Chapter 33: One Man, One Army! Will the Nine-Tails Reside in a White Zetsu Clone?

"This is... Naruto?!"

Sakura stared in disbelief at the figure before her.

"Oh, hey, Sakura! You're back?"

"Uh... um..."

Some jutsu possessed unimaginable power—far beyond what a mere Genin like her could comprehend. Yet, what stood before her was not just powerful; it was terrifying. It completely shattered her understanding of reality.

Was this even humanly possible?

She never imagined a day when someone would simply greet her—while wielding the power to shake the earth and change the very landscape.

The sheer number of golden-haired figures before her upended everything she knew.

"Is this... a forbidden technique?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

Sasuke instinctively stepped back, his expression darkening.

"Damn it!"

How vast was the gap between them?

That bastard Kakashi actually dared to dismiss me with a mere Fire Style attack… How am I supposed to accept this?!

His face turned even paler as realization struck.

"They're all solid bodies… Are these all Shadow Clones?"

"It's just two extra words compared to the standard Shadow Clone Jutsu, but… No! That's not right! This range, this scale… Naruto, just how much chakra do you have?!"

If Jiraiya knew Naruto had deliberately limited himself to just three thousand clones, he'd probably spit blood in disbelief.

Even if he activated his Sharingan, Sasuke wouldn't be able to grasp the full extent of what he was witnessing.

Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, had pioneered many forbidden techniques, most of which were designed specifically to counter the Uchiha. But even he never imagined something like this.

Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tailed Fox curled its lips. "Hmph. A bunch of kids who've never seen the real world."

It conveniently ignored the fact that it had been left speechless just moments ago.

After all, she was a fox. Being tsundere was only natural.

"Very impressive!"

Even the Hokage, Hiruzen, was momentarily stunned.

What Sakura and Sasuke saw was just the tip of the iceberg.

Standing from the vantage point of the Hokage's office, Ninja Kuma gazed upon what seemed like an endless army of Narutos stretching beyond the horizon.

'No, no! Absolutely not! I can't let the Anbu keep watching him. If this kid ever goes out of control, the Hokage building itself might be reduced to rubble!'

"Well done, Naruto."

"Hehe, all thanks to Grandpa's teachings!" Naruto grinned, his excitement barely contained.

Ninja Kuma chuckled. "Hahaha, keep working hard. When you grow a little more, I'll teach you even stronger jutsu. For now, I have other matters to attend to."

With that, he hurried away. A newly graduated ninja brought its own set of responsibilities.

Watching him leave, Naruto's cheerful expression faded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

'Even though I've kept my growth within reasonable limits, everyone here is still wary of me.'

Taking a deep breath, Naruto formed a hand seal, dispelling the clones in an instant.

A flood of memories surged into his mind all at once. He quickly sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state, stabilizing his mental burden.

'If I use this technique too frequently… No, even if I don't push its limits, the mental strain will reach a critical point. A breakdown or schizophrenia wouldn't be out of the question.'

'At that point, the old man will likely come with another dose of his "Will of Fire" indoctrination.'

It wasn't that Naruto suspected the Hokage's intentions at every turn, but that old fox rarely acted without purpose.

"I never expected Naruto to have such a massive number of clones. He's incredible!" Sakura murmured, overwhelmed.

"Naruto is special. You don't need to compare yourself to him," Kakashi interjected. "Focus on your own training and take things one step at a time."

His hand unconsciously moved to the forehead protector covering his left eye.

He had become a Jonin at twelve, developed his own jutsu—Lightning Blade—but faced severe limitations.

His first issue was speed. Under the influence of Lightning Chakra, his body moved too fast for his eyes to keep up.

The Sharingan resolved that flaw, allowing him to wield Chidori effectively.

In the end, his technique had been inspired by the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan, which itself was derived from the Tailed Beast Bomb.

The Nine-Tails smirked. 'Hah! I'm still the origin of all things, after all.'

After obtaining the Sharingan, Kakashi became known across the shinobi world as the Copy Ninja.

