It was terrifying.
A monster who already stood at the top of the ninja world was still evolving at a speed that made absolutely no sense.
Jiraiya stiffly turned his head and looked at the quiet Akira standing nearby, his eyes filled with shock.
"No wonder… I was wondering why I couldn't sense your chakra at all. So you've reached the point where your strength has become completely natural and unreadable."
In truth, in the entire world right now, only Tsunade had even the slightest idea of how deep Akira's strength went.
And even that was only a slight idea.
Over the past three years, Akira had only acted a handful of times, and he had never once gone all out.
Shizune and Sakura's impressions of him were still vague and outdated.
In Shizune's mind, Akira was still the boy who had stood tall during the Sannin battle, showing a presence that did not lose out to any Kage-level fighter.
Sakura's memories went back even further, to the Land of Waves mission, where Akira had already seemed impossibly powerful.
As for Naruto, his understanding was roughly the same as Shizune's. He had not received any truly clear update on Akira's current level.
Jiraiya's original judgment had been that Akira was roughly on par with him.
Now, being told that Akira was ten times stronger than before hit him harder than a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Ten times.
That was an unimaginable gap.
Just what height had Akira reached now?
The bottleneck Jiraiya expected had not appeared at all. Instead, Akira had entered an explosive period of growth. It completely shattered Jiraiya's understanding of training.
Even Tsunade herself was not entirely sure. She was only describing it based on her instincts as a powerful shinobi, so it might not be precise.
Just then, Naruto suddenly clenched his fists. His eyes burned as he stared at Akira, full of fighting spirit.
"No matter what, I still want to challenge Akira! Even if I only get one chance, I want to try!"
Everyone's gaze instantly shifted to the blond teenager.
That stubborn refusal to admit defeat had not changed at all.
Akira rubbed his chin and said calmly, "I don't mind. People come looking to get humbled all the time. I'm used to it by now."
Beside him, Tsunade helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
"That's true. Including Naruto, more than a hundred people have challenged you over the past three years. From hotheaded genin to elite jōnin, we've seen every rank."
Akira's life over the past three years looked peaceful on the surface, but that was only because the challengers were too easy to deal with.
Those shinobi who came charging in full of confidence usually lost the moment they stood in front of him.
Many of them could not even withstand his presence.
Even battle-hardened jōnin would tremble when Akira glanced at them, their fingers locking up before they could form a single hand sign.
That mountain-like pressure was several times more terrifying than the fear Orochimaru had once forced onto Kakashi in the Forest of Death.
Hearing this hidden story, Jiraiya froze for a moment before giving a wry smile.
"Kid, what kind of life have you been living these past three years? Over a hundred challengers? If that were me, I'd have left the village just to get some peace."
Akira looked perfectly relaxed, even smiling faintly, as if they were discussing something completely ordinary.
To him, those challengers were little more than seasoning in an otherwise dull life. Watching them could even be entertaining.
If nothing happened every day, he would start to feel like he was living on autopilot.
"I honestly don't mind. Most of them drop before I even move, so despite all those challenges, I've never actually had to fight."
Tsunade could not help laughing as she added, "That's true. The moment most people see Akira, their confidence collapses. They don't even have the courage to move a finger."
Jiraiya stared blankly, disbelief written all over his face.
"Has Akira's deterrence really reached that level? I remember three years ago, he couldn't make people lose the will to fight just by standing there."
Naruto and Sakura both found themselves remembering the Chūnin Exams from three years earlier.
Back then, Akira had indeed released a suffocating aura that made countless candidates avoid him on sight.
During the Forest of Death exam, aside from that earthshaking clash with Orochimaru, Akira had barely needed to fight the other examinees seriously.
Even Gaara, who had once been arrogant beyond reason, had avoided Akira like a disaster waiting to happen.
But the current Naruto was overflowing with confidence.
After three years of brutal training, he believed that even if he could not beat Akira, he should at least be able to trade a few moves with him.
The gap could not be that huge anymore.
Just then, Tsunade looked out the window, the corner of her mouth lifting into a smile.
"Looks like the person who's really going to test you has arrived."
Naruto and Sakura exchanged a glance, immediately understanding. They hurried to the window and leaned out.
On the street below, a lazy silver-haired figure was leaning against the wall, holding that familiar little orange book and reading with great interest.
Seeing the iconic mask and forehead protector, Kakashi lazily raised his head.
"Yo, Naruto, Sakura. It's been three years."
Naruto's eyes widened like saucers. He braced one hand on the windowsill and vaulted straight out of the Hokage's office, shouting excitedly.
"Kakashi-sensei! Are you the one testing us this time?"
Kakashi closed his book and nodded.
"Mm. Come to Training Ground Three tonight. I'll be waiting there. Don't be late."
Naruto suddenly remembered something and hurriedly rummaged through his ninja pouch. He pulled out a brand-new book, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, right! This is the newest sequel written by Pervy Sage! I don't get what's so great about these books, but Kakashi-sensei, you've been waiting for this one forever, right?"
Kakashi, who had looked calm and indifferent to everything in the world, suddenly lit up the instant he saw the book.
"This… this is the newest volume of the Make-Out series! I didn't expect it to be published so soon! Thank you, Naruto. This is the perfect gift!"
Kakashi snatched the novel at lightning speed, as if afraid Naruto might change his mind.
"All right, I'll be waiting at Training Ground Three. Make sure you come. See you."
With a puff of smoke, he vanished on the spot.
Judging from how impatient he looked, he had probably gone off to some quiet corner to read it first.
Tsunade watched the scene with a face as dark as a storm cloud, a vein bulging on her forehead.
"That bastard… how did he get so addicted to that trashy nonsense?"
In Tsunade's original impression, Kakashi might have been lazy, but he was at least a proper shinobi. The more she got to know him, the more she realized he was a complete closet pervert.
Akira could not help laughing beside her.
"That's pretty normal. Human nature is human nature. And to be fair, Jiraiya-sama's writing does have its merits. The plot has plenty of twists and turns."