There were thousands of them!
"Is that... Naruto Uzumaki?!"
Sasuke Uchiha's eyes widened, disbelief showing on his face.
"Is this really that dead-last?"
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique had been developed by the Second, Tobirama Senju. By using a huge amount of chakra, it increased the number of shadow clones, allowing the user to create thousands at once.
But that was easier said than done.
Naruto Uzumaki was still only a Genin!
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, Naruto Uzumaki's Ninja Scroll begins!"
Naruto announced that the battle had only just begun in his distinctive tone!
"H-how is this possible? How can there be so many clones?"
Even Gaara, whose face had already become monstrous, looked incredulous.
Thousands of clones charged all at once. Even in his current state, there was no way he could fend them all off!
By now, Shikamaru Nara, who had fallen far behind Lin Mu, had also reached the battlefield.
He came to stand beside the Ninja Dog Pakkun. The man and dog stared wide-eyed at each other, looking utterly at a loss.
"Th-the number one ninja for surprises."
That was right! Naruto Uzumaki was a ninja full of surprises, always managing to astonish people at critical moments.
But for Gaara, "shock" was a better word than "surprise."
"Sasuke, I'll take it from here!"
Naruto turned to Sasuke, who was still barely able to move, and spoke.
Then he turned back to Gaara.
Or, at this point, "them" might have been more fitting.
"All right, everyone, let's go!"
One of the thousands of Narutos shouted.
In an instant, thousands of Narutos leaped into the air.
"Jump, Naruto Ninja Scroll: Omnidirectional Shuriken Scroll!"
Countless Narutos around them hurled the Shuriken in their hands. Thousands of them swept toward Gaara like a violent storm.
"Damn it!"
The Shuriken were coming at him from every direction, and Gaara's enormous body made it impossible to dodge them all!
At this point, all Gaara could do was cross his arms in front of himself to shield his vital areas!
But Gaara's broad arms blocked not only the Shuriken, but his vision as well.
Countless Narutos swarmed toward him.
"Uz umaki! Naruto! Two Thousand Barrage!!!"
Two thousand Narutos swung their fists with all their might.
Even Gaara's incredible defenses couldn't withstand a beating from two thousand people!
In the blink of an eye, sand and dirt flew from Gaara's body. His once fearsome, savage Shukaku Body was smashed to pieces.
"AAAHHHHHHH!"
Gaara let out a pained howl as he was knocked out of the air and slammed to the ground.
"Now for the feet!"
Thousands of Narutos leaped down from above.
"Four Thousand Barrage! Let's go!"
Countless Narutos rushed down at him.
As he lay on the ground, Gaara stared at the densely packed figures overhead, memories rising unbidden in his mind.
"Your mother named you Gaara: a demon who loves only himself. It wasn't because she loved you. Quite the opposite—she hated this world... You only exist because everyone else died."
"Lord Kazekage did indeed order me to kill you, but I can refuse... It's because of you that my dearest sister died..."
"Monster! Get away!"
"Monster..."
Suddenly, a strange energy surged from Gaara's body.
He opened his eyes wide and roared:
"How could I lose to a guy like you?!"
An overwhelming aura rose from Gaara, spreading a terrifying pressure all around.
A sand-colored energy surged upward, covered in strange patterns. Looking closely, they were exactly like the markings on Gaara's body when he transformed into a monster.
Under the immense energy, Naruto's thousands of clones vanished in puffs of smoke. Even Naruto himself was struck by the powerful blast, coughing up blood as he staggered backward.
At the same time, a huge cloud of white smoke billowed into the sky and spread all around.
"Boom... Boom... Boom!"
A gigantic creature could faintly be seen emerging from the white smoke.
As the massive monster moved, trees toppled, birds and beasts fled in panic, and even the earth shook violently.
Awooo—Awooo—
A huge roar rang out, sharp enough to tear through the white smoke. The leaves on the surrounding trees shook loose and fell!
At that moment, the enormous monster came into full view.
It was so massive that even the hundred-year-old trees in the forest reached only halfway up its body.
Weird Cursed Seal patterns covered its entire body, subtly altering the magnetic field around it.
"Raaah!!!"
The monster let out another piercing cry, like a demon shrieking!
"RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!"
A long tail extended behind the monster, covered in sharp spikes and nearly as long as its body.
It swung its massive tail, whipping up a raging storm!
The howling gale swept out, lifting the surrounding trees into the air!
This was... the One-Tail, Shukaku!
Long ago, the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, had split the Ten-Tails into nine, creating the Nine Tailed Beasts.
These Tailed Beasts were masses of enormous chakra, and in later generations they would become terrifying weapons of war.
Each Tailed Beast possessed unique abilities.
The One-Tail, Shukaku, wielded Wind Release, Magnet Release, and Sealing Jutsu.
After transforming into a Tailed Beast, Gaara's power soared. He swung his enormous claw.
Sand suddenly surged up around Naruto's feet, instantly wrapping him tightly.
The Sand Ninja's Sand Binding Coffin!
Now, with just a thought from Gaara, Naruto Uzumaki would be crushed into a pulp by the sand!
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Gaara, now a monster, laughed savagely.
The enemy who had knocked him down moments ago now lived or died at his whim!
The thrill of defeating and killing a powerful enemy filled him with excitement!
"Only when everyone is dead can I keep existing!"
At the thought, Gaara willed it, drawing on his chakra. The sand wrapped around Naruto Uzumaki quickly tightened.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"
A loud shout rang out from within the sand.
White smoke billowed wildly once more, and a huge figure emerged, barely visible within it.
Judging by its size, it was no smaller than Shukaku.
As the smoke cleared, the enormous figure appeared before everyone.
It was a toad—a gigantic toad!
The toad wore a short jacket, with a large "Leisure" character written on its back.
A massive pipe dangled from its mouth, smoke curling around it.
A short sword was half-drawn in its hand, gleaming with a keen, cold light!
It was a toad summoned from Mount Myoboku.
The Toad Boss—Gamabunta.
Naruto Uzumaki, who had been trapped in the sand, now stood atop Gamabunta's head.
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