The ground trembled. Naruto knew Jirobo was attacking him. He didn't try to use the Nine-Tails cloak for defense. Instead, he quickly turned and jumped away to dodge the attack. The moment he jumped, countless stone spikes erupted from the ground.
It was clear that if he didn't dodge, he wouldn't be pierced into a sieve, but he would definitely be immobilized for a while due to the stone spikes.
Naruto landed on a tree, gathering chakra into his hands to form a Tailed Beast Bomb. He didn't care if Jirobo was below him or not and tossed the bomb behind him. After all, the Tailed Beast Bomb didn't consume his chakra, so he treated it as a way to probe.
Of course, he also knew that this probe wouldn't hit Jirobo.
The ground cracked under the explosion of the Tailed Beast Bomb, with each use creating a massive crater. Not to mention the power—there was no doubt about it.
Jirobo's body rose from the ground in the distance. Activated in Curse Mark Level 2, he looked like a demon, though his expression was serious.
Although Naruto's attack method was quite direct, and Jirobo could tell his combat experience was lacking, the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb was no joke. Right now, Naruto felt like a child holding a handgun and recklessly using it.
The recoil from the gun would hurt the child, but its intimidating power would restrain everyone around, even adults.
Moreover, Jirobo could sense that Naruto had excellent sensory abilities. Every time Jirobo hid, Naruto was able to accurately locate him and throw a Tailed Beast Bomb his way. It meant that this child with the gun also had some sort of x-ray vision.
Jirobo narrowed his eyes.
"If I could get closer... I should be able to defeat him instantly."
His Earth Release was weaker than Lightning Release in terms of immediate burst power, but in terms of raw strength, it was stronger than most ninjutsu. Plus, with the Curse Mark activated, his strength would increase even further. Jirobo felt confident he could break through Naruto's defenses.
With his own burst of power and the chakra from his Curse Mark, he was sure he could defeat Naruto once he got close.
The problem now was whether Naruto would engage in close combat with him. Jirobo, whose brain hadn't been very active, started thinking. He had to come up with a way to get the unruly Jinchuriki to fight him up close.
Naruto... also had a similar idea.
Long-range Tailed Beast Bombs needed time to charge, and that was enough for Jirobo to dodge. But if he used the Tailed Beast Bomb up close, even if Jirobo saw it coming, he wouldn't have time to dodge. That would definitely be the best option.
Jirobo's ninjutsu skills were decent, probably suited for mid-range to short-range combat. Generally, ninjutsu-type ninjas didn't engage in close combat, but rather controlled the distance to take advantage of their ninjutsu.
Shikamaru had once said that mid-range ninjutsu users were skilled at controlling their enemies, so why not use that to his advantage and come up with a way to draw Jirobo in? A strategy to lure him in—Shikamaru's favorite tactic.
Jirobo: Find a way to hit the opponent.
Naruto: Find a way to get hit by the opponent.
Both of them were thinking in the same direction. The only thing left was to come up with a strategy to make it happen.
A bold idea suddenly flashed in Naruto's mind.
With Jirobo on alert, Naruto quickly formed a hand seal.
"Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Technique!"
Five shadow clones of Naruto, each wearing the cloak of the Nine-Tails, appeared beside him. They all looked serious as they stared at Jirobo.
Jirobo took a defensive stance and formed hand seals. He didn't rush to use Ninjutsu; instead, he wanted to see what Naruto would do. Naruto's combat experience wasn't as great as his, so the best approach in this situation was to be cautious and wait for Naruto to show an opening.
The six Narutos simultaneously pulled out Kunai and spread out in a fan shape, surrounding Jirobo. As the wind flowed between them, Jirobo narrowed his eyes slightly. In an instant, all six Narutos charged at him.
The Nine-Tails cloak greatly increased Naruto's speed and strength, and he was almost in front of Jirobo in the blink of an eye.
Jirobo wasn't a ninja specialized in mid-to-short range Ninjutsu; he was more of a close-combat ninja, with Ninjutsu as a secondary skill. Seeing the six Narutos charging at him, he couldn't help but grin and rushed forward without hesitation.
Jirobo's fist collided with Naruto's Kunai, making a sound like steel hitting steel. Naruto's face showed surprise.
Jirobo laughed.
"Earth Release: Hardening Technique."
His enhanced fist struck the Kunai, and Jirobo grabbed the Kunai, spun, and kicked. In terms of Taijutsu, even ten Narutos wouldn't be his match!
The powerful punch landed on Naruto's stomach, and he instinctively let go of the Kunai, flying backward. But in the next second, Naruto turned into smoke and disappeared.
"A shadow clone? Then next!" Jirobo dropped the Kunai and immediately turned to charge at another Naruto.
Learning from the previous experience, Naruto wasn't going to be easily defeated again. He gathered chakra in his hand, forming a Tailed Besat Boom, while holding a Kunai in the other. He lunged at Jirobo, but Jirobo wasn't weak either. As Naruto rushed forward, Jirobo lowered his stance, appearing beneath Naruto's stunned eyes, and punched with an uppercut.
Naruto vomited stomach acid, his eyes wide with confusion.
The next second, he vanished in a puff of smoke, and the Tailed Besat Boom shattered because it lost its target, failing to explode.
The remaining four Narutos suddenly stopped, looking at Jirobo in horror.
"You're not a mid-to-short range Ninjutsu ninja! You're a Taijutsu ninja!"
"It's too late to realize that now!" Jirobo enjoyed the shock on Naruto's face but wouldn't give him a chance to react. His fists were covered in rock, and with a powerful push off the ground, Jirobo launched himself like a cannonball.
"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"
Another Naruto was instantly destroyed, turning into smoke. Jirobo's strength was impressive, as he saw through Naruto's attacks and shattered them one by one. The downside of shadow clones was that they disappeared after taking a hit.
The last three Narutos sensed danger and prepared to launch Tailed Besat Booms, but instead of charging forward, they stood together, defending each other.
Jirobo glanced at the three, looking past the two Narutos blocking his way. He sneered.
"So, the one in the back is the real one? Hiding behind shadow clones, what a sheltered flower."
As he finished speaking, Jirobo charged forward. Now that he knew the Tailed Besat Booms from shadow clones would collapse when the clones were destroyed, he didn't need to worry. He could withstand one Tailed Besat Boom if it wasn't a direct hit, with his Curse Mark Level 2 and Hardening Technique boosting his defense. Even a small Tailed Besat Boom wouldn't be a problem for him.
At worst, he'd spit out some blood—it wasn't a big deal.
Now was the time to trade injury for victory!
Jirobo was beyond excited!
----
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman