Night before mission.
At his apartment, Naruto was talking with Kurama in his mindspace.
"How long will my Clone can last?!" Naruto asked sitting in front of Kurama.
"Hmph" Kurama snorted and said, "With my Chakra alone it can last for even years without dispersing."
"Oooh!" He intoned slowly, brow furrowed in exaggerated understanding.
"That means unless I got knocked out in fight or Clone take significant amount of damage, It can last for years with your Chakra, huh."
Naruto nodded in understanding.
Shadow clone is similar to Bijuu's in one way, it is a full of Chakra. So, it didn't even need food and water for survival.
As long as Caster, Naruto, provides him sufficient chakra while performing Jutsu.
With his current Jonin Level Chakra and Kurama's Chakra, it can last for a long period than a standard shadow Clone.
——
Back to present.
Naruto, with Kaito, Rin and Takeshi commenced their mission under the warm embrace of morning sun.
The surrounding gradually shifted from familiar landscape surrounding Konoha to more rugged, wooded area within Land of Fire.
"It may take upto one and half day to reach the location." Kaito explained.
It was for Naruto, who first time out from village. Rin and Takeshi has already done missions outside Village.
The initial hours passed with comfortable rhythm. Their were chatter among them, light teasing on Naruto from Rin, counterpart to the sound of forest.
Naruto, from outwards appeared engaged, but his inner thoughts were already charting a different course.
The first day wore on. The sun arced across the sky, painting the leaves in hues of emerald and gold. They made good progress, stopping only briefly for water and quick rations.
"Naruto is really strong, able to keep with us!" Takeshi amazed.
"Yeah, he is only eight years old and can keep with us seasoned Genins." Rin equally surprised.
"Hehe..." Naruto looked at faces and give them a smug smile.
Takeshi felt bit annoyed at his smug, while Rin with glint in her eyes walk behind Naruto to poke his cheeks.
Their chatter continue and as dusk began to settle, casting long shadows through the trees, Kaito decided to make camp near a small stream.
They efficiently set up a rudimentary shelter and shared a simple meal.
Naruto, though participating, remained somewhat withdrawn. His gaze often drifted towards the north.
During midnight, Naruto, who was already awake, looks towards the direction of sleeping Kaito, Rin and Takeshi.
"It's about time." He said.
Then he made a Shadow Clone and said in low voice, "You know what to do right? Don't part take in fights unless necessary and preserve your Chakra. Okay!"
Shadow Clone nodded. With that Naruto glanced at his team and vanished using Body Flicker Tecqnice.
The following morning, they broke camp before dawn. The air still carried a hint of coolness.
They resume their mission, the landscapes are becoming increasingly uneven and rocky.
By midday, after roughly a day and a half of travel, the terrain began to slope upwards.
This led them towards a noticeable rocky outcrop that jutted out from the surrounding woodland.
Kaito surveyed the area with a practiced eye. His gaze settled on a dark opening in the cliff face.
"There" Kaito stated, his voice low and authoritative, pointing towards the cave entrance. "This is the location."
"The bandits hideout. It appears relatively unguarded from the outside, which could be a deliberate deception. You must proceed with caution."
He turned to face his three Genin "Naruto, Rin, Takeshi. This is your mission to execute."
"You three will enter the cave, assess the situation, and subdue the bandits. I will remain here, providing cover and ensuring no one escapes. Now move."
They nodded in union and their gaze fixed intently on the shadowed maw of the cave.
"Don't worry Naruto, we will protect you if anything dangerous happened." Rin said in low voice, assuring Naruto.
With a shared glance, the three Genin advanced towards the cave entrance. The air grew cooler and damper as they approached.
The scent of earth and something vaguely musty filled their nostrils. They moved with deliberate silence.
Their footsteps barely disturbing the loose stones underfoot. As they stepped into the darkness, a momentary disorientation washed over them.
Their eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light filtering in from the entrance.
The cave opened into a small, roughly circular cavern. The scene within spoke of a crude and temporary habitation.
Scattered wooden crates served as makeshift furniture. Tattered blankets lay piled in corners. The lingering smell of stale food hung in the air.
Several bandits, rough-looking individuals, were lounging around. Some were cleaning their rudimentary weapons – rusty blades and worn bows.
A larger, more menacing figure, who bore the air of leadership, sported a crudely fashioned sword strapped to his side.
Swish!
Three use Shurikens at bandits close to them, and killed them instantly.
The sudden and silent intrusion of the three young ninjas shattered the bandits' indolence.
A wave of surprise washed over their faces. This quickly morphed into expressions of alarm and a frantic scramble for their weapons.
