Speedrunning Naruto to the Top

"Damn it! You, calling yourself a 'guest from the moon,' sneering at us shinobi as 'monkeys'—why don't you have the guts for a fair fight against me?!"

Hovering above the Tsuchikage Building in Iwagakure, Ōnoki ranted at the human-puppet team battling the Anbu on the rooftop below.

Unlike the other ninja villages, which had some space to maneuver, the four puppet-casters in Iwagakure had practically dropped right in front of the Tsuchikage Building, erecting the Four Red Yang Formation to isolate it from the rest of the village.

The barrier didn't just rise skyward—it also plunged deep below ground, forming an invisible seal beneath the surface. Unless one possessed the power to shatter the barrier outright or snipe the barrier casters from outside, you couldn't escape—whether by flying or burrowing. Outsiders couldn't get in, and insiders couldn't get out.

Thus, whether Ōnoki, his Anbu, the shinobi inside the Tsuchikage Building, or the human puppets themselves, they were all locked inside the barrier around the Tsuchikage Building. Hence Ōnoki's outburst.

Inside the building were far fewer puppets than there were of his subordinates. But having once gone so far as hiring the Akatsuki at a steep price to protect precious secrets, Ōnoki refused to unleash his dust release's devastating force for fear of killing his own men in the crossfire.

If there were no barrier in the way, he'd have ordered everyone to withdraw and then launched a single Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique to obliterate the puppets in one shot.

But right now, he could only watch as the human puppets tangled with his men. He didn't dare use either Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World or Dust Release: Split Detachment of the Primitive World Technique—he was afraid of toppling the Tsuchikage Building onto his own shinobi.

This moment gave Ōnoki a taste of what the Akatsuki and the Kumo-nin had experienced.

There was nothing more revolting than an enemy with no bottom line, a vile personality, and monstrous power.

Seeing the puppet squad ignore him entirely, Ōnoki could do nothing but descend and help his subordinates with smaller jutsu.

…

Unlike in Kirigakure, Kumogakure, or Iwagakure—where dozens or even hundreds of puppets had been deployed—Sunagakure only had about ten.

They didn't restrict themselves to the Kazekage Building, either. Three puppets fought individually against Chiyo, Ebizō, and Gaara, while the remaining puppets went hunting the sparse Bloodline Limit users.

After all, each Bloodline Limit user corresponded to a purple-rank "entry." Just a single "drop" from them could be worth thousands of points.

…

To avoid arousing suspicion, Izayoi treated everyone—both enemies and allies—the same.

When the Four Red Yang Formation arose to encircle the Hokage Building, Konoha fell into chaos.

Sirens blared, and ninja scrambled to escort the villagers to shelters. Then many rushed to the barrier's outside.

"They're covered in black rods, yet have no Rinnegan traits—and there are so many of them. This must be Ōtsutsuki Toneri's work!"

"Just four puppet clones to cast Four Red Yang Formation—that kind of chakra is insane. The real chakra level of that Ōtsutsuki Toneri must be enormous!"

"Lord Hokage's in real danger. Is there any way to break the barrier?"

"The barrier completely seals everything—above, below, from all sides. Not even Earth Release will get you under it. We either smash the barrier or take down its casters from outside. But the Four Red Yang Formation's durability is dozens of times that of the Four Violet Flames Formation…"

"Then what are we supposed to do? Stand here and watch?"

"…"

Panicked shouts rose from all sides. Some more reckless or ignorant ninja tried to test the barrier's limits but were thankfully held back by their comrades before they ended up fried like charcoal.

Just then, a flak-jacketed ninja with the pineapple-style hair typical of the Nara clan suddenly had a bright idea. "We can call on Izayoi-sama! His Wood Release might be able to strike the casters directly!"

"Yes, hurry—someone go tell Izayoi-sama!"

Others immediately agreed and set off. But at that moment came startling news:

"It's no use—Izayoi-sama's house has also been sealed by a Four Red Yang Formation! The Uchiha district and the Uzumaki compound in the suburbs too!"

"Damn, how huge is his chakra reserve? Even a Tailed Beast wouldn't pull something like this!"

"…"

That's right—Izayoi was truly "going all out." He hadn't even spared himself. Though few people knew he had mastered the Flying Thunder God, it was also possible his Wood Release could breach the barrier.

