"Damn it, blocked again!" Naruto shouted in frustration as he looked at the destroyed Earth Flow Wall.
Taking advantage of the lingering dust, Sakura quietly circled behind Kakashi, raising her kunai high, ready to catch him off guard.
However, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Kakashi's body vanished the instant before Sakura's attack landed, reappearing behind her.
"Sakura, your attacking intentions were too obvious," Kakashi said with a smile.
Sakura quickly retreated, lamenting inwardly that she truly was useless.
Sasuke charged forward again, unleashing the Marine Rokushiki and Armament Haki.
His movements were fluid and swift, drawing nods of approval from Jiraiya, who watched from the sidelines, his eyes filled with admiration.
Jiraiya knew well the difficulty of mastering taijutsu, and for Sasuke to achieve this at his age was truly rare; the unique Rokushiki and Armament Haki were particularly refreshing to witness.
Yet even this was ineffective against Kakashi.
"Time to end this." Kakashi's gaze sharpened instantly, his chakra beginning to surge as his overall presence rose dramatically.
With the Sharingan's formidable copying ability and his own exceptional talent, he had long since mastered the Rokushiki and Armament Haki.
In the next instant, Kakashi moved.
His speed was so great that his figure was almost invisible, leaving only afterimages flickering across the training ground.
He used Shave to appear before Sasuke in an instant, unleashing a powerful punch.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he hastily raised his arms to block. With a loud bang, Sasuke was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Damn it!" Sasuke struggled to his feet, staring at the familiar black energy coating Kakashi's fist, his mind filled with confusion.
Seeing this, Naruto grew frantic and immediately ordered his shadow clones to charge again.
Naruto shouted while gathering chakra, preparing to use the Rasengan once more.
But Kakashi didn't give him the chance. He flickered, weaving between the shadow clones, each one dissipating under his attacks.
Sakura gritted her teeth, trying to find an opening for a sneak attack, but Kakashi's perception was too sharp; her every move was anticipated.
He sidestepped her attack with ease, lightly tapping her shoulder. "Sakura, I see your effort, but you still need more training."
The dust gradually settled.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stood together, looking at Kakashi, who remained composed, a sense of defeat washing over them.
Kakashi sighed inwardly. Though it was somewhat embarrassing to borrow techniques from his students, the Marine Rokushiki and Armament Haki were truly remarkable.
In using these powers, he could distinctly feel his chakra utilization expanding into new dimensions, each movement accompanied by a sense of exhilaration.
Lately, he had also sensed that the ninja world seemed to be in the midst of a silent upheaval.
Like an undercurrent beneath a calm lake, it could stir up raging waves at any moment.
As a top jonin of Konoha, he had to work hard to restore his strength as quickly as possible.
Just as Kakashi thought this training spar had come to an end, a figure leaped high from the dust.
"Hey, it's not over yet, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's voice rang out, defiant.
"It's useless," Kakashi said, shaking his head helplessly.
"Heh heh, I've got new power," Naruto said, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.
As soon as he finished speaking, he closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking deep within, his spirit once again entering the mysterious sealed space inside him.
It was still dim here, with a massive iron cage standing silently at the center. Inside, the Nine Tails lay lounging, sleeping, its nine enormous tails sprawled around it.
"Hey, big fox, wake up!" Naruto stood before the cage, gripping the bars and shouting at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the sealed space.
The Nine Tails, as if it hadn't heard, remained lying down, not even lifting an eyelid, only flicking its tail lazily.
Naruto had no intention of giving up so easily and began chattering incessantly, talking about everything from his spar with Kakashi today to his dream of becoming Hokage, to his curiosity about the Nine Tails' power, without pause.
At first, the Nine Tails managed to endure it, but as Naruto's relentless voice continued, its ears began twitching with irritation, and its body shifted restlessly.
Finally, it could take it no longer. It lifted its head abruptly, its crimson vertical pupils blazing with anger, and roared, "What do you want, brat?"
"Lend me some of your power," Naruto said, grinning widely, his white teeth flashing, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Dream on, brat. A tailed beast's power is not something you can withstand."
The Nine Tails said impatiently, its voice dripping with menace, as it flicked its tail.
"Let's give it a try. Maybe I'm special," Naruto said confidently, puffing out his chest.
The Nine Tails snorted coldly, not wanting to bother with the stubborn brat, but Naruto kept babbling on, his voice like a buzzing fly, driving it to distraction.
In the end, the Nine Tails couldn't take it anymore, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth before reluctantly parting with a wisp of chakra, passing it to Naruto.
"Hah, brat, you'll regret this," the Nine Tails said, though in truth, it had already quietly tempered the chakra's violent nature this time.
It thought to itself that it was only using the boy to gauge whether there were any freakishly strong individuals like Hashirama Senju still in the ninja world. It definitely wasn't going easy on him, nor was it because it couldn't bear to kill him.
It would never admit that it had begun to feel a little different about this brat, always so full of energy and enthusiasm.
Outside, Kakashi, who had been composed, suddenly changed his expression.
He looked up sharply, his gaze fixed on Naruto's direction as if he could see right through space to the changes happening inside him.
At the same time, Jiraiya's half-closed eyes flew wide open, his expression turning serious.
His hands unconsciously rose slightly, ready to form seals at a moment's notice, as his chakra began to stir slowly.
"The Nine Tails' power," both men murmured almost simultaneously, their voices filled with shock and concern.
At that moment, Naruto was immersed in a sensation unlike any he had ever felt.
He could feel the surging, overwhelming chakra around him, as if his body had become a colossal source of power, energy pouring forth endlessly.
A single red chakra tail had begun to form behind him, swaying gently with his breath.
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