Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

A dark, moonless night, with winds slicing through the air, brought a slight chill.

Of course, this was Konoha, and no one would dare cause trouble here, let alone kill. The thought was laughable.

Still, as Naruto and the five representatives stood outside the Hokage's Office, a sense of nervous tension filled the air.

Submitting a petition to restart the Chunin Exams was unprecedented. For a group of twelve- and thirteen-year-olds, it was impressive enough that they could stand without their legs shaking.

"Relax. Nothing to be nervous about. Just follow my lead, and when I speak, you just need to nod along. If nothing unexpected happens, this should go smoothly."

Naruto encouraged the five people beside him.

"I believe in you, Naruto-kun!" Gaara, representing Sungakure, had his usual stoic expression.

Among these people, he is also the calmest.

The others simply nodded in agreement, too tense to speak.

Clap, clap, clap!

Naruto walked up to each one, giving them a firm pat on the back and infusing a sliver of Kyubi's Chakra into them, breaking the tension with its intense, almost wild energy.

It was like scaring someone to stop their hiccups, a shock to reset their nerves.

Seeing that everyone had relaxed, Naruto knocked on the door and walked into the Hokage's Office first.

However, before Naruto could say anything, Sandaime, who sat with his hat concealing his expression, spoke up, "Naruto, I've heard about your request. The Chunin Exams can be rescheduled and restarted."

"Huh…?"

Naruto was slightly startled, and after coming to his senses, he bowed slightly, "Thank you, Hokage-sama, we will take our leave now."

Without saying anything more, Naruto led the group in a respectful bow, and they exited the Hokage's office.

"That was amazing! I can't believe how easy it was!"

"It's like a dream!"

"We've just made Chunin Exams history!"

The other representatives, ecstatic, showered Naruto with thumbs-up and praise.

Naruto responded with a smile, but Gaara noticed that Naruto's smile was empty, a mere mask.

But before he could ask, Naruto signaled with his eyes not to say anything more.

Seeing this, Gaara said, "I'll head back to inform the Sunagakure's teams of the good news."

The others nodded in agreement and dispersed.

Once they had left, Naruto slipped a thin, hair-like object through the door crack into the Hokage's Office before walking away.

On his way back, Naruto wore an overly bright smile, but his heart was already filled with turbulent waves.

He was not happy at all, his stomach was full of bitter taste of frustration!

He'd expected a heated debate, hours of negotiation before barely securing approval. After all, the Hokage, being the authority figure, would need to keep up appearances.

But the ease with which Sandaime had agreed, even preemptively so, was troubling.

'Even if Ibiki had informed him of everything, Ibiki himself didn't know about the petition. How, then, did Sandaime know about the united front we'd formed?'

The answer became evident the moment Naruto spotted the crystal ball on Sandaime's desk, displaying an image of the corridor outside the Hokage's Office.

It's obvious that Sandaime had been watching him the whole time!

The most important thing is… Naruto didn't know when Sandaime had started monitoring him.

If it began that afternoon, then everything he discussed with Sasuke was probably seen. If it went back even further, the previous day's meeting with Orochimaru could have been discovered as well.

The more he thought about it, the more panicked Naruto became.

He was very worried that everything he had would be exposed by Sandaime.

'What should I do?'

Naruto was thinking in his heart when a breeze blew by, making him shivered slightly.

'Hmm?'

'Why does this line sound familiar?'

'No way…'

'Could it really be one of those 'perfect nights for a killing'?'

Naruto shook his head, trying to push the thought aside.

He closed his right eye, connecting his vision to the pinhole camera he had slipped into the Hokage's Office.

In the empty Hokage's Office, Sandaime was staring intently at his crystal ball, which displayed none other than Naruto himself.

'This damned old bastard… he's still watching me!'

Naruto couldn't help but cursed in his heart. He rolled his eyes and swiftly made his way back home.

Once inside, he headed straight to the bathroom, humming loudly, "I love my shower, keeps me strong and powerful.'

However, Naruto's right eye remained closed as he observed the situation on Sandaime's side.

When Sandaime saw Naruto entering the shower, he switched the crystal ball's view to monitor Naruto's entire apartment.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Naruto quickly created a shadow clone. While the shadow clone was showering, his real body used Transformation Technique to become a small kid and hid inside the laundry bin in the bathroom.

After a quick five-minute rinse, the clone turned off the shower, dressed in fresh clothes, and went out to have dinner at the Haruno household.

Through the pinhole camera, Naruto saw Sandaime's crystal ball shift its view back to his apartment, scanning the room.

Only when Sandaime focused on the clone leaving did Naruto feel secure enough to emerge from his hiding spot. Still in his childlike disguise, he slipped out the window and headed for the inn where Kusagakure's Shinobi were staying.

Before long, he found the hotel and knocked on the door to the Kusagakure's candidates' room.

"Where did this little brat come from?"

The Kusagakure's Shinobi who opened the door reeked of alcohol.

"I'm looking for someone called the 'Servant'," Naruto, still in his child form, replied, "I have a message to deliver.

"Okay, wait here."

Because he could take part in the Chunin Exams again, this Kusagakure's Shinobi was obviously drunk in celebration. Without asking any more questions, he staggered back and shouted, "Hey, Servant! There's a little brat looking for you."

"Coming."

As soon as the words fell, a figure emerged from the room.

She is a tall, dark-skinned woman.

When Naruto saw this figure, he was relieved. This was Orochimaru, who is disguised as a Kusagakure's Genin in order to take part in the Chunin Exams.

"How do you know that name, kid?"

"I'm Naruto. Come with me," Naruto whispered in a low tone.

Hearing this, Orochimaru was slightly startled, then nodded and followed Naruto out.

To avoid suspicion, Orochimaru transformed into a child as well as they walked, then asked in a hushed voice, "Naruto-kun, what's this about?"

Naruto's face turned serious, "That old man… Sandaime, has been watching me through his crystal ball. I have no idea how long he's been monitoring me..."

"So that's how it is."

Orochimaru nodded slightly and fell into deep thought.

He also understands the gravity of the situation.

After a moment of silence, he inquired, "So, what do you plan to do, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto took a deep breath and said, "There's an old saying, 'a moonless, windy night is perfect for a killing'!"

This phrase wasn't easy for Naruto to utter. He had gone over countless plans in his mind, and yet nothing seemed feasible. Eliminating Sandaime seemed to be the only solution to ensure his secrets remained safe.

Naruto's life had been far from easy. In his childhood, he had been isolated, and other kids avoided him due to the influence of their elders.

At home, he was met with nothing but solitude, despite being the son of the legendary Yondaime Hokage!

The contrast was painfully clear: the child of a hero, treated like a monster.

Even if Sandaime had his reasons, choosing the village's safety over Naruto's happiness, he hadn't attempted to reveal Naruto's true identity all these years. That fact left a bitter taste in Naruto's mouth, making him view this old man as nothing short of a hypocrite!

Orochimaru, seeing the hatred flash in Naruto's eyes, pondered for a moment before responding, "If killing him is the answer… then so be it."