Chapter 47: Recognition
Everyone watched this scene dumbfounded.
By then, Sasuke and little Sakura had also snapped out of it.
Little Sakura glanced at Lee, who seemed to be fine, then turned her head and looked at Kakashi with a blank expression. She said:
"Kakashi-sensei, you're so unreliable. This is the proud student of Mighty Guy you were talking about? He looks… special. You didn't tell his teacher that Naruto was weak, did you?"
Little Sakura shot Kakashi a look. Sasuke also seemed a bit speechless.
The battle had ended too quickly. The winner was decided with a single punch.
It was hard to say whether Lee was weak or Naruto was strong.
But anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Lee was definitely not weak.
Judging from Lee's earlier performance, Temari and the others knew he had been able to block Gaara's attack.
That meant Naruto's strength was just that overwhelming.
The seemingly simple punch had contained terrifying power—so much that they hadn't even been able to detect it, let alone see it coming. Thinking of this, Kankuro and the others couldn't help but shudder.
After hearing little Sakura's words, Kakashi scratched his head in embarrassment. He hadn't expected this outcome either.
Kakashi smiled awkwardly and said:
"Ahahaha… I didn't think it would end so quickly either. It seems I still underestimated Naruto. I'll have to talk to Guy about this later."
Little Sakura and Sasuke glanced at Kakashi without saying anything.
Naruto looked at Lee.
The truth was, Lee was already very strong.
That punch he had thrown just now—even an ordinary Jōnin might not have been able to block it without getting hurt.
Out of respect for Lee—a hardworking genius—Naruto had used a fair amount of his strength to give him a good fight.
He just hadn't expected that even while holding back, he had sent Lee flying.
But fortunately, Lee was okay. The weights on his body and his strong physique, built from years of training, had helped him withstand the blow.
Thinking of this, Naruto couldn't help but look at Lee with admiration.
At that moment, Kakashi and the others came over to Naruto.
After Kakashi arrived, he first checked on Lee. When he saw that Lee was fine, he turned his head and looked at Naruto with a speechless expression. He said:
"You really went a bit too hard. I asked you to perform well, but I didn't tell you to defeat the opponent that quickly. Now, when Guy finds out about this, he's going to pester me endlessly about how you train."
Naruto shrugged innocently and smiled lightly.
As he spoke, Kakashi narrowed his eyes and stared at Naruto. He felt more and more like he could barely see through him.
In just the short time he had been away, Naruto's burst of strength had surprised him immensely.
"It seems all three of you have made rapid progress during this time."
As he spoke, Kakashi also looked at Sasuke and little Sakura.
Even though Sasuke and little Sakura hadn't fought, Kakashi could sense that their auras were much stronger than the last time he had seen them.
"Of course. We haven't been lazy at all during this time." Little Sakura said proudly.
Kakashi nodded with satisfaction. Then he looked deeply at Naruto, his thoughts unclear.
While the group was talking, a hearty laugh suddenly rang out:
"Haha. I didn't expect Konoha to have such a skilled fighter. And such a sensible guy at that."
After the voice sounded, Kakashi and the others soon saw Gaara and his team approaching.
Gaara and the others walked up to Naruto and looked at him with admiration. The one who had spoken just now was Kankuro.
Kankuro looked at Naruto with admiration and a hint of awe. He laughed loudly:
"We of Sunagakure appreciate and welcome talented people like you. Why not come join Suna?"
Kakashi squinted his eyes when he heard Kankuro trying to recruit Naruto right in front of him.
But Kakashi didn't say anything. He knew who the other party was, and he also knew that Kankuro was just talking. There was no way he would dare to actually try to take Naruto away right in front of him.
Besides, Naruto hadn't agreed to anything yet.
Little Sakura frowned in displeasure and was about to say something when Gaara suddenly spoke:
"Your name."
Gaara stared at Naruto with his dark-rimmed eyes, as if trying to see clearly why Naruto was so powerful.
Hearing Gaara's words, Naruto paused for a moment and looked at him in surprise. He couldn't help but wonder: Was Gaara's memory really that bad? Hadn't Lee just said his name?
Still, Naruto replied politely:
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Gaara nodded and silently committed those four words to memory.
While Gaara was watching Naruto, Naruto was also watching Gaara.
As expected of a tailed beast jinchuriki. The aura radiating from Gaara was enormous.
And this aura wasn't just huge—it was also filled with a violent, bloodthirsty killing intent. It was hard to believe that someone with such a raging, bloodthirsty presence could look so calm on the surface.
But Naruto knew that the violent aura wasn't Gaara's own. It belonged to the tailed beast sealed within him—the One-Tailed Shukaku.
After the two sides stared at each other for a moment, Gaara said in a faint voice:
"Let's go, Kankuro. Temari."
"I hope to meet you in the upcoming Chunin Exam."
Gaara said this lightly, then turned around and called for Kankuro and Temari to leave.
Kankuro wasn't upset that Naruto had ignored him. He nodded obediently and followed Gaara.
But Temari, before leaving, smiled faintly at Naruto and blinked her beautiful eyes. She said with a deep, knowing smile:
"Sunagakure welcomes you anytime."
Then the three of them turned and left.