Kakashi glanced at Naruto, who was off sulking by himself, but didn't give it much thought. He turned his attention back to training the other two.
Meanwhile, Naruto was desperately wishing Sasuke would awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, so he could borrow it and use its hypnotic power to glare Kakashi, the white-haired jerk, into oblivion.
Fine, fine. If you guys don't want to include me in the training, I'll just train by myself!
After all, he had mastered the ultimate technique—Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Ignoring the Vortex Jinx incident from last time, Naruto figured he could easily use his clones to quickly gather experience.
Plus, Kurama was too absorbed in his web novels to bother with teaching anymore, leaving Naruto to rely on his clones for grinding from now on.
With a determined nod, Naruto prepared to form the necessary hand signs.
Yet, no matter how hard he tried to focus, his mind kept flashing back to the image of the Vortex Jinx clone asking for an AK and a rifle.
"No... no way!"
"That had to be an exception!"
"Yeah, I only summoned one clone last time... it was just a fluke... a fluke!"
"Absolutely!"
The mere thought of that clone gave Naruto chills. He muttered to himself for reassurance before finally forming the seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Amid the cloud of smoke, five new figures appeared around Naruto.
As the smoke cleared and Naruto got a good look at his clones, his vision blurred, and he let out an instinctive curse.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Unlike the usual clones, these five were dressed in ridiculous outfits. The most outrageous of all was a clone with dyed gray hair, wearing a black shirt, tight suspenders, and holding a basketball.
Damn it! When will this 'Electronic Pet' plague end?!
Beside that bizarre clone stood two others—a high ponytailed samurai and a clone wearing a headband. Naruto instantly knew they were cosplaying as Qiao Feng and Yasuo...
This is the ninja world, people! Why are you all breaking the fourth wall with this nonsense?!
Compared to these two, the twin-tailed girl clone and the bearded clone in glasses seemed almost... normal.
At least they're somewhat within reason.
Naruto rubbed his temples, feeling his blood pressure spike.
What was the name of that medicine Old Man Third took again...?
Sighing, Naruto realized that the Vortex Jinx clone from last time wasn't just a one-off accident. Glancing at the clones around him, he decided to ask for their names first.
"Alright then..."
"Let's hear it. What are your names?"
"And you, Chicken Dude... would you stop playing basketball already?!"
Naruto was about to lose it. His own clones were driving him mad.
I'm exhausted...
I need to ask Second Hokage to look into these messed-up clones someday.
Hearing their creator's question, the four remaining clones stepped forward and introduced themselves one by one.
"Uzumaki Naruko."
"Uzumaki Yasuo!"
"Uzumaki Qiao Feng!"
"Uzumaki Stark!"
"Hi, everyone, I've been practicing for two and a half years—"
"Shut it!"
Naruto snapped, immediately activating Wind Release: Blood Boil and dashed toward the last clone—the Chicken Dude. Without hesitation, he destroyed the clone with a single kick.
It wasn't just the dancing and basketball earlier. Now the guy was really pushing it by throwing in cringey lines!
Naruto had zero tolerance for this nonsense.
All he wanted was for his clones to help him grind some experience...
Stop messing around!
"Calm down, Boss."
Uzumaki Naruko walked over to Naruto, patting him on the shoulder to comfort him.
Naruto looked up at Naruko—who stood at an impressive height of 170 cm, with a graceful face and long legs, looking like an 18-year-old beauty.
Crap! Am I getting charmed by my own clone?!
After glancing at her twice, Naruto panicked internally, immediately conjuring the mental image of Chiyo in a swimsuit to cleanse his mind.
"We're here to help you get stronger."
After Naruko spoke, the other three clones nodded in agreement.
But Naruto, hearing this, only felt more confused.
You guys are pulling off this circus act, and you expect me to believe you have good ideas for getting stronger?!
Naruto liked to think he was a pretty self-aware person, and there was no way he trusted a single word coming out of these clones' mouths.
It hasn't been that long since I tricked Sasuke into wearing a dress to 'become stronger,' and now... is karma really about to bite me this fast?!
"Of course, we're not going to make you wear a dress."
Naruto: !!!
Naruko's words almost made Naruto bolt right then and there.
What the hell... how can you read my mind?!
"There's no mind-reading involved. I just know you really well, Boss."
"Ahhhh!"
Naruto couldn't handle it anymore.
"You better not freak me out... or I'm canceling the jutsu!"
Naruto turned his back to Naruko, not daring to look at her any longer, fearing she'd read his thoughts again.
Of course, there was no way he'd fall for his own clone's charm.
A mere 18-year-old blonde twin-tailed beauty with long legs?
Not a big deal!
At that moment, Uzumaki Stark appeared out of nowhere with paper and a pen. He lowered his head as he approached Naruto, scribbling something while speaking.
"I'm going to help you research mods as much as possible."
"Hmm... let's start with the ones you're most familiar with."
He then gestured toward Yasuo and Qiao Feng to step forward.
"Boss, Boss! Tinkers' Construct mod and Samurai Sword mod... throw out the materials so I can take a look!"
"It's time to let the ninja world witness the might of the Wind Sword Hero!"
Before Naruto could respond, Uzumaki Yasuo had already rushed over, demanding materials. Lacking an actual sword, he could only mimic a drawing motion from his waist, holding air as if it were a blade.
"Haha—"
"Hasaki!"
For a swordsman, being without a sword was like losing all dignity.
After finishing his little performance, Uzumaki Yasuo crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, putting on a weary, world-worn expression.
"I may wander the ends of the earth... but my heart remains unshaken."
Naruto was momentarily blinded by Yasuo's flair for drama, but at least his proposal sounded useful.
Maybe this guy actually has a point... Not bad for a clone of me!
Just then, Qiao Feng spoke up seriously.
"Boss..."
"I don't ask for much... just give me a high-powered speaker."
"If I carry that bad boy, I'll be able to spar with Madara in style."
With that, Uzumaki Qiao Feng immediately dropped into a horse stance and began swinging his arms around, clearly mimicking the Dragon Palm Technique from the TV shows Naruto used to watch in his previous life.
But what really drove Naruto nuts was...
This guy was providing his own sound effects!
"Bom bom bom bom bom—"
"Bom bom bom bom bom—"
"No one can beat me when my BGM is playing!"
Uzumaki Naruto: ...
I knew it! Uzumaki Qiao Feng was never going to be the reliable type...
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
Support the Translation! 🌐✨
20 Advanced Chapters are currently available in Patreon, make sure to visit and support our team.
patreon.com/Immortal_author
https://ko-fi.com/immortalauthor
https://discord.gg/KscfBegBPT