Chapter 47: Combination Ninjutsu

Fighting for the sake of fighting was not Naruto's original intention when he left the shadow clone behind. But a person living in this world isn't meant to be constrained in all matters; wielding a long sword is fundamentally for upholding the righteousness in one's heart. The impotent barking of the incompetent is disgusting, but the valorous courage of a common man's fury, where blood spatters five paces, is admirable.

The Naruto shadow clone's left hand formed a fist, smashing heavily into Sarutobi Shinnosuke's face. He was laying it all out here today; he just couldn't stand the hypocritical attitude of these people who acted like whores yet still wanted monuments to their chastity. This 'common man,' he was determined to be today.

Boom!

An exploding tag, tied to the end of a shuriken, detonated the instant it flew beside him—the fuse burning down neither too early nor too late, but just perfectly.

Just as the Konoha ninjas were about to breathe a sigh of relief, a figure enveloped in a large amount of Wind Style chakra charged out from the fiery explosion towards the nearest ninja.

Pfft!

A kick lanced out. The force was just right, instantly robbing that ninja of his ability to fight, but not enough to take his life. Wrongs have their source, debts their debtor; the Konoha ninja who had intended to commit wrongdoing had already been killed by him. As for the ninjas currently on the field, who could guarantee there weren't those among them with upright hearts and pure character? To harm such people for the sake of one or two rat droppings simply wasn't worth it.

As the fight wore on, the Konoha ninjas on the field also noticed the fact that their enemy wasn't using lethal force, and they too silently lowered their real weapons, now fighting with three parts sincerity and seven parts pretense. Truthfully, they had also heard rumors of Sarutobi Kawama's (the deceased ninja) bad habits long ago but had chosen to remain silent due to his surname. Compared to a relative of the Third Hokage, these ninjas, hailing from minor clans or commoner backgrounds, were simply small fry.

Naruto appeared behind a ninja and kicked out. That ninja skillfully spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted. Whether it was a real faint or a fake one, it was impossible to tell.

Regarding the fact that the resistance he faced was diminishing the more he fought, Naruto himself was actually rather dumbfounded. But he wasn't stupid; surviving in the ninja world couldn't be achieved by fighting and killing alone. Understanding human relationships and worldly wisdom was the true path to success. Since they were giving him face, he couldn't very well not reciprocate.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, his face half-swollen, maneuvered behind him. Scorching chakra erupted from his mouth and nose. Within the flames, Naruto, feeling his chakra rapidly depleting, felt a wave of helplessness. The best way to counter this kind of ninjutsu was actually to retaliate with a Water Style technique, not to foolishly tank it like he was doing. If countering with an elemental advantage consumed one unit of chakra, and using other elemental styles consumed two, then enduring it head-on like this consumed ten. As for why he didn't dodge—even if they were only fighting with three parts sincerity, that sincerity left him with a dodging space as tiny as a fart; there was simply no room to evade.

Under numerical superiority, pure taijutsu and kenjutsu were somewhat powerless. But the rather helpless fact was, apart from the most basic three Academy techniques and the Shadow Clone Technique, he didn't know any other ninjutsu. Wanting to learn but having no path to do so was a painful predicament. In his view, he was the type suited for PVP; PVE didn't suit him, or rather, it didn't suit him when he couldn't utilize Kurama's chakra.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, watching Naruto being scorched by the flames, couldn't help but feel a metaphorical toothache. That fellow's close-quarters lethality was terrifying. Every single one of them, if Naruto got close, would be finished. He himself had only avoided a non-lethal punch earlier thanks to the timely rescue of a clansman. High speed, high defense, high attack—just like the Raikage lineage of Kumogakure, it was an affront to conventional ninja tactics! Sarutobi Shinnosuke thought resentfully. However, though this fellow was a monster, he wasn't without weaknesses—he couldn't attack from a distance, right?!

He exchanged a glance with two of his clansmen. The three of them quickly formed a triangle. Naruto naturally wouldn't let them succeed. Braving a rain of kunai, he charged towards the enemy closest to him. Unlike the others, these three's attacks were genuinely life-threatening. But for them to dare attempt such positioning in his presence, they naturally had something to rely on.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" times three. From north, south, east, and west, several earth walls, three layers deep inside and out, completely enveloped him. Naruto had just smashed through the earth wall in one direction when he was met head-on by the combination ninjutsu the three had been waiting to unleash.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" (Sarutobi Shinnosuke as the main attacker) "Wind Style: Air Current Wild Dance!" "Wind Style: Wind Dust Formation!"

The other two Sarutobi clan ninjas were responsible for assisting his attack. Although neither of them was particularly skilled in Wind Style ninjutsu, under their combined support, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's attack was fiercely powerful, as if he had consumed a Yashariku's Sugar.

"Sarutobi Shinnosuke, is it? I'll remember you!" As if a true fire dragon had descended, the chakra surrounding Naruto's body couldn't withstand it at all. He instantly dispersed into a puff of smoke.

Far away, Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked at the raised middle finger the clone had given him as it vanished, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. What does that mean?

"Mr. Genichiro? Is something wrong?" Ryokiko asked, noticing he had suddenly stopped walking.

"…It's nothing." Retracting his gaze, Naruto shook his head slightly. The shadow clone being defeated was a certainty. But he hadn't expected it to be defeated so quickly. The power of combination ninjutsu had somewhat exceeded his expectations. Then again, it was the crystallization of a world's wisdom; if it didn't have some substance, it truly wouldn't make sense.

Should I learn a few presentable Wind Style ninjutsu? Naruto thought to himself. If there was one thing he didn't lack, it was chakra. Getting a few area-clearing Wind Style techniques and tossing them at anyone who annoyed him… the thought still had a certain appeal.

Shukaku? Naruto's mind instantly conjured an image of Shukaku using its basic attacks like ultimate moves. He couldn't help but shiver; they weren't in the same weight class, not suitable.

Temari? Thinking of the girl's 'hairdryer-level' ninjutsu, Naruto shook his head slightly, then nodded again. The young lady probably just lacked sufficient chakra to unleash the true power of Wind Style ninjutsu; the power output of their respective 'engines' wasn't on the same level. Perhaps Sunagakure still had one or two S-rank Wind Style ninjutsu tucked away. It was, after all, the hidden village of the Land of Wind! As for whether he should try to obtain them, with Gaara around, he hadn't considered it for now. If worse came to worst, he could always swallow his pride and serve as the young lady's personal bodyguard for a month or two.

"Big Brother Naruto, can you teach me ninjutsu?" Beside the woman, a little boy timidly poked his head out and asked.

"Oh?" Hearing his question, Naruto couldn't help but look at him in surprise. As far as he could recall, this was the first time the little boy had spoken. "What's your name?"

"I-I'm Mizuki!" the little boy said, his voice trembling.

"Why do you want to learn ninjutsu?" Mizuki? Naruto rubbed his chin, a feeling of familiarity washing over him.

"I want to become a strong ninja, to protect the people I care about, to protect Mom!" Mizuki declared loudly.

Isn't this Mizuki-sensei? Gazing at the boy earnestly proclaiming his ideals, Naruto saw a familiar shadow in the young face. The ways of the world are truly wondrous.

"I strongly agree with your ideals." Naruto patted his head. "But unfortunately, I cannot teach you."

"Why?"

"Konoha will not accept a child who has already cultivated chakra."