In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled out a white tissue and wiped his nose, which had a very obvious trail of blood on it.
"Ahem, Naruto is such an unpredictable child!" Sarutobi Hiruzen assured himself that he was merely caught off guard by the jutsu. Thankfully, no one had seen his reaction.
For elderly people like him, the threat of such seduction techniques was too great.
The Third Hokage decided that Uzumaki Naruto should seal away this dangerous jutsu, otherwise more people would fall victim to it.
...
"Ugh—why is there bird poop?" After the commotion died down, Uzumaki Naruto rolled out from the bushes. While brushing grass and debris from his clothes, he complained, "Why did Brother Naraku kick me? Obviously, my Sexy Jutsu is super powerful."
I should have hit you harder! You're too thick-skinned anyway, Shihouin Naraku thought as he rolled his eyes.
He casually helped pat away some grass from Naruto's body. Naruto's body stiffened at the touch, and he tried hard to hold back tears that threatened to fall.
"We just saw your best jutsu, so what are you worst at?" Shihouin Naraku asked.
"Let us take a look. Maybe we can help you learn it. Remember, we are Jōnin."
"Oh, okay!" Naruto quickly turned around and wiped his eyes, hoping no one would notice. Both Shihouin Naraku and Hatake Kakashi pretended not to see.
Even this small gesture of kindness was almost too much for a child who so desperately craved affection.
Alas, Naruto pushed down the pain in his heart and cheered himself up. He felt that he was in good form today and would definitely be able to perfectly execute the Clone Jutsu that had been giving him trouble.
He had confidence!
"Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, forming hand signs.
Bang—poof!
There was a sound like air escaping a balloon, and everyone looked over to see a lump of pale, mud-like substance appearing at Naruto's feet.
This was supposed to be Naruto's clone.
"Ah, failed again!" Naruto groaned. "But next time, I'll definitely succeed. I've almost figured out the key!"
While Naruto tried to cheer himself up, the others looked dismayed.
In his office, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen even slapped his palm against his desk in frustration.
Only Shihouin Naraku looked thoughtful. He now understood why Naruto would eventually learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. So this was the reason.
The Third Hokage had really put a lot of thought into it.
"Brother Naraku... Give me another chance; I'll definitely succeed!"
"It's okay, the Clone Jutsu isn't suitable for you!"
"Really?" Naruto looked surprised.
Hatake Kakashi had also noticed the problem. As a ninja who had copied thousands of techniques, he identified the issue immediately. The Clone Jutsu truly wasn't suitable for Naruto.
Because the Nine-Tails' seal was located at Naruto's chakra centre, the chakra that occasionally leaked from the Nine-Tails caused disruptions, preventing Naruto from accurately controlling his chakra.
The key to mastering the Clone Jutsu was precise chakra control, even if the amount required wasn't much.
These two factors worked against Naruto. He had an amazing amount of chakra, but his ability to control it was very weak.
So his repeated attempts at the Clone Jutsu would continue to fail!
The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, however, unintentionally fit Naruto's characteristics perfectly. It required a large amount of chakra but wasn't as strict in terms of control. This explains why Naruto would be able to learn it so quickly.
Besides, Naruto didn't need to worry about wasting chakra. He wasn't concerned that some of his chakra would become unstable because of the Nine-Tails. As long as enough chakra successfully flowed to complete the jutsu, it would work.
This wouldn't be a problem in the future anyway, as the Nine-Tails and Naruto would eventually reconcile, making this issue disappear.
Seeing that Naruto didn't understand why the Clone Jutsu kept failing, Kakashi suggested, "Since you can't master the Clone Jutsu for now, you should practice the Body Replacement Jutsu instead. Your Transformation Jutsu doesn't need any more work."
"But..." Naruto scratched his head in frustration and muttered worriedly, "Iruka-sensei said that the graduation exam requires the Clone Jutsu!"
"My Transformation Jutsu is so amazing; why doesn't Iruka-sensei test me on that instead!"
"Snap!"
Shihouin Naraku snapped his fingers, drawing Naruto's attention. He then nodded to Kakashi and gestured toward a large tree not far away.
Kakashi understood Shihouin Naraku's thoughts and wasn't bothered by the request. Teaching his sensei's son was a pleasure, and it felt meaningful.
"Watch him!" Shihouin Naraku put two fingers together in front of his eyes, then pointed at Kakashi, instructing Naruto to observe carefully.
Naruto was confused but turned to look at Kakashi, who was still holding his "Make-Out Paradise" book.
Kakashi kept walking, channelling chakra to his feet almost effortlessly. Then, to Naruto's amazement, he walked toward the large tree and stepped onto the trunk as if it were flat ground. In a few steps, he climbed up the tree and even hung upside down from a branch without falling.
Naruto watched carefully as Kakashi, who had seemed so unmotivated, climbed the tree step by step rather than running up it.
"How do you do that?" Naruto turned to Shihouin Naraku, eager to learn the answer.
"Go ask him yourself," Shihouin Naraku waved dismissively, then half-reclined against a boulder and yawned.
Naruto wasn't shy around strangers. He approached Kakashi and began asking for guidance.
Kakashi glanced back at Shihouin Naraku, who was already lounging on the rock and reluctantly began explaining to Naruto the specific steps of the tree-climbing exercise.
Soon after—
"Bang!"
"Ouch!"
"Bang!"
"Ouch!"
"..."
Naruto showed no intention of giving up. He rushed toward the tree again and again. Even when he fell and grimaced in pain, he immediately got back up, determined to continue.
No one spoke; everyone just watched as Naruto fell from the tree repeatedly.
As time passed, the expressions in everyone's eyes began to change. Naruto's actions—backing up his words with deeds and never giving up—moved everyone present.
Hatake Kakashi thought, As expected of my sensei's child!
The Third Hokage mused, As expected of Namikaze Minato's offspring!
Tenzo and the ANBU ninja observed, As expected of the Fourth Hokage's son!
Shihouin Naraku thought, ...
Why talk about others? Even though Naruto had advantages others didn't, he truly was pushing forward without stopping!
...
"You're not suited for ANBU," Shihouin Naraku suddenly said.
Kakashi was stunned. What was he talking about?
Are you, the deputy captain of ANBU, planning to rebel and eliminate me, the captain who stands in your way?
"You know it yourself," Shihouin Naraku continued, then fell silent, returning his attention to Naruto's tree-climbing practice.
Did Kakashi know he wasn't suited for ANBU?
Yes, he did.
This had nothing to do with strength but with his character.
But if he left ANBU, Kakashi didn't know where else to go.
At least by staying in ANBU, he could distract himself from his inner scars through challenging missions and dangerous battles.
Kakashi was contemplating how to overcome his emotional burdens. He knew he couldn't continue like this forever, or he would eventually break.
So, while watching Naruto's determined tree-climbing training, Kakashi also remained silent.
And Sarutobi Hiruzen was in the Hokage's office, his eyes fixed on Naruto's persistent figure, who had been silent for a long time as well.
Yamato and the ANBU team exchanged glances but said nothing.
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