Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

Finding candidates to borrow money from had become a new headache for the group; the classmates they had already borrowed from were certainly unwilling to lend again. Those who hadn't been approached yet understood the group well enough to know that lending money to them was no different from throwing it away.

Just as the group decided to try their luck elsewhere and negotiate with some unfamiliar peers, Naruto, transformed into the image of a handsome magazine cover model, swaggered over from the other side of the street.

Fiddling with eight or nine small pebbles in his hand, Naruto held his chin high with an air of immense self-importance, scanning his surroundings with a look of utter disdain. It was hard to imagine an eight or nine-year-old child could be so good at putting on airs.

Xiongtai, who happened to be looking in that direction, pointed at Naruto while speaking to his close friend beside him, "Look over there, what do you think of that kid? Looking at that face and that arrogant posture, he's insufferable from every angle."

The other five first glanced at Naruto, then all nodded in agreement with Xiongtai's assessment.

As they sized the guy up with malicious intent, they suddenly noticed that Naruto's gaze had been lingering on them the entire time as well.

Although it was a bit strange, the group had already begun to secretly calculate how much profit they could make, or rather, how much money they could squeeze out of him.

"Hey! You lot are truly ugly, just like the big black dog I keep at home. But only by being this ugly can you set off this Great One's handsomeness. I'll give you a chance: become my underlings."

Naruto recited the script Yi Xiang had given him word for word.

"Moron! Are you looking for a beating?! Where did this idiot come from, having the audacity to call himself 'Great One' in front of us?"

"Don't think we won't beat you just because you're handsome. We'll knock your teeth out in a minute and see if you dare to be this arrogant again."

The six of them chimed in one after another, surrounding Naruto with aggressive momentum.

Standing seven meters away, Naruto stretched out his arms, suddenly hurled the pebbles in his hand, then turned sharply and bolted away with long strides.

With a few 'poof' sounds, because the six pursuers were too close, several of them couldn't dodge in time. Struck by the force of the pebbles, they immediately cried out in pain.

The three unlucky ones who were hit were filled with rage; they sprinted madly, covering half the distance to Naruto in an instant.

"Naruto might look like he isn't very bright, but his learning ability is something even I have to admire. This... this acting, it can be called a natural performance.

How does that saying go again?"

"Big Brother, if we don't chase them now, they'll disappear. If that guy Naruto gets caught, he might not be able to finish the job."

Seeing Yi Xiang still lost in thought, Sasuke hurriedly reminded him. Although he often competed with Naruto, after spending so much time together, their friendship could be considered the deepest among all the friends they had.

Even if the two of them didn't seem to have many friends...

"It seems to be... right, 'great wisdom looks like stupidity,' I almost forgot it was an idiom."

Yi Xiang nodded in sudden realization and immediately prepared to give chase.

"Let's go, Sasuke. No need to rush, Naruto hasn't led them to the destination yet."

The dense forest was like a green barrier, blocking prying eyes from any direction outside; it was the perfect choice for many secret operations.

Very few people were active in this area, and even if someone screamed their lungs out, nothing would come of it—it was a great place to get things done.

At least that was what Yi Xiang thought, and it was exactly what he was doing.

'It's a pity I don't know the Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique, otherwise I would bury those guys for a few hours.

From then on, they would surely repent and turn over a new leaf; that would be a great deed, a work of boundless merit.'

As he thought this, a look of compassion, usually only seen on monks, suddenly appeared on Yi Xiang's face.

"Amitabha. How virtuous, how virtuous. Since that is the case, if I do not enter hell, who will? This old monk can only use his fists and feet to teach them a lesson and guide them back to the right path."

Noticing Yi Xiang's monk-like behavior, combined with his strange words.

Even though Sasuke was already used to his eccentricities, he still felt a bit of doubt: were the side effects of the Divine Art really this frequent?

"Bastard! Why did you stop running? Hahaha, this place is perfect. It's just right to teach you a lesson without anyone knowing, and let you know the consequences of having a loose mouth."

"Lingdou, stop wasting your breath on this guy! Hurry up and watch him, don't let him slip through our fingers again. Otherwise, we'll be laughed at by this arrogant prick again."

The group of six had already sealed off Naruto's escape routes, forming a small encirclement that was gradually tightening.

Seeing Yi Xiang and Sasuke appear on the path they had come from, Naruto simply stopped pretending; his mission was already successfully completed anyway.

"Hehe, you six dare to lay a hand on me? Let me show you the strength of this Great One. Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!"

In an instant, nearly a thousand shadow clones looking exactly like Naruto appeared with a series of 'poof' sounds. Compared to the circle they had formed, the six of them were like a drop in the ocean.

"Wait, don't be in such a hurry to act. Let me chat with them first and see if they have any intention of repenting. If they refuse to change, then the three of us will have no choice but to use our fists to reform them."

"Uchiha, Yi Xiang, how are you... here? Did you let this senior lure us here?!"

Seeing the crowd of shadow clones part to let Yi Xiang through, Lingdou Yiyou was first extremely surprised and stammered out his words.

Under the gaze of a thousand pairs of eyes, as if they would strike him dead at any moment, his body couldn't help but feel a sense of fear. Thinking of the conflict between the two, he quickly understood the whole story.

'A senior... he actually called Naruto a senior. This must mean the ninja capable of using such a powerful jutsu is definitely not a peer of the same age, but a powerful ninja in disguise?!

But then again, Naruto's current strength is enough to crush ordinary genin.'

"You lot are used to bullying the weak, but now that you've fallen into my hands, don't you think you should also experience what it feels like to be bullied?"

Without waiting for their reply, Yi Xiang activated his Sharingan to stare at the six of them and continued, "This is just a warning! Remember, only once!"

"I already know exactly where all of your homes are. If you return and stubbornly persist in doing evil, the three of us won't mind paying a visit to any repeat offenders among you."

The few youths who usually threw their weight around didn't dare to make a sound. Under the scrutiny of Isho's expressionless yet icy gaze, they could only suppress the panic in their hearts and scramble toward their homes.

After rushing in one breath to the bustling main street, the terror in their hearts dissipated by more than half. Lingdou Yiyou let out a long sigh of relief and spoke, "Uchiha Isho has truly awakened the Sharingan, those crimson tomoe pupils regarded as symbols of ill omen. It seems I really didn't see wrong last time.

We had best do exactly as he said from now on; otherwise, who knows what that guy might do with that madman's look in his eyes."

Ever since his previous clash with Isho, those pupils had been branded into his mind, prompting Lingdou Yiyou to cautiously consult the teacher of cultural history about the origins and abilities of the Sharingan, as he had only heard rumors of it before.

The teacher's answer did not disappoint Lingdou, and he came to understand one profound fact: without absolute strength, one must never provoke an Uchiha who has awakened the Sharingan.