Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"Once you've made up your mind, there's no turning back."

Naruto said, holding out the Servant Contract. The first page was Orochimaru, the second page was Uchiha Sasuke, and the third page was Momochi Zabuza. After turning over three pages, the fourth page was blank.

"I'm sure to sign the contract!"

Gaara replied solemnly, fully aware of the consequences.

The moment he spoke, a flash of golden light emerged from the blank page, enveloping Gaara as he accepted the contract.

Complex, gray runes spiraled around him in orderly layers, forming a golden aura that wrapped around Gaara. As the light faded, each rune imprinted itself onto his skin.

Once the light vanished, a large six-pointed star appeared on the floor beneath Gaara. Rising up like a scan, it finally settled on his abdomen.

'Huh?'

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly, 'In the past, the seal was always placed over the heart… so why the stomach this time?'

As the six-pointed star mark imprinted itself on Gaara's abdomen, a defiant roar echoed through the room.

"It's Shukaku!"

Gaara's eyes flickered with fear and dread.

But in the next instant, Gaara shuddered as excitement and astonishment spread across his face, "Wait... what's happening? I can't feel Shukaku anymore. Did he… disappear?"

At the same time, a system prompt sounded in Naruto's mind.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully signing a Servant Contract with Gaara!]

"Shukaku hasn't disappeared, but since you've signed the contract, he's now under my control as well. From now on, he can no longer cause trouble for you."

Naruto explained to Gaara.

Hearing this, Gaara's usually somber expression brightened with a rare look of joy, "Naruto, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course," Naruto replied with a mischievous grin. "If you don't believe me, I can prove it. Try manifesting Shukaku's claw with your left hand!"

"Don't joke around. I can barely control..."

Gaara started to speak, only to find his body moving on its own.

He watched as his left hand slowly rose. Violent Chakra from Shukaku surged from his abdomen and gathered in his left hand, drawing the sand from the floor into a massive, earth-colored claw.

"It… actually worked," Gaara muttered in disbelief.

His shock gradually gave way to a radiant smile… one filled with an indescribable sense of relief and happiness.

Gaara, a figure as unyielding as stone, actually shed tears at this moment.

"Naruto… thank you!"

Gaara said, his voice trembling with overwhelming gratitude as he bowed at a full ninety-degree angle… a gesture he had never shown even to his parents.

"Alright, alright, calm down. If you get any louder, people will start showing up." Naruto waved him off, "Remember, this secret stays between us, and no one else is to know. Understood?"

Gaara nodded vigorously. "Don't worry. I won't breathe a word of it."

"Oh, look at me, I haven't even sat down for tea yet. Here, have a seat and drink."

Gaara said, offering Naruto a cup of tea with both hands.

Gaara, who usually relied on his sand for every task, never extended this level of personal courtesy to anyone, not even his parents.

This was a level of VIP treatment reserved only for Naruto.

"Now you're finally letting me sit and rest. About time."

Naruto teased, shaking his head, "Forget it, anyway, your problem's resolved, and I need to report back to the main body. Shukaku will stay quiet, so get some rest."

After saying that, Naruto's shadow clone dispelled, vanishing in a cloud of white smoke.

Alone in the now-empty room, Gaara couldn't calm down for a long time.

Gaara lay on the tatami mat, still struggling to believe everything that had just transpired. It all felt like a dream, surreal and barely tangible.

He took a deep breath, and searched his body for any trace of Shukaku. Then, after confirming its absence, he lay back slowly. At that moment, he felt hot tears well up in his eyes.

Men don't shed tears easily, unless their heart has been truly touched.

Gaara, who had tried countless methods to achieve peaceful sleep without success, never imagined that coming to a foreign village like Konoha would finally resolve his suffering.

Lying down after so long, he could hardly remember when he last felt so safe and at ease. A brief wave of uncertainty washed over him, as if he'd forgotten how to sleep.

But soon enough, weariness overtook him, and, free of burdens, he drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Meanwhile, in his own home, Naruto lay back as a mix of familiar and unfamiliar memories surfaced in his mind. They were images from his shadow clone, which had now dispelled.

"Who would've thought Gaara would be so easy to sway?"

Naruto murmured with a wry smile, 'Sure enough, I had been overthinking this time.'

He had initially assumed that Gaara's withdrawn personality would make him challenging to reason with, especially when it came to relinquishing any personal freedom.

Any ordinary person would have hesitated, so Naruto had expected Gaara to be difficult to persuade. But he'd overlooked Gaara's utter exhaustion, the kind that comes when one's spirit teeters on the edge of collapse.

The more fatigued Gaara was, the more vulnerable he had become. Naruto had managed to take advantage of that, turning the situation to his favor.

As he glanced at the Servant Contract, which is now filled with four names, and each representing a formidable ally, Naruto felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

Previously unable to sleep due to his excitement over Icha-Icha Paradise, Naruto finally felt himself slipping into a deep sleep.

The night passed without incident until the next morning, when the sound of knocking pulled Naruto from his dreams.

Groggily, he opened his eyes.

"Who is it? Waking someone up this early…"

He opened the door to find Sakura and Sasuke standing outside.

"It's not exactly early." Sasuke remarked coolly, "It's almost noon. If we don't head to the registration now, we're going to be late."

Sakura chimed in, "Yeah, Naruto! We agreed to meet at nine, and it's already two in the afternoon."

"Alright, alright, give me a sec to wash my face, and I'll be ready to go."

After quickly freshening up, Naruto was surprised to see Sakura waiting, "Huh? Sakura is here too, I thought you were not coming."

"Of course I am!" Sakura declared, clenching her fists with determination, "For Team 7, and for myself, I'm going to work hard not to fall behind."

She stood proudly, exuding a passionate, can-do attitude. To anyone who didn't know her, Sakura might have appeared like the ideal, driven student.

But Naruto knew better, and he understood her eagerness stemmed from a reluctance to part ways with Sasuke.

Not that he'd call her out on it, though, as sometimes silence was the best gift one could give to someone else's pride.

The three soon arrived at the exam building. Climbing to the second floor, they found a crowd of Genin gathered around a scene of commotion inside.

"Let us in! We're here for the Chunin Exams!"

A boy with thick eyebrows, wearing a green jumpsuit, shouted. He was sprawled on the floor as though seriously injured.

The two Shinobi blocking the door crossed their arms and said coldly, "You can only enter if you defeat us!"

Seeing this, Naruto instantly recognized the setup.

He remembered that just before registration, there was a Genjutsu-based entrance test that disguised the second floor as the third. And plenty of people fell for it.

As for the one lying on the ground, it must have been Rock Lee, the 'hardworking genius'.

But at this moment, Naruto's gaze quickly drifted past the others. Searching the crowd, his eyes suddenly gleamed with excitement,

"Finally, I get to see the real person… Neji Hyuga..."