"Naruto, you killed him!"
"Father, that's not the right way to say it. You saw it yourself. He leapt from the cliff to end his own life. I only fulfilled his final wish."
"But… you-"
Inside the seal space, Minato Namikaze felt a chill run down his spine. Words rose to his lips, but he could not form them.
Naruto crouched low, fingers pressed against Shisui Uchiha's throat, feeling the life drain away. The body grew colder by the second. What unsettled him was not the act itself, but the realization that his first kill stirred no nausea, no horror.
Was he born cold-blooded? Or was his heart simply too strong?
Moments later, certain that Shisui was truly gone, Naruto pulled the kunai free. No blood spattered. Calmly, he unrolled a sealing scroll and began storing the body away.
"That man… he was an Uchiha? What do you want with his corpse?"
Minato spoke again, his voice tight with unease.
Naruto's gaze stayed fixed on the scroll. "Later, I'll show you in the Mirror World. Even if I didn't collect much data, the puppet should have replicated. You'll see for yourself. As for why I need his body… in time, Father, you will understand."
"In time?"
Minato's face darkened. His voice turned bitter. "Naruto, I have at most a year left to remain here with you."
"That will be enough."
"What do you mean?"
Minato's heart sank. If Naruto said that, it meant he had already planned something for the year ahead.
"You'll know when the time comes. For now… the Barrier Corps has already alerted ANBU. They are moving faster at night than they did in daylight. Even the Third Hokage is on the move. Surveillance grows stricter."
Sensing the approaching chakra signatures, Naruto carefully rolled the scroll shut. He tilted his masked face toward the moonlit sky. Silver light washed across his features.
"All that remains is to wait for the next full moon."
With a flicker, his body vanished into the dark. Silence reclaimed the forest.
Not long after, the Third Hokage arrived with dozens of ANBU. Three masked operatives crouched where Naruto had stood moments before.
"Hokage-sama! As before, there is no residual chakra. Nothing to trace."
Hiruzen's expression hardened. Could it be Orochimaru again? No… he remembered that night in the Forest of Death. Another figure had appeared, cloaked in shadow, one who moved in ways that baffled even the Sensory Division. That mysterious figure had vanished without a trace.
A possibility surfaced in his mind, and it made him tremble.
"From today, two squads will patrol the Forest of Death daily!"
"Yes, sir!"
Even as he gave the order, Hiruzen knew it was likely futile. If his suspicion was true, then no number of shinobi would matter. Yet part of him still prayed he was wrong.
"Body Flicker!"
"Great Spiral Wheel!"
A flash of light, a storm of force. Within the Mirror World, Shisui Uchiha once again summoned his emerald Susanoo, wielding its massive spiral sword.
"Congratulations. You have gained Shisui Uchiha's genjutsu training experience."
Naruto's eyelids twitched. More genjutsu experience. Again.
All morning, every battle had given him nothing but that. He stared at the data puppet before him. Genjutsu was meaningless to him without Yin chakra affinity.
In strength, Shisui's puppet was unmatched. Whenever he unleashed the Body Flicker, Naruto's only hope was to risk everything with Great Spiral Wheel, aiming to obliterate both the original and the afterimages at once. Otherwise, he was cut down by that sword.
His ninjutsu arsenal was pitifully small. Fireball Jutsu. Two water techniques. A handful of shuriken skills from Itachi's memories. No Flying Raijin. No advanced tricks.
And Shisui's own shuriken skills outstripped even those.
That someone this powerful had chosen suicide… only proved again how cursed the Uchiha mind could be.
Naruto frowned. The Body Flicker… how to break it?
"His technique is bound to the Sharingan," Minato observed quietly. He had been subdued since watching Shisui's memories, especially the moment Danzō tore out his eye.
"Oh? Father, what do you see?"
"It looks like illusions, or clones, but it is neither. He creates visible shadows you cannot touch. When he chooses, those shadows turn solid and strike. That is why it is so dangerous."
Naruto exhaled in frustration. If that were true, all he could do was endure until he found an opening.
"Can you sense the shadows with your perception?"
"Yes. I can sense them, but just as you said, they are untouchable. That is why I rely on Great Spiral Wheel to annihilate everything in one sweep."
"In that case, I suggest you fight Itachi next. From the memories, Shisui often trained with him."
Before Minato could continue, Kurama's voice rumbled.
"Naruto, your teacher is calling the class to practice shuriken. And outside… six new ANBU have appeared. Just like the ones that watch your home. They are here for you."
Naruto withdrew from the Mirror World at once. His senses confirmed it. Six masked shinobi lurked outside the classroom.
So… the ANBU presence had increased. Why now? Had he slipped somehow?
No. His actions were clean. That meant the reason lay elsewhere.
His senses spread further. Across the village, chakra surged in strange patterns. Units converged, rushing toward the Uchiha compound.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "So that's it. Shisui has been dead less than a day, and Konoha cannot wait. The ANBU stationed near me are to ensure the Uchiha don't attempt to seize the Nine Tails."
The truth set in like steel. He accepted the kunai Shikamaru handed him, stepping to the throwing line.
-Thud.
Every throw missed the target completely.
"Ha! What a loser. Not a single hit!"
"Even I did better than that!"
Naruto ignored the jeers, his expression blank. He leaned against the wall, waiting for dismissal.
Shikamaru followed, sighing. "You laid it on too thick. At least graze the target."
Naruto's voice was calm. "I do not want attention. If I hit like you every time, people would notice. Better to be overlooked."
Shikamaru groaned. "We're the same, then. Look at Choji."
Choji ambled over, happily munching chips.
Meanwhile the crowd fawned over Sasuke. Every throw of his kunai hit dead center.
"Wow! Sasuke-kun is amazing!"
"Of course, he's a genius!"
Naruto's eyes glimmered. "Genius… do you know what their weakness is, Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru straightened. "They need an audience. That is the weakness of genius."
When the last kunai was thrown, Iruka returned to the classroom with a grim face and the record book in hand.
The bell rang. School ended.
Naruto left quickly. As he passed a group, a white puppy suddenly lunged at him.
His eyes sharpened. In a flash, he caught the dog by the throat, cutting off its breath. The pup went limp.
This dog… looked familiar.
"Uzumaki Naruto! Hurt Akamaru and I'll fight you to the death!"
Kiba Inuzuka's furious shout split the air.
Naruto's gaze grew cold. "Are you certain?"
Tension spiked. Shikamaru rushed forward, throwing himself between them.
"Naruto, don't. Akamaru was just trying to play."
"Oh? I thought he was rabid."
Naruto smirked, tossing the unconscious pup back toward Kiba.
"Catch him. And guard his life well. Next time, your dog might not be so lucky."
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