Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

On the mountaintop above the Hokage Rock, a chill wind blew, adding a solemn air to the scene. Two young boys stood facing each other. The blond boy's face was calm, while the black-haired boy's expression twisted with rage.

It was, of course, Naruto and Sasuke.

Perhaps because he had obtained the power of the Kyubi, the three whiskers on Naruto's face had disappeared, making him look more like the dashing Minato. His blond hair fluttered in the wind, adding to his striking appearance.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was consumed by hatred, and his eyes are reflecting unbridled fury.

"So, you want to go head-to-head, huh, little brother? Go on, make the first move!" Naruto teased, raising his right hand and beckoning Sasuke with a playful smirk.

"Don't underestimate me! I'll show you the true power of the Uchiha!" Sasuke snorted coldly, kicked off the ground, and his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

As he closed the distance, he hurled several shurikens, each aimed precisely at Naruto's vital points.

"It's just a sparring match, and you already want to kill me?" Naruto's eyes narrowed as he shifted into a crouch. The power of Kyubi surged through his body, filling his limbs and fueling his strength.

However, on the surface, he showed no outward signs of the transformation… no physical changes or Kyubi's Chakra.

With recent events around the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke's outburst might attract Sandaime's attention. Naruto knew that if Sandaime discovered he could already access the Kyubi's power, there'd be no way that Sandaime would let me be. Besides, his opponent was just Sasuke. Although he is not very strong without fully unleashing the Kyubi's power, it was still more than enough to handle Sasuke.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Naruto sidestepped, easily dodging the shuriken.

However, at the next moment, Sasuke was right in front of him, throwing a punch aimed straight for his face.

Naruto could feel the force of the blow before it even landed, as the pressure alone made his cheek tingle. He knew this punch should not be underestimated. If he was careless, his nose would definitely be broken.

"Body Slam!"

With a shout, Naruto suddenly swelled up, especially his belly, which expanded dramatically as he lunged toward Sasuke.

Caught off guard, Sasuke quickly pulled back his punch, and immediately crossed his arms in front of him to defend against the attack.

Bang!

The collision sent a shockwave through the air.

But just as Naruto grinned at his successful counter, he realized that the Sasuke in front of him had turned into a wooden log.

"Body Replacement Technique?"

Naruto was slightly taken aback, 'In such a short time, Sasuke had already thought this far ahead. He really was a prodigy in battle.'

'But... where was the real Sasuke now?'

Before he could locate Sasuke, Naruto heard a familiar whistling sound from behind.

"I told you, shuriken won't work on me." Naruto said, turning and dodging the incoming shuriken with ease.

However, he felt that something felt off. This time, it seemed like Sasuke hadn't actually aimed for his vital points, and it was almost as if he had intentionally missed.

'What's going on?'

'Could Sasuke be holding back? But that didn't make any sense!'

Naruto quickly realized what was happening.

He noticed that Sasuke was pulling on something with his mouth and hands. There's a faint line that was barely visible, which connected him to the shuriken.

'This was… Manipulated Shuriken Technique?'

Naruto suddenly thought that something was wrong and wanted to dodge away, but it was too late.

With a sharp pull, Sasuke tightened the wires, and Naruto felt them wrap around him, binding him to a nearby tree trunk in an instant.

"This time, I'm definitely going to win!"

With a cold sneer, Sasuke quickly formed hand seals in the sequence: Serpent – Dragon – Hare – Tiger.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Sasuke took a deep breath, and when he exhaled again, flames burst out of his mouth. The orange-yellow flames, with an extremely hot temperature, followed the direction of the thin wire and rapidly closing in on Naruto.

If the flames connected, the target will either die or be injured, with the lightest injury being severe burns.

Of course, that's only for ordinary people. For Naruto, it was barely a challenge.

With a mere wisp of the Kyubi's Chakra coating his body, he melted the wire instantly without even fully releasing his power.

In the blink of an eye, he withdrew the red Chakra from the surface, then disappeared from his position.

When he reappeared, Naruto was already standing behind Sasuke.

"It's over!"

A kunai was pressed against Sasuke's neck. If Sasuke dared to move in the slightest, the kunai would draw his blood.

"No, I haven't lost yet!" Sasuke roared, struggling even though it risked injury.

Bang!

Naruto smacked Sasuke on the top of his head. Sasuke felt the world spinning, his vision went dark, and he fainted completely.

When Sasuke regained consciousness, he found himself tied to a tree trunk.

"Let me go! Release me!" Sasuke struggled.

"Let you go? You lost and can't even admit it? Is this Uchiha Sasuke?" Naruto shook his head, disappointment gradually showing in his eyes, "A piece of trash like you think you're worthy of taking revenge on Itachi?"

Hearing this, Sasuke's body trembled, his eyes instantly turned red, and a black tomoe spun rapidly in his eyes.

"You know about Itachi? What else do you know?" Sasuke roared.

Logically speaking, the village leaders kept the Uchiha clan's secrets under tight wraps. How could Naruto know any of this?

Naruto's voice remained calm. "I know plenty, but I'm not going to tell you."

Originally, Naruto thought a fight and some guidance might help Sasuke, but the current Sasuke was too immature to think clearly. It was obvious that he still had the mentality of a child.

Even if he revealed the truth to Sasuke, it would not help him in the slightest. Instead, it would make Itachi's hard work go to waste.

"Why won't you tell me? I'm willing to pay any price for that information," Sasuke yelled in desperation.

Naruto shook his head: "You're not ready to know everything yet. Besides, in this fight, you lost to me, and then you risked your life as if that would change things. You are so weak that it makes people pity you. Even if you do find Itachi, what would you do? Die trying?"

Hearing these words, Sasuke fell silent.

Indeed, he was too weak. He couldn't even defeat a fellow Genin his age, so how could he ever hope to defeat Itachi?

Seeing Sasuke fall into deep thought and begin to reflect, Naruto nodded slightly.

'It seems that Sasuke is not that stupid. It's good that he can reflect on himself and learn from his mistakes. This boy is still teachable.'

"Okay, I'm off to grab some food first. I'll come see you after I'm done. Just stay here and reflect on yourself while I'm gone." As he said that, Naruto flickered and disappeared from the mountaintop, heading towards Kiba's place.

Getting waylaid by Sasuke on his way to eat had left Naruto absolutely starving.

Fortunately, Kiba was very reliable. When he saw Naruto coming, he warmly treated him to a meal. Naruto enjoyed a hearty meal that lasted two full hours, and afterward, he indulged in a satisfying nap.

"That was a fantastic nap." Naruto stretched and stood up with satisfaction. But soon, he noticed how dark it was outside. Glancing out the window, he saw the starry night sky and immediately realized something was wrong.

'Oh no, I overslept! What if something happened to Sasuke?'

Thinking of this, he hurriedly put on his clothes and rushed back to the mountaintop.

However, when he arrived, he found only a loose rope left around the tree. And Sasuke was already gone.

"I was actually worried about that guy… what a waste of concern." Naruto shook his head helplessly, 'How could ordinary rope hold Sasuke anyway? He must've left ages ago.'

But before he could finish his thought, a shuriken whizzed silently toward his back. Fortunately, Naruto's quick reflexes allowed him to dodge it just in time.

"Who's the shameless jerk sneaking up on a twelve-year-old like this? This is really unethical!"