Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"I'll give it my all!" Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.

He'd been given a chance, so if he still fails, he'd have no one to blame but himself.

He now has to master the Cursed Seal as soon as possible. If he couldn't even overcome this hurdle, reviving the Uchiha clan, or even seeking revenge against Itachi, would be nothing but dreams.

Seeing Sasuke so fired up, Naruto nodded in satisfaction. He was relieved that Sasuke hadn't lost his fighting spirit, as having drive was the most important thing.

"Let's go find a different spot."

Naruto waved his hand.

Though Kiba and Shino had cleaned up the area, Naruto still felt uncomfortable… it was, after all, a place where people had died.

However, after walking only half an hour, Naruto's Danger Sense sounded a warning.

This time, before he could even look for the source, someone had already appeared right in front of him.

"It's Naruto and Sasuke, why don't I see Sakura?"

The other party had a bowl-cut hairstyle and his eyes were looking around, especially eager to find Sakura.

It's none other than Lee.

Naruto said helplessly, "No need to look for her, Sakura has already passed the test and left ahead of us."

"She passed? As expected of Sakura!"

Lee clenched his fist, his excitement palpable as he practically fumed with enthusiasm.

But after a moment of celebration, he froze, "Wait, if she's passed the test, that means you've already got the scrolls you need. So why haven't you left?"

Before Naruto could reply, a voice called out from a distance, "That's because they have way too many scrolls."

As the voice fell, two figures appeared.

They're Lee's teammates, Neji and Tenten.

The one who spoke just now was Neji, whose Byakugan was activated.

"Looks like I don't need to explain after all."

Naruto couldn't help but smile, 'Neji's Byakugan had the ability to see through things, and from what he said, he must have seen through the large number of scrolls in my backpack.'

Since he'd been caught, Naruto didn't bother hiding it, "So, Neji, how's it been feeling, dealing with all those explosive tags?"

"So it really was you behind that." Neji replied, frowning slightly.

Over the past two and a half days, he had used his Byakugan to scan various hiding spots, only to find that they were filled with explosive tags and no scrolls. Normally, setting a couple of traps would be enough, so why bother going overboard?

But now it made sense, as Naruto had already taken all the scrolls.

Naruto pulled out a complete set of scrolls, and said with a playful smile, "All the scrolls are in our possession. Without my say-so, no one else can pass this part of the Chunin Exams. Of course, it's easy to get the scrolls. Neji, all you have to do is promise me one thing."

Originally, Naruto wanted Sasuke to fight to gain some experience, but since Sasuke couldn't safely use Chakra due to the risk of losing control, Naruto had thought of another condition.

"What is it?" Neji asked, clearly puzzled.

He and Naruto had no prior dealings, aside from Naruto teasing him before the first part of the exam. So he wondered what was Naruto up to now.

Naruto smiled and said, "It's very simple. All you have to do is stop targeting Hinata, and quit saying those discouraging things to her."

Indeed, that was the only thing Naruto could think of… to get Neji to stop harassing Hinata.

Naruto felt that if it would spare Hinata some verbal attacks, then giving Neji the scrolls was a small price to pay.

"Absolutely not!" Neji refused without a moment's hesitation.

The Hyuga Clan's main family and the branch family's structure couldn't be changed, but every time Neji saw Hinata, who was weaker than him yet still set to inherit the Hyuga Clan, he felt an intense imbalance in his heart. His resentment toward the main family naturally extended to Hinata as well.

"Since all the scrolls are with you… Lee, Tenten, let's grab them!"

Neji growled and took the lead in attacking.

While he acknowledged Naruto's vast Chakra Reserve, Chakra alone didn't guarantee exceptional combat skills. With Lee's strong taijutsu, his own Gentle Fist, and Tenten's support with long-range Ninja Tools, Neji felt that they still had a decent chance of snatching one set of the scrolls.

"Neji, I can't join in… three against one just isn't honorable." Lee said resolutely, shaking his head.

There is no need for a life-and-death battle between Shinobi from the same village, so he could not accept Neji's orders.

"Don't worry about it, you joining in wouldn't make a difference anyway. Actually, this is a good chance to loosen up."

Naruto said, blocking Neji's initial punch. Leaping backward, he quickly formed hand seals.

'One against three?'

'Such thing won't happen against me.'

With Naruto's hand seals completed, a huge cloud of smoke engulfed the area. When the smoke cleared, a staggering three thousand shadow clones stood ready.

'Now, it's three thousand against three!'

"I was trying to talk this out reasonably." Naruto said with a shrug, "But since you wouldn't listen, don't blame me for being ruthless! Go, everyone!"

With a sweeping gesture, Naruto sent his shadow clones charging at Neji, Lee, and Tenten.

"Naruto Release: Flowing Banquet - Three Thousand Body Slams!"

All three thousand shadow clones let out a battle cry before inflating their bodies, transforming into plump, round spheres that barreled toward the trio like a wave of human bowling balls.

The best way to deal with this move is to dodge. After all, Body Slam have a forced effect, and if they are hit, the target will be dizzy, and any attempt to block would be futile.

Unfortunately, Neji, Lee and Tenten were completely unaware of this, and they instinctively crossed their arms to block it.

At the next moment, the three of them were left immobilized, stunned by the attack.

Since Naruto called it 'Flowing Banquet', the attack didn't end with one blow, but came in wave after relentless wave.

One Body Slam would only stun briefly, but what about three thousand of them?

Bang, bang, bang!

With a continuous barrage of resounding thuds, Neji, Lee, and Tenten had no chance to resist and were overwhelmed, collapsing on the ground with severe injuries.

Seeing this scene, even Naruto, who had unleashed the technique, was dumbfounded.

'The effect is truly amazing.'

'Fortunately, there is the supply of Kyubi's Chakra, otherwise, achieving such effect would be impossible.'

"Impressive."

Sasuke, who is on the side, thought it would be a tough fight, but he didn't expect it to be a situation where the enemies would be defeated instantly.

'Strong, Naruto is extremely strong.'

After dismissing his three thousand clones, Naruto strolled over to the downed trio. Lee and Tenten had already fallen unconscious, but Neji, though battered, was somehow clinging to consciousness.

"Hiss!"

Naruto couldn't help but gasp. Even though he didn't use any extra techniques, it was incredible that Neji was still conscious after being hit at least a thousand times.

'As expected of the true genius of the Hyuga Clan… His resilience and willpower are truly admirable.'

'If he hadn't been killed in the original work, he would probably have been a powerful Kage-level figure in a few years.'

'And if he continued to develop his Byakugan, maybe it would be possible for him to reach the Super Kage-level.

"I'll give you a spot."

Naruto took out the Servant Contract from the system inventory.

Naruto held no grudge against Neji. In fact, Naruto felt sympathy for Neji's situation and had long wanted to resolve this regret.

The Servant Contract had allowed Gaara to resist Shukaku's influence, so it might similarly free Neji from the Caged Bird.

However, Naruto wouldn't use the Servant Contract solely to resolve a past regret. Now that number of slots are running low, each one of them is extremely precious. But Neji has enough potential, so he felt it is not wasted to give Neji a spot.

Opening the Servant Contract, he scanned the previous pages: Orochimaru on the first page, Sasuke on the second, Zabuza on the third, Gaara on the fourth, Hiruzen on the fifth.

Now, the sixth blank page will soon be filled with Hyuga Neji's name...