So Izayoi staged a scenario where a mighty foe would occupy him, too.

That foe was none other than Shimura Danzo, powered up to epic levels.

On Izayoi's property, he even lured Danzo to a special "arena" and erected a barrier so they could clash at full strength, out of sight.

Wooden forests hindered the view of onlookers and mitigated the destructive five-element ninjutsu blasts.

Explosions thundered constantly, and those who couldn't see inside could only guess at the fight's intensity from the scale of the blasts and the chakra pulses smashing into the barrier.

The only person who knew Izayoi was "Ōtsutsuki Toneri" was Hinata, and she stood at home activating her Byakugan to check Konoha's situation, wearing a puzzled expression. "Izayoi-kun, what are you up to…?"

Yet as his devoted partner, Hinata blindly trusted Izayoi. If he was attacking his own people, he must have his reasons.

All she needed to do was feign ignorance and help out at the right time. So she put on her best act, rushing to the barrier outside the arena and faking an anxious expression as she peered inside with her Byakugan.

Hinata's father, Hiashi, watched with the same concern on his face—except, in his case, the worry was quite real. "Weren't those people only coming down for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path? Why is it suddenly attacking Konoha? What's their goal?"

…

At the clearing near the Naka River, Uchiha Sasuke eyed the puppet before him, the three tomoe of his Sharingan spinning as he scanned its chakra. He frowned. "Human puppet…are you the Akatsuki's leader or Ōtsutsuki Toneri?"

The puppet gave no reply. It simply forged a black sword via Yin–Yang Release, wrapped it in Lightning Release chakra, and lunged at Sasuke.

"Hmph. No matter who you are, if you're only a clone, you're not leaving here alive." Sasuke snorted, drawing his Kusanagi blade and dashing forward.

…

"Black rods, humanoid puppets, no Rinnegan… So you must be Ōtsutsuki Toneri!"

At the Waterfall, Jiraiya shielded Naruto behind him, eyes warily fixed on the two puppets ahead. "Given what we know about Pain's Six Paths, these must belong to that other guy instead."

"Ōtsutsuki Toneri?" Naruto repeated, scratching his head. "That name rings a bell somehow…"

But inside Naruto, the Yang half of Kurama's eyes went wide. "No mistake—that's my chakra! It didn't stay with the other half—someone else is using it. So that's why my other half was silent—this is the power of a supreme dōjutsu!"

Once the initial shock passed, Yang Kurama let out an excited laugh. "Heh heh, well done. Take all the chakra you want from me—whether you plan to attack Konoha or seize the Demonic Statue, let my other half lend you a hand!"

Between being used by Uchiha Madara or Ōtsutsuki Toneri (who shared the Sage of Six Paths' surname and aimed to reclaim the Gedo Statue), Yang Kurama much preferred the latter.

If Toneri defeated Madara, maybe the Rinnegan would be taken from Nagato—then there'd be no chance of the Tailed Beasts turning back into the Ten-Tails.

Not that Izayoi's Wood Clone had become Kurama's jinchūriki, but if it had, he might already have been a perfect host.

As before, the two puppets didn't speak. They simply lunged at Jiraiya and Naruto. Jiraiya hoped to fight both alone to protect Naruto, but the pair suddenly activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode and moved as fast as the Flying Thunder God, splitting him and Naruto apart.

When Jiraiya tried to help Naruto, the puppet locked him down. He had no choice but to go on the defensive with Needle Jizō and then summon Fukasaku and Shima for help entering Sage Mode.

Meanwhile, the other puppet tossed Naruto away like a rag doll. Scrambling upright, Naruto unleashed multiple Shadow Clones. "Hey, stupid fox! Gimme your chakra!"

But whereas the Fox normally jumped at the chance, brimming with eagerness for Naruto to enter partial transformations, this time the Yang Kurama withdrew its chakra and pretended not to hear.

With no help from Kurama, Naruto had to rely on Multi-Shadow Clones, Rasengan, and Wind Release combos. But none of it worked on a puppet that wielded all five base natures plus Lightning Armor and the Flying Thunder God.

In just over ten rounds, the puppet sank a Yin–Yang Release black rod into Naruto, sealing his chakra flow and ending the fight.

Seeing that Naruto was unconscious—and that no system "entry" had dropped—the puppet struck him once more to knock him fully out. Still no entry dropped. The puppet then vanished via instant teleport to assist somewhere else, leaving the second puppet alone against Jiraiya.

