Real and Fake Naruto

"This..." Sasuke stammered, unsure how to explain. "I remembered something important. Anyway..."

Following the memories that had just flooded into his mind, Sasuke bit his right index finger, slashed it across his left arm, then rapidly formed hand seals and slammed his palm down.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"

Poof!

After a burst of smoke, a weary-looking middle-aged monkey was summoned.

It stood over half a man tall, hunched over, with a gentleman's flat-topped hat on its head. Even its dark brown color could not conceal the filthy tea stains covering it.

It wore an old trench coat that did not quite fit, its wrinkled appearance rather comical.

"Um... while that Summoning Technique was pretty cool, this monkey—uh, this gentleman..." Naruto and Sakura did not know what to say, both feeling slightly shaken by the Uchiha clan.

"Hey, you little brat. You're the one who summoned me, right?"

Upon seeing the Fan Crest on Sasuke's back, Deceitful Monkey Kitsu was visibly stunned. He muttered under his breath, "The Uchiha clan..."

But Kitsu soon returned to his exhausted expression. "Speak. What do you need?"

Hearing that, Sasuke hurriedly escaped his awkwardness and explained the current Chunin Exams and the rules of this stage one by one.

As he listened, Kitsu conjured a small pipe with a lift of his hand and began puffing away.

Watching the boy and monkey converse as though it were perfectly natural, Naruto quietly leaned toward Sakura and teased, "Do you think Sasuke got his brain damaged by Orochimaru?"

Sakura did not answer. Her face was likewise covered in dark lines.

After a while, having grasped the situation, Kitsu nodded again. "Then leave it to me!"

With that, Deceitful Monkey Kitsu formed hand seals and transformed into Naruto.

"Eh?! Why did you turn into me?!"

Naruto jumped in surprise, bending over dramatically as he pointed at him.

"Eh?! Why did you turn into me?!"

Kitsu repeated Naruto's words, copying his movements without the slightest difference.

"What's with this? Why are you suddenly copying me?!"

Naruto waved his arms, looking as though he were about to fall backward.

"What's with this? Why are you suddenly copying me?!"

Fake Naruto copied him perfectly once more.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto flew into a rage.

"Sasuke!"

After imitating him, Fake Naruto added, "All right, I've got it more or less."

He looked up at the sky. "It's been so long since I came out to stretch my legs. Is it autumn already?"

After several leaps, he vanished into the depths of the forest.

"Hey, what exactly is that guy planning to do by pretending to be me?"

Sasuke was equally dumbfounded and could only say, "It's my first time summoning him too..."

"What the heck!" Naruto grumbled.

"Senpai! Save me!"

Naruto, disguised by Kitsu, was now covered in blood as he staggered toward a Leaf Ninja camp.

"Stop right there!"

At the front stood a young Genin holding a sickle. He motioned for Naruto to remain where he was.

But Fake Naruto pretended to lose his footing and fell forward. The scrolls hidden in his clothes scattered all over the ground.

There were no fewer than three of them!

"Kamano..."

Another brown-haired young man's eyes immediately reddened as he quietly reminded the leading Genin.

"Please, senpai, I just want to hide here for a while." Naruto frantically gathered the scrolls into his arms, putting on an act of forced calm.

When no one reacted, Naruto walked over to a corner and crouched down.

For a long while, no one spoke. The four of them harbored their own schemes.

At last, the brown-haired young man approached him. "You're one of this year's newcomers, right?"

"Yes, senpai. Do you know me?" Naruto asked timidly.

The demon fox brat? Who doesn't know you?

Morikawa Kyouichi, the brown-haired young man, continued softly, "Why are they chasing you? Where are your comrades?"

"I... I took something from them. My comrades... got separated from me," Naruto answered.

Morikawa became even more certain of his guess. Took it? He clearly stole it!

"What did you take? Let me have a look." Morikawa deliberately sounded relaxed.

Naruto lowered his head without speaking.

