Published at 18th of September 2024 12:45 pm

Chapter 134 Kurama’s Misadventures, Fox in a Ninja’s Body: 7 The Trouble with Clones

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The festival had been exhausting for Kurama, and by the time he returned to Naruto’s apartment, he collapsed face-first onto the bed. The stress of maintaining Naruto’s personality was beginning to wear him down. He thought he’d successfully dodged a bullet with Hinata, but Sasuke’s suspicions continued to weigh heavily on his mind.

But before he could even relax, there was a knock at the door—again.

What now? Kurama groaned internally.

Dragging himself to the door, he opened it to see none other than Team 7: Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, staring at Kurama with that same suspicious look he’d had at the festival.

“Morning, Naruto,” Kakashi said, smiling behind his mask. “We’ve got an urgent mission. Pack your things.”

Kurama’s eyes widened in panic. Another mission? Now?

Sasuke’s gaze drilled into him. “What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Kurama quickly composed himself. “I’m just... surprised, that’s all. Didn’t expect a mission so soon.”

Kakashi, as usual, was hard to read, but even he seemed to be analyzing Naruto’s strange behavior. “This one’s important. We need you focused. Get ready, we leave in ten.”

Kurama swallowed nervously. There was no way he could handle another mission without messing up, especially with Sasuke constantly breathing down his neck. He had to think of something fast.

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Kurama grabbed Naruto’s gear and headed out with Team 7. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out how to avoid more close calls, especially with Sasuke’s suspicions growing. As they made their way out of the village, Kurama decided to take a risk.

If I can just use Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu, I can let the clones handle most of the mission while I hang back. Simple enough, right? he thought, hoping the clones would be able to mimic Naruto well enough.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Kakashi said, leading the team toward the mission location. It was a simple escort mission—perfect for clones to handle the bulk of the work.

Kurama bit his lip, forming the familiar hand signs. “Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

In an instant, several Naruto clones popped into existence. Good, that worked...

But the clones immediately began acting... off.

One clone started scratching his head and picking his nose, another was stretching awkwardly, and a third one was loudly humming a tune. None of them seemed remotely interested in the mission.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “What... are they doing?”

Kurama’s eye twitched. Oh no, what is happening?!

Kakashi watched with mild amusement, while Sakura put her hands on her hips. “Naruto, can you at least get your clones to focus?”

Kurama rushed to the clones, grabbing one by the collar. “Hey! Act normal! We’re supposed to be on a mission!”

The clone blinked, then gave a lazy thumbs-up. “Got it, boss!”

But as soon as Kurama let go, the clone wandered off toward a butterfly, completely forgetting what it was supposed to be doing.

Sasuke sighed in frustration. “You’re getting worse by the day.”

Kurama was starting to panic. The clones were acting bizarre, and he had no idea how to control them. Was it because he was the one controlling Naruto’s chakra instead of Naruto himself?

“Alright, enough!” Kakashi stepped in, dispersing the clones with a wave of his hand. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you, Naruto, but let’s try to focus on the mission.”

Kurama exhaled in relief. At least Kakashi wasn’t pressing him too hard. But Sasuke was still glaring at him with that intense, piercing stare. I can’t keep this up...

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As they continued along the mission route, Kurama tried to blend in and avoid drawing attention to himself. But it wasn’t long before trouble found them again.

They were halfway through the journey when they encountered a group of rogue ninja blocking the road. Sasuke and Kakashi immediately took defensive stances, while Kurama desperately tried to remember how Naruto usually reacted in these situations.

“I’ll handle them,” Sasuke said confidently, activating his Sharingan.

Kurama tried to stay in the background, hoping he wouldn’t have to fight. But of course, fate had other plans.

One of the rogue ninja spotted Kurama and launched a surprise attack, throwing several shuriken directly at him. Instinctively, Kurama jumped back, narrowly avoiding the attack—but his reaction was far too fast for Naruto’s usual speed.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, watching him closely. “You’ve been holding back.”

Kurama cursed under his breath. He couldn’t afford to be this good at dodging attacks—it would raise too many questions.

The rogue ninja regrouped, and Kurama realized he had no choice but to fight. He reluctantly formed another set of hand signs. “Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

This time, he managed to summon slightly more coordinated clones, and they quickly engaged the enemy, though their movements were still a bit sloppy. Kurama tried to mimic Naruto’s usual fighting style, using his clones to distract the enemies while he threw kunai from a distance.

Kakashi and Sasuke made quick work of the rest, and within minutes, the battle was over.

But Sasuke was still watching Kurama closely, his suspicion growing with every strange move Kurama made.

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Later that evening, the group set up camp for the night. Kurama sat by the fire, his nerves on edge as he tried to figure out how much longer he could keep this up. He could feel Sasuke’s eyes on him even now.

“You’re acting weird, Naruto,” Sasuke said suddenly, breaking the silence. “You’ve been off for weeks.”

Kurama glanced over at Sasuke, forcing a grin. “What are you talking about? I’m the same old Naruto.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, his Sharingan flaring to life for a brief moment. “You’re lying.”

Kurama’s heart skipped a beat. This guy is too sharp!

Kakashi, who had been quietly reading his book, looked up from the fire. “Naruto, if there’s something bothering you, it’s okay to talk about it.”

Kurama froze. He could feel the pressure mounting. How was he going to get out of this without revealing the truth?

But before he could respond, Sakura chimed in. “Maybe you’re just tired, Naruto. You’ve been working really hard lately.”

Kurama latched onto the excuse, nodding eagerly. “Yeah, exactly! I’ve just been exhausted from all the missions and training. Nothing to worry about.”

Kakashi and Sakura seemed to buy it, but Sasuke wasn’t convinced. He stood up and walked over to Kurama, his intense gaze locked onto him.

“You can’t hide whatever it is from me forever,” Sasuke said quietly. “I’ll figure it out.”

Kurama forced a grin. “Good luck with that.”

But as Sasuke walked away, Kurama felt a sinking feeling in his chest. Sasuke was getting closer to the truth, and if he didn’t figure out a way to fix this situation soon, things were going to go downhill fast.

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***

Kurama’s attempt to use Shadow Clones backfires, drawing more suspicion from Sasuke and making his situation even more precarious. With each passing day, Sasuke inches closer to uncovering the truth. How long can Kurama continue to impersonate Naruto before everything falls apart?

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