Chapter 143 The Clash at the Entrance of Hidden Stone Village
After a period of training, Naruto gradually imprinted this footwork technique into his muscle memory through the process of being beaten.
After learning the basic footwork, Naruto won against Sasuke for the first time in a classroom sparring match.
This was not surprising, as Naruto's previous losses to Sasuke were largely due to Sasuke's excessive agility; even ten or so clones couldn't catch him.
But once Naruto could catch up with Sasuke, his abnormally resilient body came in handy. The percentage of damage from ten punches from Sasuke was incomparable to ten punches from Naruto.
In that sparring match, the two basically ended up entangled, exchanging wild punches. If Iruka hadn't separated them, given Sasuke's stubborn and headstrong nature, he probably would have suffered a great loss.
Of course, this was also because the Ninja Academy prohibited high-damage ninjutsu in sparring; otherwise, Sasuke's already mastered simplified version of Chidori would have been enough to give Naruto a run for his money.
While the three disciples were training intensively, the genin in the guard unit weren't idle either. After Shisui's rigorous selection process, four genin were chosen. These four, along with two members of the Uchiha clan who had graduated from the Ninja Academy the previous year, formed two three-person teams.
These individuals possessed exceptional talent among commoners; with a bit of luck, reaching the level of Nagai Seiichi wouldn't be a problem.
The two selected Uchiha genin, however, were somewhat mediocre by Uchiha standards.
One had only awakened a single tomoe, and the other hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet, but their basic ninjutsu skills were solid, reaching Chunin level. They had awakened the single tomoe Uchiha Crescent Moon, and their genjutsu prowess even surpassed that of their clan leader, Uchiha Touhuan.
Hearing that the Chunin Exams concerned the reputation of their respected Hokage, these selected genin trained with extreme intensity.
Three weeks later, the group embarked on their journey to Iwagakure.
Naruto, leaving the village for the first time, found everything fascinating and constantly poked his head out of the carriage, observing everything around him.
Sasuke and Neji were also excited, but having received a prestigious upbringing, they maintained basic decorum.
A week passed in the blink of an eye. After Naruto's initial excitement wore off, he quickly grew bored with the carriage journey. Fortunately, just before he became nauseous from the travel, the Hokage's procession was about to arrive at Iwagakure.
Before arriving at Iwagakure, Uchiha Touhuan changed into the formal Hokage attire—a long robe and straw hat—on the carriage.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji were also arranged by Uchiha Touhuan to change into formal attire embroidered with the crests of the Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Hyuga clans, respectively.
This time, the three of them were visiting Hidden Stone Village not only as disciples of Uchiha Touhuan, but also as the young clan leaders of Konoha's three great ninja clans.
Naruto, after changing his clothes, settled down. He had worn these clothes before and had been instructed by Uchiha Touhuan that wearing them meant his every word and action represented the Uzumaki clan.
When the group arrived, the Iwagakure welcoming party was already waiting at the village entrance. Onoki was also dressed in his most formal attire, with a group of Hidden Stone Village's high-ranking officials standing on either side of him.
The carriage stopped beside the red carpet, the door slowly opened, and Uchiha Touhuan alighted unhurriedly, stepping onto the red carpet to stand before Onoki.
Behind him, the Shadow Guard, led by Uchiha Inari kazuchi, followed closely, while Naruto and Sasuke followed quietly behind.
Upon seeing Uchiha Touhuan's arrival, Onoki's body slowly floated into the air, and when Uchiha Touhuan was right in front of him, their eyes were at the same level.
The two extended their hands almost simultaneously. After shaking hands, Onoki spoke, "I've long admired the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, so young and accomplished.
Meeting you today, I can see your reputation is well-deserved."
"Earth Shadow, you flatter me. Compared to a senior like you, I still have much to learn. I have much to learn from you on how to be a good Kage of a village."
Their hands separated, and almost simultaneously, they thought to themselves:
[Old fox]
[Little fox]
For Onoki, hearing such humble words from Uchiha Touhuan was already unbelievable.
Based on his past understanding of the Uchiha clan and his recent actions in Village Hidden in the Grass, Onoki's impression of Uchiha Touhuan was that of the traditional, aloof, and domineering Uchiha.
He never expected Uchiha Touhuan to be so humble.
Onoki wasn't taken lightly by Uchiha Touhuan's humility. Having navigated the ninja world for so many years, he had seen many powerful ninjas, but those who could conceal their strength were far more difficult to deal with than ordinary strongmen.
Clearly, Uchiha Touhuan was such a person.
After a brief silence, the two burst into laughter simultaneously. Onoki, with a bright smile, said, "The arrival of the Fifth Hokage is a great honor for our Iwagakure! Please!"
