"Your ability is useless against me. You should concede."
In the arena, Suigetsu Hozuki spoke calmly to Akimichi Choji.
Back in the Forest of Death, during the encounter with Orochimaru, Suigetsu had already seen Choji fight—his momentum was terrifying and his raw power impressive.
The problem was the cost. Choji's techniques burned through chakra at an alarming rate.
Suigetsu, with his Hydrification Technique, was practically Choji's natural counter.
With a single activation, all of Choji's physical attacks became meaningless—nothing but wasted chakra.
Suigetsu wasn't mocking him. If anything, his tone was sincere. They had even fought side by side before.
"I know you counter me," Choji said, his voice deep and steady.
"But for a one-month free barbecue voucher… I have to beat you."
His fighting spirit exploded. His whole body entered a near-berserk state.
"A barbecue voucher?"
"Just for food?" Suigetsu shook his head. "I don't get it."
Even so, his competitive drive ignited.
Chojuro had already lost. That left Suigetsu as Kirigakure's final hope. No matter what, he couldn't lose here. He couldn't let the Mist's pride fall in his hands.
"Come on!"
"Let's fight!"
The battle erupted instantly, the shockwaves shaking the entire arena like two giants colliding.
One used a clan secret art—his liquid body unpredictable, paired with razor-sharp sword techniques.
The other wielded the Akimichi clan's secret techniques—his size and power multiplied to absurd levels, every strike making the ground tremble.
"This is the kind of fight men are supposed to watch—power, presence, dominance! That Akimichi kid really carries his clan's spirit."
"The Kirigakure Genin is no joke either. That liquid body hard-counters physical attacks. Every hit Choji throws is basically wasted."
"Both techniques drain chakra like crazy. This will come down to endurance—who runs dry first."
Inside the arena, the fight raged.
Outside the arena, in every corner of Konoha, another battle was unfolding—silent and deadly.
"Target confirmed?"
"Confirmed. Matches the file exactly. If it weren't written so clearly, I'd never believe these guys were ninjas. They look completely ordinary."
"But if you look closely, the signs are there—habits, posture, details they can't hide."
"Prepare to move. Barrier up. Don't let any disturbance leak out."
On a street lined with open stalls, three seemingly ordinary villagers sat casually at a table—drinking, chatting, completely relaxed.
Three more villagers approached, laughing, as if looking for seats.
Pshk! Pshk!
In the blink of an eye, the newcomers struck.
Three simultaneous attacks.
Instant kills.
The "villagers" at the table collapsed, eyes wide with shock.
Across Konoha, similar scenes played out over and over.
There were mistakes.
"Killing intent!"
"We've been discovered—it's Konoha ANBU!"
A heavyset man lowered his head, alert flashing in his eyes. He instantly sent out a signal.
Several passersby were about to walk past.
Both sides moved at once.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
White smoke exploded—Substitution Technique.
The real bodies appeared behind the ANBU, eyes cold, ruthless, without hesitation.
"Damn—!"
The ANBU reacted too late.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The attackers were blasted away. Their companions hit the ground hard.
The ANBU broke into a cold sweat—then turned and saw Naruto, wearing an orange coat, standing nearby, watching them with icy eyes.
"Uzumaki-sama…"
The ANBU bowed their heads in shame.
"Remember this," Naruto said calmly.
"Not every mistake gets a second chance."
"Yes!"
Poof!
Naruto vanished—just a shadow clone.
Again and again, whenever an ANBU unit faltered, a Naruto clone appeared, resolved the situation instantly, and captured the enemy.
Only when every spy listed in the intelligence files had been eliminated did the clones stop appearing.
"…Does Uzumaki-sama have a clone watching every team?"
"How much chakra would that even take? That's insane."
"For teams that ran into trouble, his clone showed up immediately. That means he was monitoring everyone."
"Honestly, with his strength, he could've wiped out all the spies alone."
"Idiot. He's letting us gain experience. otherwise, what's the point of ANBU?"
The captured spies—and their bodies—were brought back to ANBU headquarters.
After exchanging reports, everyone felt the same thing:
Fear.
Respect.
Awe.
Toward Uzumaki Naruto—the twelve-year-old prodigy Jonin.
"And admiration," whispered some.
"Your performance wasn't perfect," Naruto said coolly,
"but you passed."
"Next, split into two groups. one patrols the village and supports the team removing explosive tags. The other disperses according to spy locations."
"When you receive the signal, you will create controlled disturbances—make it look like chaos, without alerting the real enemies."
"This is bait. We're drawing the snakes out."
"If anyone messes this up," Naruto's gaze sharpened,
"I'll make sure you remember it."
The pressure in the ANBU base became suffocating.
No one dared speak.
"Did you understand everything?"
"Yes!"
"Then move."
The base emptied again.
Naruto vanished as well.
"Uzumaki Naruto has been spotted?"
"Yes. He's patrolling Konoha. Currently in the southern district, Qinghong Street."
"Have someone nearby detonate an explosive tag. Draw his attention."
"Yes."
In a secluded compound, Shimura Danzo, wrapped in bandages, grinned. Madness flickered in his eyes.
"I know you're prepared. So what if you caught all the obvious pawns? They were disposable."
"You'll never understand how deep Konoha's roots truly run."
"This time, I'll show you the real foundation of Root."
He tried to suppress his laughter, but the insanity leaked through.
"I'll destroy Konoha—then rebuild it from the ashes."
"And when that happens, I will be Hokage."
"I love Konoha more than anyone. How could I be a traitor?"
"Konoha's rebellion? Me?"
"Impossible."
"I'm not a traitor."
"I am Hokage."
Not far away, in a narrow alley, Naruto waited quietly.
A figure appeared—the same one who had reported to Danzo earlier.
"Uzumaki-sama. Danzo's plans are fully exposed. All intelligence is here. Root has been screened—only four remain absolutely loyal to him. The rest are willing to cooperate and trap him completely."
"Good," Naruto said calmly.
"Proceed as planned. Don't alert Danzo. Someone else will handle him."
"Yes!"
The figure vanished.
Naruto walked away, murmuring to himself:
"Danzo… you forgot something."
"Root is Konoha's root."
"Not yours."
"You couldn't even understand that."
"What a fool."
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