The chaos across the Five Great Ninja Villages lasted barely over an hour and ended quickly.

Without a strategic-level kekkei genkai or powerful multi-element combos, the puppets had only their own inherent abilities plus the five basic releases, certain forbidden jutsu from the Scroll of Seals, and Yin–Yang Release light blasts.

Fueled by Yang Kurama's near-limitless chakra, each puppet could fight on par with a Kage.

For instance, a puppet made from Aburame Torune, whose insects were toxic on a nano scale, could kill even a Kage who touched them.

But no matter how formidable, the puppets alone weren't enough to bring down an entire ninja village.

Even the top-tier Kage like the Third Raikage and Ōnoki were beyond their total reach. Izayoi had tested it twice before with the puppet army—they simply couldn't rout the Kumo-nin.

And Izayoi's true objective here wasn't to annihilate five villages. He was mainly farming points from the Five Kage, their Anbu, and the Bloodline Limit users. Even then, they were only secondary targets. The real prize? Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

Against the villages' ninja, the puppets partially held back, half going for kills, half for captures. Their opening move was typically Lightning Release Chakra Mode plus a black rod stab.

Whoever got skewered had their chakra sealed and was knocked out. If the target managed to evade that first hit, the puppets switched to lethal force via the five-element combos, forbidden jutsu, or their own unique abilities. Once they had beaten or killed their targets, the puppets would teleport away with any corpse.

And since all these opponents—Kage, Anbu, Bloodline inheritors—had high-level "entries," defeating them sometimes produced one or more colored beams that flew off toward Konoha (which, in reality, were "loot drops" going to Izayoi).

For half an hour, Izayoi kept up a fierce duel with "Lord Danzo" while a steady flood of system notifications rang in his mind. He converted every new entry into points.

At last, his Wood Clone relayed that Naruto and Sasuke had both been defeated, yielding no entries. Only then did Izayoi decide to wrap up the charade. It was time to get serious.

"Sage Mode—Open!"

He clapped his hands; red markings appeared around his eyes, and his blue irises turned gold.

"In that case…" Izayoi breathed, "Sage Art: Wood Release—Wood Locking Wall!"

"Sage Art: Wood Release—Hōbi Technique!"

Just then, every ninja in Konoha felt a faint tremor beneath their feet. Before they could react, the already-ruined Hokage Building—demolished earlier by five-element ninjutsu plus the monstrous strength of Tsunade and Karin—sprouted wood from the ground.

That wood then fused with some liquified Earth Release, forming a massive demonic mask-like construct, which folded like two giant doors. It scooped up both the unconscious and the still-battling Konoha shinobi, shielding them within.

Simultaneously, the earth rumbled with a sharp crack. A wooden giant fist tore through the ground at high speed, carrying monstrous power that sent all the puppets flying into the sky.

The four maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation were shattered into fragments in one blow. Several other puppets were also smashed to pieces, their black rods and spikes jolted loose as if slammed by immense force. Only a minority managed to teleport away in time.

In an instant, the fight was over. The barrier vanished. The Konoha shinobi outside, who'd been so anxious and helpless, could only gape, mouths open wide.

No gigantic Wood-Style forest had spread across the area—just one offense and one defense, yet Izayoi had already ended the conflict, demonstrating incredible Wood Release power and reassuring Konoha that everything was under control.

"This…this is insane. So this is the rumored might of Wood Release?" Jiraiya was still in Sage Mode and stared at the remains of the puppet he and the Toad Sages hadn't managed to bring down. It had been annihilated by a single punch from Izayoi's wooden fist. Jiraiya's jaw dropped.

Fukasaku and Shima, perched on his shoulders, were equally stunned. "What a massive Sage Wood chakra!" they exclaimed.

Izayoi hadn't even shown himself, but he'd ended the crisis with a neat one-two punch. In the aftermath, his renown in Konoha would surely soar to new heights.

Last year, he'd been only a "super rookie," hailed as the village's hope. But having rescued them from disaster, effortlessly smashing puppets that had given the Hokage and Anbu a run for their money, he would now be lauded as a hero.

His status as the sole candidate for Sixth Hokage was more unassailable than ever.

Little did they know, Izayoi had been fighting himself the whole time—just a puppet army under his control.

~~~

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