Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

No matter how much Naruto grumbled, the task of waking up Sakura was still forced upon him by Mebuki.

He walked up the stairs to the second floor, where a door labeled with 'Sakura' in large characters made it clear which room was hers.

Standing in front of the door, Naruto knocked, but there was no response for a long time.

"Sakura is a heavy sleeper. Go on in and wake her up, or breakfast will get cold." Mebuki's voice came from downstairs.

Upon hearing this, Naruto was speechless.

At this moment, he was completely sure that Sakura must be adopted.

After all, what kind of parents treat their child like this?

Naruto could see through Mebuki's intentions, which was clearly that she wanted something to happen between him and Sakura.

However, he also sensed something else.

Logically speaking, he is the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, so how could he be so easily 'adopted' without the higher-ups suspecting the Haruno Family of being spies from another village?

After all, a Jinchuriki was a valuable weapon for any village.

Or could it be that Mebuki and Kizashi had received some special instructions from the village's higher-ups?

That old fox Danzo seemed like exactly the kind of person who would plot something like this.

Of course, it's also possible that he was just overthinking it.

Either way, whatever schemes the higher-ups had, they weren't likely to endanger him directly. Naruto took it as a cautionary sign to stay vigilant and keep an eye on the Haruno couple.

With this in mind, he became even more determined to strengthen himself. Only by being powerful would he have a say in his fate.

After all, in the face of absolute power, all conspiracies are just jokes.

After making up his mind, he turned the doorknob and stepped into Sakura's room.

Boom!

Naruto's mind buzzed as a strong floral scent hit him.

'So this was a girl's room? It smells so good.'

Even though he had lived over twenty years in his previous life, combining both lives, this was his first time stepping into a girl's bedroom.

His heart couldn't help but race a little, filled with a mix of nervousness and excitement, along with a hint of anticipation.

To be honest, whether he liked Sakura or not, he couldn't deny one thing, that is, Sakura is indeed good-looking. At twelve years old, with her 150 cm height and youthful looks, she had a delicate charm.

The thought of legitimately entering a young girl's room made Naruto feel a mix of giddiness and thrill that was hard to put into words.

He glanced around. On the left side of the entrance was a neatly arranged wooden bookshelf. Moving forward, near the window, was a full-length mirror with a round clock above it. On the right side stood a pink wardrobe, and next to it was a matching pink bed. At the moment, a figure lay on that bed.

But soon, his excitement faded.

All he heard was Sakura mumbling in her sleep, "Sasuke, I like you so much... Naruto, you're such a jerk..."

Naruto watched as Sakura clutched her blanket tightly, smiling blissfully when she mentioned Sasuke, only to then punch the blanket furiously when she mentioned him, as if the blanket were her mortal enemy.

"Sure enough, Sakura is Sakura, I really just can't like her."

Naruto shook his head. The thrill from moments ago completely doused by this scene, like a cold water was poured over him.

Striding over to the bed, he pulled the blanket off her and grabbed Sakura, who was dressed in white pajamas, pulling her upright.

"Get up already!"

"No! I won't get up…" Sakura muttered in a sleepy, childish tone, but halfway through her words, she suddenly jolted awake. "Wait... that voice..."

She sat up with a jolt, then her eyes landed on the face she despised the most.

"Naruto! What are you doing in my house? No, wait, what are you doing in my room? Get out now!" Sakura quickly pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

Naruto yanked the blanket away and calmly explained, "I just had a talk with your parents, and I've officially moved into the Haruno household. Now, I'm your big brother."

"I don't believe you! You're lying just to get back at me for what happened yesterday and snuck in here. I'm warning you, get out now! When my parents find out, you're going to be in so much trouble!" Sakura growled.

Seeing Sakura's extremely wary expression, Naruto just shook his head. He let go of the quilt, then turned around and left.

Seeing this, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

But at the next moment, she heard Naruto shout down the stairs, "Mom! Mission complete! Sakura is up, and she's even louder than the Academy's guard dog. She's wide awake!"

"As expected of my son, you did a great job. Thank you for your hard work. Come down and eat!"

"Okay!"

With a quick response, Naruto bounded down the stairs.

Upon hearing all these, Sakura sat on her bed in a daze. She was certain she hadn't heard wrongly. The person who had just responded to Naruto was her mother, Haruno Mebuki.

'But why would Mom call Naruto her son? What was going on here?'

Without bothering to change, she rushed downstairs still in her pajamas.

There, she found her parents and Naruto enjoying breakfast together, chatting and laughing as if they were a family of three.

"Can someone tell me what's going?" Sakura asked, clearly bewildered.

Mebuki glanced at her and frowned, "Sakura, go freshen up. Just look at yourself, hair uncombed and face unwashed. Aren't you embarrassed?"

Then she turned to Naruto, a smile suddenly spread across her face, "As expected of my son, you woke Sakura up so easily. I have always been at a loss as to what to do with her morning laziness. It seems like this responsibility should go to you from now on."

"What? No way," Naruto quickly protested. "You should've heard her. She was talking in her sleep, not only cursing me but treating the blanket as if it were me, like she was trying to beat me to death."

Mebuki sighed and said, "Well, no matter what, she's your little sister now. As her older brother, you should be a bit more understanding."

As she said that, she glanced at Sakura again and frowned, "Why don't you go wash up? What are you standing there for? No breakfast until you're clean."

Sakura, unable to get a word in edgewise, had no choice but to go freshen up.

As the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Mebuki leaned in and lowered her voice, "Naruto, are you sure this plan will work?"

Naruto nodded, "Don't worry. Suddenly having an older brother, and seeing you treat me so well, she's bound to feel jealous and try to prove herself. Of course, she's not going to let me off the hook either."

"Thank you for your hard work, Naruto." Mebuki said apologetically.

Naruto waved his hands and said, "It's okay. I just happened to learn a Genjutsu and need a test subject. If she wants to cause trouble for me, I'll make sure she regrets it… unless you...?"

Before he could finish, Mebuki decisively replied, "As long as it doesn't threaten her life, just do it, you have my full support."

"Mine too," Kizashi added with a nod.

"With your support, I'll go all out." After finishing the last bite, Naruto got up and ran to the bathroom. He didn't want to wait even another second.

Just now, Sakura had been dreaming about beating him up. He felt this mindset needed serious correction. And he would make sure she learned her lesson.

After all, he has to hold on to his status in this family tightly!

When Naruto opened the bathroom door, and before Sakura could start complaining, he gathered his Chakra, rapidly weaving hand seals. His hands moved so quickly that they even left afterimages.

As he completed the final seal on Tiger, he shouted in a low voice:

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"