Kane tilted his head back and drank a costly potion to replenish his stamina, then said with a smile, "I'm a decade or so older than you, so it's not like I'm taking advantage."
Ryder and Dalia stepped forward to join the fun, eagerly anticipating Naruto calling Kane 'Dad'.
But who knew?
Naruto's expression was indifferent, his somewhat round face still clearly childish, yet possessing a maturity and composure that did not belong to his age.
"Call you Dad? You're not worthy, because I didn't lose!"
Naruto's gaze swept over Kane and the others, and he scoffed, slowly wiping the blood from his kunai and ninja sword, then returned them one by one to his Ninja tool pouch and scabbard.
"Hmm?"
Kane was slightly startled, his face gradually darkening.
"Are you trying to go back on your word!" Ryder angrily shouted.
Kane waved his hand, feigning composure and magnanimity, saying, "He's just a child, it's normal for him to go back on his word."
"If he doesn't want to call me that, then don't; it's enough that he knows I won."
"Wait a moment, have you misunderstood something? I'm the one who won," Naruto corrected.
"Huh?!"
Before Kane could speak, Dalia put one hand on her hip and pointed at Naruto, indignantly saying, "Are you crazy? Big Brother Kane eliminated twenty-one Goblins, and you only killed thirteen Goblins. It's clear who won and who lost, and you still want to deny it?"
Ryder scoffed, "Naruto, you're not a sore loser, are you?"
"Who said I only killed thirteen Goblins?"
Naruto's lips curved into a sneer.
He looked towards Iron Water Village, only to see another Naruto approaching, illuminated by the flickering flames of torches.
"Na... Naruto?!"
"Two Narutos!"
Kane, Dalia, and Ryder's eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief.
"T-Twins?"
Alicia's mouth was slightly agape in surprise, her eyes vacant. She looked at Naruto, then at the Shadow Clone, finding no difference, as if they were cast from the same mold.
"All five Goblins in the east of the village have been eliminated. The record is verifiable."
After dropping this sentence, the Shadow Clone automatically dispelled, turning into a puff of white mist with a "poof" sound.
"What's going on?"
"A miracle, it must be a miracle bestowed by the gods."
"Perhaps some kind of magic."
Soon, everyone came to their senses.
For a world with magic and miracles, clones were not unimaginable or incomprehensible.
Dalia retorted, "Even with five more Goblins, the number you eliminated still isn't as many as Big Brother Kane's."
"Don't be so quick to judge."
Naruto waited with confidence.
"The three Goblins to the north of the village? For me, that's just child's play."
A voice came from the roof of the village's warehouse.
A young boy in an orange jacket was squatting between the roof ridges, grinning at everyone, then vanished with a "poof."
The third Naruto!
Kane, Ryder, Dalia, and the others exchanged glances, still somewhat shocked.
"And at the west end of the village, I killed four Goblins."
"Plus two more Goblins."
"Unfortunately, I was unlucky and only encountered one Goblin."
"Three, that's not enough to kill."
"How come all of you killed Goblins, and only I came back empty-handed?"
As one Naruto's Shadow Clone after another emerged like mushrooms after rain, reporting their respective achievements, the few people at the village entrance went from initial shock to gradual adaptation, and finally, they were numb.
"A total of forty-five Goblins. I won."
Naruto looked at the blank-faced Kane, smiling as he said, "A bet is a bet. Now, be a good boy and call me Dad."
The burly, rugged-looking man's face turned from a sooty black to a purplish liver color. He clenched his fists, feeling Naruto and his teammates' gazes pierce him like arrows, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
He was furious, angry, ashamed, and unwilling, gripping the hilt of his greatsword tightly, blue veins bulging on the back of his hand and arm.
But considering he might not be Naruto's opponent, Kane could only swallow his pride.
"What?"
"Trying to go back on your word? A sore loser?"
Naruto looked surprised.
Alicia stifled a laugh, her collagen-rich cheeks puffed out, echoing Naruto, "No, no, I know Captain Kane's character. He's the next Silver-rank Adventurer in Border Town; he wouldn't possibly go back on his word."
With Alicia saying that, Kane became even more embarrassed, caught between a rock and a hard place.
The old village chief chuckled and interjected, "If it really comes down to it, call this old man 'Dad.' I'm old, so you won't be at a disadvantage."
After an internal struggle, Kane's mouth, which had been stuck shut as if glued, finally opened with difficulty: "Dad..."
"What?"
"Father!"
"Stop! Don't call me that. I'm only twelve, I don't have a son as big as you. Don't take advantage of me!"
"You—!!"
Kane's eyes widened, and blue veins bulged on his temples.
He already called you, and then you tell him not to, and say you don't have a son that big?
What do you mean by that?!
"I'm a bit sleepy, going back to bed. Everyone should get some rest early."
Naruto yawned, waved his hand, and turned to leave, leaving the livid Kane standing in place.
However, he wasn't lying. Using Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu at high intensity and grinding Goblins all day had indeed left him quite fatigued.
This fatigue stemmed from his spirit.
"It seems spiritual power is very important for using Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Naruto decided to add more points to his [Spirit] attribute; it couldn't be ignored.
On the way.
Naruto opened the [Messages] icon.
Immediately, a series of windows popped up in his vision.
There were pop-ups for gaining experience from killing Goblins.
There were pop-ups for leveling up.
There were pop-ups for completing quests.
[Hidden Quest Completed]
[Quest Rating:
1. No casualties among Iron Water Village villagers √
2. No property loss in Iron Water Village √
3. All Goblins from the night raid eliminated √
Overall Rating: S-rank]
[Quest Rewards: 1. Gained 1000 Experience Points, 2. Gained Intermediate Skill Experience Scroll (Blue) * 3, 3. Gained Underground City Team Badge (Purple) * 1]
"What generous rewards."
Naruto was overjoyed.
Putting aside everything else, just the 1000 experience points alone were a huge gain.
To get that much from killing Goblins, he'd have to kill at least a hundred of them.
Now, as his level increased, the experience gained from eliminating Goblins was constantly decreasing.
"As expected of a hidden quest! Including the experience from eliminating Goblins, I've already leveled up three times!"
Three levels meant 6 free attribute points.
He immediately put four points into the [Spirit] attribute and two points into the [Agility] attribute.
Naruto immediately felt a cool sensation appear out of nowhere, flowing through his limbs and bones, finally converging in his brain.
His previously fatigued spirit instantly cleared, becoming sharp-witted and refreshed, with improved perception and reaction speed to varying degrees.
[Uzumaki Naruto]
[Race: Human]
[Level: LV7]
[Profession: Ninja]
[Strength: 6]
[Agility: 10]
[Constitution: 6]
[Spirit: 15]
...
Then he used two Intermediate Skill Experience Scrolls to raise the proficiency of Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to [Mastery].
Mastery-level Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu not only allowed for simpler hand seals but also increased the clones' duration and resistance to damage, comparable to Kakashi's current Shadow Clone.
After allocating attributes, Naruto checked the description of the Underground City Team Badge.
This was currently the only purple-quality item he possessed (not including the Underground City Key)