"Earth Shadow, you flatter us. It is our honor to be invited by you, Konoha! Please!"
Both wore their signature fake smiles and walked together into Iwagakure.
Soon, Onoki noticed the three children following behind Uchiha Touhuan.
Seeing Onoki's gaze, Uchiha Touhuan introduced them with a smile, "These three are my disciples. I've come to Hidden Stone Village this time to broaden their horizons."
"I see," Onoki nodded. Although Naruto's blond hair instantly brought back some painful memories, he still smiled and praised, "Those three are clearly gifted. They must have received your true teachings, Hokage."
"Just three good-for-nothing brats," Uchiha Touhuan shook his head. "They're far from good enough."
After saying that, Uchiha Touhuan looked at the three little ones behind him. "You three, come and greet the Earth Shadow."
The three of them came to the Earth Shadow and greeted him one by one.
"Greetings, Earth Shadow! My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
"Neji Hyuga greets, Earth Shadow."
"Sasuke Uchiha greets, Earth Shadow."
After the three greeted the Earth Shadow, Naruto stared at Onoki with curious eyes. After a while, Naruto said,
"Grandpa Earth Shadow, why do you keep flying? Is it because you want to look as tall as Master?"
Upon hearing this, Onoki almost threw out his back on the spot. Although that was what he was thinking, wasn't it a bit too impolite for this kid to say it out loud?
At this moment, at the entrance of Iwagakure, the Hidden Stone Village ninjas responsible for welcoming them also turned somewhat ugly.
"Naruto!" Just then, Touhuan Uchiha sternly called out Naruto's name. Seeing this, Naruto realized that he might have said something wrong, so he shrank his neck and dared not speak.
"Sasuke, Neji, take Naruto back to the car," said Touhuan Uchiha.
Sasuke and Neji, having received instructions from Uchiha Touhuan, took Naruto back to the caravan.
"The child is ignorant; please forgive his rudeness, Earth Shadow," Uchiha Touhuan said, bowing slightly to Onoki after reprimanding Naruto. "
Hehe, it's alright. He's just a child; children speak without thinking," Onoki could only force a smile. What else could he do but turn on Uchiha Touhuan right there?
However, after this incident, Onoki no longer bothered to maintain the Light-Heavy Rock Technique and landed naturally on the ground.
"Hehe, that child just now...he does resemble an old friend of yours from Konoha," Onoki said with a dry laugh. "Earth Shadow, you don't need to guess. Naruto is the son of that person you mentioned," Uchiha Touhuan said with a light laugh.
"Is that so? Then Hokage, bringing him here was a bit ill-considered. There are quite a few ninjas in the village who have a grudge against that child's father."
"Heh, those are grudges from the previous generation, aren't they? Does Hidden Stone Village intend to perpetuate the hatred of the previous generation onto a child? Before I came, I always believed that Hidden Stone Village invited Konoha with peaceful intentions." Uchiha Touhuan said.
"What are you saying, Hokage? Of course, Hidden Stone Villag extended the invitation to Konoha for the joint Chunin Exams with peaceful intentions." Onoki said in a deep voice.
"So, Mr. Earth Shadow thinks that even the safety of a seven-year-old child can't be guaranteed on his own territory?"
"Heh, Hokage, you jest," Onoki said with a dry laugh. "Hidden Stone Village has the capability and the obligation to ensure the safety of every guest."
"Then it seems I misunderstood you, Earth Shadow," Uchiha Touhuan said. "I apologize to you, Earth Shadow, and hope you won't mind."
"I didn't explain things clearly to the Hokage at the beginning. I also bear some responsibility in this matter."
"Hokage, let's go into the village first. The village has prepared a sumptuous banquet for our guests from afar. Tonight, let's drink until we drop," Onoki said, turning the subject aside and putting on a bright smile again.
"The Earth Shadow's invitation is so kind; I naturally have no reason to refuse," Uchiha Touhuan said with a smile.
"Hokage! Please!" Onoki extended his hand in invitation.
"Heh, Earth Shadow, please go first," Uchiha Touhuan said.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two entered Iwagakure one after the other.
Before Onoki could even lead Uchiha Touhuan to the banquet venue, a sudden, violent explosion erupted by the roadside, thick smoke billowing up and blocking their path.
"Mr. Earth Shadow, what's going on?" Uchiha Touhuan asked with a meaningful smile, looking at the swirling smoke.
At that moment, Onoki's face twitched slightly, and he roared, "Deidara! Get out here!"
"Haha! Old man! How was my performance? Was it good enough?"
A blond-haired boy swaggered out from the smoke.
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