Kiba (Naruto)

Sasuke, Naruto, and Kiba stood back-to-back, their shoulders nearly touching as they formed a tight defensive circle. The air around them crackled with tension, each of them poised for action.

"I'll signal when he's close," Kiba muttered, his voice low but sharp.

The other two gave a silent nod, their eyes scanning the surroundings.

The moment Yamato stepped within Kiba's detection range, Kiba's voice cut through the silence. "Now, jump him ass!"

Kiba lunged forward first, Naruto and Sasuke following in perfect sync.

Yamato barely had time to react. Despite his ANBU training, they had pinpointed his location with unsettling precision.

'Even without a ninken, his tracking skills are unmistakably Inuzuka,' Yamato noted inwardly, impressed despite himself.

As the trio closed in, Yamato's hands shot forward, his arms morphing into thick wooden tendrils that surged toward them in a straight, unbroken line.

Kiba slamming his foot down with enough force to crack the earth. His fist, now encased in a jagged layer of stone, swung forward only for the wood to twist around his arm, ensnaring him instantly. The other two tried to evade, but the wooden restraints coiled around them just as swiftly.

Yamato allowed himself a small, satisfied smile as he approached the trapped genin. "You three are something else. With skills like these, you should've made chunin by now." But his smile faltered as he noticed something off their expressions were too calm.

Before he could react, Kiba was already in his face, a razor-edged stone blade jutting from his fist as he drove an uppercut toward Yamato's chin.

At the same time, Naruto materialized behind him, kunai poised at his back, while Sasuke's tanto rested against his neck, its cold edge pressing just enough to be felt.

Yamato's eyes widened before he chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. The three immediately withdrew their weapons, Kiba's stone blade crumbled into dust, Sasuke's tanto vanished into a storage seal on his palm, and Naruto slid his kunai back into the pouch at his waist.

"You pass," Yamato admitted, still bemused. "But when did you trap me in a genjutsu?"

Kiba flashed a sharp grin. "Figure it out yourself."

Sasuke smirked, and Naruto's face split into a triumphant smile.

Yamato thought, shaking his head. 'Who taught them to be this cunning?'

"So," Kiba pressed, crossing his arms. "Teach us the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Yamato sighed, but his tone was amused. "Fine. I'll teach all three of you."

Yamato guided them through the Shadow Clone Jutsu, each genin absorbing the lesson in their own way Kiba scribbled notes to avoid forgetting, Sasuke committed every detail to memory with his Sharingan, and Naruto vibrated with barely contained excitement over learning a new technique.

Once the lesson concluded, Yamato crossed his arms. "Tomorrow, meet at Konoha's front gate at dawn. Pack your gear, we're heading out on a mission."

Naruto whooped, leaping into the air. "Finally! A real mission!"

Yamato's lips quirked upward as Kiba and Sasuke gave firm nods in acknowledgment.

"See you then," Yamato said before vanishing in a blur of movement.

Once alone, Sasuke tilted his head. "What's the real purpose of this jutsu?"

"Yeah, why's it so special?" Naruto chimed in, scratching his cheek.

Kiba tucked his notes away before explaining. "For you, Naruto, with your insane chakra reserves, you can spam clones in battle. But for the rest of us, the real value is training. The memories of the clones transfer back to the user."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly in understanding.

Naruto blinked. "Wait, why can't I use it for training too?"

Kiba's expression turned serious. "Because the fox inside you might break loose."

Silence dropped between them. Naruto stiffened, a flicker of something dark passing through his eyes, while Sasuke's gaze sharpened.

Naruto's voice came out quieter. "How do you know about the fox?"

- Flashback -

Kakashi had been putting Naruto through his usual training which, as usual, ended with Naruto flat on his back in the dirt.

Groaning, Naruto pushed himself up, wiping blood from his split lip. "I need to get stronger," he muttered, clenching his fists. "If I don't, I'll never become Hokage."

Before he could even catch his breath, the world around him twisted. Suddenly, he stood in the dim, cavernous space of his own mind, facing the massive iron-barred gate of the Nine-Tails' prison.

A low, rumbling chuckle echoed through the chamber. "Power is what you want, brat?" Kurama's voice dripped with amusement, his crimson eyes gleaming from the shadows. "I can give you that."

Naruto froze. For the first time, the sheer presence of the beast hit him, the towering fox, razor-sharp claws digging into the stone, fangs bared in something too sharp to be a smile. His breath caught in his throat.

"Silence means acceptance," Kurama growled before Naruto could respond. The fox's chakra surged forward, thick and suffocating, seeping into Naruto's body before he could resist. His weakened mental state left him defenseless.

The next moment, Naruto gasped back into reality. His body thrummed with raw energy, his minor wounds stitching themselves shut before Kakashi's eyes.

Kakashi's visible eye widened as Naruto rose his irises now blood-red, pupils slit like a predator's.

Without hesitation, Kakashi's Sharingan spun to life, and with a single sharp motion, he forced Naruto into unconsciousness before the transformation could progress further.

- Flashback Ends -

"That bastard?" Kiba growled, his voice dripping with barely contained anger. "I ran into him two years ago during your medical checkup. Remember that?"

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged startled glances, taken aback by Kiba's venomous tone.

"You actually met him too?" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.

Even the concealed ANBU operatives monitoring them stiffened at the revelation.

"That fucking mutt tried testing me when I was already stressed," Kiba spat, baring his teeth. "Thought he could intimidate me." He raised his voice, directing it at Naruto's stomach. "Hey, Kyuubi! I know you're listening, you cowardly piece of shit!"

Deep within the seal, Kurama's enraged roar shook the mental prison, his massive claws scraping against the bars. "You insolent whelp! I'll tear you limb from limb!"

Naruto swallowed hard before changing the subject. "What if I want to try the clone training method?"

"You'll need supervision," Kiba stated matter-of-factly. "Yamato-sensei and Kakashi would have to monitor you the whole time."

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Since we still need to work on our teamwork," Kiba continued, jerking his thumb toward the village, "you're both coming to my place. We'll train there."

For the first time in his life, Naruto felt his face split into a genuine smile at the invitation to someone's home.

— — — — —

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