Naruto stood there watching, making the young girl visibly uneasy.
"What are you staring at?" The girl puffed her cheeks angrily, her chest rising and falling sharply with each breath.
"This isn't how you're supposed to train ninjutsu! Your method is completely wrong."
The girl suddenly froze and asked, "Just who exactly are you?"
"I'm the strongest ninja in Konoha and the next Hokage—Naruto Uzumaki."
"Is that so?" The girl glanced at Naruto skeptically. From her perspective, he was barely a few years older than her and already acting like some kind of expert.
"You really don't look like it."
Naruto snapped back furiously, "It's because you're too weak—so weak you can't even recognize real strength!"
"What did you say?"
As tensions flared between Naruto and the girl, an elderly man stepped forward.
"This must be the ninja from Konoha. I am Tonpei."
"Just call me Naruto Uzumaki."
"We haven't requested assistance from Konoha. Why would a Konoha ninja appear here in Tsuchigumo Clan territory?"
"…"
Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Just passing through."
"Please, come inside and let's talk."
Naruto and Tonpei entered the house where others served tea and snacks.
Tonpei wasted no time getting straight to the point. "I've heard from my attendants that you defeated over twenty assailants in a short time."
"Pfft, barely counts. Just a bunch of very weak opponents."
"May I ask, Lord Naruto Uzumaki, what position do you hold in Konoha?"
"I'm currently just a jonin. But someday, I'll become Hokage."
"I wonder… if Lord Naruto has taken interest in my young lady, Hotaru?"
"Eh?" Naruto jumped slightly.
"The girl you saw training in the courtyard earlier was Hotaru, granddaughter of the Tsuchigumo Clan's Yaku no Shugosha."
Naruto gave an awkward smile, thinking to himself: She's kind of cute—and way too mature for her age. But I've already got Hinata, so I'll just forget about it.
"What exactly are you implying?"
Tonpei apologized sincerely, saying, "Forgive my rudeness, but our desperate circumstances leave us with no other options."
Then Tonpei explained the current plight of the Tsuchigumo Clan.
Once feared across the ninja world, the Tsuchigumo Clan had gained their fearsome reputation through their mastery of powerful forbidden techniques.
This forbidden technique had once been capable of turning the tide of war—a testament to its incredible power—and instilled fear across generations.
However, after the wars ended, the Tsuchigumo Clan found themselves constantly harassed from all sides due to their possession of such dangerous techniques.
The clan suffered daily attacks from ninja villages everywhere, losing people every single day.
Unable to endure it any longer, they chose to seek refuge under Konoha Village.
They believed that by aligning with Konoha, they could finally find peace.
The Third Hokage made a pact with the Tsuchigumo Clan: the clan would cease using their forbidden techniques in exchange for Konoha's protection.
With Konoha's protection, major nations like the Land of Wind, Land of Earth, Land of Water, and Land of Lightning no longer dared to attack the Tsuchigumo Clan.
But smaller nations and rogue bandits still harassed them.
As was the case today, when over twenty criminals attacked the Tsuchigumo Clan.
After receiving protection from Konoha, the Tsuchigumo Clan chose a path of independence.
More than a decade later, the clan failed to cultivate any promising ninja and was unable to use forbidden techniques, leading to a severe talent drought.
They were teetering on the edge of extinction.
After hearing this, Naruto said, "You should give up on those forbidden jutsu."
Tonpei recoiled slightly, then shouted loudly, "No way! The forbidden jutsu are our honor, the glory passed down through generations!"
"What kind of honor? They're just mass-destruction techniques that slaughter countless lives in a single strike," Naruto revealed the horrifying truth behind the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden jutsu.
"It involves using human bodies as containers. Using specialized artifacts, enormous amounts of natural energy are absorbed into the body. The more natural energy absorbed, the greater the explosive power."
"When the forbidden technique reaches maximum power, the user is completely consumed by natural energy—and the user dies in the process. The explosion could potentially erase an entire small nation from the map."
"The forbidden technique of the Tsuchigumo Clan essentially turns humans into living bombs of immense destructive power."
After Naruto finished speaking, he idly picked at his nose, clearly unimpressed.
"You… how do you know so much about this?"
"As the future Hokage, of course I know all about the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden techniques. I suggest you abandon them."
"No!" Suddenly the door burst open and Hotaru rushed in.
"The forbidden jutsu are the most important thing for restoring our clan to glory. Without them, the Tsuchigumo will never rise again!"
The young girl stared ahead resolutely.
Tonpei looked at her with worry etched across his face, "Hotaru! You…"
"Naive!" Naruto stood up. "Let me show you what real ninjutsu looks like."
Naruto walked outside and shouted, "Show yourselves! I know you're already here!"
Tonpei was surprised, and Hotaru was shocked too.
From every shadow, a dozen figures stepped into view.
"This place is supposed to be the Tsuchigumo Clan's fortress. How could they have infiltrated our fortress without us sensing them?!" Tonpei exclaimed.
"A rich client hired us to steal the Tsuchigumo's forbidden jutsu," the leader said. "We're the Thieving Bandit Syndicate. There are hundreds of us. If you want to live, hand over the forbidden techniques now."
Naruto looked at Hotaru and asked, "Still think your forbidden jutsu can save you now?"
At this moment, Hotaru trembled visibly—she was clearly afraid.
Naruto summoned the One-Tailed Shukaku, the Three-Tailed Isobu, and the Four-Tailed Son Goku.
The sight left everyone frozen in shock.
Naruto smirked coldly, "Kill them all."
"Just who exactly are you?" The leader of the Thieving Bandit Syndicate barely managed to ask before—
—he was reduced to dust by Shukaku's tailed beast technique.
At the same time, the Three-Tails and Four-Tails unleashed their attacks, turning half the fortress into ruins.
Legs trembling, Tonpei slowly approached, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"This—is true ninjutsu. This isn't a forbidden jutsu, yet it rivals their power."
Naruto glanced at Hotaru, then walked toward a higher ground.
He detected numerous chakra signatures nearby, confirming that the Tsuchigumo fortress was surrounded.
"Hold on a second."
Naruto threw a three-pronged kunai to the ground to mark a teleportation point, then teleported beside Hinata using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Naruto gently shook the sleeping Hinata to wake her up.
"Naruto-kun, you want it again already? But I'm really tired right now... Can we wait a little longer?" Hinata begged weakly.
"No, no, that's not it at all! I found a group of enemies hiding in the forest. We need your Byakugan, Hinata-chan, to find them."
Then, Naruto teleported himself and Hinata back on top of the Tsuchigumo Clan's fortress.
Then, Naruto summoned Two-Tailed Matatabi and Five-Tailed Kokuo.
"Hinata, share your Byakugan sight with the tailed beasts."
"Byakugan!" Hinata activated, her Byakugan flaring to life. "[Sage Art: Shared Vision!]"
The tailed beasts stood on the high ground, using Hinata's Byakugan to spot their enemies down the mountain slope as they rained Tailed Beast Balls down the slope.
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