Chapter 14: Clever Use of Kotoamatsukami – Planting Seeds
"I-I'm fine…"
Naruto blinked, then slowly climbed up from the ground and limped past Sasuke.
He had been observing the people on the rooftop just now. Unfortunately…
They seemed quite dissatisfied that he had lost the match.
It looked like they were preparing to test him further. Really…
They were already thinking so much about such a small child.
Too bad for them. He did have major issues, but whether they could actually see through him was another matter.
"Next pair…"
Iruka glanced at Naruto, who was now sitting quietly to the side. After feeling slightly relieved, he continued with the other students' matches.
One fight after another, everyone's results were recorded. As expected, Naruto ranked dead last.
He hadn't even tried to fight back. He was knocked down and simply stayed on the ground without resistance.
"Uzumaki Naruto, did you do that on purpose? You didn't even try to fight back! How are you supposed to become a ninja like this?!"
After school, Naruto was kept behind alone.
Iruka glared at him and shouted, but then immediately felt he had gone too far. After all, Naruto had never hit anyone before…
"If I fought back, I might hurt Sasuke… because I'm the demon fox…"
Naruto sat down in the corner, hugging his knees and lowering his head.
He spoke the last two words — "demon fox" — very softly, but every nearby ninja heard them clearly.
"You are not the demon fox… Naruto, you're a child who will become a ninja in the future. You're not the demon fox. Don't believe those words!"
Iruka crouched down in front of Naruto and gently ruffled his hair, trying to change the boy's thinking.
Although he had once suspected and even hated him…
Naruto was still just a child. He had never hurt anyone.
"Everyone curses at me, hits me, and says I'll hurt them. I don't dare fight back… I'm scared I'll really become what they say…"
Curled up into a ball, Naruto finished speaking and suddenly let his soul leave his body.
As his soul rose higher and higher, he looked down at the ninjas on the rooftops and in the trees — even the Hokage and other Konoha higher-ups. He closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them.
Kotoamatsukami!
His Mangekyō power erupted, but he knew very well that with his current strength, he couldn't fully control these people.
Even Kotoamatsukami required sufficient power to work properly.
This time, however, he wasn't trying to control them. In the instant Kotoamatsukami activated, he made them lower their soul defenses for a brief moment.
That single instant was enough. His soul power quietly seeped in, planting a tiny seed deep inside each of their hearts.
This idea had come to him suddenly — just like the System and the outsider that had clung to his soul for six years.
The difference was, he didn't need to become them. Instead, these seeds would merge directly with their souls. Once they took root and sprouted, they would become controllable channels he could draw power from.
Without Kotoamatsukami, Naruto knew he could never have done this. It would have triggered their wariness.
But he had succeeded.
Even though his soul power was heavily depleted, Kotoamatsukami couldn't be used again for a while, and he might sleep for several days… he was still extremely pleased!
"Naruto!"
Iruka caught Naruto as he suddenly fainted and cried out in alarm. Everyone nearby turned to look.
With a nod from the Third Hokage, an Anbu jumped down from a tree, quickly checked Naruto's condition, then carried him straight to the hospital.
Naruto, who had only left the hospital two days ago, was once again returned to that familiar ward…
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