Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

The dark clouds in the sky scattered, the sudden downpour ceased, and the cold, bright moonlight flooded the earth. Droplets of water clinging to forest leaves shimmered, reflecting faint silhouettes.

Xi held his breath and signaled with a wave of his right hand.

At first, only a handful of clones advanced cautiously toward the Konoha position. When no danger presented itself, more began to press forward.

As their numbers swelled into dozens, then hundreds, Xi finally gave the order.

"Attack!"

Over a hundred clones surged toward the Konoha camp, unleashing a barrage of long-range ninjutsu and thrown weapons.

The assault tore through everything in its path like a localized bombing. Life around the Konoha position was annihilated in an instant.

The front-line camp was reduced to rubble in less than a breath's time, the remains of structures and bodies buried in the debris.

Among the corpses were Konoha shinobi, but more of them bore Iwagakure attire.

Konoha bodies remained largely intact, while the Iwagakure corpses were mangled—severed limbs and shattered torsos littered the ground.

"What the hell's going on? Did the east and west flanks launch their attack early?"

Xi's gaze swept over the carnage. Even he, someone not easily shaken, felt a wave of nausea rise.

"That's Atsuyi!"

"Atsuyi's dead!"

Suddenly, shouts of alarm erupted from the clones scouting ahead.

They had finally discovered what had happened to the missing detachment under Atsuyi's command—every last one of the forty-five men had perished inside the Konoha encampment.

Xi's eyelids twitched. After confirming through his sensory abilities that there was no immediate danger, he cautiously stepped forward. Upon closer inspection, he recognized Atsuyi's corpse.

How could this be?

Did Atsuyi get overconfident and lead his team directly into the Konoha base, only to be surrounded and wiped out?

Xi couldn't think of any other explanation. It was the only way to make sense of such a complete loss—forty-five shinobi, all dead, without a single survivor to report back.

The sight of Kumogakure's fallen, torn apart and lifeless, filled Xi with bitter disbelief. The losses were enormous.

And Atsuyi... he was Samui's only blood relative.

With him gone, she would no doubt direct her grief—and fury—at Xi.

"Damn it!"

Cursing under his breath, Xi's eyes landed on one of the fallen Konoha ninja. As he moved closer to investigate, his perception suddenly flared.

The "corpse" had begun to pulse with chakra—it wasn't dead at all.

A feigned death technique!

Xi reacted instantly. He drew a kunai and hurled it at the figure's throat while leaping backward.

"Scatter!" he shouted.

But his warning came a heartbeat too late.

A tremendous shockwave exploded from the main Kumogakure formation's location. Flame surged skyward, followed by a deafening boom.

Dozens of Cloud shinobi were caught in the blast—many of them incinerated instantly, their clones wiped out alongside them.

They had stumbled into a massive explosive tag trap, meticulously planted by the Konoha defenders.

The few who survived writhed in agony, their screams filling the air.

"Master Xi, help me!"

"My legs are gone!"

"I can't see!"

But Xi kept his composure and leapt higher, scanning the battlefield. He pulled a flare from his belt and fired it into the sky, casting stark illumination over the chaos below.

Moments later, the "dead" Konoha shinobi began to rise.

Dozens more emerged from the forest's edge, encircling the remaining Cloud forces and cutting them down with ruthless precision.

A one-sided massacre.

"Kill the Kumo bastards!"

"Rot in hell! This is your death anniversary!"

Cloud survivors—wounded and disoriented—were helpless under the counterattack. Even the few who could still fight were swarmed and butchered.

Xi's expression darkened. His comrades were being slaughtered all around him.

He clenched his fists. Once reinforcements arrived, he vowed, he would make every last Konoha shinobi pay.

"Hold out! Support is on the way! We still outnumber them—we'll win this!"

As he spoke, Xi formed hand seals. With a crackle, a bolt of blinding lightning erupted from his body.

Lightning Style: Lightning Pillar!

To the Konoha shinobi, their vision went white. They stumbled, momentarily blinded.

Using the confusion, the surviving Cloud shinobi seized the opportunity to either escape or strike back.

But that window lasted less than three seconds.

Nearby, three feminine voices rose in unison.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Xi's eyes narrowed. With his keen perception, he located the incoming danger.

