Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

With so many distinctive features, Naruto could only think of one person… Orochimaru.

'But why would Orochimaru be here, of all places, at this time?'

'Logically speaking, after Orochimaru left the Akatsuki, he should be focused on developing the Otogakure.'

'Could it be that I have wandered into the wrong plotline?'

"You know me? How interesting."

Orochimaru said, licking his lips as he looked at Naruto with a curious gaze.

Naruto felt as though he were being watched by a venomous snake and couldn't help but shiver.

At the next moment, he stepped on the ground and suddenly jumped out of the house through the window.

There were only a few minutes left before he could complete his sign-in. As long as he successfully sign-in, the shadow clone can just dispel himself and there is no need to engage in a fight with Orochimaru.

After all, Orochimaru was the type who wouldn't hesitate to devour his prey completely!

But before he could get far, a shadow appeared in front of him. It was Orochimaru, looking calm and collected as ever.

'Persistent as a ghost!'

Naruto cursed inwardly, realizing that his Taijutsu was lacking and that there was no way he could outrun Orochimaru.

"Why are you chasing me?" Naruto finally stopped running and confronted him.

Orochimaru's interest only grew: "I'm curious. How do you know me? And why are you here? Who are you, really?"

Hearing this, Naruto made a preliminary judgment in his mind.

'Orochimaru didn't come here specifically to look for me, but simply because I made a noise, which attracted his attention.'

'Then, the purpose of Orochimaru coming here is very obvious. He wants to find Uchiha's remains for his own research.'

'But his efforts were in vain. After several years, even if the Uchiha's remains are still here, they would have decomposed, not to mention that Danzo had already taken them away and dug out their eyes.'

'Wait, there's no way Orochimaru couldn't have thought of such a simple fact.'

'So, why was he here?'

Naruto racked his brains and suddenly thought of an important link.

'Even during his time as Missing-nin, Orochimaru maintained a partnership of mutual interest with Danzo!'

'For example, the Cursed Seal on Anko, the Wood Release on Yamato, and the Sharingan on Danzo, these are most likely the collaborative projects between Danzo and Orochimaru.'

'For Orochimaru to enter the Uchiha ruins so smoothly, Danzo's hidden assistance seemed highly probable.'

'If my assumption was correct, then the fact that I'd been seen here tonight would be a serious issue. If Orochimaru reported it to Danzo, the Root wouldn't let me off easily.'

Thinking of this, Naruto couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

'Right now, running and stalling for time were pointless. The most important thing is to make Orochimaru keep his mouth shut and not leak the matter.'

After making up his mind, Naruto leaned forward and said, "Orochimaru, if you want to know why I'm here, it's simple. But you have to agree not to tell anyone that you saw me here tonight."

"And why should I agree to that?" Orochimaru chuckled lightly.

Naruto frowned and said, "If you don't agree, I can always leave the village. But before that, I will tell Sandaime about your presence here, and you will never set foot in Konoha again."

The old fox Sandaime would easily deduce that Orochimaru planned to target the village upon hearing of his presence. Then, any plans Orochimaru had to infiltrate Konoha would be ruined before they began.

"You're threatening me?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

Naruto snorted coldly, "So what if I am? If you're going to make things difficult for me, don't expect to get away unscathed either."

"Oh, really?"

Orochimaru's mouth curled into a faint smile, and at the next moment, his figure suddenly disappeared from where he was.

When he appeared again, he was already behind Naruto.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru growled, and several white snakes suddenly emerged from his sleeves, opening their fanged mouths and biting towards Naruto.

Naruto's expression changed. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to attack him so suddenly.

Logically speaking, given Orochimaru's character, he should have opted for negotiation. Yet his sudden attack clearly shows he thinks Naruto is just a kid he can quickly subdue.

It's a pity that Orochimaru made a wrong calculation in the end.

Naruto is no longer the dead-last student from the original work. Now, he's a terrifying existence wielding the power of the Kyubi!

With a sudden whoosh, dark red flames surged from Naruto's body. Four tails appeared behind him, and he had used half Biju Transformation.

The tails, like whips, lashed out with a series of crackling sounds, shattering the white snakes Orochimaru had summoned.

"So you're the Kyubi brat… Uzumaki Naruto?"

Orochimaru naturally recognized the sinister, violent Chakra, as well as those red, fox-like slitted eyes.

"Twelve years on, and you've already begun merging your chakra with the Kyubi? Quite the surprise."

Orochimaru crawled on the ground and opened his mouth wide. Suddenly, countless gray little snakes poured out of his mouth and surged towards Naruto like a tidal wave.

Naruto didn't hesitate. The four tails behind him merged into a single massive red tail, which he swung forcefully down on the snake wave.

Boom!

The tail smashed down fiercely, and the snake tide turned into white smoke and completely disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Interesting." Orochimaru looked at Naruto with interest, his neck suddenly stretching several meters.

At the same time, a snake head emerged from his mouth, and a long sword emerged from the snake's mouth, thrusting straight towards Naruto's heart.

Clang!

The tip of the sword struck its mark, but it didn't even pierce through the dark red cloak, instead producing a sound of metal colliding.

"How is it possible?! My Kusanagi Sword couldn't penetrate your defense?" Orochimaru's expression changed.

Naruto grinned, with a hint of malice in his smile: "Oh, there's a lot more for you to be shocked about!"

In the original work, half-transformed Naruto at Four Tails could already stand toe-to-toe with Orochimaru. So now, wielding the complete power of the Kyubi, Orochimaru didn't stand a chance against him.

"Haah!"

Naruto growled, and the dark red cloak on his body changed drastically, turning into an orange-yellow coat that enveloped his entire body.

This is the complete power of the Kyubi!

Endless Chakra surged through Naruto's body, filling him with strength. The nine tails behind him moved as naturally as his limbs.

Then, with a flash, he appeared behind Orochimaru. a split second, eight of the tails wrapped tightly around Orochimaru.

The remaining tail began to condense positive black Chakra and negative white Chakra in an 8:2 ratio, compressing them into an ultra-dense purple sphere.

This was the Biju's ultimate technique… Bijudama!

Feeling the surge of power from the Bijudama, Orochimaru's face revealed shock: "How is it possible? How can you unleash such a powerful Ninjutsu?"

Not even someone as formidable as Orochimaru dared to take that attack head-on.

With a swift move, Orochimaru opened his mouth wide, his jaw fully splitting apart. Then, a figure jumped out of his mouth and quickly flickered away.

"The Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique? It's really a good life-saving skill." Naruto remarked playfully: "But in this battle, you stand no chance of winning!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto transformed into a streak of golden light and quickly dashed towards Orochimaru.

"Take this… Body Slam!"