Mei Terumī: "This is... Ice Release?"
Mei Terumī: "What a pity."
Mei Terumī shook her head.
Back then—no, even now—fear and hatred toward Bloodline Limits still linger.
Changing the Hidden Mist Village can't be done overnight.
No matter how hard Mei Terumī tries, she can't stamp it out.
Add to that the years of bloodshed.
In truth, Bloodline Limit users are also afraid of being exposed and hate the Village.
"Great Fox, this shouldn't be a Bloodline Limit, right?"
"No, it's a Water Release secret art. It just resembles Ice Release... maybe it's the effect you were aiming for."
"Without the right constitution, yet trying to use Ice Release... this secret art, Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death, is basically a half-finished Ice Release. Strictly speaking, it is Ice Release."
"Five hand seals, but Haku simplified them." The Great Fox stroked its fluffy tail.
"Also, why are you taking this so seriously?"
"Collecting Ninjutsu and secret arts," Naruto replied.
Even as he answered,
he pulled several three-pronged kunai from his tool pouch.
Then casually flung them in every direction.
Clang—
"Oh?"
Naruto blinked.
This mirror's pretty tough.
And any damage recovers at lightning speed.
Still, it's great for dividing a battlefield or for one-on-one fights.
Two Phantom Clones appeared beside Naruto.
At that moment, countless senbon were right in front of him.
He didn't dodge.
Naruto treated it as training.
Constantly switching places between his main body and the Phantom Clones.
If a needle couldn't be avoided, he deflected it with a three-pronged kunai.
His movements were so fast that all three figures looked like illusions.
Inside the mirrors, Haku's expression changed.
He hadn't expected Naruto to be this fast.
The secret mirror barrier wasn't completely sealed.
Zabuza could still see what was happening inside.
Seeing this, Zabuza frowned slightly.
"Is it my imagination?"
"This brat... the pressure he's giving me feels huge—compared to Kakashi, he's not a bit weaker, maybe even stronger."
"Could it be because my strength hasn't fully recovered yet?"
"Yes, that must be it."
Zabuza muttered.
Buzz—
At that instant, Haku's figure appeared in every one of the dozens of mirrors, as if copy-pasted.
Naruto blinked.
He was briefly startled.
But he saw through the trick at a glance.
It was similar to combining Phantom Clones with the Body Flicker Technique.
Perhaps the results wouldn't be far apart.
Each had its pros and cons.
Phantom Clones plus Body Flicker offered high mobility.
Haku's Bloodline Limit lacked mobility.
But it was safer and better at trapping enemies.
Too bad
Haku didn't seem to know any Genjutsu.
Otherwise, adding illusions would make it even better.
At that moment, inside the Sealing Space, the Great Fox spoke up.
"Collecting Ninjutsu?"
"Why collect so many techniques?"
"Forgotten?" Naruto chuckled. "I wasn't joking—I really am going to rebuild the Land of Whirlpools."
"Revive the Uzumaki Clan and the Uchiha Clan."
"It's not as simple as just having lots of kids in the future."
"For a clan to grow into a country, it can't rely on a single powerhouse..."
"Stop!" the Great Fox quickly cut him off.
"Don't say any more."
"I'm just a carefree fox."
"You want power, Chakra—I've got plenty."
After a moment of silence, the Great Fox finally handed over the 'Burning Art'.
"Making people other than you strong... there is a way, and it works almost instantly."
"Oh?!" Naruto's eyes lit up.
This Scum Fox had still been hiding so many secrets from him?
As if reading his mind, the Great Fox rolled its eyes.
"We'll talk after the fight."
"This Fox will teach you Ninshū."
After thinking, the fox couldn't help but add, not wanting to hide anything.
"After Ninshū, we'll know everything about each other."
"Of course, giving others Chakra isn't this troublesome."
"Think it through—your secrets might all be exposed to me. If you ever have bad intentions toward This Fox, hmph!"
"All right." Naruto smiled back.
Without the slightest hesitation.
That left the Great Fox stunned.
Not a second of doubt?
Ninshū?
Almost everyone looked puzzled.
Only a few had heard of Ninshū.
And even then, they knew next to nothing.
It was like some kind of myth.
Like tales of the Six Paths Sage or the Rabbit Goddess.
Ino Yamanaka: "The Great Fox means it can share Chakra with others?"
Ino Yamanaka: "What is this Ninshū? It sounds amazing!"
Senju Tobirama: "Probably a Chakra-transmission type."
Senju Tobirama: "If it really works, with the Nine-Tails' Chakra reserves..."
Uchiha Izuna: "Reviving the Uchiha and Uzumaki would be a sure thing!"
Sakura Haruno: "Why?"
Temari: "If you had massive Chakra, could you train as recklessly as Black-framed Naruto-kun?"
Sakura blinked; that did make sense.
Uchiha Sasuke: "If it's channeled to me, I could spam Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique... even with lousy talent, practice makes perfect. Before long I'd master Fire Release Chakra nature transformation."
Nara Shikaku: "That point is crucial."
Uzumaki Naruto: "The me in the black frame world was right—the Great Fox is the key, super important!
Inside the Sealing Space,
the Nine-Tails lay flat.
The whole fox sprawled on the ground, nine fluffy tails covering its face.
No way...
Had the version of itself in the black frame world already ended up like this?!
Damn it!
It was supposed to seduce that brat!
Black-Framed Naruto had clearly been influenceable long ago—he could've been dragged into the Sealing Space—so how had everything flipped?
Now it felt like it was the one being seduced!
Black-frame version, get a grip!
You're practically shaping yourself to fit Black-Framed Naruto!
"Time for me to get started."
"Let me show you my true speed."
Haku watched his senbon pass straight through Naruto.
As if through three Phantom Clones—his heart shuddered.
But for Zabuza's sake he wouldn't back down.
The moment the words fell,
in every mirror Haku moved in perfect unison, raising his hands at the same instant.
Several senbon appeared in each hand.
Whoosh—
In the next instant,
countless Hakus flung their senbon simultaneously, lightning fast.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
He released his sensory perception.
"Just as I thought."