Naruto: Limitless Potential System Chapter 9 9: They’re Only Eight Years Old!

At the Iwagakure training grounds, the morning sunlight spilled across the rocky terrain.

Onoki stood at the edge of the field, his gaze fixed on Kyoshin.

Kurotsuchi stood beside her grandfather, curiously watching the two people in the arena. Kitsuchi was also there observing the match.

Akatsuchi stood in the center of the training ground. His large, sturdy fra and gentle smile made him look approachable.

Standing opposite him was Kyoshin.

Onoki's voice rang out. "Kintsuchi, after watching you defeat Deidara again and again, I've grown curious about your true strength."

"Today, Akatsuchi will spar with you so we can properly assess your level."

Kyoshin nodded. "Understood, Lord Tsuchikage."

The atmosphere around the training ground grew heavy.

Akatsuchi was an Iwagakure jonin and Onoki's disciple. His imnse physical strength was beyond question.

For Kyoshin, this spar was a real test.

Kurotsuchi frowned slightly and spoke to Onoki. "Grandpa, Senior Akatsuchi is a jonin, but Kintsuchi is only…"

Onoki raised a hand, stopping her.

His eyes were deep, hiding a strong sense of curiosity.

From the beginning, Onoki had known Kyoshin was talented.

But after Deidara's two challenges, he realized Kyoshin's actual strength might differ sowhat from his original judgnt.

The match began.

Kyoshin moved first, lowering his body as he rushed toward Akatsuchi at high speed.

Akatsuchi raised his right hand.

A wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking Kyoshin's path.

Kyoshin sidestepped around it while throwing three shuriken at the sa ti.

The shuriken flew precisely toward three vital points on Akatsuchi's body.

Akatsuchi had already seen how refined Kyoshin's throwing techniques were, so he had prepared in advance. Forming hand seals, he split the earth wall into three sections, blocking the shuriken.

Kyoshin was already within close range. His taijutsu flowed smoothly, his punches and kicks tightly linked together.

Akatsuchi blocked several exchanges, and a judgnt quickly ford in his mind.

This kid's taijutsu was already close to chunin level.

More importantly, wasn't this body strength a little abnormal?

After defending for a while, Akatsuchi, who still hadn't used chakra, actually began to feel soreness in his arms.

And he could clearly see that both Kyoshin's calves and arms were bound with weighted iron bars used for training.

If those weights were removed, the brat's speed and taijutsu power would increase even further.

'And you're telling this damn kid is only eight years old?!?'

Akatsuchi began counterattacking. Rock wrapped around his fist as he threw a heavy punch.

Kyoshin barely dodged it. The powerful wind from the punch scraped across his cheek, leaving a stinging sensation.

He imdiately retreated and rapidly ford hand seals. Flas burst from his mouth, forming a fireball nearly two ters wide in front of him.

Akatsuchi slamd both hands against the ground, raising an earth wall to block the fireball.

The flas exploded against the wall, filling the area with smoke.

Within the dust, a faint crimson glow appeared.

Akatsuchi imdiately shifted his gaze away.

As a jonin, he understood the danger of the Sharingan.

He couldn't look into the opponent's eyes, or he might fall under a genjutsu.

But that caution created a new problem.

If he didn't look at Kyoshin's face, he couldn't predict the trajectory of his shuriken.

Kyoshin seized the opportunity and continuously launched shuriken. Each one followed a different path through the air, but every single one accurately targeted Akatsuchi's vital points and possible escape routes.

Akatsuchi drew a kunai and could only rely on hearing and instinct to evade them, causing the pressure on him to spike instantly.

One shuriken grazed his arm, slicing through his sleeve.

Akatsuchi frowned. 'This can't continue.'

"Earth Style: Earthquake Core!"

The ground shook violently, and a massive pit opened in the center of the training field.

Kyoshin lost his footing and fell toward the pit.

Onoki was just about to stop the match.

This spar was only ant to test strength, not decide life or death.

