Byakugan.
Sharingan.
Veins stretched to Yukina's temples as her white pupils lit up; beside her, Hirohiko's eyes shimmered crimson—his Sharingan had activated as well.
"How is it?" Chiba whispered from behind them.
"Chakra evenly distributed. I can't tell which one's the real body," Yukina replied calmly.
Hirohiko nodded. Even with his Sharingan, he couldn't distinguish them.
Chiba sighed—it was just as he expected. Quietly, he began removing his ankle weights, carefully setting them down so they wouldn't make a sound.
The three of them were huddled inside a dense thicket, having leapt into the underbrush the instant Kushina announced the start of the exercise. After circling around a bit, they'd finally settled into a spot with good cover.
Beyond the thicket, in the open training field, stood ten groups of three Kushinas—thirty in total—each group arranged back to back in tight formations, spacing between groups ranging from one to five meters. The formation allowed a 360-degree visual range, covering all directions.
No matter where the three of them attacked from, they would be instantly noticed and targeted by the nearest Kushina—and likely another from the next group.
Somewhere among them… was the real Kushina.
And the only way to end this "post-meal exercise"… was to tag the real one.
"Listen up," Chiba whispered, resting a hand on each of their shoulders. "We just ate, so now is when our combat effectiveness is at its peak. If this drags on, we're toast. Kushina-sensei has way more chakra than any of us—hell, even more than the average elite jonin. No, probably even more than the Third Hokage."
Hirohiko and Yukina turned and nodded seriously.
"I can feel it… her chakra is full of vitality," Hirohiko murmured.
Yukina agreed wordlessly.
Of course it was. The chakra of the Uzumaki clan was known to rival even that of the Tailed Beasts—strong enough to restrain the Nine-Tails itself.
Chiba knew this from the original timeline.
Back then, Kushina hadn't gotten much screen time beyond flashbacks to the Nine-Tails incident. Even then, she'd been weakened by childbirth, with her seal broken—completely unable to display her true power.
But now?
Now Chiba realized just how terrifying Kushina could be at her peak. Any average jonin would be steamrolled by her.
"You got a plan?" Yukina asked.
Chiba shook his head. "Not yet. But this exercise… it's a training drill—testing stealth, ambush skills, and your ability to identify the real body from among clones."
His calm voice cut through the tension, and both Hirohiko and Yukina turned to look at him.
Clear, steady eyes. Like he had already seen through it all.
Then they looked at the formation outside again.
Yes. He was right.
It was a test—to see how well they could sneak, strike, and discern.
He figured it out right away…
The two geniuses exchanged glances again and found themselves oddly reassured. They nodded.
Yukina was just about to say something when Chiba suddenly snapped:
"Behind us!"
Boom!
Before she could even process it, Chiba had already turned and punched behind them. His muscles tensed, the First and Second Gates bursting open. His full strength surged forward—and his punch collided head-on with a descending strike.
A loud thump shook the underbrush.
Their attacker—a Kushina clone—was frozen in midair, surprised to have her punch stopped so cleanly.
Yukina and Hirohiko, despite their shock, moved instantly—four shuriken flew out from their hands, slicing through the air.
The clone, still reeling from Chiba's punch, couldn't dodge. The shuriken struck—and she burst into smoke.
Poof.
"Shadow clone," Hirohiko muttered.
Kushina, watching through her clone's memory, raised her brows in admiration.
Sharp reflexes, she thought. Chiba's awareness is insane. That punch had real power, too. Hirohiko and Yukina reacted instantly and attacked from perfect angles. Impressive!
Very impressive.
From her vantage point among the clones, Kushina smiled.
By now, they must've scattered.
She was certain: once the clone found them, they would've known instantly that they'd been compromised—and moved. Staying put would've been foolish.
Sure enough, another Kushina clone walked over to the bush they'd been hiding in.
She pushed the branches aside—
Boom!
She was blown to bits by a surprise kick from Chiba, who launched himself from the thicket like a rocket.
Before Kushina could blink, another clone was smashed by Chiba's punch.
A third clone, finally reacting, intercepted Chiba's next flying kick and blocked it.
A fourth dashed in from a nearby group and struck Chiba with a heavy kick of her own—sending him flying back into the brush.
So he didn't leave?
Kushina blinked, momentarily stunned.
But just as she thought that, Chiba leapt out again, clone reinforcements hot on his heels.
This time he ignored them, sprinting full-speed toward another clone group—so fast that even his pursuers struggled to keep up.
This speed… from a seven-year-old?
Kushina's surprise deepened into disbelief.
Already, three clone groups—nine clones total—were chasing him. He'd destroyed one outright and disabled another.
Incredible.
She couldn't help but be impressed.
But… too reckless.
At that moment, Chiba was cornered.
Ahead of him—three clones.
Behind him—six more.
No escape. Trapped.
Kushina's focus shifted.
Where were the other two?
She scanned the remaining clone squads.
Six groups left, not counting the ones chasing Chiba. The injured and destroyed clones had been replaced by two others from nearby.
One of those squads was positioned directly in front of her—the group closest to the real Kushina—situated in the very center of the open field.
If I were them, I'd coordinate a crossfire…
And right then—FWOOOSH!
Flames erupted from a distant thicket.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
At the same time, a powerful distortion wave surged forward—blasting toward another squad.
Hirohiko and Yukina had entered the battle.
The assault had begun.