Just as Sasuke raised his Guillotine Blade, a black backpack came flying toward him.
Instinctively, he swung his weapon and sent the bag flying... directly into the camp the three of them had just set up.
The next second, two explosions rang out.
Boom!
Kaboom!
All three turned their stiff necks toward the camp, only to see it blown to pieces, reduced to a smoldering heap.
A vein popped on Kakashi's forehead, his eye twitching in irritation.
That camp... he had painstakingly built it from scraps, and it had taken him an entire day and night! They'd only just started using it!
Kakashi shot a glance at Naruto, slowly pulling up his headband to reveal his Sharingan, while his hands swiftly formed seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A high wall shot up from the ground, blocking Naruto's clone from advancing, with several dog heads carved into it. The intricate details of the carving were far superior to the famous Hokage Rock.
The Naruto Giggs clone stood blocked by the earth wall, while behind him, the three teammates, their faces black with frustration, began to approach.
Those familiar with Naruto immediately realized something was off.
After all...
Under normal circumstances, if Naruto saw them preparing to attack, the first thing he'd do would be to open a portal and escape. But this... it was clearly a clone.
"Speak. Where's the real you?" Kakashi demanded coldly as he stepped forward.
This time, he was genuinely annoyed.
They were all in this together, helping Sasuke awaken his Sharingan, but Naruto had left a clone behind and escaped, leaving him to bear the brunt of Sasuke's fury alone. Letting the team leader take all the heat was a dangerous precedent to set.
Naruto needed to be taught a lesson.
If this were just an internal prank, Kakashi could deal with it. But if Naruto ever pulled this stunt outside the village and left him holding the bag...
The thought made Kakashi genuinely worry about what future headaches Naruto might cause.
At that moment, Naruto Giggs adopted a noble and righteous expression.
In his mind, he saw himself as Jing Ke, the assassin sent to kill the first Emperor of Qin. The legendary line echoed in his head: The wind blows cold at Yi River's crossing; the brave man never returns.
Naruto Giggs glared at the three in front of him, biting back his pride as he declared, "You'll never get anything about the real me from my lips!"
"Even if I die today, I'll die as Naruto Giggs!"
With that, Naruto Giggs dramatically ran headfirst into the earth wall...
Poof!
With a puff of smoke, he vanished, having sacrificed himself without hesitation. The entire process took less than three seconds, leaving Kakashi and the others staring dumbfounded.
What... what was Naruto's clone even doing?
What on earth had he just said?
The anger that had been boiling inside Sasuke and the others moments earlier was now utterly deflated by Naruto's absurd antics. They didn't even know how to react to him anymore.
And honestly...
If they really wanted to discipline Naruto...
That slippery brat could easily avoid them. It wasn't like they could catch him if he didn't want to be caught. Plus, with their ongoing training, they couldn't exactly afford to lose Naruto's invaluable logistical support.
Kakashi sighed, shoved his hands into his pockets, and called out in a resigned voice, "Naruto, enough messing around."
"Hurry and come out."
"We've already started training."
Naruto, having just received the memories from his clone, was wearing a pained expression.
But it wasn't because of the usual side effects of using multiple shadow clones.
No... it was because Naruto Giggs was just too much...
He couldn't help but worry that the next time he used a clone, it might create something even more bizarre.
Ugh... I'm exhausted. I just want to head back to the village and see my wife...
Hearing Kakashi's voice, Naruto scratched his head, chuckling as he emerged from the forest.
When he saw the three of them, he put on a show of surprise.
"Ah! Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke... and, um, Sakura-bro!"
"Wow, what a coincidence... hahaha!"
"I suddenly remembered a few days ago that I left the gas on at home..."
Naruto greeted them cheerfully, coming up with a clumsy excuse for why he'd been absent for days.
Kakashi's eye twitched again, his exasperation palpable.
He was pretty sure Naruto didn't even have gas at his place...
And that acting... seriously, the earlier clone did a better job than this!
"Hmph!"
Sasuke shot Naruto a cold glance, slinging the Guillotine Blade back over his shoulder, before turning his back on him with a dismissive snort.
Sure, he had awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan, and his power had increased dramatically. But that damned space-time ninjutsu of Naruto's was still too tricky to deal with...
For now, he'd wait until he got stronger before dealing with Naruto properly—really beat him into the ground!
As for Sakura, well, if Kakashi and Sasuke weren't planning to pick a fight, she wasn't about to start one, being the weakest of the team. She'd just shot Naruto a withering glare but kept the rest of her frustrations to herself.
Seeing that everyone had calmed down a bit, Naruto sidled up to Sasuke and whispered with a grin, "So... how does it feel to... uh, awaken the Three Tomoe?"
Sasuke: ??
That's not what you were about to say just now, was it?!
Furious, Sasuke's Sharingan spun to life as he shot a deadly glare at Naruto.
Sure, awakening the Three Tomoe should have been a joyful event, but all Sasuke could think about was the fact that he'd been wearing women's clothes when it happened—and in front of his teammates, no less!
There was absolutely no way he could feel good about this.
"Oh, by the way, Naruto," Kakashi interjected, walking over just in time to stop another impending fight. "That Haku kid came by yesterday looking for you."
Haku and Zabuza, after abandoning their mission, had been surrounded and attacked by Gato's men. Fortunately, neither Haku nor Kakashi had been seriously injured during their fight, so they'd made quick work of Gato's thugs—and even killed Gato himself in the process.
Now, Haku was caring for Zabuza as he recovered in the Land of Waves.
Yesterday, Haku had come looking for Team 7, wanting to invite them for a meal to thank them for not finishing off Zabuza.
Oh, and to give a little shout-out to the "matchmaker," Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto's eyes widened as he listened to Kakashi's explanation, then a sly smile spread across his face.
Did this mean Haku and Zabuza had finally confessed their feelings?
Alright! I'm definitely going to their wedding!
He could already imagine Zabuza's reaction when he saw him at the celebration.
Wow... Zabuza, the man among men, huh? Going for it like a real badass.
Feeling a bit sentimental, Naruto started helping clean up the wreckage around the camp. It took him half an hour, but he managed to build a new shelter.
Despite having seen Naruto's abilities many times before, all three of his teammates couldn't help but marvel at just how useful his powers were.
That night, for the first time in what felt like ages, Kakashi and the others finally got a good night's sleep.
The next morning, Team 7 set off in search of Haku, using the location he had left behind.
By midday, they finally found him in a small village.
At that moment, Haku was carrying a basin filled with laundry—Zabuza's clothes mixed in with his own.
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