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[—NTLS—]
Chapter Fifty: A Deserved Upgrade.
Naruto carefully walked through the overhanging vines of the thick trees in the forest he was currently in. It was a smaller forest near the outskirts of the town, and therefore there would be no one to watch him as he trained. The official training grounds would have the same function, but there were chances of any stray shinobi walking around who might be able to find him randomly.
But why exactly did Naruto need to have secrecy?
It was currently the day after fighting Wukong. He had spent the rest of the day sleeping in his apartment, only waking up when he got hungry during the middle of the night, and responded to the hunger by cooking up some instant ramen which served its purpose even if the taste wasn't anything to boast about. He woke up today with the sudden urge to train with his shadows, meaning he needed an area to train without having the fear of getting caught didn't take over his session.
It was one of the few things Naruto had no idea what to do. The Necromancer knew that revealing his abilities would cascade into a series of reactions that would shake the entirety of Konoha, which could either be a good thing or a bad thing. The only option Naruto had was to secretly work on his skill when he got the opportunity, which was rare as it was.
Summon Shadow Tayuya!
The shadows from before him quickly swerved into the feminine shape of a familiar ex-terrorist who used to have bright-red hair which was not an onyx black.
Naruto sweatdropped.
He remembered the first time he tried to summon Tayuya, not including the time when he first successfully extracted her. It was a mess, to say the least. A few minutes of constant cursing, questions, and answers of her own. It likely would have gone further if it hadn't been for the MP drainage. If it wasn't known already, Naruto wasn't sure what to do with such characters like hers.
"Where the hell am I?" Tayuya drawled lazily.
Naruto shrugged. "A random forest in the middle of nowhere."
"Why am I here?"
"Felt like it. It's not like you have much to do whenever you're in the system or whichever location you go to. As a matter of fact, where exactly do you go once I dismiss you?"
It was a good question—where exactly do the shadows go once Naruto dismissed them? Would they simply cease to exist or enter some sort of shadow realm (Naruto secretly hoped it was the latter). It once again highlighted just how insanely strong his ability was, having the ability to store literal personifications of people who once roamed the living world.
"I feel nothing. I'm in some sort of shadow world, though I can't really feel the time passing. Now that I think of it…I don't really feel anything either. All my senses are gone. It's just dark. No, dark doesn't really make sense, more like nothing. If you get what I mean."
At least they don't feel the passage of time, I'd have felt seriously guilty if they were just cooped up in there with nothing to do for days at a time. I need to level up this skill further so that I can use these skills for longer periods of time. Or somehow gain larger amounts of MP, though that hasn't happened yet. So far, I've only managed to decrease the amount of MP used per skill, but the MP has been capped at 100. Maybe…
Naruto nodded, clearing his thoughts as he cleared his throat. "Somewhat, though it's hard to really visualize what nothing really is. Enough of that, though. We've brought you here to train!"
Tayuya scoffed. "Against who?"
Summon Shadow Zabuza.
"Oi, brat. It's been a while."
Zabuza leaned casually against his massive sword, his visage as intimidating as ever. He was even more muscular than his human counterpart, who was rather lean by regular standards. All that training he had done with Naruto had come to fruition, though it didn't really make sense how the shadow was able to grow in muscles without the slightest consumption of food, but walking zombies didn't make sense either.
"Let's do this quick, I don't have much time cus' of the MP that's being drained right now. Both of you need to slug it out until the other forfeits! Go!" Naruto quickly ordered, slicing downwards with a straight palm, signaling for the fight to start.
"Huh?! That's fucking sudden!" Tayuya exclaimed, seemingly startled.
Zabuza, on the other hand, looked eager to fight. "I wouldn't say no to beating up a loudmouth..."
Tayuya's expression was immediately filled with anger. "What did you just say shitbag?"
Zabuza won't like that…
Naruto merely smirked. "Clock's ticking…"
The blond leaped backwards as the two ninjas dashed towards each other with great speed.
Zabuza slashed his sword forward in a wide arch, looking to slice through Tayuya's body and end the fight here and now. While the shadows couldn't actually die (also considering the fact that they were already dead), there was a limit to how much damage they could take. Naruto wasn't sure what that limit was, as his shadows hadn't once dissipated for reasons other than MP usage or by his own hand.
Tayuya bent her torso backward, dodging the massive blade before launching her own punch forward.
Zabuza wasn't fazed, however, and took the hit head-on. His leg was blazing towards Tayuya's abdomen, hitting the target through her guard and making direct contact. The force of the hit pushed the girl backward and tumbled towards a tree in the distance, her back knocking against the bark of the wood and stopping her momentum.
"You aren't a challenge for me," Zabuza growled, looking straight into the seating eyes of the red-haired girl. "Is this who I was put up against?" He asked, looking at Naruto.
