章 20: 20. Enthusiasm
As the clones continued to bicker amongst themselves, Sasuke saw his opportunity. With a burst of speed, he dashed through the crowd, dispelling clones left and right.
"Oi, teme!" Naruto's voice called out from somewhere in the chaos. "Don't think I've forgotten about my secret weapon!"
Sasuke's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. He leapt backwards just as several clones around him grinned wickedly and exploded in a burst of smoke and chakra.
The force of the explosion sent Sasuke flying. He twisted in midair, managing to land on his feet, but the impact still knocked the wind out of him.
"How's that for a bang, Sasuke?" Naruto crowed triumphantly. "I call it the Uzumaki Fireworks Special!"
Sasuke coughed, waving away the smoke. "Dobe," he wheezed, "has anyone ever told you that you have an unhealthy obsession with explosions?"
"Nope!" Naruto replied cheerfully. "But they have told me I have an unhealthy obsession with ramen, the colour orange, and becoming Hokage. I figure I might as well add explosions to the list!"
As the smoke cleared, Sasuke found himself surrounded once again by a ring of grinning Narutos. But this time, he had a plan.
"You know, dobe," Sasuke said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, "you're not the only one who can play with clones."
With a puff of smoke, Sasuke created three shadow clones of his own. They weren't as numerous or as chakra-intensive as Naruto's, but with his Sharingan, they moved in perfect sync.
The Narutos blinked in surprise. "Hey, no fair!" they shouted in unison. "That's our thing!"
"All's fair in love, war, and ridiculous ninja battles," Sora chimed in sagely.
The Sasukes ignored the commentary, instead charging towards the Narutos with renewed vigour. What followed was a chaotic melee of orange, blue, and the occasional explosion.
From their hidden vantage point, the clan heads watched the battle with a mixture of awe, amusement, and mild concern for the structural integrity of the training ground.
"Well," Shikaku Nara drawled, breaking the stunned silence, "this is certainly... troublesome."
Inoichi Yamanaka nodded in agreement. "I haven't seen this much property damage since Tsunade-sama's last visit to the village."
Choza Akimichi chuckled, munching on a bag of chips he'd produced from seemingly nowhere. "You have to admit, though, it's impressive. Who would have thought Naruto could create exploding clones?"
"Forget the exploding clones," Tsume Inuzuka growled, her eyes fixed on the battlefield. "Did you see how quickly the Uchiha brat awakened his Sharingan? And with two tomoe, no less!"
Hiashi Hyuga's face remained impassive, but there was a glint of interest in his pale eyes. "Indeed. It seems both boys have been hiding their true potential."
Shibi Aburame adjusted his sunglasses, his expression unreadable behind his high collar. "Why? Because they have likely been underestimated by their peers and instructors alike."
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, a small smile playing on his lips. "It seems we may have a very interesting graduating class this year."
Meanwhile, Kakashi Hatake watched the battle with growing amusement. He'd long since put away his book, finding the real-life drama unfolding before him far more entertaining.
"Maa, maa," he murmured to himself, "and here I thought I'd seen everything. Minato-sensei, Kushina-san, you'd be proud. And probably a little terrified."
Back on the battlefield, the fight had devolved into what could only be described as a high-stakes game of whack-a-mole, with the Sasukes trying to dispel the Narutos before they could explode, and the Narutos trying to catch the Sasukes in their blasts.
"Stand still, dobe!" one Sasuke growled as he narrowly avoided another explosion.
"No way, teme!" a Naruto shot back. "I'm like a beautiful, orange butterfly. You can't catch me!"
"More like an annoying, explosive mosquito," another Sasuke muttered.
The real Naruto, hidden somewhere in the crowd of clones, was starting to feel the strain. Creating and maintaining so many clones, not to mention making them explode, was taking its toll on his chakra reserves. Impressive as they were, even he had limits.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was reaching his own limits. His Sharingan, newly awakened and unfamiliar, was draining his chakra at an alarming rate. He needed to end this soon.
As if sensing the change in the battle's tempo, Sora leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced to his imaginary audience, "I believe we're approaching the final act of our little drama. Will it be the Last Uchiha or Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Ninja who emerges victorious? Place your bets now!"
Naruto, hearing Sora's commentary, grinned despite his fatigue. Time for one last gambit.
"Hey, Sasuke!" he called out. "Remember how you said no more games? Well, I've got one last game for you. It's called 'Find the Real Naruto'!"
With that, all the remaining Naruto clones scattered, each one henging into a perfect copy of Sasuke.
The real Sasuke blinked in surprise, momentarily thrown off by the sea of his own face staring back at him. "What the-"
"What's wrong, teme?" the Sasuke-Narutos taunted. "Can't recognize your own ugly mug?"
Sasuke's eye twitched. "My face is not ugly," he growled. "And this trick won't work on me, dobe. I can see your chakra with my Sharingan!"
"Oh really?" the Sasuke-Narutos chorused. "Then which one of us is the real me?"
Sasuke scanned the crowd, his Sharingan spinning wildly. To his growing frustration, he realized that Naruto had somehow managed to distribute his chakra evenly among all the clones. They all looked identical, even to his enhanced vision.
"Impressive, isn't it?" one Sasuke-Naruto smirked. "I call it the 'Sasuke's Bad Hair Day Jutsu'!"
Another Sasuke-Naruto snickered. "I thought we agreed on 'Uchiha Duck-Butt Multiplication Technique'?"
"Nah, that's too long," a third chimed in. "How about 'Emo Explosion No Jutsu'?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth. This was getting ridiculous. He was an Uchiha, dammit! He wasn't about to lose to a bunch of orange-loving, ramen-obsessed, pun-spewing copies of himself!
