Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"I want you to take Sasuke away!"

Naruto's words were clear and direct.

Hearing this, Orochimaru was puzzled, "I don't need his body. Why should I take him?"

"He's under a Servant Contract with me, just like you. By following you, he can help you refine the technique of immortality. In return, you can put him through brutal training to accelerate his growth."

Naruto explained his intentions.

By staying in Konoha, Sasuke's growth would be hindered significantly.

Not to mention that when he grows to a certain point, Danzo will be wary of him. Konoha itself is too peaceful and harmonious, which is not conducive to intense training.

If not for Naruto's recent arrival and his leap to the top of the class, Sasuke would have likely grown complacent, feeling superior to his peers.

And complacency leads to stagnation… a reality Naruto knew well.

By going with Orochimaru, where there are many elites, and forced to face his own weaknesses and shortcomings, Sasuke can grow quickly.

It must be said that the Uchiha Clan has a very high potential limit, and they just needed the right push to unlock it.

"So what are your plans, Naruto-kun? Will you continue to stay in Konoha?" Orochimaru asked again.

In his opinion, Sasuke is just a small matter, he was more concerned with Naruto's next move.

With Naruto's strength, he was clearly destined for more than just staying confined to Konoha.

Orochimaru was deeply curious about what Naruto's next steps would be.

"For now, I'll stay in Konoha. Once I'm done with my affairs here, I plan to leave and travel around a bit."

Naruto replied simply.

In his previous life, Naruto had been a die-hard fan of Naruto and had even read many fan-fiction novels.

Other world travelers think that Konoha is insidious and that they don't need Konoha's recognition at all. They all want to escape from Konoha as quickly as possible or even take revenge on Konoha.

Naruto, however, didn't see it that way. He wasn't a masochist, nor was he without a backbone. His goal had always been singular: to strengthen himself through training and sign-ins.

As for Danzo's surveillance and the village's hatred, he would just treat them as background noise.

Only with nearly invincible strength could Naruto attain true freedom and absolute influence. If he reached that peak, others' opinions would be irrelevant, and he could even wipe out Konoha with a single move if he wanted to.

In addition, in the original work, Naruto was an Eternal Genin, so Naruto wanted to become a Chunin, or even be promoted to a Jonin to make up for the achievements that Naruto in the original work did not achieve.

Of course, he wanted change the fate of people like Neji, who had met tragic ends in the original work.

Naruto wants to make up for his regret when watching Naruto, which is also the purpose of his staying in Konoha.

"Hmm? Someone's coming. I'll be off now, Naruto-kun."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly before he quickly vanished from the spot.

At the next moment, a figure landed on the ground.

"Sasuke? How did you find this place? Didn't I ask you to go and train with Kakashi?" Naruto was somewhat surprised.

Sasuke explained, "I asked around and heard that you came up the mountain, so I came looking. I ran into Kakashi just now, and he told me the Chunin Exams are about to start. He wanted me to gather with you and Sakura."

"Is that so? Alright, let's go," Naruto nodded, following Sasuke back to the village.

After reuniting with Sakura, the three of them went to see Kakashi, who handed each of them a file.

"The Chunin Exams will be held soon. These are the forms I submitted for you three. Take these to register, and you'll be eligible to participate in the Chunin Exams."

"Chunin Exams? But didn't we just become Genin?"

Sakura furrowed her brow, feeling that aiming for Chunin was a bit too ambitious. She wasn't sure if she could adapt to such intense challenges so soon.

Kakashi considered her concern, "The exam is actually optional. You can choose to take it or not, and it's not mandatory."

Upon hearing this, Sakura seemed relieved, but before she could say anything, Naruto spoke first, "Sasuke, you have to participate in this exam with me."

"Okay."

Sasuke nodded and agreed without hesitation.

He never objected to Naruto's suggestions.

"Naruto, what are you doing? You have the strength to participate, but why are you dragging Sasuke into it too?" Sakura looked unhappy.

After all, if Sasuke were to participate and passed, she, who was still a Genin, would be left behind.

"This Chunin Exams is a joint exam with many powerful participants. Sasuke's participation will help him grow a lot."

Naruto replied calmly, "Sakura, the exam would be too challenging for you. If you don't want to participate, it's okay to sit it out."

"This... I want to participate too!"

Sakura clenched her teeth and finally made her choice.

There was no way, after all, she couldn't bear the thought of being separated from Sasuke.

"You don't need to rush your decisions. You can still change your mind before registration. I have other things to take care of, so I'll be off first."

Kakashi said, waving his hand before disappearing in a puff of white smoke.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei!"

Sasuke called out, but it was too late.

"This guy… seriously…"

Seeing this, Naruto felt exasperated. He realized that Kakashi was purposely avoiding teaching Sasuke, as he found it too troublesome.

"Sasuke, there's no need to chase him. Kakashi may avoid it for now, but he can't dodge you forever. He'll train you eventually." Naruto reassured him.

Sasuke nodded, "In that case, I'll go back to train on my own and prepare for the Chunin Exams."

After saying that, Sasuke put his hands into his pockets and left.

"Sakura, take some time to consider carefully."

Naruto advised before turning to leave as well.

Naruto was growing indifferent toward Sakura. Originally, he felt a sense of duty to help her since the Haruno family provided him with food and shelter.

However, after learning that Mebuki had ulterior motives and is only using Sakura to monitor him, he no longer felt obligated to help her so attentively.

However, before Naruto could get far, a bulky, bandaged Shinobi blocked his path.

"Little Genin from Konoha, I advise you to give up on the Chunin Exams. It's dangerous, you could die!"

The bandaged Shinobi spoke gloomily, even exuding a faint killing intent.

"Is that so? And what if I don't give up?"

Naruto replied with a casual smile, not panicking at all.

He recalled how Kakashi had recommended Team 7 for the Chunin Exams despite Iruka's strong objections. Iruka is worried the young Genin would be crushed by the experience, potentially never recovering.

If Naruto guessed it correctly, the bandaged Shinobi in front of him was likely Iruka in disguise, using Transformation Technique to chance his appearance. Iruka's intent seemed to be to test them beforehand, and if they could handle him, he would feel more comfortable with them entering the exams.

"If you won't back down, then you'll have to get past me first!"

The bandaged Shinobi replied coldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the bandaged Shinobi lunged forward, pulling out a kunai and thrusting it at Naruto.

Naruto didn't dodge in the slightest, and the kunai pierced directly into his body!

However, there was no blood splattering, only the harsh sound of metal clashing.

This was a trick Naruto had picked up during his tree-climbing training, a technique using Chakra to shield his body. He had condensed the Kyubi's Chakra at his chest to block the attack.

The bandaged Shinobi hadn't anticipated Naruto would remain still, and was momentarily stunned.

Taking advantage of this, Naruto swiftly grabbed the bandaged Shinobi's hand, yanking it forcefully. In a fluid motion, he flipped the bandaged Shinobi onto the ground with a simple lock.

"You lose!"