Three black-haired women—identical in appearance—stood together, unleashing wind, fire, and water chakra.

Sarutobi Hazuki.

Once the chief of Konoha's Anbu, now the escort mission's commander.

Even after years of being crippled, she still wielded frightening power.

Xi barely evaded the converging blasts, leaving behind a scorched crater where he had just stood.

Hazuki didn't pause.

She crouched, kicked off the ground, and soared into the air. A long sword gleamed in her hand as she dove toward Xi, flanked by two shadow clones.

Her expression was ice-cold, her blade driven by pure battle instinct.

"Konoha Style Swordsmanship: Dance of the Three Suns and Moons!"

Attacks came from left, right, and above. Xi's temples throbbed. He twisted his body, avoiding the flanks and using his shoulder to block the overhead strike.

He completed a jutsu mid-defense, unleashing a volley of lightning spheres.

Though injured, he forced Hazuki's clones to disperse and gained space to retreat.

As he moved back, he applied healing chakra to his wounds.

Xi was an all-rounder—proficient in ninjutsu, genjutsu, medical techniques, and sensory skills. Injury was merely an inconvenience.

His priority now was to withdraw, regroup, and await backup.

By the time he'd retreated a short distance, his wounds were already healed.

"So, it's you, Xi of Kumogakure," came a voice.

Xi turned.

A woman approached—dark eyes locked onto him, filled with killing intent.

Ye Yue.

Ever since the death of the Fourth Hokage, Kumogakure had made countless provocations against Konoha. The people's patience had worn thin.

If not for Hokage's restraint, a Fourth Shinobi War might've erupted already between the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning.

But now—after Kumogakure had dared to invade the Land of Fire and attack an escort mission—there would be no more tolerance.

Ye Yue's blade glinted.

"Tch." Xi drew his kunai, clashing with her weapon.

"Sarutobi Hazuki, I'll give you one chance. Surrender now, and I'll let you live. Resist, and everyone dies."

Psychological warfare—sometimes, a single phrase could turn a battle.

But Hazuki ignored him and struck again. "You're the one who's going to die."

Her blade whirled with terrifying speed.

Xi barely kept up, parrying blow after blow, cursing inwardly. But his face remained calm.

"Heh, just wait. Two more squads are about to flank you. Can you hold out?"

Another burst of Lightning Release forced Ye Yue back. Xi healed again.

He was versatile—but lacked dominance in any one field.

Against a pure attacker like Hazuki, he couldn't win head-on. His only option was to stall.

"I've already sent the signal," he said casually. "Reinforcements will be here in five minutes. You'll all be corpses by then."

"Hand over Shukaku, and I might spare you."

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over the forest.

The One-Tail—Shukaku.

Its enormous body towered above the trees, thrashing and roaring as it smashed the battlefield.

Xi's face twisted.

"You released the One-Tail? Are you crazy? It could kill your own people!"

"Are you not afraid of enraging both Konoha and Sunagakure?"

"Hmph. Weak Konoha. Useless Sand. Let them be angry."

Even so, Shukaku's rampage threatened to devastate his forces.

Xi ground his teeth. All of this was Atsuyi's fault.

If he hadn't gotten himself—and his entire unit—killed without reporting back, Xi wouldn't have walked into this trap.

Now Atsuyi was dead, and Xi would be blamed.

There was only one way out: capture Shukaku.

Xi activated his lightning illusion technique again. This time, he would take the fight to Ye Yue—defeat her, retreat to the right flank, and then support the left.

But Ye Yue sensed something off the moment the light flared.

Genjutsu.

She shut her eyes, relying on sound to track Xi's movement.

Then came a chilling thought: Was Naruto in trouble?

Back at the Konoha camp, Xi's squad had been decimated—either slain or scattered.

Ye Yue stayed behind to finish them off before preparing to pursue Xi.

If she failed to catch him, she'd turn to support the right flank.

The left was covered by Gaara—but the right had no such advantage.

Her final order: Hold the right side as long as possible. If you must retreat, fight and run. Wait for support.

Right Flank – Forest Edge

A group of Konoha shinobi, accompanied by a few from Sunagakure, waited silently among the trees.

Inuzuka Hana led them.

Her second-in-command: Uzumaki Naruto.