But before he could speak, the situation changed.

The falling Kyoshin suddenly dissolved into white smoke.

It was a shadow clone.

Akatsuchi instantly realized the problem, but Kyoshin's real body had already appeared behind him.

Sensing danger, Akatsuchi turned instinctively.

Their eyes t.

Akatsuchi's body stiffened, his gaze becoming unfocused as he fell into an illusion.

Inside the genjutsu, he saw the training ground collapsing around him, massive rocks burying him alive.

The feeling of suffocation was terrifyingly real.

Then Onoki's voice sounded out.

"The spar is over."

Kyoshin released the genjutsu.

Akatsuchi snapped back to reality, his expression toward Kyoshin becoming complicated.

That genjutsu had felt completely real. If Onoki hadn't stopped the match, he could have been seriously injured.

Onoki walked into the field, grinning so widely he looked like a blooming lotus flower.

Inside, he felt secretly fortunate.

This Uchiha genius now belonged to Iwagakure.

The Sharingan's advantages in battle were this obvious. Combined with Kyoshin's tactical mind, his potential was enormous.

Onoki was certain that old fox Sarutobi Hiruzen must have noticed Kyoshin's talent long ago.

But because of the boy's Uchiha surna, that fool had still hesitated over whether to nurture and protect him.

And now?

The kid had already seen Konoha's ugly side clearly and chosen the light instead.

Onoki currently felt like he had won the lottery.

No, even better, like the prize had simply fallen from the sky for free.

'Hehehehehehehe~~~'

Akatsuchi rubbed his temples. "Kintsuchi, how much chakra do you actually have?"

"That fight lasted quite a while, and you still had enough left to use genjutsu on ."

Kyoshin deliberately downplayed things in his answer. "That only worked because Senior Akatsuchi didn't dare strike seriously, combined with the unique nature of genjutsu."

"If this had been a real life-and-death battle, I would've lost long ago."

"You don't need to save face for ." Akatsuchi shook his head. "You didn't even remove your weights. Factoring in your genjutsu, your calm mindset, and your ticulous tactical thinking, you're fully capable of fighting a jonin."

That evaluation was already extraordinarily high.

Kurotsuchi ran into the arena, her eyes practically glowing. "Kintsuchi, you're amazing!"

Onoki watched her reaction thoughtfully.

His granddaughter's attitude toward Kyoshin had clearly shifted from curiosity to admiration.

"Today's test ends here," Onoki announced. Then he smiled at Kyoshin. "Even though I know your temperant is excellent, I still have to remind you, don't beco arrogant."

Kyoshin replied respectfully, "I understand, Lord Tsuchikage."

After the training ended, the four of them left the training ground together.

Kurotsuchi stayed beside Kyoshin, asking question after question.

About the Sharingan, tactics, training thods.

Kyoshin answered patiently.

Walking behind them, Akatsuchi spoke quietly to Onoki. "His tactical thinking doesn't resemble that of an eight-year-old boy. He's far too mature."

"I know." Onoki's expression turned serious. "People who've gone through hardship mature faster. And now he's one of our children. In the future, he'll beco one of the village's pillars."

"The tragedy of the Uchiha must never repeat itself. We shouldn't treat him with suspicion. We should give him a real ho."

Hearing those words, Kitsuchi, who had remained silent the whole ti, instinctively looked toward the front, toward his daughter walking beside Kyoshin.

The way Kurotsuchi looked at that kid was full of admiration, and her questions just kept coming.

More importantly, the boy didn't carry any so-called "expert" attitude at all. He answered patiently, almost like a babysitter.

For so reason, Kitsuchi suddenly felt a faint ache in his chest. "Isn't this starting a little too early?"

Onoki also noticed the scene. He glared at Kitsuchi. "What the hell are you thinking?! They're only eight years old! That's just friendship between children. Can you stop being so ridiculous?"

"How are you more impatient than an old man like ?"

Kitsuchi: "..."