"What I said," Naruto replied calmly, "counts."
"You—every one of you—can attack together. Anyone."
His gaze swept across the forces of Cloud and Sand.
Kazekage. Raikage. Jonin like Baki, Samui, Karui.
Even the Genin—Temari, Kankuro, Omoi, Yurui, Atsui—were all within his line of sight.
The Genin instinctively shrank back, unable to meet his eyes.
The Jonin clenched their fists, fighting spirit rising.
Yes, Naruto was stronger—but saying they couldn't even force him back a single step was an insult.
They had trained for decades.
Even Kage-level fighters wouldn't dare claim something like that so lightly.
And this time, they weren't alone.
They had two Kage.
"If we still can't make him move," someone thought grimly, "then we deserve to lose."
"Cloud shinobi—attack! Full power!"
"Sand shinobi—no holding back!"
Raikage A roared and leapt down from the platform, slamming into the arena like a thunderbolt.
Kazekage Rasa rose into the air atop a flowing carpet of sand.
Jonin poured in from all directions.
Even the Genin gritted their teeth and hurled shuriken and kunai from afar—if nothing else, they could interfere.
But everyone knew the truth.
The real pressure came from the two Kage.
"Lightning Release: Heavy Burst!"
Raikage A charged like a human siege weapon. Chakra condensed at his elbow as he smashed it toward the stone pillar beneath Naruto.
If the pillar broke, Naruto would lose his footing.
Even shifting slightly would count as defeat.
"Magnet Release: Placer Gold!"
Rasa followed immediately.
Razor-sharp golden sand erupted upward like spears, screaming through the air toward the same pillar, sparks flying as they cut through space.
"Wind Release: Wind Wall!"
Naruto clasped his hands.
A violent cyclone exploded around the pillar, forming a raging wall of wind that completely blocked the Jonin and Genin attacks.
Only Raikage and Kazekage forced their way through.
"Earth Release: Adamantine Technique!"
The ground responded instantly.
Earth flowed up the pillar like liquid, its color shifting from brown to cold metallic gray.
Diamond-hard spikes burst outward.
Clang!
Rasa's gold sand collided head-on with the diamond spears, sparks flying as both forces locked together.
Raikage A, charging at full speed, suddenly felt danger explode through his instincts.
The diamond spike was aimed directly at his elbow.
At the last instant, he twisted aside.
His attack missed the pillar, detonating into empty air.
The resulting shockwave tore through the arena, carving a massive crack into the ground.
The crowd stared in disbelief.
"Is… is this even human?"
"Uzumaki-sama's Earth Release… this isn't normal Earth Release at all."
"And that Wind Wall earlier—blocking multiple Jonin at full power? That's easily S-rank."
"Back-to-back super-tier jutsu, different elements, no hand signs… The Third Hokage's 'Professor of Ninjutsu' title might actually be obsolete now."
"This really matches the rumors. Uzumaki Naruto fires off ninjutsu like a cannon—one after another, effortlessly."
"Didn't the First Hokage use jutsu without seals? Uzumaki-sama has reached that realm!"
The assault continued.
Raikage and Kazekage regrouped and attacked again.
Jonin unleashed their strongest techniques without pause, chakra flaring wildly.
Naruto, meanwhile, remained completely still.
High above them, standing on the stone pillar, calm and unmoving.
Only his hands shifted—forming seals, releasing jutsu—like a natural disaster given form.
The audience sat frozen, mouths open, scalps tingling.
Even without understanding the details, the outcome was obvious.
Everyone else was fighting desperately just to destroy a single stone pillar.
Naruto was facing them all—and doing it casually.
Konoha's shinobi watched in awe, eyes burning.
Naruto used techniques they recognized…
but twisted, refined, elevated.
Watching him felt like watching a new door being blown open in front of them.
"Lord Tsuchikage—"
stepped closer, shaken.
Onoki raised a hand, stopping him.
What was there to say?
Onoki's expression darkened.
He had once seen Uchiha Madara with his own eyes.
He knew what a monster who stood above the age looked like.
And Uzumaki Naruto felt the same.
Even against multiple Kage-level fighters, Naruto was relaxed—almost bored.
Worse still, Onoki's instincts screamed one terrifying truth:
Naruto still wasn't going all out.
"A single man who suppresses an entire era," Onoki thought heavily.
"And he's this young… What future does Iwagakure even have?"
Beside him, Yagura wore the same grim expression.
"One person overwhelming a village… we used to call that a myth."
"But Kira of the Red Sun made that myth real."
"And now Uzumaki Naruto…"
Yagura felt the same crushing pressure.
If Naruto truly was Kira—
Then he had dominated the era since childhood.
If not—
Then it meant something even worse:
That there were multiple beings who stood above the Five Great Nations.
Like Senju Hashirama… and Uchiha Madara.
Either possibility was terrifying.
"In any case," Yagura thought firmly,
"we must stay on good terms with Konoha… and with Uzumaki Naruto."
Onoki reached the same conclusion.
If you can't defeat it—align with it.
The future of their villages depended on it.
The battle dragged on.
The Genin were completely spent, chakra drained dry.
The Jonin were drenched in sweat, their attacks swallowed without result.
Only Raikage and Kazekage still fought at full strength.
And even they were beginning to feel it.
On the rooftop, Orochimaru laughed softly.
"Amazing, Sarutobi-sensei. With a successor like that… whether you live or die after today, you'll have to step down."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Naruto below.
For the first time, he felt like he was truly seeing the boy clearly.
The cheerful, confident child was still there—
But layered beneath was something vast, unfathomable, and terrifying.
Naruto had shown his hand today.
Both his resolve—
And his overwhelming power.
Orochimaru was right.
After this Chunin Exam, whether he wished it or not—
Sarutobi Hiruzen would have to yield the seat of Hokage.
If not willingly…
Then by force.
"He really hid it well," Hiruzen chuckled suddenly.
And in that moment, his heart finally felt light.
He understood now.
With a successor like this—
Konoha's future was secure.
If so… what was there left to hesitate about?
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