Ye Yue hadn't let Naruto command. Not because she doubted his strength—he could escape from any opponent—but because the others, mostly Chunin, might suffer from his overconfidence.

Better to preserve their strength.

But something was strange.

No enemy had appeared for a long time.

Instead, reinforcements arrived—boosting their numbers to over fifty.

"How's the situation?"

"No contact yet."

"Didn't anyone scout ahead?"

"Naruto's shadow clone went—but nothing's come back."

Inuzuka Hana glanced up at Naruto perched in a tree. He smiled at her—shy, almost innocent.

She felt nervous.

Unbeknownst to her, the Naruto she saw was just a shadow clone.

The real Naruto had already launched an attack—ambushing the hidden Cloud Ninja force ahead.

A massacre.

Eighty-five enemy shinobi.

Among them: one jonin, seven special jonin.

A force equal to a small nation's elite.

They were meant to flank, encircle, or reinforce. Instead, they died before they even moved.

Naruto had waited near their position—hidden—until the flare signaled Xi's ambush.

Just as they prepared to mobilize, the enemy jonin took a drag from his cigarette, unaware that it would be his last.

Then came the red chakra.

It tore through the sky, tore through the jungle.

Tailed Beast Bomb.

The forest trembled.

Ye Yue and Xi, in the middle of their clash, froze—staring toward the blast.

Xi paled.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is here?! We weren't told!"

They should have brought more elite fighters—or brought Killer Bee himself.

What now?

Ye Yue's heart pounded. "He's using the Tailed Beast form? That idiot—I told him to run, not fight!"

But she quickly composed herself.

No time to worry. End this fight—then rush to support him.

She and Xi resumed their clash, both growing more desperate.

Left Flank – Behind the Battlefield

Temari crouched behind a boulder, watching Shukaku tear through Cloud forces.

Tailed Beasts were devastating against ordinary ninja. Only a handful could harm Shukaku.

Temari's job was simple—monitor Gaara.

If he lost control, she would use the mini explosive tag she'd secretly placed on him.

Ye Yue had insisted on it—just in case.

Temari had objected at first. Gaara was her brother.

But Ye Yue had offered a tempting reward: a marriage alliance between Temari and Naruto.

In the end, Temari chose love over blood.

"Sorry, Gaara. Do this for your future brother-in-law."

She whispered as she watched Gaara.

But then, a surge of malevolent chakra swept the forest.

Gaara's eyes widened with manic joy.

He abandoned the Cloud forces and turned Shukaku toward the source.

"Fox! Let's fight!"

Temari panicked.

Should she trigger the tag?

No. No Konoha or Sand personnel had been harmed yet.

Meanwhile, Naruto ended his transformation.

He scanned the scorched battlefield.

No one remained.

The Tailed Beast Bomb had vaporized eighty-five enemies. Only a few fingers and strands of hair were left.

"Hmm. Too clean," Naruto muttered. "Next time I should go back to killing them one by one. More reliable."

Just as he relaxed, hands burst from the earth—grabbing his legs.

Three Cloud shinobi emerged—the jonin from before, now battered but alive.

They'd survived by using Earth Style to tunnel underground.

"Sealing jutsu, now!" the jonin barked. "Forget Xi. We're taking him back!"

They formed hand seals.

Naruto gave them a smile.

"Your sealing jutsu's a bit rough. You should at least be using the Diamond Seal."

"Shut up! You're already dead!"

"We'll flay you alive and offer your head to Konoha!"

Their hatred twisted into cruel curses.

But Naruto remained calm, even amused.

One of them broke formation, enraged, and moved to kick him.

Then stopped—dead in his tracks.

"Wait, wha—?"

In that instant, the soil was empty.

Only a wooden log remained.

The two shinobi collapsed—one split in half, the other beheaded.

Naruto stood behind them, blade in hand, smiling coldly.

"So… you're the last one."

The jonin turned to flee—only to freeze in horror.

More than a dozen Nine-Tails-cloaked shadow clones surrounded him.

All throughout the forest, similar scenes unfolded.

Cloud shinobi, fleeing in terror, were hunted down—one by one.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"I hate deserters most."

"If you want to kill him," a clone whispered, "you have to catch him yourself."