Night settled quietly over Konohagakure.
Lanterns dimmed across the village streets.
Most shinobi were already home.
Which meant the forest outside the village should have been peaceful.
Instead—
POOF POOF POOF
Two dozen Narutos suddenly appeared in clouds of smoke.
The original Naruto Uzumaki collapsed backward onto the grass with a tired groan.
Naruto rubbed his temples.
"Alright listen up…"
Twenty-four clones stared back at him.
One clone raised his hand.
"Do clones qualify for overtime?"
Naruto pointed dramatically toward the forest.
"We have a mission."
The Shinobi Codex flickered open.
Sidequest: Discover all official training grounds within Konohagakure
Progress: 1 / 101
Rewards:
+5 to all stats (Except Luck)1 Rare Item3 Skill Evolution StonesNext Level Chakra Control Training
The clones leaned closer.
One whistled.
"That's a lotta stats."
Naruto pointed deeper into the forest.
"Spread out and find training grounds!"
The clones scattered instantly in every direction.
Naruto flopped onto the grass again.
"I'm gonna nap."
Clone Recon
Across the village and forests, Naruto's clones began exploring.
And almost immediately started running into strange training situations.
Training Ground #2
One clone wandered into a clearing where a boy about Naruto's age was violently punching a wooden training post.
Each hit echoed through the trees.
"YOUTH!!!"
The clone blinked slowly.
"...Okay that's concerning."
The boy delivered one final punch and struck a dramatic pose.
"FOR THE POWER OF YOUTH!"
The clone slowly backed away.
"I'm guessing that's one of **Might Guy's students."
*Ping*
Training Ground Discovered
Progress: 2 / 101
Training Ground #3
Another clone quietly approached a different clearing.
A girl sat cross-legged in the grass.
Hundreds of insects crawled calmly across her arms.
The clone froze.
"...Nope."
He turned around immediately.
"Bug ninja territory."
The girl lifted her head slightly.
The clone walked away faster.
Ping
Training Ground Discovered
Progress: 3 / 101
Training Ground #5
One clone stumbled into a clearing where several academy students practiced throwing shuriken at wooden targets.
A boy threw one.
It completely missed the target.
The shuriken spun toward the clone.
He caught it casually.
"...You guys should probably stand farther apart."
The kids stared at him.
The clone handed the shuriken back.
"Safety first."
Ping
Training Ground Discovered
Progress: 5 / 101
Morning
The sun rose slowly over Konohagakure.
Naruto jolted awake when several clones popped out of existence at once.
POOF POOF POOF
Memories flooded his mind.
Bug ninja.
Overly enthusiastic youth guy.
Academy kids with terrible aim.
Naruto grabbed his head.
"OW!"
The Shinobi Codex chimed.
Sidequest Progress Updated
Discover Training Grounds
Progress: 11 / 101
Naruto blinked.
"...Eleven?"
He grinned tiredly.
"Nice."
He stretched and started walking.
Today was the day.
The bell test.
The training ground clearing was quiet when Naruto arrived.
Already waiting were his teammates.
Sasuke Uchiha stood with his arms crossed against a tree.
Sakura Haruno stood nearby, clearly annoyed.
Sakura glanced at Naruto.
"You're late."
Naruto yawned.
"I was doing research."
Sasuke scoffed.
"Idiot."
Naruto opened the system panel.
A notification blinked.
Status Effect Active
Cringe Aura
Time Remaining: 3 Hours
Naruto sighed.
"Great."
Sakura rubbed her temples.
"Why do I suddenly feel embarrassed standing near you?"
Sasuke looked irritated for no reason.
Naruto muttered.
"This stupid debuff again."
The Shinobi Codex chimed.
System Confirmation: Cringe Aura remains active.
Naruto crossed his arms.
"So basically the whole test."
Then, leaves rustled above them.
A figure appeared in a casual swirl of movement.
Their sensei.
Kakashi Hatake
He landed lazily in front of them.
"Yo."
Naruto immediately pointed.
"YOU'RE LATE!"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head.
"I got lost on the path of life."
The three genin stared at him.
The system panel flickered.
System Analysis:
Statement credibility: 0%
Kakashi pulled two small bells from his pouch.
They jingled softly.
He tied them to his waist.
"Your test is simple."
Naruto squinted.
"There are only two bells."
Kakashi nodded.
"Correct."
Sakura frowned.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
Naruto opened his system panel again.
Cringe Aura
Time Remaining: 2 Hours 57 Minutes
Naruto sighed.
Then slowly grinned.
Because yesterday…
He had scouted this exact training ground.
And laid traps.
Lots of traps.
Naruto looked up at Kakashi Hatake.
"Oh man…"
His grin widened.
In a never before heard dialect of japanese Naruto states to Kakashi: "My Name is Naruto Esteban Don Julio De La Rose Diego Montego Pablo Escabar Guadalupe Hidalgo, Prepare to die."
What could have been a cool one liner turned into the ultimate cringe fest.
Naruto Smirked, may as well have some fun with his debuff while it was still around.