"Hey, Naruto, Iruka-sensei, long time no see," Shali said with a smile.
"Shali!" A flicker of surprise crossed Iruka's eyes. He was both shocked to see his student and overjoyed to see the one who had saved his life.
Although Iruka didn't know Shali's exact strength, he remembered that Shali had once defeated him. Now, defeating Ritsuki shouldn't be a problem at all.
"Shali!" Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at Shali's unchanged smiling face. Even though he could feel the terrifying aura radiating from him, he also sensed that Shali didn't look down on him… yet he was still afraid, his body stiff with tension.
Then Naruto saw Shali extend a hand toward him, and in the next moment…
"Ah! That hurts!"
Naruto clutched his head where Shali had struck him. "Shali, why did you hit me?"
"Hmph. I heard what you just said. Naruto, you actually thought I was the kind of person who makes friends based on strength! Did you think we needed to fight?" Shali glared at him.
Suddenly, Naruto burst into giggles. Even though his head still hurt, Shali's rhetorical question had dispelled all his doubts. He now understood—the other person didn't want to be friends in that way.
That was fine. Even being hit was worth it, so this injury didn't matter at all.
"Haha, isn't this our great genius Shali?"
Mizuki was startled by Shali's appearance. When he saw that Shali completely ignored him, his expression twisted with disbelief.
Yes, exactly that attitude! Acting as if he didn't even exist!
"Hey, isn't this our Mizuki-sensei? How did you end up like this? Planning to betray the village?" Shali asked.
"Haha! This attitude… it makes me want to kill you all! Too bad none of you can escape today! We'll all die here!" Ritsuki roared, his face contorted with rage. "Blame your bad luck if you must!"
"Trying to kill me? You don't have the ability," Shali said, raising an eyebrow.
"Haha, Shali, I admit you're the most talented person I've ever seen, but so what? You're only twelve years old!" Mizuki's eyes widened, his hand already touching the last Fuuma Shuriken behind him. He prepared both sword and seal simultaneously.
"Fuuma Shuriken—Shadow Windmill!"
Shali looked at the Fuuma Shuriken Mizuki had thrown with calm indifference. Under the worried gaze of Naruto and Iruka, arcs of electricity began to spark around Shali. Soon, the Fuuma Shuriken transformed into a mere toy, floating and spinning in her hands.
Mizuki's eyes went wide with disbelief. How could this be possible…
Neither Naruto nor Iruka had expected to witness this scene. Naruto's eyes widened, realizing just how strong Shali truly was.
"So what if I'm twelve? I just received my promotion to Jōnin from the Hokage today," Shali said, a teasing tone in her voice.
"No… no way…" Mizuki froze and then collapsed, unwilling to believe it. All his years of boasting had been lies!
"Whether you believe it or not, even Naruto could easily defeat you," Shali continued, holding the Fuuma Shuriken. If necessary, she could have killed him—but the killing intent would last only briefly. She had other choices now.
Naruto was stunned when Shali said this, pointing to himself in confusion. He had never imagined such a thing.
Mizuki also froze, then laughed wildly, as if Shali's words had broken him before, and now he was laughing hysterically.
"Naruto? That monster? He wants to kill me? Are you kidding?" Mizuki yelled, throwing shuriken wildly. Shali's electric aura looked dangerous—only a fool would approach.
Naruto's expression grew uneasy. Could it really be…
"Naruto, I won't abandon you because of your strength, but I want you to get stronger. What I'm about to do is extremely dangerous. If you're too weak, you won't be able to come with me. The same goes for everyone else," Shali said.
"Naruto, look at the wound on Iruka-sensei's back. That blood was for you."
Iruka wanted to say it was no big deal, not to overdo it, but seeing Shali's eyes, he remained silent. Shali seemed to have anticipated this.
Hearing Shali, Naruto gritted his teeth. He wanted to keep up with his friends. He also looked at the wounds on Iruka—wounds he himself had caused.
"Naruto, haven't you read the Sealing Scroll? Then show me your strength! Let's see if you can defeat that clown!" Shali encouraged him further.
By now, dozens of shuriken floated around Shali, spinning through the air. These were all Mizuki's attacks, but Shali remained completely unaffected.
"I've got this!" Naruto's eyes hardened. Forming hand seals, chakra surged through him, making Shali's eyes narrow in surprise.
"The Art of Multiple Shadow Clones!"
Chapter 107: Multi Shadow Clone Technique and Rank Distinctions
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!!"
With Naruto's shout, the surrounding forest for miles pulsed with chakra.
As the smoke cleared, hundreds of Narutos appeared in their sight. Iruka and Ritsuki stared, unable to believe it. Even Shali, who had seen this in animations, was shocked.
It wasn't entirely wrong to say everyone else had chakra, but Naruto had "chaktara" in abundance.
Every time she saw Naruto, Shali thought his chakra reserves were ridiculous. Even a level-10 ninja would feel they couldn't compete.
Shali could only conclude that there's a difference even between high-ranking genin.
Iruka stared blankly at the countless Naruto clones. Could this really be… Naruto?
"No… impossible!" Mizuki looked at the clones surrounding Naruto. Hundreds of clones left him in despair. As a mid-level ninja, he had no chance against so many. Encircled, completely helpless.