But his reliance on it was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

Without Chidori, he could have pursued his father's White Fang sword techniques or explored other styles.

Yet, the Sharingan demanded constant chakra. Even at rest, it drained his reserves.

If he didn't suppress it, he'd collapse from exhaustion before long.

As a result, he was forced to focus on his most reliable technique—Chidori.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had a different luxury.

Barely two and a half years into using Chidori, he had already begun developing Chidori Stream.

The difference? Sasuke had plenty of chakra to experiment, practice, and refine his techniques at will.

"Kakashi-sensei, could you do what Naruto just did?" Sakura asked suddenly.

Kakashi gave her a deadpan stare. "Sure, I could probably manage ten clones. And then, the moment I dispel them, I'd drop dead from exhaustion."

"Wow! Naruto is amazing!" Sakura beamed.

"As expected, Kakashi-sensei is completely unreliable," she added under her breath.

Kakashi sighed and turned back to his book, pretending not to hear.

Meanwhile, Sasuke clenched his fists, hesitated for a moment, then walked up to his teacher.

"Kakashi, teach me a new jutsu!"

Kakashi: 'Am I not human? Do I not have feelings? Can't you people let me have a moment's peace?!'

Still, after a moment, he sighed. "Sasuke, start your special training alongside Sakura. I do have a jutsu in mind for you, but you're not ready for it yet."

Sasuke scowled but didn't argue. Instead, he dropped to the ground and began doing push-ups right in front of Kakashi.

Naruto turned to leave. "Alright, it's almost dinner time. I should head back."

"Wait, Naruto!" x2

Sakura and Sasuke both called out.

"Just now… how many shadow clones did you create?" Sasuke demanded.

That was the question he needed answered more than anything.

With his current chakra reserves, he could produce a maximum of five clones—no more.

Naruto grinned. "Hmm… around three thousand, give or take."

"Three thousand?!"

Sasuke nearly fell over in shock.

Three thousand versus five…

There was no contest.

Even if Naruto just stood there and let every clone take the hits, Sasuke would tire out first.

What he didn't yet realize was that Naruto, unlike his canon counterpart, wasn't a mindless brawler.

If he surrounded Sasuke with three thousand clones… escaping alive would require a miracle.

Moreover, since Naruto possesses the Mori-Mori no Mi, the usual shadow clone limitations for entering Sage Mode do not apply to him.

A kingdom of hypocrisy, ruled by a king without a crown.

If it were that easy to kill him, wouldn't that be too convenient for the old man?

Even without using brute force, there are always other methods.

With so many shadow clones, the chakra distribution is sufficient to employ a high-speed phantom teleportation battle style.

In an instant, the battlefield would be overwhelmed—phantoms and physical clones merging together, their numbers surging past ten thousand.

And if he went all out, fully unleashing the Nine-Tails' chakra…

That number could skyrocket beyond a hundred thousand.

One man. An entire army.

Every single one could be a physical clone. Or none at all.

What? Did they think he was just deploying infantry?

It's time to understand the true power of Susano'o and Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hand.

Infantry and tank coordination? A sound strategy.

But breaking the limits—that was his true path.

Sasuke gave up completely.

Unlike Kakashi, who surrendered the moment he saw Naruto's absurd mastery of shadow clones.

A day later, Sasuke experienced a feeling akin to that of Kurenai Yuhi—only stronger.

However, Naruto wasn't a stubborn man shackled by old beliefs. He didn't need to worry about looking back.

With a wave of his hand, he bid farewell to Kakashi.

Neji hesitated for a moment but eventually followed in Sakura's footsteps.

Only when you're well-fed can you train at your peak.

Kakashi remained where he was, continuing to observe Naruto's little uncle.

"Remember to gather at the Hokage Building around noon tomorrow."

—

On the way, Sakura took the initiative to share details about her special training with Naruto.

"Tenten offered to teach me, so I'm learning from her."

Naruto had no objections.

Just like the day before, when Kurenai Yuhi and Anko Mitarashi inquired about secret techniques.

Naruto had simply answered, "No."

But he understood how to cultivate supernatural powers.

