Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"You're the freak! Your whole family is!"

Naruto couldn't resist firing back, though he knew it was the wrong time to blurt that out.

So he spread his hands helplessly and said, "Hey, come on. I went through all that trouble to show off the Eight Gates. Aren't you guys supposed to clap or something? Why are you all just standing there?"

"Oh... right, clapping!"

Sasuke started clapping, prompting Neji to join in once he snapped out of his daze.

But the others were still dumbfounded and completely unable to react.

After all, this was the Eight Gates!

And Naruto had activated it casually, all in under an hour. What kind of prodigy could manage that?

At this point, Kakashi and Gai weren't even thinking about applause, and they were both seriously considering sending Naruto off for scientific examination!

Meanwhile, Lee, deeply shaken, stared ahead with empty eyes, looking utterly defeated as if his dreams had just been shattered.

After a long silence, Kakashi clapped his hands and said, "Guy, you are right. Naruto is really a freak."

He pulled Guy over and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "You know as well as I do that Naruto has the Kyubi sealed inside him. I've seen him heal from injuries at an abnormal speed before. Being able to activate the Eight Gates without any injuries might be related to the Kyubi's Chakra. It's possible that his body has already adapted to handle the strain, becoming something extraordinary."

Hearing this explanation, Guy nodded thoughtfully.

'Indeed, Kakashi's explanation is relatively reasonable.'

Kakashi continued in a low voice, "No matter what, we should report this to Hokage-sama immediately and let him decide on the best course of action."

"Agreed."

Guy nodded, then turned around and said to everyone, "You all can continue training on your own. Kakashi and I have something to attend to. Don't slack off."

After saying that, Guy and Kakashi vanished from the training field, leaving only Team 7 and Team 3 behind.

"So, Naruto, what's your plan?"

Sasuke asked. He hadn't overheard Kakashi and Guy's conversation, but he could sense the severity of Naruto's display, so he couldn't help but feel worried.

Naruto waved his hand and said, "What's there to plan? You and Neji should keep practicing together. I'm done with training for today, so I'm heading home to rest."

He didn't need to think about it, as he knew that Kakashi and Guy would report to Sandaime since they couldn't handle it.

And since Sandaime has become his Servant, he had nothing to worry about. The worst that could happen was that Sandaime would learn that he had grown even stronger. But apart from that, there would be no other impact.

What Naruto really wanted now was to find a nice hot spring and soak away his exhaustion from all that training.

After leaving the training ground, Naruto bought himself a fresh outfit from a street vendor and headed toward the hot spring.

Initially, he planned to stop by a nearby hot spring, but just a few steps later, he spotted a beautiful woman holding bathing supplies.

The woman looked to be in her early twenties, tall and slender with waist-length black hair, smooth and silky. She wore a light blue yukata paired with wooden sandals, radiating elegance and charm.

'She's gorgeous!'

Naruto thought to himself, practically drooling as he quietly followed her.

Soon, the woman walked into a hot spring.

Seeing this, Naruto's eyes lit up with a mischievous idea. He ducked into a secluded corner and used the Transformation Technique. When he emerged, he had taken the form of a short, blonde girl no taller than a meter and a half.

"One woman, please."

Taking the token from the staff member, Naruto headed straight for the women's section.

Back in his previous life, Naruto had always dreamed of using the Transformation Technique to sneak into the women's bath. Now that he finally had the chance, there was no way he'd pass it up.

Especially since that beautiful woman from earlier was too captivating… he had to make sure she wasn't some foreign spy.

And of course, this would be an excellent opportunity to 'study' anatomy. If he could resist temptation in the women's bath, he'd be much better prepared against any future seduction techniques.

As for other messy and dirty thoughts? Naruto definitely doesn't have any of them.

After all, he was just a twelve-years-old kid, what weird thoughts could he have?

Everything he did was purely for investigation, for learning, and ultimately, for becoming a better version of himself!

'I do all this out of necessity!'

Naruto's face was full of grievance, but his movements were extremely efficient. After removing his clothes in no time, he rushed into the women's bath impatiently.

'Hiss!'

As soon as he stepped in, Naruto inhaled deeply.

'Fragrant, very fragrant!'

'It's a wonderful sweetness that cannot be described in any words...'

Steam floated over the hot spring, enveloping a collection of young women relaxing in the warm waters.

'Following that tall woman here was a great choice. As nice as the women's bath was, the real torture would have been ending up somewhere full of grandmothers. This… this is heaven.'

Scanning the bath, he saw young girls soaking with towels draped over their shoulders, just their heads peeking above the water.

'But just watching wasn't enough, I needed a closer look.'

Naruto caught sight of the tall woman from earlier, who stood out even among the other women. Gathering his resolve, he slipped into the water, feeling the soothing warmth ignite every inch of his skin.

Although there were many other women here, the tall lady was by far the most captivating. Naruto steeled himself and slowly waded toward her, his tiny hand itching to reach out.

Don't misunderstood… Naruto simply wanted to expose this woman's true identity. If she really was a spy from another village, he had to gather some real evidence to prove it, which required a more 'in-depth' investigation.

Just as he reached the tall woman and was about to get that crucial 'evidence', someone suddenly shrieked.

"Kyah! A pervert!"

'Oh no, have I been discovered?'

Naruto's heart raced, his scalp tingling with alarm.

However, at the next moment, the tall woman suddenly pulled him into a hug and scooped him up.

"Hang on, little girl, there's a pervert outside spying on us. I'll take you to the changing room." The tall woman said in a cool, mature voice.

Hearing that, Naruto felt relief flood through him.

'It turned out that there was a pervert peeping outside. I panicked for nothing!'

When he came to his senses, Naruto suddenly realized his head was pressed against something soft. Glancing up, he found himself face-to-face with something… massive.

'Why are her chest muscles so extravagant?'

'Was this the legendary 'cleansing foam'?'

"Pfft!"

Trying to suppress a nosebleed, Naruto pinched his nose and willed himself to stay calm.

Soon, he was carried to the changing room by the tall woman.

The room was packed with women from the bath. They hurriedly get dressed without even bothering to dry off completely, all in an effort to avoid exposing themselves further to the lurking pervert.

However, no one expected that there was a transformed Naruto who sneaked into the changing room. Even if they dressed quickly, they would still be seen clearly by Naruto.

Naruto felt a rush of heat flood his body, his blood practically shooting to his brain.

"Girls, don't let that pervert escape! Let's go after him!"

Someone shouted, rallying the others. In no time, a crowd of determined women stormed out of the changing room and headed behind the bathhouse.

The hot spring establishment was made entirely of wooden walls, and the voyeur had apparently been peeking through gaps in the planks.

Behind the bathhouse was a public hot spring with a small bridge over it. The sight struck Naruto with a sense of déjà vu, as if he'd seen this scene somewhere before… until he spotted the peeping pervert being beaten up.

The culprit was a middle-aged man with long white hair...