Naruto chuckled.
"Let's see if I still have what it took back then."
Omoi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What do you mean, 'what it took back then'? You're only a chunin."
Naruto shook his head.
"Some things are better left unsaid. You don't need to know."
Naruto reached into his backpack and quickly tossed out a smoke bomb, concealing his movement.
A volley of shuriken shot out from the smoke.
As they began dodging, three Narutos sprang from the smoke, each lunging at a member of the team.
Omoi drew his katana.
"He can make clones? Which one's the real one?"
The Naruto in front of him blocked his sword with one hand and quickly struck Omoi in the face.
Karui chose to go on the offensive. His speed caught her off guard. She couldn't even land a hit on him, which infuriated her.
"Omoi! How are you doing over there?"
As Omoi was distracted by Karui's words, he was kicked in the stomach. He rolled backward onto the ground, spat blood, and glared at her.
"Obviously fantastic! You can't tell I'm getting my ass kicked?!"
Karui dodged a punch from Naruto and forced him to retreat with a powerful slash.
"Samui, how are you doing?"
Samui was locked in an intense exchange with her Naruto and had no time to respond.
Samui was stunned by the boy's strength. He was far stronger than her. Each strike sent shockwaves up both her arms.
With every attack, Samui could clearly see the rippling muscles beneath his clothes.
Naruto kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying into Karui.
Both women tumbled to the ground. Omoi broke off from the fight, leaping to his teammates' side to help them up.
Karui stood up coughing blood.
"Alright… This guy really can handle all of us at once. We can't even tell which one is the real deal."
Samui dusted herself off.
"We need someone to distract two clones while the other two gang up on the third. That's our best shot at turning this around."
"Fine, I'll be the bait," Karui said, charging toward the three Narutos.
[Lightning Release: Steel Wing]
Samui swung her sword, releasing a surge of electricity that triggered a landslide.
Naruto was forced to leap off the platform, dodging falling rocks as he skated across the water's surface.
Taking the chance, Omoi rushed in, slicing through a Naruto who dissolved into smoke.
Omoi grabbed a lollipop and rejoined Samui.
"That was a clone. The real Naruto is fighting Karui."
Samui nodded. The two quickly returned to Karui.
When they arrived, they saw that Karui had already taken down one clone and was now fighting the real Naruto — and clearly losing.
Omoi drove Naruto back with a single strike.
"Karui, are you okay?"
Karui nodded with a grimace.
Naruto immediately charged forward, drawing his blade for an attack.
Samui took the brunt of the attack while Karui and Omoi flanked him from both sides.
Naruto deflected both attackers' blades by pulling out a kunai with his other hand.
A stalemate had developed, and to their shock, the boy was actually matching all three of them.
A faint hiss cut through the air.
The trio leapt back instantly. A huge explosion consumed Naruto.
Karui's eyes widened. As the flames faded, only a charred crater remained on the ground.
"He… he actually blew himself up!"
Omoi bit down hard on his lollipop.
"That guy's nuts…"
Samui stayed alert, refusing to believe the fight was over just like that.
A laugh echoed through the valley:
"Congratulations on defeating my Shadow Clone squad."
Karui shouted furiously:
"Show yourself, you coward!"
The valley returned to silence — it unnerved them.
[Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!]
Suddenly, an arm shot up from the ground, snagging Karui and Omoi by the legs. Samui barely dodged in time.
He yanked them both under the earth, leaving just their heads aboveground.
Before Samui could reach her teammates, Naruto erupted from the ground.
He crouched, patted her head, then pulled away before she could bite him.
Karui grinned at him:
"Not done yet... [Lightning Release: Current Body!]"
The earth beneath her cracked and shifted, and both she and Omoi exploded from the ground.
Naruto smashed his head into Omoi's face, sending him crashing down.
Grabbing Omoi's arm, Naruto drove an uppercut into his jaw.
Omoi staggered back, but Naruto vaulted behind him and hammered a punch straight to his face — sending him crumpling to the ground, unconscious.
"One down."
Karui reached for her sword again, but Naruto kicked her down flat on her back.
Both girls watched as he flashed through a series of hand seals:
[Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Cage!]
Karui tried to escape the electrified cage but screamed the moment she touched the barrier.
Grudgingly, Karui admitted defeat. Naruto released the jutsu and allowed her to go to Omoi.
Now, it was just Naruto and Samui left.
[Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!]
Samui hurled a crackling orb of lightning toward Naruto.
Naruto slammed his foot down:
[Wind Release: Gale Palm!]
A blast of wind exploded from Naruto, shattering the lightning orb.
Samui lunged forward, blade raised — only for Naruto to disarm her with ease and slam her onto her back.
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Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!