style jutsu without hand seals!

But! If I keep training, I should be able to do away with hand seals for almost all Wind Style jutsu!

Hehehe!"

Naruto said proudly, casually rubbing his nose with his finger.

"You're amazing, Naruto..."

Kakashi marveled.

"Hehehe! This is actually nothing!

I have an even more powerful move, but it's too destructive and can't be used lightly.

Now, let Kakashi-sensei witness the combination of Wind Style Breathing and the Six Paths of Chakra!"

Naruto chuckled, and as he lifted his right foot, a howling gale erupted.

In an instant, he surged forward, appearing right before Kakashi's eyes.

He extended both hands, pointing his fingers at Kakashi, and fired a rapid barrage.

"Six Paths of Chakra: Raging Wind Finger Gun!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...

The countless chi bullets created a piercing sound as they sliced through the air.

This time, his Finger Gun was several times faster than before!

Kakashi, caught off guard, couldn't dodge in time and was hit by the relentless barrage of chi bullets, grunting in pain.

Puff! Puff! Puff...

The chi bullets struck Kakashi's body, sending him flying and leaving him bruised and breathless.

After a moment, he lay on the ground, trying to get up, but feeling his body weaken.

The pale white energy from the chi bullets earlier was now coursing through his body, disrupting his chakra flow and internal energy.

"This is... the acupressure technique from the Gentle Fist Style? Naruto, have you even mastered this as well?" Kakashi exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah! Gentle Fist Style? No, no, no! Kakashi-sensei!

This is also part of the Martial Way.

To end the fight with you, I had to reduce the power of my Finger Gun and infuse my chi to restrict your movements." Naruto explained as he walked over to Kakashi and helped him up.

Kakashi's eyes reflected a mix of emotions.

Reducing the power of the Finger Gun and infusing chi to restrict his movements?

Does that mean that without those restraints, the previous attack could have taken his life?

Had Naruto held back to avoid hurting him? This young man has truly matured! His current strength far surpasses mine.

Perhaps... he's even approaching the level of the Sannin? No... that's probably impossible, after all, they are the legendary Sannin...

But he's definitely far stronger than an average elite jonin.

"Naruto! You've even mastered the combination of Wind Style Breathing and the Six Paths of Chakra? Why didn't you use it when you faced Sasuke before?"

In the distance, Tsunade and the others slowly approached. Sakura couldn't help but call out in astonishment.

"Ah! I didn't feel it would be of much use against Sasuke, so I didn't bother!" Naruto scratched his head in response.

"What? Sasuke? You met Sasuke again?" Kakashi was taken aback.

"Well... sort of, but this Sasuke is very different from the one you know, Kakashi-sensei! I'll fill you in later!" Naruto replied with a smile.

Then, he continued proudly, "So, what do you think, Granny Tsunade, Shikamaru, Shizune, and Kakashi-sensei?

Are you all startled by my current strength?"

"Indeed, Naruto, you've truly become a formidable ninja who can stand on his own. I'm a little shocked," Tsunade admitted, her eyes unfocused as if seeing something in the distance.

In that moment, the bright sunlight shone on Uzumaki Naruto, and for a fleeting second, she saw another figure with golden hair.

That figure, like Naruto now, had displayed incredible strength at a young age.

"It's... a little frightening, especially when I think about what you said before. If all that's true, it's even more terrifying..." Shikamaru said with a bitter smile.

"The Martial Way... it's amazing. So, Sakura, Yamato, and Sai have also become this strong?" Shizune asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Naruto is a genius in the Martial Way.

We're not as strong as him,

we've only mastered the first three styles of the Six Paths of Chakra so far.

But even so, I think we can give Kakashi-sensei a run for his money," Sakura said with a grin.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end