With a burst of determination (and no small amount of annoyance), Sasuke charged into the fray. He might not be able to tell which one was the real Naruto, but he could certainly dispel the clones until he found out!
What followed was a bizarre spectacle of Sasuke fighting himself. Or rather, Sasuke fighting Naruto disguised as Sasuke. It was like watching the world's most confusing mirror match.
"You know," Sora mused aloud, "I think this might be the most literal interpretation of 'beating yourself up' I've ever seen."
The clan heads, still hidden, watched the proceedings with a mixture of amusement and bewilderment.
"Is... is this normal?" Inoichi asked hesitantly.
Shikaku sighed. "For those two? Probably."
Hiruzen chuckled softly. "It seems Naruto has inherited Kushina's creativity along with her chakra reserves."
Kakashi, meanwhile, was seriously considering asking for a raise if he ended up with these two on his team. Or maybe early retirement. Yes, early retirement sounded good.
Back in the clearing, Sasuke was steadily working his way through the Sasuke-Narutos. With each dispelled clone, his frustration grew. Where was the real Naruto?
"Getting tired, teme?" the remaining Sasuke-Narutos taunted. "Maybe you should take a nap. I hear brooding is very energy-intensive!"
Sasuke's reply was a barrage of shuriken that dispelled three more clones. He was panting heavily now, his chakra reserves dangerously low. But he refused to give up. He was an Uchiha, and Uchiha did not lose!
Just as he was about to launch another attack, something caught his eye. One of the Sasuke-Narutos at the back of the group had a slightly different chakra flow. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but to Sasuke's Sharingan, it stood out like a beacon.
"Found you," Sasuke smirked.
With a burst of speed he didn't know he still possessed, Sasuke charged towards the real Naruto. The remaining clones tried to intercept him, but Sasuke was done playing games. He weaved through them with single-minded determination, his eyes fixed on his target.
Naruto, realizing he'd been spotted, quickly dispelled his henge. "Aw man," he groaned. "And here I thought I'd finally mastered my Sasuke impression. I even practised the broody face in the mirror and everything!"
But Naruto wasn't about to go down without a fight. As Sasuke closed in, Naruto gathered the last of his chakra. This was it - all or nothing!
"Take this, teme!" Naruto shouted. "Ultimate Uzumaki Secret Technique: Explosion of a Thousand Suns!"
Sasuke's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. But it was too late to stop. He was already committed to his charge.
The resulting explosion was visible from the Hokage Tower.
When the smoke finally cleared, Sora poked his head out from behind the boulder he'd been using as cover. The clearing looked like a warzone. Trees were uprooted, the ground was scorched, and in the centre of it all...
Two very singed, very exhausted genin-to-be lay flat on their backs, staring up at the sky.
"I think," Naruto wheezed, "I might have overdone it a bit."
"You think?" Sasuke coughed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, to everyone's surprise (including his own), Sasuke started to laugh. It wasn't a big laugh - more of a tired chuckle really - but coming from the normally stoic Uchiha, it was practically a guffaw.
Naruto, caught off guard by this uncharacteristic display of emotion, soon joined in. Before long, both boys were laughing uncontrollably, the absurdity of their battle finally hitting them.
Sora, grinning from ear to ear, stepped into the clearing. "Well, folks," he announced to his imaginary audience, "I think we can call this one a draw. In the red corner, we have Sasuke Uchiha, whose hair has gone from 'duck-butt' to 'electrocuted porcupine'. And in the blue corner, we have Naruto Uzumaki, who seems to have fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a human torch. Let's give them a round of applause!"
As Sora clapped enthusiastically, Naruto and Sasuke managed to push themselves into sitting positions, still chuckling weakly.
"You know, dobe," Sasuke said, a hint of grudging respect in his voice, "that wasn't half bad."
Naruto grinned, his face smudged with dirt and soot but his eyes shone with triumph. "Right back at you, teme. Though I gotta say, your hair looks even more ridiculous than usual."
Sasuke reached up to touch his hair, wincing as he encountered what felt like a bird's nest made of static electricity. "Hn. Like you're one to talk. You look like you tried to hug a lightning bolt."
"Yeah, well," Naruto shot back, "at least orange is my colour. You just look like a tomato that's been left in the sun too long."
As the two continued their good-natured bickering, the hidden observers finally revealed themselves. The clan heads, along with Hiruzen and Kakashi, stepped into the clearing, their expressions ranging from amusement to exasperation.
"Well," Hiruzen said, his eyes twinkling with mirth, "that was certainly... enlightening."
Naruto and Sasuke froze, their eyes widening as they realized they'd had an audience. An audience that included the Hokage and several clan heads.
"Uh," Naruto said eloquently, "we can explain?"
Kakashi eye-smiled at the two boys. "Oh, please do. I'm sure it's a fascinating story. Perhaps you could start with why half the training ground looks like it was hit by a miniature bijuu bomb?"
Sasuke, having recovered some of his composure (if not his hairstyle), stood up and bowed formally to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, I apologize for the damage. We were... enthusiastic in our training."
***
Thank you for knightwolf225, Kenji_Neyra, Aswin_Kumar_1656, Delymede, Jerlyn_Wilfred, Desire96, Kay_smiles101, Greasy_Mechanic, Kennchan and Kevon_Lewis for Powerstones.
***
The current Powerstones is 92 and our rank in the monthly section is 80th, Let's aim for Top 70 before Tomorrow's reset,
Here are the goals;-
100 Ps- +5 Chapters
125 = +2 chapters
150 = + 5 chapters
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Desire96
Desire96 Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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