Her main offense came from her use of her summons. The summons that Naruto had killed before killing Tayuya herself a minute later. It wasn't like she would have been able to use them while she was dead, however. For the summoning jutsu to work, there had to be a 'catalyst' of some sort to spark the contract. The catalyst was usually blood, which was the case for Tayuya and even Naruto. And obviously, the shadows didn't have any blood to their name
Tayuya was not nearly as strong as when she was living. She lacked her summons, and her stats would be much lower. Naruto, however, wouldn't give up on her yet. She had great potential, that much was obvious from the fight he had with the girl and her ingenious implementation of the flute in her fighting style. There was much more for her to learn, and even more so to accomplish.
Her biggest mistake while she was alive was getting too dependent on her summons. Naruto thought with a frown.
Tayuya roared, bringing out her flute in a last-ditch effort to try something.
Zabuza was quicker than ever. It was almost like the shadow was getting faster and faster these days. He appeared like a flash next to Tayuya, grabbing onto her shadow flute (similar to how Zabuza's own sword took shadow form), knocking it out of her grasp with a pull of his hands.
Naruto sighed. The expected outcome. A bit too quick for my liking though. I need to find a way to train Tayuya even further…
Naruto knew how to fight. He knew how to plan during a fight, and how to win against his opponents. He definitely did not know how to train someone else. The best he did was training Konohamaru, which was more of a joke than anything else. Training someone with such talent like Tayuya, especially taking into account her prickly attitude would be a pain in the ass. But it would be necessary for the greater good. Having a well-rounded team of shadows would be essential to his survival.
Currently, his shadows were his number one asset. It was an ability that literally no one knew about except himself. His ace in the hole. A trump card, so to speak. Naruto wasn't sure how he would scale against Fuu while using his shadows, who was the strongest person he knew around his own age. But he believed that he would win the fight eventually. With the element of surprise, Naruto trusted in his own ability enough to know that he had a chance of winning. Sure, in pure strength and speed, the mint-haired girl was superior, but those didn't matter as much in a fight as much as planning did.
Take Shikamaru for example, whose physical stats were abysmal compared to some of the heavy hitters in his age group. However, Naruto wholeheartedly believed that the Nara could take on someone like Kiba and win nine out of ten times. The tenth loss would just be because he would get tired of winning at one point.
"Hmm…Zabuza, you've gotten a lot stronger. You're easily the best shadow I have right now. Next is Haku, who isn't here obviously. His utility alone is something to consider. Last is Tayuya, which is to be expected. You're our newest shadow and lack the most experience. You're also missing your main attacking system. What else can you do with the flute, Tayuya?"
Tayuya, who had gotten up from her prone position after the fight and was
glaring daggers into the taller shadow who stood a few meters away from her, began to speak. "I can do many things. I know a few minor healing jutsus. The Genjutsu you know about. There's some other techniques as well."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Healing?"
"It's just a few healing techniques that are amplified by the sounds of the flute," Tayuya mumbled, stopping in between at times to glare at the stoic Zabuza who listened without any expression on his bandaged-covered face.
The blond wanted to whoop in joy. A healer! Even though she mentioned that it was just minor healing, this was a game changer. If Naruto had Tayuya improve her healing to the point it could deal with some more serious injuries, his shadow party would be truly balanced. He had an assassin and fighter in Zabuza, a specialist in Haku who could do several things, and last but not least, Tayuya, a healer and an illusionist.
He was interrupted from these thoughts when a large siphoning noise filled the forest. Naruto looked to the right to see the source of the disturbance, his eyes falling on a certain Zabuza. There was a strange, purple aura arising from every portion of his body, rising into the air and forming a stream of energy that rose until the ends of the trees. Thankfully it didn't go past the leaves, or he would have had some visitors in a few minutes.
Zabuza looked at his open palms with doubt. "What the hell is happening?"
Naruto watched with his mouth agape. "I have no idea."
And suddenly, the energy stopped.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations!]
[Shadow Zabuza has evolved.]
[Zabuza is now a Shadow Commander.]
He looked back at Zabuza, who appeared very different. Around his shoulders were bright onyx shoulder plates that shone with a dark intensity. An alluring, smoky aura covered his armor, making Naruto unable to take his eyes off. A thin chest-plate of similar material covered his front, along with pads around his thighs and legs.
Tayuya looked hungrily at the power that was streaming off of Zabuza, the envy in her eyes unmistakable.
Zabuza clenched his fist and released it. "Ah, that feels good. I feel…stronger. What the hell just happened?"
Naruto thought deeply as he eyed his subordinate, his hand on his chin. "Looks like all your training finally paid off. You've 'evolved' according to the system. A shadow commander, huh? I wonder what comes after that, then. Maybe a shadow king or something? Whatever, what do you feel is different?"
Zabuza shrugged, taking the evolution rather easily. "Other than the physical improvements, not much. This armor is surprisingly light, though. I want to test its durability later."
