C144 Alright That's It Kankurō

Suddenly, five yellow figures charged at Kankurō!

"Ninjas?"

Kankurō's pupils narrowed as his right hand flicked with the precision of a zither player, summoning azure chakra threads into his palm without a sound.

Then, a sharp longsword cleaved through the air, striking down upon the five airborne clones.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four clones burst apart instantly, leaving only the original, who produced a kunai to block the sword's fierce descent.

With a bound, the yellow figure touched down, revealing a boy of about eight or nine with six whisker-like marks on his cheeks.

"Big brother!"

Konohamaru's shout rang out at the sight of the boy, but Kankurō's stranglehold silenced him.

It was Naruto himself!

At last, he had arrived!

"So you're his big brother? That Naruto guy doesn't seem like much. Sure, your clones are quick, but sadly, they're just not up to par."

Kankurō sheathed his sword, standing with an effortless cool as he appraised Naruto with a dismissive glance.

To him, Naruto's abilities were merely passable.

"Big brother, big brother, you have to save Konohamaru! They're going to kill him!"

Wu Dong and Meng Huang, anxious, implored Naruto upon seeing him.

"Don't worry, I've got this!"

Naruto responded with a reassuring thumbs-up, his gaze narrowing as he turned to Kankurō and bellowed,

"You, with the face paint, let go of Konohamaru now, or I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

"You want to show me your power? Fine, let's see what a Konoha Junior Ninja has got!"

Kankurō was unfazed by Naruto's threat, while Shikamaru yawned out of boredom and Gaara remained indifferent, viewing all before him as insignificant.

"Fine, if you won't learn your lesson, then don't blame me for not holding back!"

Furious, Naruto quickly formed hand seals and multiplied into clones again—this time, over twenty of them!

This was an advanced Shadow Clone technique; each clone possessed its own consciousness. When Naruto suddenly unleashed over twenty clones, Kankurō and his companions were taken aback by the display.

The sheer number of clones implied a terrifying amount of Chakra. It's common knowledge that even an Elite Ninja can typically produce only five clones at once.

Moreover, this advanced Shadow Clone Technique, which produced tangible bodies, was at least an A-rank Ninja Technique, if not an S-rank forbidden jutsu. Could it be that this unassuming youth before them had truly mastered an S-rank forbidden jutsu?

The thought alone was enough to send a jolt of fear through the trio.

In that moment, Naruto, employing a human wave strategy, charged at Kankurō with relentless force!

Over twenty Narutos surged forward in unison, embodying the adage that two fists can't contend with four hands.

"Hmph, your actual strength isn't impressive, so what difference do more clones make? Besides, numbers don't equate to an advantage for me!"

Kankurō let out a cold laugh, his fingers poised to unleash his Puppet Technique. He was ready to take things seriously.

For a Puppet Master, a human wave attack was the least of their concerns.

"Enough, Kankurō. Let's end this here," Gaara interjected, his voice cutting through the tension like the chill of winter snow.

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