Chapter 146: New World! New Order! Pt 5

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Naruto's POV (Southern Swamps of Irminsul - Terra)

Naruto seemed to find trouble wherever he went. The life of a shinobi was often one of risk and violence. Naruto was shocked at how frequently new locations led to the same old threat of life and death. Missions, certified exams, and now even a new world. And all of it seemed utterly determined to have him killed in one way or another. Naruto didn't fear it, but sometimes it bothered him. Naruto was confident in his training and satisfied with his drive to ensure his livelihood. And yet, as his hands fell into an all-too-familiar hand sign, Naruto felt an invisible weight settle over his shoulders.

Naruto paid no heed to the crocodiles as they closed in. Instead, he activated his jutsu, prepared to beat back these foes.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As a massive cloud of smoke covered Naruto, the crocodiles all roared in hunger. Some leaped through the air, others sped through the water, and some simply spewed jets of water toward him. As they approached, a massive number of Naruto burst through the smoke, all matching their roar, as the clan of crocodiles and army of blondes clashed in a mob of anarchy.

A crocodile attempted to swallow two clones whole; the first jumped over the effort, launching himself high into the air. The second managed to bounce back, avoiding the lunge. In an impressive display of power, the clone kicked through the water, landing a powerful kick to the underside of its jaw. The powerful kick sent the upper half of the crocodile's body into the air, where the second clone finally came down. Landing a powerful falling ax kick that spiked the giant croc into the murky water below, its weight slowly, making it sink into the soft mud.

One Naruto threw another directly at a flying crocodile. The croc happily swallowed the blonde whole, bodily smashing the second. Before it could move onto another target, however, it screamed and writhed before it threw up bloodied and disgusted-looking clone. The beast lay still after.

Another brave clone attempted to catch a landing crocodile. Seeing its foe, the creature tried to snap him in half with a bite, but the waiting clone caught it, holding open its maul with his arms to keep it from closing. Suddenly, the crocodile laughed as a jet of water shot from its mouth and cut the clone in half.

Three Narutos effortlessly dodged around another larger croc, each slashing at various spots as they did. However, the beast did not mind; its thick scales were too large for the small Riptide to slice through. And it merely snapped repeatedly at its dedicated attackers.

As a crocodile tail swiped a clone away, another sent a slice of chakra into it, which seemed ineffective. The clone scrambled away as the angry creature chased after it.

Another clone dodged a sneak attack from a crocodile underwater. The massive beast breached the water but cried in fear as the clone caught its tail and managed to spin the beast with grunts of effort. Another croc tried to help but was slapped away by his ally. The clone laughed at such before chucking the first crocodile at the second. The two collide with a deafening crash.

But the chaos below was merely part of his plan…

"Hey, dumb lizards!" Naruto called from high up on a tree; while his clones had begun the battle with them, he had headed up here. An aerial view had been helpful for one of his old tricks. "Those are all clones, in fact, their special clones! Maybe you all should surrender; you said it yourself, we shinobi tend to be powerful. Do you really intend to risk your clan? Why not seek a more valuable prey?" Naruto half asked and half pleaded.

"We fear not your parlor tricks, you hairless ape!" The leader of the clan bellowed indignantly. He sat back, watching comfortably as his subjects fought the clones before him in a bloody clash. "We will simply crush all you have to offer!"

Naruto sighed heavily as he made another hand sign. "I tried. I tried to stop this, but whatever… Walking Landfield Jutsu!" Suddenly, several of the clones stopped fighting. Their bodies began to glow from the inside, and their forms swelled. The crocodiles all froze in bewilderment, not sure what they were seeing. Naruto watched as the leader, however, seemed to curl defensively. Seemingly somewhat aware of the threat, but unable to offer aid for the others.

Before they could genuinely react, the glowing clones erupted violently. The water stopped the worst of the flames, yet the force of the chain reaction of the explosion sent viscera and scales flying all the same. The dying hiss and roars of crocodiles were heard as the series of explosions rocked the area around them. Several of the massive trees fell into the swamp. Small waves of water surged around from the disturbances. New holes in the ground were formed and filled with water instantly. Naruto watched it all, a mix of smoke and mist cutting off the whole picture. Yet the blonde watched at least six of them die from the explosions, their bodies ripped apart and lives violently snuffed out. "I tried…" Naruto said sadly to himself. He fell towards the ground as he cautiously decided to check for survivors. However, as he drew close to the cloud of smoke and steam, six shapes shot through. Naruto jumped up and spun in the air as he called out. "Uzumaki Style: Rising Spiral!" As he spun, he slashed with Riptide in a circle, unleashing a spiral blast of chakra that managed to knock away the ambushers and dissipate the cloud.

Naruto landed, staring at the surviving crocodiles. The larger leader had obviously survived the explosion, having been in the back, and looked mostly fresh. The rest had singes and even some wounds but seemed unbothered. All of them glared angrily, seemingly determined to kill him.