Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"You little turtle! How dare you push your luck? You're utterly fearless!"

Kisame snorted coldly. For any man, the sanctity of their crotch was inviolable. So there was no way Kisame would allow Wartortle to launch such a disgraceful attack.

Without hesitation, Kisame launched a powerful knee strike. Combined with his monstrous strength, he was determined to crack Wartortle's head open.

"Watch out!"

Naruto wanted to intervene, but it was already too late.

"Wartortle, Wartortle!"

At that moment, Wartortle let out a sharp cry.

Naruto was instantly confused, 'Retract into shell? What is it talking about?'

Then, he saw Wartortle retract all its limbs and head into its thick, sturdy shell.

Seeing this, Naruto couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, 'With the tough shell as protection, Wartortle probably wouldn't get crushed.'

'Still, why yell out the move's name if it's just hiding in its shell?'

Filled with doubt, Naruto opened Wartortle's attribute panel, and saw that [Retract into Shell] was a defensive move of Wartortle, then he suddenly realized.

'Shouting the name of a move when using it is a common sight in anime.'

Unlike ordinary turtles withdrawing into their shells, Wartortle's use of [Retract into Shell] increased its defense by one stage… essentially making it even harder to hurt.

Bang!

Kisame's knee strike sent Wartortle flying over ten meters, but at least its shell wasn't damaged.

"Wartortle!"

Wartortle's head emerged from its shell, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth.

It can't be helped. Though the shell absorbed most of the impact, the force transmitted inside had caused internal injuries.

However, just as Naruto was about to call off the fight, something unexpected happened.

A radiant glow enveloped Wartortle, and its previously sluggish demeanor transformed into vigorous energy. The blood at the corner of its mouth vanished as if it had never existed.

'What's going on?'

As Naruto puzzled over the situation, the system prompt chimed in his mind.

[Friendly Reminder: This is Wartortle's hidden ability, Rain Dish. When the weather is rainy, Pokémon with the Rain Dish ability recover 1/16 of their maximum HP at the end of each turn. Explanation: One attack and one block constitute a turn.]

'No way! It's that powerful?'

Initially, Naruto had cursed the gloomy weather, but now he had no complaints.

First, the rain allowed him to trick Kisame during their earlier game. Now, he discovered Wartortle's hidden ability. It was turning out to be an incredibly profitable day.

According to the system, as long as Wartortle attacked swiftly and continuously, it would heal a portion of its HP with every move, which is essentially maintaining full health.

Naruto recalled how excited he'd been when he learned that Wartortle had the Torrent ability. With that, when Wartortle's HP fell below one-third, its Water-type moves would increase in power by 50%.

Back then, Naruto had envisioned training Wartortle to become a Ninjutsu-focused Ninja Turtle.

But now, his plans had completely changed.

By learning Water Release Ninjutsu, Wartortle could artificially trigger rain to activate its Rain Dish ability.

If its health got too low, it could rely on Torrent to become an unstoppable berserker. Adding Taijutsu training would further compensate for its physique and enhance its speed, transforming it into a full-health combat monster.

These two abilities were a perfect offensive and defensive combo.

Once Wartortle mastered both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, it would truly live up to the title of Ninja Turtle.

It would undoubtedly become the God of War among turtles!

"Wartortle! Wartortle! Wartortle!"

Wartortle sprayed out three water blasts in succession.

This attack was actually unnecessary, as it could not hurt Kisame at all.

But Naruto had a smile on his face, knowing Wartortle's plan well.

Just as Kisame raised his hand to block the three water blasts, Wartortle's body emitted three consecutive flashes of light.

When the light faded, Wartortle was fully healed, back to peak condition.

"What the hell! It seems that if I don't get serious, I'll end up being looked down upon by this little turtle!"

Naturally, Kisame also noticed Wartortle's improving condition and, worried about its special abilities, he adopted a more serious demeanor.

Seeing this, Naruto reminded, "Wartortle, war of attrition!"

Hearing that, Wartortle seemed to have an epiphany and nodded knowingly.

Indeed, maintaining full health was a good strategy, but staying at full health wouldn't trigger its Torrent ability, leaving its power slightly lacking. Naruto's words gave Wartortle a new idea.

In the next moment, Wartortle lunged forward again, closing in on Kisame to engage in close-quarters combat, using its tail to strike.

Bang, bang, bang!

Wartortle's attacks were swift and powerful, but Kisame's strikes packed even more punch.

For every punch or kick Kisame landed, Wartortle needed four attacks just to recover the lost health. In other words, one hit from Kisame could reduce Wartortle's health by a quarter.

After several exchanges, Wartortle's health had already dropped to about a third, or closer to a quarter.

As Kisame prepared another kick, Wartortle used [Retract into Shell] skill and was kicked away by Kisame again.

After gaining some distance, Wartortle let out a loud roar, "Wartortle!"

Its already powerful Water Gun, now enhanced by the Torrent ability, saw its power boosted by 1.5 times. What shot from Wartortle's mouth was no longer a high-pressure water stream but a full-fledged high-pressure water cannon.

The immense power made Wartortle's water cannon unstable, and instead of being a single attack, it turns into intermittent cannonball attacks.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several projectiles, all benefiting from the Torrent boost, bombarded Kisame relentlessly.

"Hmph!"

Kisame grunted under the barrage of water attacks, clearly feeling the enhanced power behind them.

However, he remained unfazed. Wartortle was already battered and barely hanging on with low health. One more solid hit, and he could finish it off.

With that in mind, Kisame pushed through the water blasts, charging straight at Wartortle.

However, just as Kisame reached Wartortle, something incredible happened.

Wartortle's body emitted a series of bright flashes, over ten in quick succession. When Kisame looked again, Wartortle appeared full of energy, as if it had never been injured.

"What?! This is impossible!"

Kisame was completely dumbfounded. The speed of Wartortle's recovery was outrageous… completely unfair!

"Haha! Kisame, the winner isn't decided yet!" Naruto taunted from the sidelines.

As long as Wartortle controlled the distance and pace, it was theoretically be perpetual motion machine.

No matter how strong Kisame was, as long as he couldn't deliver a one-hit kill, Wartortle could keep wearing him down in a battle of attrition.

Of course, if Kisame attempted a finishing move, it would require time to charge. Naruto wouldn't just stand by and let that happen. As long as he had one second, he could subdue Kisame.

However, he still underestimated Kisame.

Kisame suddenly pulled out the Samehada from the giant umbrella, and the Samehada transformed into chain-like extensions that merged into Kisame's body.

At the next moment, Kisame's earlier injuries visibly healed at an astonishing rate.

Seeing this, Naruto's heart sank. He had gotten too excited and completely forgotten about Samehada.

One of Samehada's abilities was to store large amounts of Chakra, which can be used to stimulate cell regeneration.

No one could have predicted that what started as an exhilarating close-combat match would devolve into a battle of attrition between two perpetual motion machines...