Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

Without the Konoha Crush Plan, and with Naruto talking things over with Orochimaru, Kin and her team managed to avoid their tragic fates. Instead, they received significant attention from Orochimaru.

Of course, there is a reason why Orochimaru values ​​these three people so much.

After hearing that the weapons that Kin and the other two were using are actually prototypes of what would later be called scientific Ninja Tools, Naruto mentioned this to Orochimaru, suggesting he delve deeper into their development.

The prospect of using Ninja Tools to unleash powerful techniques intrigued Orochimaru immensely.

If the research is successful, it will undoubtedly be a groundbreaking advancement in the Shinobi World.

Imagine if even a Genin, or even an ordinary person, could wield high-level Ninjutsu. The fighting power of Otogakure under Orochimaru's command would skyrocket.

Giving Orochimaru this kind of insight would no doubt accelerate changes in the Shinobi World.

But Naruto didn't care. All he wanted was to secure as much power as possible for future contingencies.

Even if he didn't urge Orochimaru to research this, others would eventually develop the scientific Ninja Tools. If that happened, and the benefits went to others, it would only give him headaches down the line.

Although Naruto hadn't seen much of Boruto, he knew well enough about the impact of scientific Ninja Tools. Mastering core technology will always be beneficial no matter what era it is.

The night passed quietly, and by the next morning, the month-long training period had begun.

To prepare for the upcoming main tournament, both Konoha's and the candidates from the other villages trained with doubled intensity.

After the preliminaries, everyone had a clearer sense of who their true threats were.

While one month wasn't enough to bring about dramatic transformations, focusing on specific skills to counter their assigned opponents was still practical.

For this purpose, Kakashi also gathered Team 7 to begin their training.

"Let's hear your thoughts." Kakashi asked.

He could assign each of them specific training regimens, but he preferred to see his students find their own paths and identify ways to improve themselves.

Hearing this, Naruto nodded approvingly, , fully supporting Kakashi's teaching approach.

"Sasuke, you speak first."

Naruto nudged him. Having guided Sasuke's training for a while, Naruto was curious to hear Sasuke's own ideas.

After some contemplation, Sasuke spoke up, "I want to focus on Taijutsu!"

"Oh? Go on."

Kakashi was a little surprised. After all, logically speaking, Uchiha had the Sharingan and was more suitable for learning Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. So he wondered why would Sasuke suddenly want to learn Taijutsu.

After all, Taijutsu was typically the forte of the Hyuga Clan and their Byakugan.

Sasuke explained, "Through recent battles, I've found a flaw in the Sharingan. Even though I can read my opponent's moves with it, I sometimes can't physically keep up. This is my physique's issue. Also, my next opponent, Hyuga Neji, is a Taijutsu expert. Learning Taijutsu will help me understand and anticipate his moves, which will be very useful for my match."

Due to Naruto's warnings, Sasuke couldn't mention the Cursed Seal, but his reasoning for training in Taijutsu was already well-justified.

"Not a bad idea."

Kakashi made a fair assessment, then turned to Sakura and asked, "What about you, Sakura?"

"My opponent is Rock Lee. I didn't really have a plan at first, but after hearing Sasuke's idea, I feel it makes sense, so I want to train in Taijutsu with him too."

Sakura replied, glancing shyly at Sasuke while nervously twirling her fingers.

Seeing this, Kakashi shook his head, mildly exasperated.

'Sure enough, for girls her age, love is more important than becoming stronger.'

He turned to look at Naruto and asked, "What about you? Don't tell me you also plan to focus on Taijutsu."

"Funny enough, I actually do."

Naruto chuckled, "But I don't plan to train here. I've heard Guy's Taijutsu skills are second to none. They call him Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey. Since you're close with him, can you introduce us?"

"Well, since you all want to learn Taijutsu, I'm happy to have some free time. Come on, let's go find Guy."

Kakashi said with a resigned sigh. If it weren't absolutely necessary, he would have preferred not to approach that troublesome fellow.

Soon, Kakashi led Team 7 to Team 3's training grounds.

"Youth... youth!"

"Endeavor... endeavor!"

"Effort... effort!"

There they saw a man with a bowl cut and green jumpsuit shouting enthusiastic slogans, echoed by a smaller version of himself with a similar hairstyle and outfit. It was none other than Guy and Lee.

As for Neji and Tenten, they were sprawled out on the sidelines, thoroughly exhausted.

Judging by the dirt on their clothes, it was clear they hadn't just arrived that morning, and most likely, they had been training here since disbanding yesterday.

Training Taijutsu was no easy feat, requiring an extraordinary amount of effort.

Naruto reflected on this and thought that if he hadn't asked the system about signing in with Guy to learn the Eight Gates Technique, he probably would never have considered training in Taijutsu himself.

"Ah, Kakashi! Are you here to compete with me?" Guy rushed to Kakashi with an excited look on his face.

Kakashi waved his hand and said, "You're reading too much into it. My students want to learn Taijutsu, and they specifically requested you as their instructor."

"What a group of hard-working kids!"

Guy beamed approvingly at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Then, turning to Lee, he said, "See, Lee? My Taijutsu is so revered that we even have transfer students coming to join us."

"As expected of Guy-sensei!"

Lee, despite his exhaustion, raised a fist in encouragement.

Then he looked at the new transfer student. And when he saw Sakura, the tiredness on his face disappeared instantly, and he was so excited that he almost flew off. But when he saw Naruto, his expression went from excited to dejected almost instantly.

"What's wrong, Lee?"

Guy couldn't help but ask when he noticed Lee's sudden change in mood.

Lee pursed his lips and said, "Guy-sensei, back in the Forest of Death, it was Naruto who defeated the three of us. If it weren't for him giving us the scrolls, we wouldn't have been able to continue the exams."

After working so hard for so long, even with the help of Neji and Tenten, they still couldn't win against the lone Naruto. The fact that Lee had continued training without feeling crushed was a testament to his resilience. But seeing Naruto again brought all those insecurities back to the surface.

It can't be helped. He just felt that there was an insurmountable gap between him and Naruto, a divide he feared he could never cross in his lifetime.

Guy flickered to in front of Lee and punched him on the head, scolding him, "Lee, have you forgotten? These are the inevitable obstacles on the path of youth! Only by overcoming them can you truly make the most of your youth!"

A huge lump immediately swelled on Lee's head, but he didn't seem upset. Instead, he was instantly full of fighting spirit, "Guy-sensei, you are right! Youth should face challenges fearlessly. I still have the Eight Gates, I'll definitely make it through the main tournament!"

"Who told you to reveal your tactic? You're such a hot-blooded idiot!" Guy whacked him with another punch.

Seeing this, Naruto was speechless. He could understand the bond between teacher and student here, but he had absolutely no desire to experience it for himself.

'These two are really a pair of muscle-headed, hot-blooded fools...'