The Legend of Konoha's Shooting Star

The Other Face

Sweat dripped down Naruto's face while he stood there, panting. He was exhausted, but he managed to stay on his feet.

"Ugh..." Mibu groaned as he and teammates began to pick themselves up again. 'What a kid... He can still move...?'

'Is this really that Naruto...?' Sasuke wondered, furrowing his brow. 'This guy... since when did he grow this much!?'

"... Naruto..." Sakura said, amazed but also concerned. Should he really be moving in that condition?

"Good job, Naruto!!" April praised him. 'This was definitely a tactic only he could pull off... I'd love to tell him not to fight anymore, since he's clearly exhausted... but that would just egg him on...' She had learned by now that would never work. If you told Naruto not to do something, he would not only do it twice, he would take pictures while he did it.

'Wow... What chakra stamina...' Kabuto thought, astonished. 'A major technique combining many Shadow Clones and transforming only four of them into his companions... all that, and he can still move... And this is the fifth day...' He had to keep his expression cool. 'If this kid masters his chakra use... He'll become a monster...'

"You're pretty good..." their first rain ninja said as he and his comrades stood up again and formed their hand seals. "But we aren't 'unlucky' just yet... There's little time left... Now, we'll show you our ninjutsu!!'

'Ninja Art: Fog Clone Jutsu!!' the three rain ninjas thought, creating numerous duplicates of themselves.

"... Shadow Clones...?" Naruto said, furrowing his brow.

"No... They're just normal clones..." Sasuke replied, scanning them with his Sharingan. "But there must be some trick, watch out..."

"Heh, if that's the case, then there's only one real enemy..." Naruto said, smirking. "I'll just blast them all 'til I hit the real one."

"Idiot, that plan won't work..." Sasuke tried to tell him.

"!" they exclaimed when Naruto charged forward anyway.

"I told you to stay out of this!!!" he shouted at Sasuke, roaring out a battle cry as he ran. "UOOOOO!!!"

"Naruto!! Don't!!" Sakura yelled.

'Damn!! He's still got enough energy to get himself in trouble!!' April thought, frowning and furrowing her brow as she bent her knees, and shot out to help him.

"... Geez!!" Kabuto huffed, springing after April to join her in her attempt to bail Naruto out.

"...!!" Sasuke winced, startled when he tried to move, but was paralyzed by pain instead.

"!" Sakura was about to go, too, but she was startled by the look on Sasuke's face and the slight tremor running through his body and immediately realized something was wrong.

'Ugh... using my Sharingan makes the mark on my neck hurt... Have I used too much chakra...!?' he wondered, alarmed. 'Damn it...'

"Ahhhh!!!!" Naruto yelled, slamming his fist into the face of the first rain ninja he ran into. "!!" he exclaimed as he fell right through it. 'Damn it!! A clone!!' he thought, managing to catch himself in time. He kicked at another, but his foot went through its neck. 'And this one...' He tried to punch another, but passed through its body again. 'And this one!!'

"Come back!! Naruto!!" April shouted at him, throwing a spray of shurikens as a test. Every single one of her targets, and several behind them, was a clone.

"Naruto-kun! Stop!!" Kabuto yelled when he ignored April and continued to fight.

'They're all fake...?' Sakura thought while she watched them confirm several more clones. 'Could this be another genjutsu...!?'