114: Chapter 114 The Battle Begins! The Clever ZabuzaTsuna hugged her son tightly, still trembling uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face like broken beads.
She looked up at the shadow clone of Naruto in the doorway, her voice choked with relief and boundless gratitude: "Naruto.thank you.really.thank you."
If it weren't for this "Naruto" returning in time.the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Naruto's shadow clone scratched his head, a simple, honest smile spreading across his face: "No need to be so polite, Aunt Tsunami!But."
He pointed to himself, "I'm Naruto's shadow clone.I don't know where the real one is, and of all times, I'm not here.How unreliable."
He then asked seriously, "By the way, Aunt Tsunami, where did Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Sakura go?And what about Uncle Tazuna?"
Once she had calmed down a bit, Tsunami quickly replied, "Mr.Kakashi and the others went to the bridge construction site!Father went with them too!"
"Bridge construction site?"
Naruto's shadow clone's eyes sharpened."As expected!That bastard Gato has officially made his move!Since he dared to send people here to take hostages, then there must be a battle taking place on the other side of the bridge too!"
He immediately realized the gravity of the situation!He had to notify the main body immediately!
He turned to look outside the door and saw that the other Naruto shadow clones who had been sent out to pick wild vegetables were also returning one after another from the forest, carrying baskets, their faces showing the relief of having completed their mission and the playful banter between them.
Naruto's shadow clone said to Tsunami and Inari inside the house, "Aunt Tsunami, Inari, don't worry!"
"Now, let my newly returned 'brothers' protect you!"
He shouted loudly to the several shadow clones who had just reached the doorway and were still somewhat confused:
"Hey!You guys!Listen up!There are bad guys attacking!I just knocked out two of them!You immediately protect Aunt Tsunami and Inari!Be on high alert!Understand?"
Upon hearing this, the playful smiles on the shadow clones vanished instantly, replaced by serious expressions, and they responded in unison:
"Oh—!Understood!" They quickly divided the tasks and guarded the doors, windows, and key points inside the house.
After arranging the guards, Naruto's shadow clone took one last look at Tsunami and Inari, who were being protected, and said with a firm gaze: "Alright!I need to tell the main body this message immediately!The bridge needs support!"
Shadow Clone Technique - Release!
With a soft "poof," the smoke dissipated, and Naruto's shadow clone, having completed its mission, vanished from the spot.
Almost at the same time he disappeared, the lively voices of the other shadow clones teasing each other could be heard from afar:
"Hey, hey, hey, you guys dawdled back with me, did you also sneak in some wild vegetables after taking a nap?"
A Naruto shadow clone, hands on hips, demanded, "What do you mean 'also'?I searched the entire mountain to gather it!I rushed back as fast as I could!Do you think I'm like you?"
"Exactly!I didn't even leave the tenderest shepherd's purse behind!"
"Tch, you might be able to fool others with that, but don't fool yourself too."
Listening to the familiar, amusing banter of the shadow clones outside the door, and recalling the shadow clone who had just risked his life to protect them.
Having survived the ordeal, Tsunami held Inari tightly in her arms, the cold fear in her heart finally replaced by a warm sense of security.
She looked down at her son and noticed that Inari's eyes, red and swollen from crying, were staring blankly at the noisy golden figures outside the door.
Besides lingering fear, for the first time, a complex light, described as "reassurance" and.indescribable, appeared in his eyes.
"Mother..."
Inari's voice was still choked with sobs, but there was a subtle, almost imperceptible change in it, "Naruto-nii-san."
He didn't say the rest, but buried his little head even deeper into his mother's warm embrace.
————————
Near the bridge construction site, on a high cliff hidden by trees, the fog was thicker than elsewhere, carrying the salty dampness of the sea breeze.
"How is it, Bai?"
Zabuza's deep voice rang out, tinged with a barely perceptible impatience, "Did the shadow clones send back any intelligence?"
Bai Jingjing stood quietly at the edge of the cliff, closing her eyes and concentrating, sensing the fragments of memory transmitted back after the "herb-gathering" shadow clone dissipated not long ago.
After a moment, he opened his clear, watery eyes and turned towards Zabuza's direction:
"We've encountered.the blond ninja who stole your Executioner's Blade."
"oh?"
Zabuza's voice rose slightly, "Is he alone?Where are the others?"
"Yes, Lord Zabuza."
Bai respectfully replied, "He didn't encounter anyone else, and I didn't see the decapitation sword with him.He must have been separated from his companions."
"We broke up."
Zabuza's tone carried a cruel, playful edge."Hmph, that saves us trouble.In that case, let's let him go for now."
Taking them down one by one is more efficient.
His gaze shifted to Bai, but instead of focusing on Bai, it seemed to pass through and land on a tree behind Bai."Bai, why did you create shadow clones again?"
"We're about to fight, why waste chakra now?"
Bai Wei was taken aback, and her worry deepened as she looked at Zabuza staring at the empty space as he spoke.
He moved quietly to the spot where Zabuza's gaze should have been fixed, his voice filled with concern:
"Lord Zabuza.I did not create a shadow clone."
Besides.I'm here.
"...Um?"
Zabuza seemed to have heard the direction from which the sound came, and somewhat slowly and hesitantly turned his bandaged head toward the source of the sound.
Zabuza, who appeared before Haku, had a look that was, to put it mildly, hard to describe.
He remained tall and imposing, exuding an imposing aura.The person, but that head.was stuck at an extremely bizarre angle, in a comical way.
What's even more alarming is that his once cold and sharp eyes are now darting to the left and right, their gaze unfocused, yet radiating an indescribable "wisdom".
With his bandaged appearance, he looked like a performance artist who had just escaped from a mental hospital.
Looking at Zabuza's near-collapsed state, Haku spoke again with deep concern:
"Lord Zabuza.perhaps.we should go back and rest for a while longer?Given your condition."
"Um?"
Even with his eyes unfocused, Zabuza's pride as a powerful figure remained strong.He let out a dissatisfied snort, attempting to project an authoritative expression.
But his slanted face only made him look more comical."How dare you question my condition?Bai?"
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