Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

Back when people used to watch Naruto, many joked that Kakashi was 'Hatake Fifty-Fifty', all because his copy-eye Sharingan made him famously known in the Shinobi World. (T/N: It's a joke made because Kakashi always has 50% chance when fighting an enemy, no matter how weak or how strong they are.)

Now, Naruto's perfect copy ability resembles Kakashi's in concept, though his mastery surpasses Kakashi's by far. Calling him 'Uzumaki Fifty-Fifty' wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"Orochimaru, you're truly remarkable to have thought of such a clever method."

In an instant, Naruto's previous worries vanished.

As long as he relied on his Mangekyo Sharingan's unique Dojutsu to copy the strongest enemy that he could not deal with, then no matter how strong the enemy was, they'd end up on equal footing. Plus, Naruto had the Eight Gates and other strong abilities at his disposal, so the balance of victory would tilt towards him.

However, this solution could only be used once. So unless it is absolutely necessary, Naruto decided to reserve his unique Dojutsu. He couldn't be sure who the strongest enemy might be in the future.

Still, there was no doubt that this Absolute Copy was an exceptionally powerful lifeline.

Since he'd been signing in for increasingly powerful rewards, Naruto had begun to overlook the Sharingan. But now, he was finally starting to see its importance.

After carefully putting away his Sharingan contact lenses, Naruto chatted casually with Orochimaru for a bit before leaving with a relaxed attitude, resuming his journey with Jiraiya to grasp hold of his future and diligently 'study' his material. This went on for a whole month...

After a month of study, Naruto had made significant progress. First, in appearance, his hair had grown into shoulder-length, mid-length strands, and with gold-rimmed glasses, he had an air of 'refined scoundrel'.

In terms of knowledge, through persistent effort and active 'field research', he'd memorized most of the pretty ladies of Konoha, down to the smallest details… he could tell each person's measurements at a glance and even knew if someone had a birthmark on certain areas, which ended up earning him a unique reward from his system.

[Charm Technique: Passive ability, increases women's favorability, making them less alert to a great extent.]

While it might seem trivial, this ability was astonishingly powerful.

In high-stakes battles, even a slight misstep could change the outcome, often decided by a single move.

This wasn't just effective on ordinary people, as even Kaguya could fall prey to a weakened guard, possibly offering an opportunity to strike from behind. At the very least, it could help him seize the initiative.

Although named 'Charm Technique', it might as well be called a 'Female Slayer'.

Apart from that, his Byakugan had also seen considerable progress. Although his Sharingan could match the strongest, he had no idea when he'd be able to use it, so for now, he continued training his Byakugan.

Whenever he felt tempted to peek into the women's bath, he'd sneak off from Jiraiya and activate his Byakugan to look at the scene with skeletal outlines. That quickly restored his composure.

After repeating this for a month, his Byakugan's perception had advanced well. He could now easily observe a two-kilometer radius without issue.

However, Naruto's growth is still a little slow.

Compared to him, the others on the third training ground are the ones who have made real progress.

Every day they pushed themselves to the limit, drastically improving their Chakra Control, physical strength, and evasion skills.

Among them, what made Naruto happiest was that Sasuke had overcome half of the Cursed Seal's influence. Using a partial curse mark in short bursts no longer affected him, allowing him to fight without any issues.

Then there was Squirtle's progress. With the intense training, its experience points skyrocketed, and within just a month, it had advanced to Level 15, only one level shy of 16, where it'd undergo its first evolution. Naruto was eagerly awaiting this.

Neji, Lee, and Tenten all saw individual growth in strength, and their mindsets became notably more positive, especially Neji, who no longer had the Caged Bird, making him the most noteworthy.

Naruto observed these changes firsthand, but to keep the actual matches more suspenseful, he refrained from asking about the precise extent of their progress. That way, when the official matches come, Naruto could fully enjoy the thrill.

But this month hadn't been completely smooth, as one thing had been bothering Naruto.

Sandaime personally tried to spread a certain rumor, yet progress was disappointingly slow. Even after a whole month, it hadn't blown up as intended, meaning Sakura hadn't yet faced complete social death.

Of course, Naruto no longer had the time to take care of Sakura.

Today was the day of the official match.

In the arena, he'd make sure Sakura looked her worst!

"Alright, stop looking around. This time, you're the stars of the show!"

Hayate said lightly.

At that moment, Naruto and the others had already arrived at the finals' venue.

In the original work, Hayate was killed, but this time, there was no conspiracy from Sunagakure, so Hayate had survived and taken on the role of proctor for the finals.

In a way, it was Naruto who had saved Hayate, as he had sparked changes that altered the original course of events.

The stands atop the massive walls were packed with spectators. Numerous powerful figures had gathered on the main viewing platform, but the Kazekage was noticeably absent.

As Naruto had negotiated with Orochimaru earlier, the Yondaime Kazekage had already been killed. But since there's no Konoha Crush Plan, Orochimaru had no reason to impersonate him.

As the crowd grew impatient waiting for the Kazekage, the excitement in the stands intensified. Realizing he could delay no longer, Sandaime rose and said, "Distinguished guests, I am truly grateful to each of you for coming to Konoha to witness the finals of the Chunin Exams. Now, we invite the candidates who passed the preliminaries to begin the official matches. Please enjoy the show!"

"Before we begin, I'd like to say a few words."

Hayate coughed and continued, "Although the venue has changed, the rules remain the same as in the preliminaries. There are no restrictions. The match ends only when one competitor surrenders or is no longer able to fight. However, if I judge that the outcome is clear, I will stop the fight. Do not resist my decision. Understood?"

Seeing that no one objected, Hayate waved his hand and said, "Then the first match, Uchiha Sasuke VS Hyuga Neji. The rest of you, please return to the waiting room."

"Wait, can we watch from the spectator seats? It would help us observe potential opponents."

Naruto asked.

Hayate nodded and said, "You may, but avoid causing any disturbance. If your turn comes and you're not present, it'll count as a forfeit."

"Got it."

Naruto made an 'OK' gesture, then leaped onto the wall and walked to the audience seats.

Seeing Naruto take the initiative, the other contestants, each of whom had received a scroll from Naruto earlier, didn't want to be outdone.

They all sprang up, landing on the walls in a display of skillful Chakra Control, impressing the crowd with their abilities.

The audience burst into applause, and the excitement in the stadium climbed a notch.

Once Naruto and the others found their seats, the first match officially began.

Both Sasuke and Neji were prodigies, making this a highly anticipated fight. Even Naruto couldn't predict the winner, and the outcome would have to be decided in the arena.