"What?!"
Even Kakashi himself froze.
When had he ever taught Naruto something like that?
And what was this "Konohagakure Taijutsu Ultimate Art"? He was completely lost.
Could it be some special taijutsu this world's Kakashi had developed specifically for Naruto?
No… the name of the technique sounded oddly familiar.
Wasn't that something his father, the White Fang, once jokingly used while drunk, messing around with his comrades? Had he seriously taught that to Naruto?
No, that didn't feel right either.
It seemed more like something from back when he was testing the three of them for genin qualification, making them fight over the bells…
In an instant, Kakashi Hatake's thoughts raced wildly.
Everyone stared as Naruto finally unleashed the big move he'd been holding back for so long, their focus so intense it felt like time itself had slowed.
The move Kakashi-sensei taught me—
The Secret Taijutsu Ultimate Art of the Hidden Leaf Village!
"One—Thousand—Years—of Death—!!!!"
Under everyone's gaze, Naruto Uzumaki went through great effort to circle behind Gaara and, using a kunai, delivered a move that was just—
[Details too unspeakable and indescribable for a novel, otherwise the book might get banned.]
The toad Naruto had summoned, Kakashi's ninja dog Pakkun, Gaara's siblings Temari and Kankurō, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno—
Along with the Adult Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura from the mission scroll world.
Everyone…
Was completely dumbfounded.
Eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Mouths hung open wide enough to fit an egg.
Yes, even Naruto himself, who wasn't actually on the battlefield, could never have imagined such a "finishing move"!!
"What kind of finishing move is that?!" Sasuke Uchiha shouted at Naruto. "What were you even thinking?!"
Sakura and Sakura Haruno each grabbed one of Naruto's ears.
"Idiot!! How much damage do you think a single kunai can do to him?!"
"Exactly! You made me think you actually had some kind of ultimate move!"
Naruto was scolded for no reason at all.
"It wasn't even me who did it!!"
"Just like you," Sasuke muttered. "Dead last."
Sasuke rubbed his forehead. Maybe he hadn't spent enough time with Kakashi back when they were kids, because he genuinely didn't know where to even start criticizing this. No, it wasn't that. There were simply too many things wrong to pick just one.
Looking back at the battlefield, they saw Gaara slowly turn his head, then lash out with his tail, sending Naruto Uzumaki flying.
Naruto asked Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno,
"Has the me in this world not learned the Rasengan yet? We should already be in the third exam, right?"
"Rasengan?" Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances and shook their heads. "What's that? Some kind of ninjutsu?"
Naruto was just about to explain when the Adult Kakashi's voice interrupted.
"Look over there."
That single sentence pulled everyone's attention back to the fight between Gaara and Naruto.
"That's…!!" Shikamaru Nara exclaimed.
Wrapped tightly around the handle of the kunai was—
"An explosive tag?!"
Even though they were standing in different positions, almost everyone shouted it out at the same time.
As Naruto Uzumaki fell backward, he was frighteningly calm. His eyes were hidden beneath the shadow of his bangs.
"Explode."
Almost simultaneously—
"BOOM——!!"
Naruto had used his strongest explosive tag. The explosion was loud enough to be heard clearly from hundreds of meters away.
Gaara was swallowed by a massive cloud of dust.
The shockwave blasted Naruto violently backward.
At the critical moment, no one knew when Sasuke Uchiha had jumped in, but he appeared behind Naruto, bracing himself to absorb the impact and break the force of the blast.
"Sasuke?!"
"How did you even come up with that move?"
"Hahaha," Naruto Uzumaki rubbed the back of his head with a dumb grin. "When they said Kakashi-sensei was my dad's student, it just popped into my head."
"Huh?!!!"
That connection was way too far-fetched, wasn't it?!
Over there, Kakashi suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Naruto added, "If I get to see Dad, should I tattle on his student for using the One Thousand Years of Death on me?"
At this moment, Naruto looked nothing like the stupid, clueless idiot everyone described.
He was clearly a little devil.
Kakashi was numb. Completely numb.
He suddenly recalled the last get-together—how Naruto had played Ebisu like a fiddle, and how that ominous black aura seemed to linger behind Minato-sensei afterward.
