["What was that?"] Yitai, one of the four assassins, asked, genuinely baffled by Naruto's clumsy entrance.
["He... just fell," another stated, equally confused. "He didn't hide his chakra, he announced his presence, and he came in yelling. Is... is he one of ours? Some kind of secret fifth member?"]
The barrage of comments exploded with laughter.
[Even the enemy is confused! He completely broke their brains!]
[Hahahaha! It's a brilliant tactic! Infiltrate the enemy ranks by acting so incompetent they mistake you for one of their own! Sun Tzu would be proud!]
[Ah, yes, the legendary Konoha technique: Winning Through Utter Stupidity!]
[My sides! I can't breathe!]
[The reputation of the Leaf Village is officially in the mud.]
In the waiting room, a vein throbbed on Naruto's forehead. "I AM NOT STUPID!" he roared at the sky. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"
In the Pure Land, Kushina Uzumaki buried her face in her hands. "Naruto... I know we wanted you to be a free spirit, but this is taking it a little too far, ya know!" She paused, a thought striking her. "Speaking of free spirits... is Obito here, too?"
[On screen, one of the assassins finally put a label to the chaos. "He's an idiot." The leader, Setsuna, smirked, clearly enjoying the pre-battle trash talk.]
[Naruto, realizing he was being mocked, opened his mouth to retort, but he was too late. Zuho had already used the distraction to hustle Shion through a hidden passage. Remembering his mission, Naruto scrambled to his feet and planted himself in front of the secret door.]
["Alright! That's as far as you go!"] he declared.
["You think you alone can stop the four of us?"] Setsuna scoffed. Little did he know, he wasn't facing one person; he was facing an army.
["The name's Naruto Uzumaki! And you're not getting past me!"] Naruto's hands flew into a familiar seal. ["Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"]
[An eruption of smoke filled the room. The four assassins stumbled back out of the doorway, their eyes wide with shock as they were followed by not one, but hundreds of identical orange-clad figures, flooding the temple courtyard.]
[Holy...! Are you serious with that number of clones?!]
[I take it back! This isn't stupidity; it's a trap! That damned Leaf Village is more insidious than I thought!]
[He's Jiraiya's student, you morons! Did you really think he'd be simple?]
[Forget Jiraiya, look at his name! Uzumaki! A chakra pool that massive is just their clan trait!]
[Wait, you're right! Why didn't I notice that before? But aren't all Uzumaki supposed to have red hair?]
[Mixed blood, obviously. One of his parents must have been blonde. The Whirlpool Village and the Leaf were allies for generations. It's not that strange.]
Naruto's ears perked up. Uzumaki? Is my last name really that big a deal? He turned to his sensei. "Kakashi-sensei, what are they talking about?"
Kakashi felt a headache coming on. To explain the Uzumaki clan would inevitably lead to questions about Naruto's parents, one of Konoha's most tightly guarded secrets. He couldn't reveal that without the Hokage's direct permission.
"It's... complicated, Naruto," Kakashi said, choosing his words carefully. "Your clan was famous for their incredible vitality and massive chakra reserves. Let's focus on the screen for now. We can ask Lord Hokage to explain more later."
Naruto pouted. "You're no fun."
[On screen, Naruto and his army of clones quickly surrounded the four assassins. "So!" the main Naruto taunted. "Scared yet?"]
[The four assassins, however, remained calm. "Yitai, Setsuna, Shizuku!" their leader commanded. "Earth, Fire, and Wind combination! Now!"]
["Right! Earth Style: Earth Flow Corridor!"] Yitai slammed his fists into the ground.
[The courtyard erupted. Massive walls of rock shot up, trapping Naruto and his clones within a makeshift stone dome, leaving only a single, circular opening facing the assassins.]
["Now it's your turn!"] Setsuna said with a vicious grin.
["Fire Style: Fire Whirlwind!"] Shizuku, a woman with orange hair, began to spin like a dancer, launching a ring of fire through the opening in the dome.]**
In the waiting room, Sakura crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. "See! This is what happens when you rush in without a plan! Now you're trapped!"
"Hey! If I hadn't shown up, that priestess would have been a goner!" Naruto shot back.
Neji refuted him with cold logic. "Our paces were matched. If you were there, the rest of us were moments behind. Your recklessness only served to isolate you."
"Urgh... you're the worst!" Naruto slumped in his seat, defeated.
[On the screen, the future Naruto easily leaped over the ring of fire. "Ha! Is that it? I've seen bigger sparks from a campfire!"]
[He had spoken too soon. Outside the dome, Setsuna thrust his hands forward, unleashing a powerful gale. "Wind Style: Divine Tempest!"]
[The wind surged into the dome, catching the flames. The small ring of fire exploded into a raging inferno, incinerating every single shadow clone in a massive firestorm.]
[A short distance away, the real Neji stood on a tree branch, his Byakugan active. "That fool," he muttered, watching the fire die down. "He disobeyed orders and got himself caught." His gaze then shifted, his vision penetrating the temple walls until he located the priestess. "The target is by a waterfall deep inside the temple grounds. An enemy is closing in on her location."]
[His mind made up, he spoke to his team, who were presumably nearby. "I will eliminate the enemy pursuing the priestess. You two, rescue Naruto, then rendezvous at the waterfall. Go!"]
["Understood!"] came the dual replies of Sakura and Rock Lee.
(To be continued...