Not far away, hidden high in the dense branches of several large trees, two masked ANBU silently observed the chaos below. What they saw left them stunned.
"No way… is that really Naruto? That kid used to fail basic Clone Jutsu. Every time he tried, the clones would have crooked eyes and limp bodies. And now—this? Thousands of shadow clones? How is that even possible?"
"One look at the hillside—this isn't just a few dozen. I'd say there are at least three thousand, maybe even four! If we'd been any closer, we might've been crushed by the stampede!"
The two ANBU exchanged uneasy glances, genuine fear flickering in their eyes.
"His chakra reserves are unreal… The only other ninja who could use Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu on this scale was the Second Hokage—Tobirama Senju—and even he didn't push it this far!"
The idea that the class dunce could display such monstrous chakra and control left them speechless. No one had expected Naruto Uzumaki to be hiding this kind of power.
"As expected from the Uzumaki Clan," one whispered. "That vitality and chakra pool… Even the Second Hokage would be impressed."
Back in the village, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, watched it all unfold through his crystal ball. His eyes gleamed with a mix of shock and satisfaction.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu demands a massive chakra supply and incredible mental stamina. Both of which are traits the Uzumaki naturally possess. For them, this jutsu is perfect."
He chuckled, lighting his pipe with steady hands and exhaling contentedly.
"Good thing it's a simple one-seal technique. If Naruto couldn't master this, I'd have to send ANBU to rescue him for sure. But now... things might actually work out."
Back on the battlefield, Naruto stood confidently, glaring down at Mizuki, who was visibly trembling.
"Mizuki, you're pathetic! You really thought you could take me down? With your strength, you're not even qualified to carry my sandals!"
Naruto's voice rang out from all directions.
"Today, I'm using your ugly mug to erase my reputation as the dead-last in class!"
Thousands of Narutos surrounded Mizuki, taunting him with insults and goofy faces, each more exaggerated than the last. Some clones even stuck out their tongues or danced mockingly.
Mizuki's face went from pale to green, green to blue, blue to black, and finally red with rage. His hands trembled. His pride as a shinobi—shattered.
"You damn Nine-Tails brat! I'm gonna kill you!"
But Naruto only scoffed.
"If I hadn't read the Scroll of Seals, you might've stood a chance. But now? You're just a walking training dummy!"
Suddenly, thousands of clones rushed forward like a crashing wave. Mizuki, slim and alone, was like a canoe tossed around in a violent ocean.
BANG!
THUD!
CRACK!
The sound of fists and feet colliding echoed through the clearing like a thunderstorm. Green smoke burst up now and then—faint traces of chakra dispersing from dispersed clones.
Mizuki soared through the air like a ragdoll. He flew east, slammed into the ground, bounced west, and was launched north again. Amid the army of Narutos, he spun, flailed, and tumbled like a leaf in a hurricane.
If you listened closely, beneath the brutal barrage of punches and kicks, you might've caught the faintest cries for help… but they were completely drowned out by the pummeling.
"Damn, he's getting wrecked…" whispered one of the ANBU from above.
"Wrecked? At this point, I wouldn't even believe that's Mizuki unless someone told me. He looks more like a sack of potatoes!"
They sat casually atop their tree perch, safely hidden by the thick canopy. As elite ANBU, their concealment was flawless. Neither Naruto nor the injured Iruka—who lay bleeding nearby—noticed their presence.
As for Mizuki? He was far too busy getting turned into a human punching bag to pay attention to anything beyond his own suffering.
The ANBU continued their surveillance, recording Naruto's every move.
They had been personally assigned by the Third Hokage: not only to prevent Mizuki from escaping with the Scroll of Seals, but to quietly observe what forbidden techniques Naruto might learn from it.
Below, Naruto's voice echoed over the chaos:
"I told you I'd beat the crap out of you! Beat you so bad your own mom wouldn't recognize you! In fact, go ask her if she recognizes what's left of you!"
He cracked his knuckles as Mizuki was sent flying again.
"As for the crap part… guess I'll just have to keep beating it out of you a little longer!"
"Master! I'll confess! I'll say everything—right now!"
Mizuki, his face swollen like a pig's head and barely breathing, finally saw Naruto pause in his relentless assault. Thinking the torment might finally end, he panicked and began begging for mercy.
All he wanted now was for the Konoha guards to hurry up and drag him away—even if it meant getting tortured in prison. Anything was better than being toyed with like this.
Being beaten was one thing—but being forced to endure Naruto's endless trash talk while being pulverized? That was pure psychological warfare.
This isn't how you fight! This is illegal!
Mizuki felt so wronged he wanted to cry. Unfortunately, his eyes were so swollen that even tears couldn't find a way out.
He had never taken a beating like this in his entire life.
"Is that Naruto?!"
"And the guy with the big shuriken on his back—that's Iruka, right? I saw him this morning!"
"Yeah, it's them! Come on, let's move!"
Arriving on the scene were Yamashiro Aoba, Ebisu, Tetsu, and a few other mid-tier support characters from Konoha.
Honestly? Having Ebisu, an elite jonin, show up to deal with a loser like Mizuki felt like a waste of resources. The guy was barely above genin level—he wasn't worth half this effort.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the mission: Eliminate Mizuki! Mission prerequisites met—rewards will now be distributed!]
The system's mechanical voice echoed in Naruto's head. He looked down at the battered Mizuki, who was barely clinging to life, and grinned brightly.
"The reward is two cracked jutsu from the Scroll of Seals... What kind of techniques will I get?" Naruto muttered, eyes filled with gleaming anticipation.
As Aoba, Ebisu, and the others arrived, Naruto's thousands of shadow clones instantly dispersed. There was no need to keep the performance going anymore. Now that Konoha's backup was here, the spotlight could fade.
Naruto climbed off Mizuki, who lay sprawled in the dirt like discarded trash.
He had beaten Mizuki half to death, then sat on his chest and kept pounding him until his anger cooled off. The guy was too arrogant. If Naruto didn't stomp him a few extra times, he wouldn't have felt satisfied.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host! You have successfully mastered the 'cracked versions' of Impure World Reincarnation and Flying Thunder God Technique!]
Naruto quickly pulled up the information for both techniques in his system interface, and the moment he finished reading, his eyes widened in shock.
"Holy crap… These are broken!"
The possibilities rushed through his head in waves.
I should go heal Mizuki, bring him back to full strength, and then have him summon Orochimaru right now so I can slap him too!
Hell, tomorrow he'd summon Madara Uchiha himself and make him dance to entertain him.
And it better be pole dancing, too.
Otherwise, Naruto was not going to be happy.
...
TN:
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