Naruto put a hand through his thick hair. "There may even be some skills which you've developed that might take time to unlock. That happened to me when I got the Trickster class. Getting skills of your own as a shadow would seriously boost your strength up a lot. We can only hope, however."
"Hmm."
"That's it for today. Tayuya, I'm going to be more involved in your training from now on," Naruto stated, smirking as he saw the red-haired girl roll her eyes. "Tomorrow we'll test how much stronger you got, Zabuza. That's it for now."
He dismissed the two shadows without much more fanfare. Today was certainly fruitful.
[New Skill Achieved: Shadow Connection Lvl 1]
[The user gains the ability to talk telepathically to shadows of 'Commander' or higher rank.]
That seems very useful. Naruto thought with a grin. I can communicate with Zabuza without even having to look at him. There may not be a range limit! That meant that Zabuza could be the perfect spy for him to use. While shadow clones served a similar purpose, the only issue was that the large explosion of smoke that followed from the destruction of clones was difficult to miss. Zabuza's silent dissipation into the air was nearly impossible to detect unless you had a Byakugan in hand. Or in your face, to be more specific.
Naruto nearly salivated at the thought of all his shadows reaching Commander level. They would be able to communicate at extremely high levels, and the opponents wouldn't suspect a thing!
This was a fruitful meeting!
[—NTLS—]
Tsunade watched with caution as the old man walked into the council meeting, everyone greeting him with a bow.
Danzo Shimura was dangerous. That much she knew with a single meeting with him. An air of mystery clung to his body, an oppressive aura that spread through the room.
The Senju knew how the power dynamics worked in the council room.
It was nearly always the Hokage versus the elders—a bunch of sheep who had Danzo for support whenever they wanted things to go their way. The bandaged man wasn't Hokage, but was easily the second most powerful man in Konoha politically due to the sheer pull he held.
Tsunade cleared her throat. "Greetings. Let's hope for a peaceful and productive session—I'm sure all of us have things to do today."
Murmurs of agreement broke through the seated crowd.
Ito Watanabe, someone who Tsunade quickly came to respect considering his neutral stance in the room despite the incessant pressure on his side by his colleagues, spoke first. "Things have been going smoothly. Recovery from the invasion is completed in its entirety, and it's safe to say we've come out better than we started. Approval ratings are very high right now, signaling good things to come."
Aya Fujimoto, a stern-looking woman in her fifties spoke with a nasal voice. "However optimistic Ito wants to be, the reality of the situation is much more daunting, Hokage-sama. The alliance with Iwa is still tentative at best. The everlasting grudge between our two nations continues to spoil the Lord Third's initiative. Pressure is mounting from the other nations, particularly from Kumogakure, who certainly aren't happy with the alliance at all."
An older man in the back, who Tsunade frankly couldn't recall the name of, scoffed loudly. "Bah! Kumo? Those bastards have been a pain in the ass since the beginning! Don't tell me you're scared of them, Aya?"
The woman in question bristled. "Scared? Is logically approaching a situation called being 'scared' now? Your arrogance betrays you, Yamamoto-san!"
Yamamoto, that's his name!
"I believe opening trade with Iwa would be the most logical step," Saeko Hararashi said, butting into the argument.
"Of course you would! You merchants have always been greedy—"
"How dare you?!"
Tsunade scowled. "Enough."
Her voice was quiet, but the impact was loud enough. "Act your age. Useless bickering is beneath us."
The ones involved whispered their apologies. She massaged her temple. Already off to a bad start. This can't get worse, can it?
Tsunade's eyes moved to the one who raised his hand. "You seem to have a question, Shimura-san?"
Danzo's eyes were stone cold. His face didn't reveal any emotion. "Yes, I do…"
"…it pertains to the Akatsuki."
Her heart dropped.
[—NTLS—]
Naruto was back in the center of Konoha. He was once more summoning one of his comrades. This time, however, it was not a shadow.
It was someone much more tough to deal with.
He pricked his thumb, allowing crimson blood to flow out before placing his palm onto the floor. "Summoning Jutsu!" He bellowed with confidence. Black, inky seals enveloped the floor of the terrace he was currently standing on before smoke erupted from where his hand lay.
Sun Wukong stood where the smoke once was.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at his summon, standing up to appraise him properly.
Sun raised his staff high. "I, SUN WUKONG, CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL, NARUTO UZUMAKI!"
The blond face palmed.
I guess not everything can go so smoothly.
[end]
My Pa tre on is back online for those who want to read THREE chapters or THREE WEEKS ahead (chapters 51, 52, 53) and support my endeavor to become an author. So if you can't wait for the next update—check out:
P a treon . com (slash) PaladinKaladin
Sun being sun, as always. Hella embarrassed about his loss, I'd assume. Zabuza gets his well deserved flowers. He's saved Naruto's ass several times by now.
No question of the day today!
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