"Nani?!"
The enormous pillar of light nearly blinded Jiraiya.
Naruto's ridiculous actions had actually worked.
It seemed the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was indeed true.
Naruto was the Child of Destiny, capable of creating miracles.
He'd bet with Tsunade that Naruto could learn the A-rank Rasengan in a short time, and now this outrageous light show…
"What's going on?" Tsunade was also dumbfounded.
This was a first for her. She'd never seen or even heard of anything like it.
Had she slacked off for decades and missed the development of such an absurd new jutsu?
"Damn it! Konoha really has mastered a new power." Orochimaru's face was grim.
He'd seen this kind of light pillar when he impersonated the Fourth Kazekage during the Chunin Exams.
Once could be considered a coincidence, but twice in a row, both times triggered by Konoha brats, along with that imposing voice, unheard of anywhere else in the ninja world.
This had to be Konoha's latest invention.
He had to get his hands on this technology.
His spies in Konoha were really useless; they hadn't even unearthed the source of this.
After the Chunin Exams, he'd suspected that super genius Natsuki, but all he knew was the kid had strange abilities, whose origins were a mystery.
Could this be the Third Hokage's final research before his death?
While the Sannin were all reeling in shock, the light pillar Naruto had summoned began to fade.
In its place stood a warrior clad in blue armor, an eagle emblazoned on the chest.
Wind Eagle Armor!! [tl/n: This is a reference from a show called Armor hero, which I didn't even know existed till now. It has a dedicated wiki, if you're curious and uninformed like me! lol!]
Naruto himself seemed startled. He looked himself over, excitedly moving his arms. After shouting "Armor of the Wind Eagle, Combine!" armor had actually materialized.
He felt an overwhelming sense of security.
The sight of Naruto, armed to the teeth, made Kabuto, who stood before him, uneasy.
He wanted to retreat, but Orochimaru loomed behind him.
Fleeing without even a probing attack would result in Orochimaru hunting him down to dissect him for experiments.
Gritting his teeth, Kabuto raised his hands, both glowing with a faint blue light.
Chakra Scalpel!
"Stop playing tricks!" he shouted, trying to bolster his courage, drawing the Sannin's attention.
Indeed, if this was just ordinary armor, there was no need for alarm. "I know you just summoned pre-made armor with the Summoning Technique! Let me test its strength!"
"Here I come!" With a flash of cold steel, Kabuto lunged at Naruto with incredible speed.
Thud!!
Naruto vanished.
Kabuto, completely unprepared for the seemingly bulky warrior to disappear instantly, stumbled and crashed face-first into the ground, landing at Tsunade's feet.
Kabuto couldn't see where Naruto had gone, but the others could. He had reappeared ten meters to the left.
"Body Flicker Technique?" Shizune asked from a distance.
"No, the Body Flicker Technique merely channels chakra to the feet for a burst of speed, creating an illusion of teleportation. To a keen eye, there's still a visible trajectory; it's not true disappearance," Jiraiya explained.
"If Naruto, in that armor, used the Body Flicker, even ordinary people would see a fleeting blue trail. So, obviously, that was a true Space-Time Ninjutsu, teleportation." He finished, his face etched with astonishment.
"What? Space-Time Ninjutsu? Teleportation?" Shizune exclaimed in disbelief.
"This is a Konoha genin who just graduated? Naruto only recently learned the Rasengan! Now he's not only wearing bizarre armor but also wielding Space-Time Ninjutsu?!"
Frankly, not just Shizune, even Tsunade wondered if the Naruto before them was an imposter.
After all, he'd just used a rare Space-Time Ninjutsu.
Wouldn't it have been easier to swap Naruto out when that pillar of light appeared?
Not paying the Kabuto at her feet any mind, Tsunade sent him flying with a swift kick.
She eyed the armored warrior ten meters away with caution, asking politely, "Are you really Naruto?"
To her surprise, the armored warrior reacted with even more excitement than she had, jumping around like a frog and shouting, "Whoa! This is awesome! Granny Tsunade, it's me, Naruto! I don't know how, but I put on this armor! It's so cool! And, and, let me tell you..." He babbled excitedly, "When Kabuto-senpai charged at me, I got scared and just wanted to run, and then poof I dodged him!"
Though his voice was muffled by the helmet, everyone recognized Naruto's voice.
"Yep, no doubt about it. Even without speaking, those exaggerated movements are definitely Naruto's," Jiraiya said, stroking his chin.
He knew his goofy student well.
"It really is Naruto?" Tsunade muttered, a wry smile on her face.
"How...? This is so illogical." She breathed a sigh of relief.
Not only was Naruto unharmed by Kabuto's attack, but he had dramatically improved.
This was fantastic news.
Now it was Orochimaru's turn to worry; and it was time to settle the scores.
"Ahem, so it's Naruto. You little squirt sure is full of surprises," Jiraiya said.
In the distance, Kabuto, who had been unceremoniously kicked away by Tsunade, coughed up blood as he struggled to his feet. He asked through gasps.
"Can you tell me how you did that? Or who taught you this transformation technique?"
Kabuto's question immediately made Naruto think of Natsuki. 'As expected of the man I look upto!' Naruto thought.
'After joining his club and training for so many years, I can finally transform like Choji! But why am I so small? Choji can get so big... Maybe I'm not skilled enough yet. Once I master it, I'll definitely be as big as Choji's giant of light! And my armor is way cooler!'
Overjoyed, Naruto was about to answer Kabuto's question, "Kabuto-senpai, it was..."
"Naruto, stop! You idiot! Don't tell him!" Tsunade yelled. "He's the enemy here!!"
"Oh, oh, right!" Naruto snapped back to reality, remembering Kabuto's actions.
His excitement vanished, replaced by rage. "Kabuto-senpai, you bastard! You killed Granny Tsunade whom I just met! I'm gonna beat you up!"
Tsunade facepalmed at Naruto's outburst. 'Was the person you were just talking to a ghost? This kid really is a knucklehead…' she thought.