Beside him, Naruto slapped his fist into his palm, looking like he'd just discovered a whole new continent.
"Ah! I can't believe I forgot about that!"
Kakashi: "..."
What a curse upon this world…
After that brief bit of chaos, everyone turned their attention back to the battle between Gaara and Naruto Uzumaki.
Although Sasuke Uchiha had taken the impact for Naruto earlier, his chakra didn't recover anywhere near as fast as Naruto's. His physical fatigue had been treated, but the chakra inside his body still needed time to recover.
Sakura wasn't in the mood to joke. She asked the Naruto from the other world,
"Did you win? Against Gaara?"
"It wouldn't be that simple," Naruto replied. "Gaara hasn't truly used Shukaku's power yet. Honestly, I've always wondered too. Without that mission reward, could I really have beaten Gaara?"
To be honest, he had relied on the mission reward during that fight. Even though Sasuke said Kurama's power and the mission scroll were part of his own strength, whenever he thought back on it, Naruto couldn't help feeling like he'd won by taking a shortcut. It left him with a faint sense of unease, like the victory wasn't completely fair.
On the battlefield, Sasuke Uchiha spoke quietly to Naruto Uzumaki.
"That attack you put so much effort into didn't really do much damage."
"Ugh, this is so annoying!"
"Hey, Naruto. You and Sakura should leave soon," Sasuke Uchiha said. "With your strength, you can't deal with him. Time's limited. Go back and see your family."
"What are you talking about?!" Naruto shot back. "There's no way I'm leaving you behind!!!"
Sasuke Uchiha hesitated, then said awkwardly, "Didn't you just say we were the ones who pulled you out of loneliness?" His ears turned a little red. "A-anyway, you dead last, hurry up and leave! As your most important teammate, I'll buy you some time…"
Because he had just talked about Itachi Uchiha with his other-world counterpart, he didn't know why, but he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to pour out the heaviness in his heart to Naruto.
"I once lost everything. I understand better than anyone what it feels like to gain something and then lose it again. I don't want to lose you anymore. Take Sakura and run."
"!!" Naruto Uzumaki said, "I—"
"Don't leave yourself with regrets. Go meet your father." Sasuke Uchiha didn't look at Naruto. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the enemy as he spoke. "Don't worry. Even Kakashi from the other world won't just stand by and watch me die in front of him. There will be a way."
After saying that, Sasuke prepared to force himself forward again. With less than twenty percent of his chakra recovered, he still intended to continue attacking Gaara and buy time for Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto, however, fell silent, turning Sasuke's words over in his mind.
'As your most important teammate, I'll buy you time…'
'I understand better than anyone the pain of losing again. I don't want to lose you.'
…
'Take Sakura and run. Don't leave yourself with regrets. Go meet your father.'
That feeling of being acknowledged.
That feeling of being cared for, of being remembered by someone.
'Naruto, do you have someone who matters most to you?'
Haku's voice from the Land of Waves mission echoed once more in his memory.
'People are strongest when they are protecting what matters most to them.'
'Remember, that person's side… is where you belong…'
"That person's side…"
Naruto Uzumaki looked at Sasuke Uchiha, who was trying to put himself in front of him.
"…is where I belong."
Sasuke Uchiha didn't hear what he said. His mind was filled only with thoughts of how to defeat Gaara, or at the very least, how to buy Naruto more time.
But he should have known better.
Naruto Uzumaki had never been the type to obediently follow orders.
Stepping forward, Naruto moved to stand beside Sasuke and said, "Because Gaara and I are so alike, I once thought that the fact he could struggle alone through an even harsher environment meant he was stronger than me… tougher than me."
"Naruto…?"
Naruto's eyes were wide and bright, his gaze burning with unwavering resolve.
"But because of what Sasuke said, I realized that was wrong!"
"Haku once said that people are strongest only when they're protecting what matters most to them!"
"For me, that's you, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, and this village left behind by generations of Hokage…" Naruto's fists clenched so tightly they creaked.
"Because I carry all of that, I have a reason I absolutely cannot lose!!"
Naruto was stirred to a boiling passion by the words of his other self.
Sasuke, Kakashi, Sakura, as well as this world's Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara, and Shino Aburame, all fixed their eyes firmly on Naruto Uzumaki.