"Intruders! We've got company!" one of the bandits bellowed, reaching for a nearby bow.
Before the bandits could fully organize a defense, Naruto exploded into action. He used Body Flicker and a small swirling vortex of concentrated chakra materialized in the palm of his right hand.
"Rasengan!" He said lightly with plain expression.
The destructive sphere hummed with raw power as he slammed it into the chests of two of the closest bandits.
The impact was brutal and immediate. Rasengan pierced through their chest and exiting their back, leaving gaping wound.
Bandits around shocked, flicker of fear on their faces. Naruto also equally surprised. He didn't expected Rasengan to impact like Chidori.
Well, would you look at that. With this level of chakra, if my opponent isn't Jonin level, I might stay active for a very long time.
Naruto's Clone thought, contemplating on measures of his current chakra.
Taking advantage of Bandits momentarily distraction both Rin and Takeshi quickly attack.
Rin's hands moved in a blur. She executed a rapid sequence of hand seals.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!" she announced.
A surging torrent of water erupted from her mouth. The powerful wave crashed into three more bandits.
It swept them off their feet and sent them sprawling across the cavern floor. They were disoriented and gasping for air.
Before they could regain their footing, Rin unleashed a swift and deadly volley of shuriken. The sharp projectiles glinted in the dim light as they flew.
They found their marks with lethal accuracy, felling the three bandits with swift precision and end their miserable life.
Takeshi, his eyes narrowed with focus, channeled his chakra. He took a deep breath and expelled a burst of intense flames from his mouth.
"Fire Release: Fire Bullet!"
The fiery projectile shot towards the remaining bandits. Two of them, caught completely off guard by the coordinated assault, were struck by the searing heat and concussive force.
They collapsed to the ground, their clothes smoldering, with holes in their heads.
The bandit leader, however, reacted with a speed born of desperation. He roared and drew his crude sword. He attempted to deflect the incoming flames.
"Aaaargh!"
Despite his valiant effort, the fire bullet grazed his arm. This left a scorched mark and elicited a hiss of pain.
Before he could launch a counter-attack, Takeshi followed up with a rapid throw of several shuriken.
The bandit leader, hampered by his injured arm and the speed of the projectiles, could not evade them all.
Two of the sharp steel stars pierced his chest. This ended his resistance and silenced his roar.
An eerie silence descended upon the cave.
It was broken only by Rin, "Naruto, what was that Jutsu, it easily pierced through them!" She asked, curious.
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Before he could say anything, Kaito comes clapping, "You did well, eliminating enemy's quickly!" He said looking at Naruto.
Rin runs towards Kaito, "Sensei, look at this, Naruto kill 2 Bandits with one attack!" pointing towards two bandits that Naruto take down.
Kaito looks at that direction, eyes widened.
Hokage-sama tells me that Naruto learns 'Rasengan' on his own. Looks like it's really true.
He gazed moves towards Naruto, frowned upon a thought of what kind monster he became when he grew up.
"You didn't answer, what kind Jutsu was that Naruto?!" Takeshi remarked.
"It's called Rasengan. I CREATED it myself!" Naruto answered, flashing a smirk towards them.
"WHAT!? YOURSELF!" both Rin and Takeshi exclaimed in shock.
They can't believe an eight years old Genin able to create a Jutsu this strong.
"Okay, Okay" kaito grab their attention and said, "since, mission is completed, let's move back to village."
They quickly recover from their shocks and walks after Kaito. Naruto's shadow clone continued to walk alongside Rin and Takeshi.
It's Chakra signatures & magnitude were same as original. This left Kaito and his other students completely unaware of the silent departure of their newest teammate.
——
Meanwhile real Naruto, already about to reach borders of Land of Fire.
Currently he is using Transformation Jutsu as some civilian, with short black hair and casual attire for traveler.
My Escape Plan successful. Hahahaha.
Naruto thought, can't control his laughter from happiness.
"So, what's your plan now, Naruto?!" Kurama asked.
"Nothing big, I am just going to accumulates XP, through defeating and Killing various enemies." Naruto replied.
Kurama raised his eyebrow, still don't understand, what this XP is that he talks few times.
But he stretched into a wide toothy grin, upon hearing 'Killing enemies'.
"I need real battle experience, with life ar death battle, which I can't get while staying Konoha." Naruto added.
( Host : Naruto Uzumaki )
( Chakra Capacity : Average Jonin )
( XP : 2,330 )
( Chakra Battery : Tail Beast Level [Yang Half Kurama] )
He glanced at his current XP and smirk, "Let's the grind begins!"