"Naruto… you killed him!!"
Inside the seal space, Namikaze Minato stared at his son in disbelief.
"That's not quite right, Father," Uzumaki Naruto replied calmly.
"You saw it yourself—he was already trying to kill himself by jumping off the cliff. I simply helped him fulfill his final wish."
"But… you—"
Minato opened his mouth, but no words came out. A deep chill ran through him.
Naruto didn't respond further. Crouching beside the body, he placed two fingers against Uchiha Shisui's neck, checking the artery.
The body temperature was dropping rapidly.
And to Naruto's surprise—
His first kill stirred no revulsion, no nausea, no hesitation.
Am I naturally cold-blooded…
Or has my mind simply become strong enough to accept it?
After confirming Shisui's death, Naruto carefully withdrew the chakra-infused kunai from the corpse. Not a single drop of blood spilled. He then took out a sealing scroll and began sealing the body with practiced precision.
"He's an Uchiha," Minato said heavily after a long silence.
"Why do you want his corpse?"
"I'll show you later," Naruto replied, eyes scanning the sealing formula.
"Even though I didn't manage to collect complete combat data, the Mirror World should have already copied his data puppet."
"You'll see many interesting things soon."
"As for the body…"
"…you'll understand its value in time."
"In time…?" Minato's expression darkened.
"Naruto, I probably only have one year left before I disappear completely."
"That's more than enough," Naruto said without hesitation.
"What do you mean by that?"
Minato's chest tightened. Naruto was clearly planning something for the coming year.
"You'll know when the time comes," Naruto replied evenly.
"Hm… it looks like the Barrier Division has already alerted the ANBU."
He raised his gaze toward the sky.
"They're reacting faster at night than during the day. Even the Third Hokage is moving—surveillance is tightening."
Sensing numerous chakra signatures converging on the Forest of Death, Naruto sealed the scroll away and looked up. Moonlight filtered through the trees, brushing softly across the dark mask covering his face.
"All that's left…" he murmured,
"…is to wait for the next full moon."
Whoosh—
Naruto vanished, leaving the forest in deathly silence.
Not long after, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived with dozens of ANBU.
Three masked operatives knelt at the exact spot where Naruto had been standing moments earlier.
"Hokage-sama! Just like before—no residual chakra can be detected!"
Hiruzen's face darkened instantly.
Orochimaru?
No… it wasn't him.
It was the other one—the mysterious masked figure who had appeared during the previous pursuit through the Forest of Death.
Now that he thought about it, the intruder reported earlier by the Barrier Division must have been the same person.
Every time this individual appeared, the Sensor Division was completely helpless.
And the way he vanished…
It was far too unnatural.
"Could it be…?"
A terrifying possibility crossed Hiruzen's mind. His eyes narrowed.
"From today onward," he ordered coldly,
"assign two squads to patrol the Forest of Death—daily."
"Yes, sir!"
Even as he gave the command, Hiruzen knew it was likely meaningless.
If that masked figure truly possessed the power he feared—
Then manpower alone was useless.
Still… he desperately hoped he was wrong.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
"Great Spiral Flash Wheel!"
BOOM—!
A blinding explosion tore through the Mirror World as Shisui's data puppet manifested a towering green Susanoo, wielding its massive spiral-bladed sword.
Congratulations! You have acquired:
Shisui Uchiha's Genjutsu Training Experience!
Naruto's brow twitched.
Again?
He had spent the entire morning sitting in class, yet all he had gained was genjutsu experience.
Naruto stared at Shisui's data puppet with a frown.
What use is genjutsu experience if I don't even possess Yin Release yet?
At present, Shisui's puppet was the strongest opponent Naruto could face in the Mirror World.
Every time Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique, Naruto was forced to resort to self-destruction with Great Spiral Flash Wheel just to end the battle.
Otherwise, that blade would kill him every single time.
Naruto possessed several chakra natures—but far too few jutsu.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was unusable due to insufficient data.
