Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"No, I can't let this go on… I need to go back and talk to Naruto about this."

The more Iruka thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, so he turned around and rushed back to the Central Tower.

Sakura had no choice but to follow Iruka.

Soon, the two returned to the Central Tower.

Seeing the two coming back, Naruto asked in surprise: "Huh? Why are you two back?"

"I need to talk to you, Naruto. First, open your backpack… I need to see how many scrolls you actually have." Iruka replied, frowning with worry.

Though puzzled, Naruto complied, opening his backpack to reveal it was stuffed full of scrolls.

"One, two... eleven, twelve!"

Iruka took it out and started counting, then froze in place.

"How is that possible? Didn't they say there were only twelve sets? How come there are thirteen sets now?"

Iruka was dumbstruck.

'According to Sakura, after using one set just now, Naruto should have eleven sets left, so why does he still have twelve sets?'

"I just found another set outside the entrance of the Central Tower. What's wrong, Iruka-sensei?"

Naruto still didn't understand what happened.

Sakura explained, "Iruka-sensei just told me that only thirteen complete scrolls were hidden for this exam."

"What?"

Naruto was also stunned, and then a look of ecstasy appeared on his face, "That's actually good news."

"What's good about it? If you've collected all the scrolls, none of the other teams will be able to find any."

Iruka said helplessly, "I think you should stuff the scroll back in, or you'll make history in the Chunin Exams again."

Sakura nodded in agreement, "Yeah, if everyone realizes that, they'll be furious."

"What are you afraid of?"

Naruto shrugged, "Everyone was given the same chance to find the scrolls, so I didn't break any rules. But don't worry, I don't need to keep all these scrolls for myself. I'll take care of it, so you two can leave first."

"Well… alright. Since you have a plan, I won't worry too much." Iruka said after thinking for a moment.

Since the graduation exam, Naruto has given him too many surprises, and Iruka had started to trust him more.

After bidding farewell again, Sasuke, who had been silent throughout, turned to Naruto and asked, "Naruto, do you actually have a plan?"

"Originally, I did want to take you out for some practical training, but now, things just got more interesting."

Naruto replied with a mischievous grin.

With all the scrolls in his possession, it could be said that he held complete control now.

If other candidates want to pass this round, they'd have no choice but to find him.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle when he imagined the other teams running around the Forest of Death like headless chickens.

"Rest for a night first and recharge your energy. I'll take you out for a walk tomorrow morning."

Naruto suggested, and Sasuke nodded without objection.

After a peaceful night, morning arrived with sunlight streaming through the windows of the Central Tower, waking the two of them.

"Alright, Sasuke, time to move out!"

Naruto waved his hand, took Sasuke out of the Central Tower, and went back to the forest.

After about an hour, they finally encountered the first team… and it was a familiar one.

Leading this team was a figure with a large gourd strapped to his back, flanked by two companions, one carrying a fan and the other a puppet. It was none other than Gaara's team.

"Oh, if it isn't Gaara. Found any scrolls yet?" Naruto asked knowingly.

Gaara shook his head, and said, "On our way here, we encountered a lot of broken traps, but we haven't found any scrolls yet. How about you??"

"Take a look."

Naruto opened his backpack, revealing it was packed with scrolls.

Seeing this, Kankuro narrowed his eyes and said, "Gaara, let's take them!"

As he said this, he was about to control the puppet to attack Naruto.

The cork on Gaara's gourd was removed, allowing fine sand to drift out.

Sasuke's face changed, and he lowered his stance as he readied himself for battle.

But what Sasuke didn't expect was that Gaara's sand rushed forward rapidly, but not to attack them, but to bind Kankuro tightly.

At the next moment, Gaara's claw-like hand began to close, preparing to crush Kankuro.

Seeing this, Temari quickly stepped forward to stop him, "Gaara! What are you doing? Kankuro is your brother!"

"Brother? I never acknowledged him as such. I'll say this only once: no one is allowed to attack Naruto-kun. If anyone does… I'll kill them!"

Gaara stated coldly.

Naruto was one of the few who could suppress the beast within Gaara, allowing him to rest and feel normal. So to Gaara, anyone who dared to target Naruto was his enemy.

"Sand Coffin..."

Gaara continued, slowly closing his hand, causing the sand around Kankuro to tighten. Kankuro's face turned red, and he struggled to breathe, unable even to scream.

"Enough. Let him go," Naruto said calmly.

While his tone sounded normal to others, it held an almost hypnotic command for Gaara, causing the sand around Kankuro to loosen uncontrollably, releasing him.

"Cough… cough!"

Kankuro gasped, collapsing weakly onto the ground as he coughed violently, his face filled with terror.

He had genuinely felt the presence of death just now… He knew Gaara had been ready to kill him!

Both Kankuro and Temari were even more shocked by Naruto. They couldn't understand why Gaara would listen to the commands of this young boy, a situation they had never seen before. They wondered who the hell is Naruto.

"Well, that was… interesting."

Naruto shook his head helplessly. He had only meant to tease Gaara, but things had nearly escalated out of control.

Reflecting on Gaara's behavior, Naruto understood why. Unlike in the original story, Gaara had not experienced Naruto's Talk no Jutsu about friendships and bonds. Right now, he was more like a solitary and emotionally volatile entity.

After a moment of thought, Naruto suggested, "How about this, Gaara? Have Temari or Kankuro face Sasuke in a match. If they win, I'll give you one of the scroll sets. How does that sound?"

"No problem."

Gaara agreed, then pointed to Temari, "Temari, you go. You're not allowed to lose!"

"Yes!"

Temari took a deep breath, stepping forward to ready herself for the fight.

Plak!

Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder and said, "You heard that, right? You're not allowed to lose. Think of it as a test for you!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, and just nodded. His expression was extremely solemn, and even his black pupils had turned into the scarlet Sharingan.

Knowing that only skilled Genin could make it to the Chunin Exams, he couldn't afford to be careless.

"There are no rules in this match." Naruto announced, "It will only end when one of you loses the ability to fight or surrenders. If there are no objections, begin!"

With that, Naruto stepped back, giving Temari and Sasuke enough space to engage in battle.

Whoosh!

Sasuke made the first move, throwing a few shuriken to test Temari's strength.

Temari simply placed her giant fan on the ground, and the force of the wind it created scattered the shuriken easily.

After this brief exchange, both had a sense of each other's capabilities.

Whoosh!

Without a pause, Sasuke threw more shuriken at Temari.

"That won't work against me!"

Temari sneered, dismissing the same attack. She didn't even need to open her fan to deflect the shuriken this time.

The wind appeared, and the shuriken was blown away without any surprise.

Temari couldn't help but smile, but before her smile could fully form, she found that Sasuke was smiling triumphantly.

'The shuriken had been blown away, so why was he still smiling?'

Before Temari could make sense of it, she heard Kankuro shout anxiously, "Temari, behind you!"