Strange strength techniques would suit Kurenai well.

Kurenai's specialty was genjutsu, but she lacked a powerful offensive method.

Even if an enemy was trapped in an illusion, they might still find a way to escape. Once they knew what to expect, genjutsu's effectiveness would be significantly reduced.

After a few drinks, Naruto channeled his chakra and delivered a devastating punch—accidentally reducing a wardrobe to splinters.

Anko, on the other hand, was thrilled. She had long sought to sever ties with Orochimaru's lingering shadow.

However, because of her history with him,

Not only was the Mitarashi family ostracized in the village, but they also had no access to any real resources.

Learning new ninjutsu was an impossible dream.

But with supernatural abilities, at least she could rely on something other than snake-based techniques.

The three of them discussed various training methods deep into the night.

"Naruto, can I exchange my experience with Fire Release for some training insights?"

Sasuke had been hesitating for a while before finally speaking up.

I can do everything you can do—and I can do what you can't.

Moreover, I have your mother and your… possible sister-in-law, Uchiha Izumi, as my sources of strength.

Ahem, well, think of it as purchasing an advanced jutsu from me.

Though, with the Sharingan, you could always copy it later anyway.

"No need. Fire Release isn't my specialty, so it wouldn't be useful for me."

Remember that.

"…Alright."

The spark of hope in Sasuke's eyes flickered out as fast as it had appeared.

"I don't have much experience in fire-based training, but I can teach you some other techniques."

"For example, Phantom Flash… or perhaps a ninjutsu I'm still developing."

"Ninjutsu still under development?!"

Both Sasuke and Sakura were stunned.

"Let's talk about that later. For now, help me clean the dishes. I'll heat up the oil—Hinata, Ino, and the others will be here soon."

—

Nightfall.

White Zetsu's wooden clone returned to its main body.

Naruto emerged from his meditation.

"They ate it all… Well, it'll take some time to process this."

"In that case, let's proceed as planned."

He raised his hand, transformed it into an elemental state, and created a wooden clone in White Zetsu's image.

"Go find Kakuzu and toss Asuma's bounty in front of him. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Don't worry. I won't be exposed."

With that, White Zetsu's wooden clone vanished instantly.

As soon as it left, Naruto chuckled.

"You've been watching for a while now. Jealous?"

"You're usually so chatty, but lately, all you've been saying is, 'These little brats are so noisy. Is human food really that good?'"

"Hmph! What do you care?"

"Sure, sure."

The next moment, Naruto entered the sealed space.

Gone was the damp, gloomy sewer—it had long been transformed into a blue sea beneath a bright sky.

At present, the Nine-Tails was lounging in a mental construct—a recliner, sunglasses perched over its eyes (not that it needed them, given its natural dark eye markings).

A massive parasol shielded it from the nonexistent sun.

Feeling the gentle sea breeze, it listened as Naruto hummed an old tune.

"Yo, Kurama. Long time no see."

"What do you want?" Kyuubi grumbled.

"Oh, I just thought you'd prefer this to the sewer. Want me to switch it back?"

"What do you care?"

Even as it grumbled, Kyuubi still sat up, its expression wary—as if daring Naruto to change the scenery back.

"Tsundere much?"

"How much chakra do you need?"

Kyuubi tensed instantly.

"No, I won't ask for it. You'll give it to me willingly. Think of it as rent."

"Hmph. So, you finally need me?"

"Please, I don't even take the power of the Sharingan seriously."

Silence stretched between them.

Outside, Naruto's main body formed another White Zetsu-style wooden clone.

But this time, it contained no spiritual power. It was merely an empty shell.

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed as it recalled something Naruto had once said.

A body that could sustain life, even in human form.

"This isn't just an ordinary wooden clone."

"Its essence is nearly identical to that of a real person."

"It took me years to create a vessel that doesn't require spiritual energy."

"…Are you offering this as my human body?"

Kyuubi was silent.

Kyuubi was shaken.

All this time, Naruto had been working toward this goal.

For the first time, Kyuubi almost fell to its knees.