Ninja Academy, Room 201
"Hey~"
Link walked into the classroom, spotting Kankuro lounging in the back with his chair against the wall, Temari sitting casually with her legs propped on a desk, and Gaara sitting upright in the front row. He raised a hand and greeted them.
"Yo."
"Hi~" Temari lowered her legs and stood up, waving with a cheerful smile.
Gaara's expression shifted slightly, though no killing intent emanated from him this time. Instead, his eyes carried a curious gaze.
Kankuro, upon seeing Link, immediately tensed up.
This guy was way too strong. In the Chūnin Exams, he had defeated Gaara like it was nothing, and during the Konoha Crush, he had instantly neutralized both him and Temari.
All his puppetry techniques had been rendered useless. He hadn't even seen Link move before being shrunk to the size of an infant. That sense of helplessness was a nightmare he never wanted to relive.
He used to fear Gaara the most, but now, Link held that dubious honor.
Is he here to cause trouble because we're in this classroom? If so, Kankuro could only hope he was fast enough to escape.
I really should've spent more time training taijutsu, he thought as he cautiously edged toward the back door.
"Hey, kid in the back," Link said, his voice cutting through the air.
Kankuro's annoyance flared. You're younger than me by years! Who are you calling 'kid'?
Suppressing his irritation, he forced a smile. "What's up?"
"Where are you sneaking off to? If it's the restroom, wait until I'm done talking." Link shot him a glance before continuing, "I'm your new supervising jonin. Meet me at Training Ground Seven in thirty minutes."
"Huh?!" x2
Kankuro froze in disbelief. He had been contemplating escape, and now this guy was going to be his instructor? They'd be spending every day together?!
I'm doomed.
Meanwhile, Temari's thoughts drifted back to Ebizō's advice, though she couldn't help but internally complain: What's the deal with making some kid our supervising jonin?
While she acknowledged Link's strength and would follow orders, the idea of calling a ten-year-old "sensei" felt... wrong. She crossed her arms and watched him leave the room, her puffed-out cheeks betraying her frustration.
Supervising jonin...
Gaara's expression turned to one of confusion. A jonin his size and younger than him?
…
Training Ground Seven – Thirty Minutes Later
"Alright, as your supervising jonin, I'm giving you a simple test," Link said, facing the three Sunagakure shinobi. He produced two small bells from his pouch.
"Your task is to use any means necessary to take these bells from me."
This feels amazing, Link thought, grinning inwardly. Being on the receiving end of such tests had been dreadful; administering one, however, was delightful.
"Any attack?" Temari asked, gripping her fan eagerly.
"Yes, any attack," Link replied, his smile widening.
Kankuro raised his hand. "As this is a test, you won't attack us, right?"
"I'll stand here without moving," Link promised, the grin on his face growing even brighter.
"In that case, I won't hold back," Kankuro said, cracking his knuckles and preparing to strike.
But Gaara interjected, "The test has already begun, hasn't it?" His cautious gaze fell on the countless shadows stretching across the ground.
"Correct," Link confirmed, tying the bells to his waist. "The moment I mentioned the test, it began."
Oh no...
Kankuro followed Gaara's gaze, noticing the spreading shadows. His scalp tingled as his mind raced. He can control this many shadows at once?!
Temari's smile became strained. If each shadow was as strong as Link in taijutsu, how were three ninjutsu specialists supposed to counter them?
The shadows began rising from two-dimensional forms into three-dimensional figures. Temari's brief relief—thinking they wouldn't copy her techniques—quickly turned to horror when she realized they were exact replicas of Link.
Oh no, not relief—terror.
"Sand Shield!"
Gaara immediately encased himself in a protective sphere of sand, leaving a Sand Eye to monitor the advancing shadows.
"Uh, maybe we can—" Temari began, but her hesitant words were cut off as the shadows moved.
Too fast! Kankuro thought as multiple feet simultaneously connected with his body, knocking the air out of him.
"Pfft—" He coughed violently, realizing that all his puppetry tactics and poison strategies had become useless.
Temari fared even worse. Her powerful, seal-free wind techniques were no match for the relentless onslaught. Despite her attempts to fight back, she was overwhelmed by a coordinated assault. Knocked into the air, she was swiftly sent crashing back down, unable to muster any further resistance.
It reminded her of her fight with Naruto during the Chūnin Exams, but Link's shadow clones were far more durable and precise than Naruto's chaotic attacks.
As for Gaara, his Sand Shield shattered almost instantly under the shadows' relentless assault. His defenses could only momentarily slow the barrage of punches and kicks. Within seconds, the seemingly untouchable jinchūriki was helplessly suspended mid-air, pummeled from all directions.
It was a brutal and one-sided defeat.
Link watched with a cheerful smile as his shadows returned to him after about a minute. Taking his time, he walked over to his battered new team.
Shadows are a god-tier technique for bullying the weak, Link thought. With dozens of clones at his disposal, even elite jonin specializing in ninjutsu would struggle without a strong counterattack.
In large numbers, his shadows could overwhelm nearly anyone who lacked sufficient power to instantly obliterate them. And as they inherited his physical prowess, they could handle most threats.
I'm practically invincible now! Link mused, reveling in his own inflated sense of strength.
~~~
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