"Bulbasaur, let's do it again."In the training ground, next to a tree stump cracked with faint lines, Naruto stood with an excited grin, his eyes locked on the Pokémon standing confidently before him.
Bulbasaur, without hesitation, rushed forward and slammed into the wooden stump. The impact made the entire stump tremble, a dull thud echoing across the field.
Naruto's eyes lit up, and he sprinted over to the Pokémon, unable to hold back his excitement."Great, Bulbasaur, your attack is getting way stronger!"
"Gah—"Bulbasaur lifted its head proudly, vines twitching with barely restrained energy. Of course, Naruto—being Naruto—didn't pick up on the expression and simply scooped the Pokémon into his arms, twirling in place.
But not far away, Sasuke and Sakura, who had been training nearby, had gone silent.
Just a few hours ago, Bulbasaur's tackle couldn't even shift the stump. Now the same attack had it shaking. That kind of progress… was unheard of.
Sakura blinked, stunned. "Naruto… is your summoning beast really from someone else?"At first, she hadn't thought much of it. Sure, Wood Release was rare and interesting, but it felt distant and vague. Now, watching this Pokémon evolve with such speed, her curiosity couldn't be contained.
Naruto, still beaming, turned toward them. "You mean Bulbasaur? Brother Renji gave him to me! He even said Bulbasaur will be more powerful than Hokage Naruto someday!"
Sasuke flinched, almost imperceptibly, but said nothing.
Sakura's face twisted in disbelief. "You're not seriously falling for that, are you? There's no way a summoning beast can surpass the Hokage. That's ridiculous."
Naruto's brows furrowed. "No way. Brother Renji wouldn't lie to me. Bulbasaur is gonna be awesome!"
"Gah—"Bulbasaur nodded firmly beside him.
Sakura sighed. "Naruto, it doesn't even have chakra. How can it ever be that strong?"
Naruto froze. "…No chakra?"He tilted Bulbasaur in his arms, inspecting it like he was trying to find a switch.
Sakura facepalmed. "It's been hours. You just noticed?"
Sasuke's mouth twitched before muttering, "Idiot."Without another word, he returned to his training.
Naruto's cheeks puffed out in frustration. "Hey! Arrogant Sasuke, what did you say? I challenge you!"
"Boring," came Sasuke's cold reply.
Naruto roared in response, while Sakura stood off to the side with a blank look on her face. She had no energy left to scold either of them.
"Yo yo yo, seems like training is going well?"Kakashi had appeared quietly beside them, a hand lazily resting on his hip.
"Teacher Kakashi!" Sakura's eyes lit up. "We've been training super seriously!"
"Yeah! Totally!" Naruto added, still puffing from the brief flare-up.
Kakashi nodded and looked toward Bulbasaur. "Naruto, would you mind showing me Bulbasaur's strength?"
Naruto blinked, surprised. "You… want to fight Bulbasaur?"
Sakura and Sasuke also stared at Kakashi in disbelief. Bulbasaur looked new to training, and Kakashi was a Jonin.
"That's not what I meant," Kakashi clarified with an awkward chuckle. "I just want to observe."
Naruto relaxed. "Okay, Bulbasaur, show him what you got."
Bulbasaur stepped forward with confidence, completely unaware of how overwhelming Kakashi's presence was. Naruto, on the other hand, looked like he was mentally preparing himself to shield Bulbasaur's backside.
Kakashi gestured slightly. "Let's begin."
With a sharp cry, Bulbasaur charged forward.
"Hmm… decent speed for physical attacks." Kakashi noted the approach and sidestepped calmly.
The vines behind Bulbasaur extended with sudden force, whipping toward him.
His expression shifted slightly as he reached for a kunai, slicing through the vines mid-air. Each severed vine dropped with a rustle, but something felt off.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. No chakra fluctuations? And yet the vines move like jutsu…
Before he could finish that thought, Bulbasaur cried out again.
Kakashi flinched—his mind wavered for a brief moment. The disruption was subtle, like a trickle of water against stone, but unmistakable. His expression turned serious.
"…That was an illusion technique. But there's no chakra?"
Suddenly, a small seed materialized in front of him. Danger prickled at his senses.
He dodged quickly, and the seed embedded into the earth. The grass surrounding it withered rapidly, turning into streams of greenish energy that flowed back into Bulbasaur.
Kakashi's eyes widened.What is this technique? The energy… it's pure life force.
Bulbasaur's form pulsed with revitalized energy. Its vines regrew, and it launched forward once again.
This time, Kakashi raised his hand calmly and caught the impact. His body remained unmoved.
"Alright, that's enough."
Bulbasaur halted, disappointment flickering in its expression.
Naruto rushed over. "You okay, Bulbasaur?"
"Gah—"The Pokémon nodded, but didn't look happy.
Kakashi observed them quietly.
It doesn't have chakra. Its techniques defy everything we know about ninjutsu. And yet… they work.
The vines, the illusion cry, the energy-draining seed—it all hinted at something far deeper than a mere summoning.
If this is what it's capable of while young, how strong will it become in adulthood?
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud gurgle.
Bulbasaur clutched its belly with a mildly embarrassed look.
Everyone turned toward Naruto.
Sakura sighed. "Naruto, you didn't feed it, did you?"
Naruto scratched his head. "Uh… no?"
Sakura groaned, opened her lunch box, and offered it to Bulbasaur.
The Pokémon sniffed it once, then shook its head and turned away.
"…Is my cooking that bad?" Sakura mumbled, confidence faltering.
Naruto shrugged. "Bulbasaur didn't eat Ichiraku Ramen last night either. I think it's just a really picky eater."
"What does it want to eat?"
"I don't know. I can't understand what it's saying…"
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Didn't your Brother Renji tell you what it eats?"
Naruto paused, then winced. "I forgot to ask…"
"…Pfft."
The group nearly collapsed in exasperation.
"Go ask him then!" Sakura snapped.
"Right! Let's go, Bulbasaur!" Naruto picked up the Pokémon and dashed off.
"Wait, Naruto." Kakashi's voice stopped him. "I'll go with you. I want to learn more about this… partner of yours."
"Huh? Sure, okay!" Naruto replied without thinking.
Kakashi followed. With something this mysterious, he couldn't pass up the chance.
Sasuke silently followed after them as well, curiosity shining in his eyes.
If this creature could evolve to rival even the legendary summons, he needed to understand how.
Sakura, blinking at their retreating backs, eventually sighed and trailed after them.