Ritsuki also saw the weapons surrounding the genius Naruto and understood… he was utterly hopeless. His sealed scroll, his dreams… gone.
"It's coming!"
All the Narutos clenched their headbands and charged at Mizuki, who had no intention to resist.
"Flourish!"
Shali watched Mizuki get knocked away, noticing Naruto's attack was a bit light.
As Mizuki fell, all of Naruto's shadow clones disappeared simultaneously.
"Hehe~" Naruto scratched his head, grinning proudly at Shali and Iruka.
"Naruto, you've really grown," Iruka couldn't help but say.
"Yes," Shali said, gathering all the ninja tools around her. She thought that if she ever stopped being a ninja, she could open a ninja tools shop.
"By the way, Shali, you really became a Jōnin?" Iruka asked, with excitement and pride.
"Yes, I just became a Special Jōnin today," Shali replied.
"Special Jōnin is still Jōnin," Iruka smiled proudly. "Looks like I really taught an exceptional student!"
"Hey, what's a Jōnin?" Naruto scratched his head.
Suddenly, the air grew silent. Shali looked at Iruka, but Iruka ignored his own injuries. Scars covered his forehead as he let out a furious roar.
"Which path is greater!!"
Shali smiled as she watched Naruto, now fully trained, and Ritsuki lying defeated. Though Naruto had fought gently, bleeding was inevitable.
Shali observed carefully, feeling no strong emotions. Everything was under control. As long as she didn't act first, nothing serious would happen. At worst, if Naruto got knocked out, she could intervene. Letting others act wasn't a problem.
It was normal. This was her first time encountering an uncontrollable situation in the Kongming country and immediately leaving the ANBU. Therefore, its impact was limited. Others, however, didn't know she was there.
Iruka worried about Naruto stealing the Sealing Scroll, planning to take him to the Hokage to apologize and admit his mistake.
"No need," Shali said, sensing the nearby ANBU. "The Hokage already knows about this. I'll return the Sealing Scroll later."
After saying this, she gestured. An ANBU stepped out of the shadows, nodded to Shali, and carried the unconscious Ritsuki away.
"But… Naruto really learned a jutsu from it," Iruka said, surprised, hesitating. Did Naruto really learn a forbidden jutsu from the Sealing Scroll?
"Seems like he only learned the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, right?" Shali asked Naruto.
"Yes. I couldn't understand the rest… only this one was simple enough," Naruto scratched his head.
"That's fine. I just learned from the Hokage that after becoming a genin, Naruto had learned the Multi Shadow Clone Technique. It suits him perfectly," Shali said, producing a scroll. "Though now, it seems unnecessary."
"Really?" Iruka finally relaxed. "Good."
"Shali…" Naruto looked at the scroll in Shali's hand. It was a gift for him, though he had misunderstood her. Though the wound on his head had healed, he still felt a twinge of pain.
Naruto silently vowed never to doubt Shali again.
"Can I have the scroll?" Naruto asked, a hint of jealousy in his eyes.
"Yes, yes. But Naruto, remember: never show this to anyone. This jutsu is truly forbidden. Only you can handle its side effects; I cannot," Shali said seriously, handing the scroll over.
"I understand. I'll never show it to anyone!" Naruto nodded solemnly. His eyes shone as he accepted the scroll.
Iruka looked at Naruto and thought: What makes him special? Then he couldn't help but smile. He really was unique.
"By the way, this jutsu's power goes far beyond what you just demonstrated. I'll teach you how to use it properly," Shali said. It was best to unlock Naruto's shadow clone technique in advance.
"So there are other abilities! Let's make a deal, Shali," Naruto said happily. He wasn't just excited about gaining a jutsu, but also that she would teach him.
"Haha, since everyone's so happy, let's go celebrate with Ichiraku Ramen," Iruka said, scratching his head.
"Oh!!" Naruto's eyes lit up, and he lunged at Iruka.
"Hey, hey!" Iruka panicked as they both fell to the ground.
Shali smiled, not stopping them.
In fact, being with Naruto didn't require the Multi Shadow Clone Technique—just don't dislike him at first, and gradually accept him.
Shali didn't tell the Third Hokage any of this. Some things were too important in the Third Hokage's stubborn mindset. You didn't defy him—you simply showed utmost respect.
Moreover, Shali didn't manipulate Naruto's emotions while helping him.
There was no sense of guilt. Everything she did was justifiable as long as she didn't take advantage of him.
Shali returned the Sealing Scroll and, after speaking with the Third Hokage's successor, met up with Ichiraku Ramen, Iruka, and Naruto. Though night had fallen, the shop was still open. Its popularity made perfect sense.
On the way home, Shali considered visiting the ninja academy tomorrow. He had promised Iruka he'd check in during the last class.
Originally, he didn't want to agree, thinking it a waste of time—but a vision in his mind changed his mind. He decided to buy a camera the next morning.
The next day, Ino looked at herself in the mirror. Today was class division day. Although she didn't expect much, she still dressed carefully for this important turning point in her life.
After the division, Ino knew she probably wouldn't be grouped with Shali, so her hopes were low. She only wished to be with Sakura and Hinata.
She also knew it was almost impossible, so it was just a wish. After getting ready, Ino decided to head out.
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