[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have completed the guidance task. Reward: All-Attribute Chakra Lv. 1.] [ Ding! A new guidance task has been issued: Buy Naruto time to learn the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique and quickly boost his confidence. Reward: Rasengan Lv. 1.]
Hahaha, so the Rasengan's here, huh?
Lin Fan paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "Naruto, stop complaining. Let's get out of here, quick."
"I'll do my best to buy you some time. Find somewhere secluded and hide so you can learn the jutsu in the Scroll of Sealing."
Then he pressed his hands together and shouted, "Transform!"
A cloud of white smoke billowed around him.
Lin Fan transformed into Naruto, with the Scroll of Sealing slung over his back.
"Big Brother Lin Fan, thank you."
Naruto looked at Lin Fan, tears welling in his eyes before he even realized it.
The two of them quickly left the Hokage's office together.
Watching the two Narutos appear, the Third Hokage, standing on the roof, couldn't help but stare in surprise.
He couldn't tell which Naruto was the real one, even after watching them for a while.
It seemed Lin Fan really was a rare ninjutsu prodigy. How many jutsu the two of them managed to learn from the Scroll of Sealing would depend on their own abilities.
The Third Hokage figured that once the village's ninjas got wind of what had happened, they would launch a massive manhunt for the two of them.
They wouldn't have much time.
At most, they'd probably only have enough time to learn the most basic technique in the scroll: the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique...
If the Third Hokage knew Lin Fan had a miraculous tool like the Polaroid Camera, which let him copy the Scroll of Sealing first and study it at his leisure,
he probably would've regretted it so much he'd have spat up half a pint of blood.
After murmuring to himself, the Third Hokage vanished from the rooftop.
What happened next unfolded just as it had in the original story.
Mizuki told Iruka that Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Sealing.
Many of Konoha's ninjas began searching for Naruto.
The Naruto Lin Fan had transformed into drew most of the Konoha ninjas into the forest.
But with Lin Fan's current strength, he easily created ten Naruto clones and led the ninjas on a merry chase through the woods.
After that, Lin Fan estimated that Naruto had probably learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique by now.
He dispelled the Transformation and Clone Techniques, then rushed toward the little cabin at the edge of the forest where Naruto was learning jutsu.
When Lin Fan reached the cabin, he saw that Iruka had already found Naruto.
Naruto had already revealed that he'd learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.
Iruka had also learned that the whole thing had been Mizuki's scheme.
Whoosh, whoosh!
At that moment, five kunai shot toward them like lightning.
"Iruka! Naruto! Get out of the way! Mizuki's behind you!"
Lin Fan appeared at once, shouting a warning.
Hearing Lin Fan's voice, Naruto shoved Iruka out of the way.
The five kunai were hurtling straight toward Naruto's chest.
Naruto was completely frozen.
"Heh heh! Die, Naruto! Then the Scroll of Sealing will be mine!"
Seeing the kunai about to pierce Naruto's chest, Mizuki let out a sinister laugh.
Whoosh!!!
At the critical moment, Lin Fan used Taijutsu Body Flicker to scoop up the stunned Naruto and move several steps aside, narrowly evading the attack.
Thunk, thunk, thunk!
The five kunai sank deep into the cabin door.
"Big Brother Lin Fan, thank you for saving me."
Naruto, nestled in Lin Fan's arms, seemed a little embarrassed.
"Don't mention it. I'm just glad you're okay."
Lin Fan suddenly felt a little regretful. He even felt like throwing up.
He'd acted entirely on instinct.
He only hoped Hinata never found out.
"You little brat. I heard your parents died in the Nine-Tails Rebellion twelve years ago. But do you know who the person you're holding is? He's the Nine-Tailed Fox that killed your parents!"
Mizuki tried his best to drive a wedge between them.
"What? I'm the Nine-Tailed Fox?"
Naruto froze at Mizuki's words.
Suddenly, some things began to make sense.
It explained why the villagers had always shunned him.
It explained why he had no parents.
It explained why he looked so unusual.
So he was the culprit who had nearly destroyed the village twelve years ago.
Naruto's eyes instantly dimmed.
"Naruto, look me in the eye. You're you, and the Nine-Tails is the Nine-Tails. It's just sealed inside you."
"You're two completely different beings. Don't let him shake your confidence as a ninja, understand?"
Lin Fan immediately unleashed the strongest jutsu in the Naruto World: Talk-no-Jutsu.
"But Big Brother Lin Fan, your parents died twelve years ago. Don't you hate me for having the Nine-Tails sealed inside me?"
Naruto asked dejectedly.
"What does any of that have to do with you? You were probably just a newborn back then. What choice did you have?"
Lin Fan gave Naruto a warm smile, making his stance clear.
Watching through the Crystal Ball, the Third Hokage couldn't help but pause in surprise.
He hadn't expected Lin Fan to be not only exceptionally talented, but also so understanding.
It seemed he'd been worrying over nothing.
After hearing Lin Fan's words, Naruto's expression finally softened.
Seeing Naruto calm down, Iruka felt relieved as well.
Watching Lin Fan, Mizuki suddenly started to panic.
He hadn't expected the brat not only to dodge the kunai he'd thrown with all his strength,
but also to be this powerful at Kotoamatsukuchi-Mouth.
Naruto had been utterly dejected, yet Lin Fan had set him right with just a few words.
Still, Mizuki had spent a long time plotting to get his hands on the Scroll of Sealing.
He wasn't about to give up so easily over a little Talk-no-Jutsu.
So he forced himself to stay calm, pulled out another kunai, and pointed it at Lin Fan. "You're just a dead-last who only just became a Genin, and you think you can take on me, a Chunin? Let's see how you like getting stabbed!"
Those words didn't affect Lin Fan much.
But Naruto, who was already fuming, flew into a rage.
"So what if I'm a dead-last? Have I eaten your rice or drunk your water? Why does everyone want to bully me just because I'm an honest dead-last?!"
Lin Fan knew Mizuki was about to get what was coming to him.
He saw Naruto cross the index and middle fingers of both hands and shout,
"Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!"
Naruto's sky-blue chakra erupted from his body like a floodgate bursting open.
A thousand Narutos appeared throughout the forest.
"H-How is this possible? You're a dead-last, and you learned a forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Sealing?"
Mizuki's face changed drastically. His legs gave way, and he slumped to the ground.
"You're still talking? You're a villain, so why don't you ever learn?"
Lin Fan shook his head and laughed at Mizuki.
Soon,
hundreds and thousands of Naruto clones came at Mizuki, fists swinging.
In the end, Mizuki rolled his eyes, his face battered and bruised, and collapsed onto the ground.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have completed the guidance task. Reward: Rasengan Lv. 1.]