Bang...!!
The clouds of smoke cleared one after another, revealing not a field full of bald Sakuras, but nothing but-Naruto Uzumakis!
It was Naruto. He had copied what he saw and used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
Why had he done that? Had he wanted to steal Yu's thunder?
No! Naruto had noticed Sakura's expression growing uglier and realized that what came next would leave her utterly humiliated. Wanting to save her from that embarrassment, he had unleashed an astonishing amount of chakra and used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
The focus of everyone's attention shifted from Yu to Naruto, standing beside Iruka!!
Shock filled their hearts. "How is this possible... It's Naruto! Naruto, the dead last!!"
"..." Yu's expression turned peculiar.
He had indeed wanted to demonstrate the Shadow Clone technique to make Ebisu give up on him, but he had only planned to make eight or ten clones to get the point across. Producing over a thousand at once was far too conspicuous and clashed with the "ordinary prodigy" image he had long cultivated.
Hmm, Naruto really stood out this time. That might cause trouble. Still, I'll deal with whatever comes...
Bang!
He changed from bald Sakura back into himself!
At the sight of Naruto's multiple Shadow Clones, Ebisu was so shocked that his glasses fell off!
"Teacher Ebisu, did you see that? That's the potential of Naruto, the boy you decided had no talent whatsoever. You haven't even learned to recognize talent, yet you want to be the one to discover it. Aren't you aiming a little beyond your abilities...?"
Yu walked over, picked up Ebisu's glasses, and hooked them onto his shirt pocket as he spoke sincerely.
"Still, thank you for having such high hopes for me. I can't become your student, but I believe you'll find someone who needs you."
Ebisu had wanted to teach Yu a lesson, but Yu and Naruto had instead taught him one he would never forget!
One evening after that, while pondering his life on a bench on the outskirts of Konoha, Ebisu met the student he was destined to teach-Konohamaru!
"As a ninja, you must always remain humble. Don't set your sights beyond your reach..."
In the days that followed, Ebisu often used those words to teach Konohamaru.
On the training field, Naruto's Shadow Clones did not last long. They soon vanished in a rapid series of pops!
Whoosh!
Once he was away from the crowd, Yu stretched out his little hand. Countless tiny bubbles of resentment flew down from above the training field and into his sleeve!
To his surprise, more than half of those little bubbles... had come from Sakura!
Yu was thoroughly satisfied. Hehe, an unexpectedly rich haul. I can form plenty of Resentment Bats now~.
He returned to his class's line.
Sasuke stared blankly at Naruto, his little fists clenched tight!
Yu did not need to listen to his thoughts to know what Sasuke was thinking.
It had to be-That dead last was hiding this kind of power? Impossible. I-I refuse to accept this!!!
Yu said, "Sasuke, don't forget our Shuriken match in two days~."
Sasuke did not look away. "I won't. And you won't win!"
"Hehe, then let's both do our best~." Yu clasped his hands behind his head and left the training field, whistling.
Everyone was watching Naruto, but Shikamaru looked back.
Choji asked curiously, "Shikamaru, what's wrong?"
Watching Yu's retreating figure, Shikamaru said thoughtfully, "Isn't it strange? That kid wasn't the least bit surprised by what Naruto just did."
Ino was taken aback. "Now that you mention it, you're right! Even the teachers were dumbstruck by that, but he acted like nothing had happened. Why?"
Shikamaru lowered his eyelids slightly. "I can think of three possibilities... First, he already knew Naruto was hiding that kind of power!"
"Second... he could easily do the same thing himself if he wanted to!"
Ino and Choji exchanged glances and asked together, "Then what's the third possibility?"
Shikamaru's gaze sharpened. "The third possibility is that both the first and the second are true!"
Ino and Choji were stunned!
Rustle, rustle, rustle. Choji ate his chips faster!
Ino exclaimed, "No way! Wouldn't that mean his talent as a ninja was even greater than Sasuke-kun's???"
Shikamaru scratched his head. "Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Maybe that's simply his personality-gifted, but not very interested in this sort of thing!"
At the edge of the Ninja Academy's rooftop!
"999... Aaaaaaah!!! 1,000!!!"
Whoosh!
Rock Lee persevered through his last two Sit-Ups, then pushed off with his legs and sprang up. After landing squarely from a somersault, he looked toward the bustling training field, a youthful smile spreading across his face!
"While everyone was marveling at someone else's genius, I took another steady step forward! I'll prove it through results! Hard work can surpass genius!! Even without ninjutsu or genjutsu, I can become an outstanding ninja with Taijutsu alone!!! Next training exercise: five hundred laps on my hands around the hill behind the Ninja Academy! Oss!!!!!"
Word of what had happened on the Ninja Academy's training field soon spread through the spectators.
Naruto, the Ninja Academy's dead last, had learned the forbidden Shadow Clone technique after seeing it just once. He had even used it on the spot, producing an unbelievable number of Shadow Clones in front of everyone.
It was a sensation big enough to draw the Hokage's attention!
After receiving the report, the Konoha High Command immediately held a closed-door discussion.
Smoking his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened with a question. "What do you make of this?"
Utatane Koharu said, "Even if Naruto is the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, he shouldn't be capable of something like this at his age through his own power."
Mitokado Homura said, "Has the Nine-Tails' chakra begun to surface after all these quiet years? It's a little earlier than we expected. We'll have to strengthen surveillance of the Jinchūriki. The confrontation between the Uchiha and Konoha is at a delicate stage right now. If anything goes wrong with the Nine-Tails as well, the consequences would be unthinkable..."
Shimura Danzō's eyes flickered. "That Hyuga Clan brat named Yu has been in close contact with Naruto lately. Could the change in his circumstances have altered his emotional state and destabilized the Nine-Tails' seal? It certainly warrants concern..."
Hiruzen raised his eyes. "Danzo... don't tell me you're setting your sights on that child again!"
Danzo's gaze was inscrutable. "Heh. I'm merely making a reasonable inference. I never said I intended to do anything."
Hiruzen tapped the ash from his pipe and said gravely, "You'd better not. But let me remind you: our conflict with the Uchiha is already nearing the point where reconciliation is impossible. If we antagonize the Hyuga as well, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Danzo lowered his gaze. "Yes, I know what matters..."
Inside, he sneered. Hmph. I don't have time for that right now, but once the Uchiha threat has been dealt with, it'll be another matter entirely...
Before you continue