"Hey! Brat! If you know what's good for you, hand it over!" Morikawa suddenly raised his voice, making Naruto shudder all over.

"Morikawa!" Kamano, who seemed to be the captain, could not help but rebuke him.

"Take it out already!" Morikawa bared his fangs, his tall body looming over Naruto.

"He's still just a child!" Kamano stood up as well.

"If he's a ninja, age makes no difference!" Morikawa replied loudly without turning around. "This is heaven's chance for us! Don't you want to become a Chunin? Doesn't your left leg hurt anymore?!"

During the earlier battle, Kamano's left leg had been caught in a trap, making an already difficult exam even harder.

Hearing that, Kamano hesitated as well.

"Hand it over! I might spare your worthless life!" Morikawa advanced on Naruto with a kunai.

"I... I can trade with you, okay? Three scrolls for one!" Naruto seemed to make up his mind as he clumsily held the three scrolls to his chest.

Morikawa reached out to snatch them, but Naruto leaped backward, his expression hardening as well. "Don't push me too far! At worst, I'll fight you to the death right here!"

Seeing that Morikawa did not advance further, Naruto shouted, "These three I have—damn it! They're all Earth Scrolls. I only want one Heaven Scroll now. Give me a Heaven Scroll, and I'll leave immediately."

Naruto held them out from afar. Morikawa focused his eyes and saw that they really were three identical Earth Scrolls.

Morikawa could not help but laugh in anger. "Are you an idiot? Scrolls are only useful if you have a matching pair. If we give you our Heaven Scroll, what use would more Earth Scrolls be to us?"

Meanwhile, Morikawa was inwardly furious. That stupid demon fox brat had actually stolen three duplicate Earth Scrolls!

What was worse, his own team also had Earth Scrolls.

Morikawa's mood was like finding a stack of hundred-dollar bills on the road, only to discover upon closer inspection that they were all useless banknote practice slips!

"I only wanted to see what you took. We're senpai from the same village. Do you really think we'd bully a younger kid and steal your scrolls?"

Morikawa deflated and spoke to Naruto casually.

"The people chasing you have probably left already. Get lost! Don't stick around here."

Morikawa loathed this thieving little brat from the bottom of his heart.

Naruto turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he stopped and looked back. "I, Naruto, am not someone who doesn't know gratitude! You helped me, so please accept an Earth Scroll!"

Morikawa and the others could not help but find it funny. They had not expected the demon fox brat to be a thief with principles.

Naruto then walked over like a newspaper boy and took out a scroll, offering it to Kamano.

"No need. We have no use for that." Kamano declined.

"Take it, take it! Our team has Earth Scrolls too. Like that senpai just said, if they can't make a pair, then having more is really useless."

"You really don't need to. Our team has Earth Scrolls too."

"Huh? But that senpai just said..."

Earlier, Morikawa had not denied having a Heaven Scroll. From the way he spoke, he had even seemed to imply that he possessed one.

"Really. Anri, show the brat."

Fake Naruto's heart sank. He had thought the scroll was with Kamano, but it turned out to be on the silent female ninja at the other end.

The female ninja was amused by Naruto's foolish appearance as well. She laughed and reached into her clothes, pulling out her team's Earth Scroll. "Here, look."

"Oh dear, it really is an Earth Scroll." Naruto leaned closer to look while complaining, "Damn it, damn it! It's like I poked a nest full of Earth Scrolls!"

As he spoke, he brought out all three Earth Scrolls in his hands, creating the atmosphere of a nest.

Everyone laughed at his foolish behavior. Fake Naruto's eyes shifted, and he thought, Now's the time.

"Boom!!"

A massive explosion erupted near the camp.

"They caught up to me!" Naruto cried out in panic. In his frantic rush, he lowered his head and crashed straight into the female ninja's chest.

"Eek!"

The scrolls in their hands scattered across the ground, mixing together.

"Damn it!"

Naruto cursed, seemingly grabbing one at random before swiftly fleeing into the distance.