Naruto's mental strength had grown tremendously over this period.
Not only had he become nearly immune to genjutsu, his sensory perception had also evolved to a whole new level—to the point where he began experiencing brief flashes of premonition.
It was as though, with this surge in spiritual power, some deep, dormant ability hidden within his blood was beginning to awaken.
Thanks to the constant training in the forest recently, Naruto had been pushing his sensory abilities to their absolute limits every day.
As a result, that vague feeling—
the sense that he was on the verge of something great—
only grew stronger.
And then, on this very night...
While cultivating his spiritual energy,
Naruto's understanding of it suddenly deepened.
An epiphany struck.
He had awakened a secret sensory technique passed down through the Uzumaki bloodline—
Kagura's Mind's Eye!
Kagura's Mind's Eye
The ultimate sensory ability of the Uzumaki Clan.
It allows the user to sense any movement within a range spanning tens of kilometers, with unmatched clarity and precision.
In that instant, Naruto's perception expanded drastically—
it was as if he could sense the entire forest at once.
He immediately understood the positions and chakra signatures of every remaining team.
Even more astonishing,
he could now detect the presence of the proctor jonin from the ninja academies—
those hidden deep in the foliage, far beyond normal sensory range.
But that wasn't all.
Upon awakening Kagura's Mind's Eye,
Naruto found that his awareness of the world itself had changed.
He could now perceive things that had once been completely invisible to him.
He couldn't quite describe what they were yet,
but he could feel it:
he was seeing deeper into the truth of reality.
In pursuit of that feeling,
Naruto suddenly had a thought—
Could Kagura's Mind's Eye be fused with his Observation Haki?
That was when he began to experiment.
He tried to layer the instinctual, premonition-based awareness of Observation Haki
with the precision and range of Kagura's Mind's Eye.
Another breakthrough followed.
You've had another epiphany!
You've fused Kagura's Mind's Eye with Observation Haki!
Kagura's Observation Haki
An advanced sensory fusion that greatly enhances perceptive range, clarity, and instinctive insight.
It enables the user to perceive even that which normally cannot be seen.
Naruto's eyes suddenly opened.
As if he understood something profound.
He turned to look at Hinata, Kiba, and Shino—his teammates resting nearby.
To his surprise, he could now see through their bodies.
Much like the Byakugan—
he could trace the flow of chakra through their meridians and tenketsu points.
He looked down at himself—
and could see inside his own body as well.
"It's like an enhanced Byakugan," Naruto thought to himself.
But even compared to the Hyūga's dojutsu,
his Kagura's Observation Haki felt more refined—
more flexible, and without the need to expend chakra to activate it.
He could maintain it freely.
And now that he had reached this level...
Late at night, in the stillness of the forest—
Naruto let his thoughts wander.
He remembered one of the eight unique powers he had been studying—
a mysterious technique called Daluo Cave Insight.
It was said to be a terrifying ability that allowed one to observe the full essence of all thing—to perceive the complete picture of the world at every scale.
If he could push his sensory abilities even further—
Could he reach the level of Daluo Cave Insight?
Could he one day see through space itself?
See the very structure of cells and matter?
The mere thought of such power sparked his imagination.
If he could achieve that—
Would he then be able to master—
His father's technique?
The Flying Thunder God Technique—a jutsu feared across the entire ninja world!
If Naruto could master this space-time ninjutsu…
His future missions, battles, and daily life would all become so much easier.
With that in mind, Naruto made a decision:
It was time to put Daluo Cave Insight on the agenda.
Time passed day by day.
One by one, the teams in the Forest of Death were eliminated.
And now, on the final day, only three teams remained.
One was Team Naruto.
The second was Team Sasuke.
The last was the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, consisting of Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji—plus a fourth filler teammate.
At a glance, it was obvious.
Naruto and his classmates were the standouts of this generation.
In the original timeline, Haruno Sakura had joined Naruto and Sasuke's team… purely by luck.
Had it not been for the unique bond between Naruto and Sasuke, and his own crazy growth, Naruto—just a so-called "dead-last" from a civilian background—would never have had the chance to become Tsunade's personal disciple.
The final showdown was approaching.
At this stage, Naruto and the others had no reason to hide anymore.
Sasuke, who had been searching desperately for Naruto, finally found him.
"I finally found you, Naruto!"
Sasuke locked eyes with him, tension radiating from his body.
He didn't know how Naruto had managed to evade him for so long…
But it didn't matter now.
What mattered…
Was defeating Naruto right here, right now.
At that moment, the Ino–Shika–Chō group arrived on the scene.
All three teams were finally in one place.
It felt lively… but also tense.
As soon as Shikamaru took in Sasuke's aggressive stance toward Naruto, he sighed internally.
"Troublesome… we really shouldn't have shown up right now."
Sasuke looked like he was ready to explode.
Clearly, he was dead set on challenging Naruto.
When Sasuke saw the others arrive, he quickly spoke up:
"Don't interfere. This is between me and Naruto."
Shikamaru had no objection.
In fact, this was a perfect chance to relax and conserve chakra while they fought.
Sasuke turned back to Naruto and said with a serious tone:
"Come on, Uzumaki Naruto. Just you and me."
Naruto looked at Sasuke's confident expression… and sighed inwardly.
Looks like you're about to get humbled again.
Standing nearby, Kiba frowned.
Being completely ignored by Sasuke was a blow to his pride.
He wanted to jump in and prove himself, but Shino stopped him with a glance.
Even without words, Shino made it clear:
This isn't our fight.
Even though they were a team, this was different.
This was personal.
Hinata, standing off to the side, watched with worry.
She knew Naruto was strong—strong enough to win.
But that didn't stop her from being concerned he might get hurt.
Naruto noticed the look in her eyes.
He smiled, gently ruffled her hair, and said:
"Don't worry, Hinata. Just watch me.
I'm the guy who's going to become Hokage!"
He grinned brightly.
And once again, he mentally praised his own acting skills and commitment to the bit.
Back at the Hokage's Office...
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching the match unfold through his crystal ball.
He narrowed his eyes.
That brat... he's really grown this much?
He had already adjusted his expectations after Naruto's last exam performance.
But even now, he realized…
He had still underestimated Naruto.
As Sasuke rushed forward with high-speed taijutsu,
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
But—
Naruto didn't even move until the last second.
And then…
He vanished.
In a flash, he reappeared behind Sasuke—completely undetected.
Not a single person on the field saw it clearly.
Not even the ninja instructors like Iruka, hidden in the trees, who were observing the match from afar.
Naruto's speed…
It had surpassed the limits of their perception.
Hiruzen stood up from his seat, shocked.
"So fast…"
"Just how powerful has Naruto become?"
Truth was…
Compared to Sasuke?
Naruto was already in a different league.
Whether it was physical ability, chakra reserves, chakra control, or jutsu mastery…
Naruto had already surpassed Jonin-level.
He was brushing against the level of a Kage.
Fighting Sasuke at this point?
It was like a grown man bullying a kindergartener.
And yet…
Naruto didn't fight to humiliate him.
He had other thoughts on his mind.
If I can master the Flying Thunder God Technique…
If I combine it with my perception abilities—Kagura's Mind's Eye, Observation Haki… and Daluo Cave Insight...
Maybe I can truly understand the nature of space... of chakra... of everything.
Daluo Cave Insight.
An ancient, mythical state of perception said to allow a person to observe all things—down to the flow of cells and the structure of space itself.
Naruto had already touched its threshold.
But now… with this battle?
He was going to push it even further.