His basic Water Release techniques and Fireball Jutsu were little more than distractions—nowhere near as refined as Uchiha Itachi's shuriken mastery.
Shisui's own shuriken skills were top-tier as well.
Someone this strong chose to commit suicide…
The Uchiha really are cursed with madness.
He wasn't even worried about Susanoo yet.
The real problem was how to counter that Body Flicker Technique.
"Naruto," Minato said quietly,
"Shisui's Body Flicker is heavily linked to his Sharingan."
Minato had remained gloomy ever since witnessing Shisui's memories—especially after seeing Danzo's men steal Shisui's eye.
"Oh?" Naruto asked.
"What did you figure out, Father?"
"It looks like a mirage or a shadow clone—but it's neither," Minato explained.
"It isn't genjutsu either. It's more like a visible shadow you can't hit."
"But when he decides to strike…"
"…that shadow becomes real instantly."
Naruto frowned.
So if I can't react fast enough… I'll just keep getting hit.
"Can you sense that shadow during combat?" Minato asked.
"I can," Naruto replied.
"But just like you said, I can't land a blow. That's why I've been relying on Great Spiral Flash Wheel to erase everything at once."
"Then I suggest switching to Uchiha Itachi as your opponent," Minato said.
"From Shisui's memories, the two of them trained together frequently."
Before Naruto could reply, Kurama interrupted:
"Naruto! Your teacher is calling the class out for shuriken practice. Also—six more of those creeps watching your house just showed up outside the classroom. They're definitely here for you!"
Naruto and Minato exited the Mirror World instantly.
Sure enough, Naruto sensed six ANBU stationed outside.
Why the sudden increase in surveillance?
Did I expose something?
As he followed the students toward the training field, Naruto reviewed his recent actions.
Eventually, he reached a conclusion.
It's not because of me.
Then something else is happening.
He fully expanded his sensory perception.
Immediately, he detected large-scale ANBU movements across the village—units regrouping, tense, and heading straight toward the Uchiha district.
So that's it…
Shisui's only been dead a day, and Konoha can't wait to act.
Those six ANBU near me are probably here in case the Uchiha try to target the Nine-Tails.
Naruto understood completely.
During shuriken practice, Nara Shikamaru casually handed Naruto several kunai.
Naruto flicked them toward the targets.
Whiff—whiff—whiff.
Every single one missed.
Not even a scratch.
"Haha! What a loser!"
"Not a single hit!"
"I thought I was gonna be the worst one!"
Naruto ignored the laughter and leaned against the wall to wait.
It was the last period of the day.
Shikamaru followed, arms behind his head.
"That was way too obvious."
"I don't need attention," Naruto replied evenly.
"If I hit the bullseye every time like you, that would just be overkill."
Shikamaru's face fell.
"Ugh… same here. Look at Chōji—he missed everything too."
"Another loser!"
"Sasuke-kun's amazing!"
"Every hit was dead center!"
"He's a genius!"
Shikamaru watched Akimichi Chōji stroll over, munching on chips.
"So boring," Shikamaru muttered.
"What's so great about being a genius anyway?"
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
"It means something," he said quietly.
"Do you know a genius's weakness?"
Shikamaru's expression turned serious.
"…They need an audience."
"That's their soft spot."
Ding—ling—ling.
Class dismissed.
Naruto headed home immediately.
As he passed a small group, a tiny white puppy suddenly leapt at him.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. His hand shot out like lightning, gripping the dog by the throat. The puppy went limp instantly.
This dog… looks familiar…
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Hurt Akamaru, and I'll fight you to the death!"
Naruto turned his cold gaze toward Inuzuka Kiba.
"You sure about that?" Naruto asked calmly.
Shikamaru rushed forward.
"Naruto, don't overreact! Akamaru probably just wanted to play!"
"Oh?" Naruto smirked and tossed the dog back toward Kiba.
"I thought he had rabies."
"Catch."
"And keep a closer eye on your mutt."
(End of Chapter)
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